Here’s Drew back on 15 May 2017 with something from ICA #123:-
“Rock & Roll
Rock & Roll recounts the story of Jenny whose life was saved by Rock & Roll. I read in notes to Peel Slowly and See that the song was about Reed himself, who wasn’t interested in anything until he heard rock and roll. “If I hadn’t heard rock and roll on the radio, I would have had no idea there was life on this planet”
It comes from the band’s final album, Loaded recorded for Atlantic. The band were on the point of implosion at this point but could still produce an LP “loaded” with hits or so Reed thought, and it is definitely the most commercial of their releases.”
Rock & Roll was released on a 45 by Atlantic in Germany and the UK back in 1973. The picture sleeve used to illustrate this post is taken from one of the German releases as the UK single came housed in a plain sleeve. You’ll have noticed that I said was ‘released on a 45, words chosen deliberately as it was actually the b-side. It was also the first ever release attributed to more than just the band:-
mp3: The Velvet Underground featuring Lou Reed – Sweet Jane
mp3: The Velvet Underground featuring Lou Reed – Rock & Roll
It was, of course, a cash-in attempt, coming on the back of Walk On The Wild Side being a solo hit for Lou Reed in 1972 but it proved to be a flop, with Radio 1 not the slightest bit interested in playing it.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 