There are plenty of 50s and early 60s rock and roll songs that don' follow 4/4 with the backbeat you are referring to.

There Goes My Baby - Drifters
Well All Right - Buddy Holly
Chain Gang - Sam Cooke
Sweets For My Sweet - Drifters
Little Darling - Gladiolas and Diamonds
When You Dance - Turbans

That's ok but this thing about cultural impact or influence I just know talking to my parents they told me the Beatles changed a lot of things good and bad. A lot of people got into different kinds of music because of the the Beatles. Yet the Beatles influenced a lot of people to take drugs and grow their hair longer and things like that. In a way the Beatles affected the culture more than Elvis because even he viewed the Beatles as to influential on teens.

Corrections stated that without Elvis there would be no British Invasion? Well it took eight years after Elvis made it before the British Invasion took place in America. Their own record company didn't think they even would make it here in the first place.

By 1964 Elvis was really not critically doing anything great in music in 1964. So again Corrections what are you talking about? Look people here think I am bashing Elvis but I am being honest with my feelings. Look I respect the Beatles approach more than I do with Elvis. I like the fact the wrote and played their songs, experimental and explored other music other than the populuar music norms of the time. Were they only ones of course not but that doesn't detract why I like the Beatles more than Elvis.

Bruce are those songs in 12/8 time signature because many slow dance songs are in that time signature. The ones I am talking about are the ones Frank Zappa and the Beatles were using as when the time signature changes often. I am talking about songs like "Good Morning" and "Happiness Is A Warm Gun".

These songs are in 12/8 also

"Blueberry Hill"
"You've Really Got a Hold on Me"

There's lots of 50s songs with time changes.

Stranded In The Jungle - Cadets
Stardust - Dominoes
How Would You Know - Robins
I Was Wrong - Moonglows

If you can find me a 50's rock and roll songs that changes time signatures as frequent as "Happiness as a Warm Gun" or some of Frank Zappa stuff. I would like to know.

Even musicians within the genre differ on this topic.

Elvis Costello said, in 1999:

"Sometime in the late sixties, the name changed from "Rock'n'Roll" to "Rock" and that's when a lot of the lights went out for me. "Rock'n'Roll" is a euphemism for sex, which is a wonderful, joyous human activity but a "Rock" is a big immovable dead thing that just sits there and doesn't ask you to dance or buy you a drink."

Billy Joel summed it up: "It's Still Rock And Roll To Me

Then explain to me what genre is "Strawberry Fields Forever" or "A Day in the Life" or even "Third Stone From the Sun" is? It certainly is not rock and roll of Chuck Berry is it? The best music defies genres all together. The Beatles were Rock or Rock'n'Roll? Then explain Good Night, Yellow Submarine, Yesterday and Revolution 9 to me, within the confines of those two genres.

It's all just one big category to me; pop music.

I'm with Costello. There's lots of great music from the sixties but those things cannot even begin to compete with the best 50s records. I also can't answer you about Zappa because I've never paid much attention to his records. He never entered the consciousness of mainstream music fans, and the times I did hear things by him they were exceedingly unmemorable. The best thing he ever wrote IMO was "Memories Of El Monte" for the Penguins. I have no idea what "Third Stone From The Sun" is.

Here are my 100 favorite recordings of all time:

