The Nostalgia of Mystery Train (Part 2)

As rock & roll developed farther from the original blues and country roots that Harmonica Frank had added elements of so early in the history and was becoming a fresh genre, many artists were sprouting up that were popularizing the newly formed genre. Among one of the artists popularized was Elvis Presley. In 1954, only three years after Harmonica Frank made noise with Philips, Presley made his first records. Elvis not only emerged as a popular recording artist, but an acclaimed, everything. “Elvis has emerged as a great artist, a great rocker, a great purveyor of shlock, a great heart throb, a great bore, a great potency, a great bam, a great person, and yes a great American.” (Marcus, 121) 

On December 21, 1970, Elvis Presley who had made his way into the heart of many met with the president of the United States, Richard Nixon. “You dress kind of strange, don't you?” Nixon asked Presley who was wearing purple velvet tunic, high-collared white shirt and a Captain Marvel cape. “You have your show and I have mine,” Presley responded. After the first comments were exchanged Nixon addressed to Presley’s agenda (Jeansonne). Presley who had addressed much of the problems the country was facing such as black nationalists, student activists, and the drug and hippie culture that motivated much of the counterculture movement, was proposing to turn back influence of the problems being faced. Being among one of the many artists that fueled early rock & roll, Presley’s political divide shaped opinions of many of his fans who were also on a divide of the times.  

As highly as musicians such as Presley are looked up in today’s society for their contributions to music, the counterculture movement and rock & roll were looked down upon of their time by most. Journalists of the time were one group who looked down upon rock & roll and thought of it as only a small trend. In 1955, Variety Magazine stated on the topic of rock & roll that, "It will be gone by June."  What most did not know was that the music being made would prompt the countless riots, a generation glued to the music, and a rich history.

The music may have been associated with the counterculture movement and was often looked down upon. The rebellious spirits portrayed by Sly Stone, Elvis Presley, and The Beatles often gave an image to be looked down upon. What most of the younger fans of the generation heard in the music was much more than rebellion. “The parts combine to pull listeners into a labyrinth, with no idea what might be lurking around next,” (Marcus).  The music was an escape to a younger generation who were the cause of the awareness of many of the nation’s biggest problems; it gave hope to a crowd.

A good part of the impact of rock ‘n’ roll had to do with its anachronistic essence, the way it seemed to come out of nowhere, the big surprise that trivialized the events that governed daily life. Rock ‘n’ roll gave the kids who had seen no alternative but to submit to those events a little room to move. (Marcus, 17)

           

Rock & Roll music gave a voice to the voiceless, who were the younger generation trying to establish themselves. What  most of the generation didn’t know was that the music they had loved whether it’d be the Beatles or Jimi Hendrix have had a significant contribution to the music industry since the very peaks of rock & roll. Whether it would be the development of early hip-hop that was developed from 70’s funk rock, or whether it would be the inspiration artists of music now derive their music from early rock & roll influence.

One of the most effective ways that music of the early rock & roll era has contributed to later years of music is through the use of sampling. Sampling which is a form of reusing musical elements in a more contemporary form has been used in countless ways since the music of early rock. Often times sampling is considered demeaning to music and a forfeit to the originality of the craft of music but are also times often reveals a sense of nostalgia and an intensity that could only be matched with early rock & roll. Much like The Band’s classic record, The Weight, which Marcus justifies as “The song captured the yearning for home and the fact of displacement that ruled our lives; we thought that the Band’s music was the most natural parallel to our hopes, ambitions, and doubts and we were right to think so.” The Weight has had elements of the song used in over 40 different songs and was most recently sampled into Girl Talk’s All Day album. Elements of countless songs have been reused in songs and have resulted high critical response such as Sly Stone’s record Everyday People which has been reused multiple times but none more highly than Arrested Development’s People Everyday.

Rock & roll, looking back now, has had some of the largest contributions of music of all time. The Beatles compilation album, One, is the highest sold album between the years of 2000 and 2009, which only shows how much of an impact The Beatles still over today’s music (Lamb). Even the earliest forms of rock & roll are still praised today, without the contribution to artists like Harmonica Frank (who could’ve easily been forgotten by now) rock & roll could have never made its way to the surface to having such an impact on society.

Rock & roll has developed from the very peaks of the early blues and country influences. With artists such as Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Sly Stone and many others becoming cultural icons of the time, society reflected the changing times with the music. The development of rock & roll, not only contributed to a developing mid 1900’s society, but it has shaped a great amount of our music today. As rebellious and underappreciated as the music seemed to most the music had developed a culture and that is still prevalent in today’s society. What Marcus demonstrates in Mystery Train is the sense of nostalgia that the music brings back and shows how the music has been such an impact. “It was the intensity of the music that changed fascination into commitment and a bundle of ideas into what must serve as a point of view,” (Marcus, 28).