rock and roll essay
Budget: $30 – $250 USD
Your job is to write a review of one of the albums from the list below (most of which are available to listen to on Spotify or Apple Music). You will write your review of your chosen album from the perspective of the year in which the album first appeared. This means: pretend like you don’t know any later albums from this artist (or other artists). Put the album in context of a larger trend that you find; compare it to earlier albums by this same group, or similar artists. Talk about the “shape” of the album (the song sequence). Does it flow? And if not, why not? Are there any songs that feel out of place? Are there songs that can be grouped together? Are there any lyrical themes or reoccurring images that establish connections between songs? (In other words, is this a “concept album”?)
In ALL cases, only review the original release. Do not include “bonus tracks” and extras that may appear on the Spotify playlist. They are not part of the original release, and therefore, from your historical perspective, you wouldn’t know about them. You may have to do some research about which tracks exactly were on the original LP version. Also, take into account Side 1 and Side 2. How was the listening experience different back then?
Choose 2 or 3 songs from the album to talk about IN DETAIL. For these songs, what kind of song form do they use? Why are these songs, in particular, worthy of further attention? In other words, what makes them stand out from the rest of the album? Were there any singles released from this album? If so, how high did they chart?
Album choices:
Elvis Presley: Elvis Presley (1956)
Chuck Berry: Berry Is On Top (1959)
The Beatles: Rubber Soul [original UK version] (1965)
The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (1966)
Bob Dylan: Bringing it All Back Home (1965)
Jimi Hendrix & the Experience: Are You Experienced (1967) (North American version)
Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow (1967)
Sly & the Family Stone: Dance to the Music (1968)
The Rolling Stones: Beggar's Banquet (1968)
Marvin Gaye: What's Going On? (1970)
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin III (1970)
Genesis: Selling England By the Pound (1973)
Carole King: Tapestry (1971)
Stevie Wonder: Innervisions (1973)
You can find lots of information on these albums at allmusic.com, where there will be reviews of each of them. However, you will not plagiarize from this or any other source. You may certainly quote from other reviews or interviews, but if you do please cite the source appropriately.
In ALL cases, only review the original release. Do not include “bonus tracks” and extras that may appear on the Spotify playlist. They are not part of the original release, and therefore, from your historical perspective, you wouldn’t know about them. You may have to do some research about which tracks exactly were on the original LP version. Also, take into account Side 1 and Side 2. How was the listening experience different back then?
Choose 2 or 3 songs from the album to talk about IN DETAIL. For these songs, what kind of song form do they use? Why are these songs, in particular, worthy of further attention? In other words, what makes them stand out from the rest of the album? Were there any singles released from this album? If so, how high did they chart?
Album choices:
Elvis Presley: Elvis Presley (1956)
Chuck Berry: Berry Is On Top (1959)
The Beatles: Rubber Soul [original UK version] (1965)
The Beach Boys: Pet Sounds (1966)
Bob Dylan: Bringing it All Back Home (1965)
Jimi Hendrix & the Experience: Are You Experienced (1967) (North American version)
Jefferson Airplane: Surrealistic Pillow (1967)
Sly & the Family Stone: Dance to the Music (1968)
The Rolling Stones: Beggar's Banquet (1968)
Marvin Gaye: What's Going On? (1970)
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin III (1970)
Genesis: Selling England By the Pound (1973)
Carole King: Tapestry (1971)
Stevie Wonder: Innervisions (1973)
You can find lots of information on these albums at allmusic.com, where there will be reviews of each of them. However, you will not plagiarize from this or any other source. You may certainly quote from other reviews or interviews, but if you do please cite the source appropriately.