MY 100 FAVORITE RECORDINGS OF ALL TIME:
1 ¦ Shake, Rattle And Roll ¦ Joe Turner - 54
2 ¦ I'm In Love Again ¦ Fats Domino - 56
3 ¦ Long Tall Sally ¦ Little Richard - 56
4 ¦ Don't Go No Farther ¦ Muddy Waters - 56
5 ¦ Honey Hush ¦ Johnny Burnette Trio - 56
6 ¦ Rub A Little Boogie ¦ Champion Jack Dupree - 54
7 ¦ Spoonful ¦ Howlin' Wolf - 60
8 ¦ Tutti-Frutti ¦ Little Richard - 55
9 ¦ Midnight Cannonball ¦ Joe Turner - 55
10 ¦ What About Your Daughter? ¦ J.B. Lenoir - 57
11 ¦ Gumbo Blues ¦ Smiley Lewis - 52
12 ¦ Rockin' Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu ¦ Huey "Piano" Smith - 57
13 ¦ My Babe ¦ Little Walter - 55
14 ¦ Have Mercy Baby ¦ Dominoes - 52
15 ¦ Good Rocking Tonight ¦ Elvis Presley - 54
16 ¦ Head Happy With Wine ¦ Sticks McGhee - 53
17 ¦ Matchbox ¦ Carl Perkins - 57
18 ¦ The Train Kept A'Rollin' ¦ Johnny Burnette Trio - 56
19 ¦ Before You Accuse Me ¦ Bo Diddley - 57
20 ¦ Money Honey ¦ Drifters - 53
21 ¦ Bo Diddley ¦ Bo Diddley - 55
22 ¦ Blue Monday ¦ Fats Domino - 56
23 ¦ Roll Over Beethoven ¦ Chuck Berry - 56
24 ¦ All Mama's Children ¦ Carl Perkins - 56
25 ¦ End Of The Road ¦ Jerry Lee Lewis - 56
26 ¦ Think ¦ Five Royales - 57
27 ¦ Dark Is The Night (part 1) ¦ B.B. King - 56
28 ¦ Baby I Need You ¦ El Dorados - 54
29 ¦ Stand By Me ¦ Guitar Slim - 55
30 ¦ Modern Don Juan ¦ Buddy Holly - 56
31 ¦ One Hand Loose ¦ Charlie Feathers - 56
32 ¦ Moanin' The Blues ¦ Hank Williams - 50
33 ¦ All By Myself ¦ Johnny Burnette Trio - 56
34 ¦ Whatcha Gonna Do ¦ Drifters - 55
35 ¦ I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone ¦ Elvis Presley - 55
36 ¦ Too Much Lovin' ¦ Five Royales - 53
37 ¦ Honey Hush ¦ Joe Turner - 53
38 ¦ I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine ¦ Elvis Presley - 54
39 ¦ Ain't Nothing You Can Do ¦ Bobby Bland - 64
40 ¦ That'll Be The Day ¦ Crickets - 57
41 ¦ Gone, Gone, Gone ¦ Carl Perkins - 55
42 ¦ Folsom Prison Blues ¦ Johnny Cash - 55
43 ¦ If You Love Me (Let Me Know) ¦ Clovers - 55
44 ¦ I'm Ready ¦ Muddy Waters - 54
45 ¦ Don't You Know I Love You ¦ Clovers - 51
46 ¦ It Will Stand ¦ Showmen - 61
47 ¦ I Need Your Lovin' ¦ Don Gardner & Dee Dee Ford - 62
48 ¦ Honky Tonk Blues ¦ Hank Williams - 52
49 ¦ Slippin' And Slidin' ¦ Little Richard - 56
50 ¦ Fever ¦ Little Willie John - 56
51 ¦ I Was Wrong ¦ Moonglows - 54
52 ¦ Dixie Fried ¦ Carl Perkins - 56
53 ¦ Down In Virginia ¦ Jimmy Reed - 58
54 ¦ It'll Be Me (LP version) ¦ Jerry Lee Lewis - 58
55 ¦ Someday ¦ Smiley Lewis - 56
56 ¦ School Day ¦ Chuck Berry - 57
57 ¦ Great Balls Of Fire ¦ Jerry Lee Lewis - 57
58 ¦ Annie Had A Baby ¦ Midnighters - 54
59 ¦ Blue Moon Of Kentucky ¦ Elvis Presley - 54
60 ¦ Bye Bye Love ¦ Everly Brothers - 57
61 ¦ Big Mamou ¦ Smiley Lewis - 53
62 ¦ Feel So Good ¦ Shirley & Lee - 55
63 ¦ Boogin' In The Rain ¦ Ivory Joe Hunter - 51
64 ¦ Lovesick Blues ¦ Hank Williams - 49
65 ¦ Lawdy Miss Clawdy ¦ Lloyd Price - 52
66 ¦ Blue Suede Shoes ¦ Carl Perkins - 56
67 ¦ You're So Fine ¦ Falcons - 59
68 ¦ Your Daddy's Dogging Around ¦ Todd Rhodes w/ Connie Allen - 52
69 ¦ Flip, Flop And Fly ¦ Joe Turner - 55
70 ¦ Shake That Thing ¦ Wynonie Harris - 54
71 ¦ No Need Acting Like That ¦ Mamie Ree (unreleased track)- 55
72 ¦ Rip It Up ¦ Little Richard - 56
73 ¦ Bottle To The Baby ¦ Charlie Feathers - 56
74 ¦ Tear It Up ¦ Johnny Burnette Trio - 56
75 ¦ My Lovin' Baby ¦ El Dorados - 54
76 ¦ Please Love Me ¦ B.B. King - 53
77 ¦ Move Baby Move ¦ Larry Harrison - 55
78 ¦ Keep A'Knockin' ¦ Little Richard - 57
79 ¦ Steamboat ¦ Drifters - 55
80 ¦ Why Don't You Love Me ¦ Hank Williams - 50
81 ¦ Well All Right ¦ Joe Turner - 54
82 ¦ Lonesome Train ¦ Johnny Burnette Trio - 56
83 ¦ Just Make Love To Me ¦ Muddy Waters - 54
84 ¦ House Party ¦ Amos Milburn - 55
85 ¦ Good Bread Alley ¦ Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson - 52
86 ¦ Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On ¦ Roy Hall - 55
87 ¦ Wrap It Up ¦ Robins - 54
88 ¦ Good Rockin' Tonight ¦ Wynonie Harris - 48
89 ¦ Diddley Daddy ¦ Bo Diddley - 55
90 ¦ Good Golly Miss Molly ¦ Little Richard - 58
91 ¦ Nip Sip ¦ Clovers - 55
92 ¦ You're My Big Baby Now ¦ Roy Moss - 55
93 ¦ Jim Dandy ¦ LaVern Baker - 56
94 ¦ Shake, Rattle And Roll ¦ Bill Haley & Comets - 54
95 ¦ All Shook Up ¦ Elvis Presley - 57
96 ¦ Six To Eight ¦ Sticks McGhee - 55
97 ¦ Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee ¦ Johnny Burnette Trio - 56
98 ¦ That Ain't Nothing But Right ¦ Mac Curtis - 56
99 ¦ Doing It To Death ¦ Fred Wesley & J.B.'s - 73
100 ¦ Hoochie Coochie Man ¦ Muddy Waters - 54

Not much 60s and no English stuff.

#99 IMO is the best record that came out in the last 45 years.

I googled "Third Stone From The Sun."

I'm not a Hendrix fan. He ruined rock and roll if you ask me, turning it into guitar tricks. The guy sang like a dead cow. Other than a couple of his singles I can't stand his music.

If I ever heard that song I'm not aware of it.

Ah you have good taste I have heard most of those tracks. Many of these tracks were covered by the British Invasion artists that I liked. One of my favorite tracks from that era and I don't see it on your list is Johnny "Guitar" Watson "Space Guitar" a favorite of Frank Zappa.

Wow I am surprised but listen to the track anyway if you hear that track tell me if you think that is rock and roll. It's like jazz styled drumming mixed with Jimi Hendrix feed-back laiden psychedelic guitar sounds. It's out there.

I don't think Hendrix had a great voice and he wasn't trained to be one in the first place. But you know the story about him thinking if Bob Dylan could get away with his voice he figured he could sing also.

ClashWho is going to hate me again for bringing up Pete Townshend but the Who are one of my favorite bands anyway but he thinks Jimi Hendrix changed the sound of the rock guitar more than anyone else.

Don't like "Space Guitar" much, it's too progressive. I like Watson records like "Half Pint A Whiskey" and "What's Going On." More traditional blues things.

He probably did but who says that's a good thing?

Musicfan67,

I guess your nick "Rocket88" didn't suit you well after all. I think Beatlesfan67 would be more fitting because that's what you mostly talk about.

You can't call ClashWho and Sampson "Elvis fanboys" (which I think is absurd) when they can call you "Beatles fanboy" just the same.

Musicfan67,

I'm curious. What are your favorite R&B tracks and '50s tracks?

You know what maybe I am being harsh on Sampson by calling him a Elvis fan boy. I find him to be all over the place IMO. When ClashWho was asked can he name a song Elvis Presley influenced IN THE LAST 20 YEARS. His response every rock and roll song OK. So who is acting like a fan-boy?

I don't have a problem being called a Beatles fan boy or having a great deal of respect for thier music. I let you on a little secret a lot of people feel the same way.

I'm curious how is your Animal Collective, Apples In Stereo, and The Olivia Tremor Control collection going?

I have plenty of stuff from the 50's ranging from Bo Diddley, Bill Haley, the Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, and Carl Perkins to name a few. You think being a Beatles fan boy as you want to call me I would be interested in who influenced them. Geez, I have albums by Stevie Wonder, James Brown, The Temptations, Otis Redding, Arethea Franklin, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, The Four Tops, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and a few others. Oh yeah I have these albums also A Bit of Liverpool by the Supremes, McLemore Avenue by Booker T. & the MGs. and Come Together: Motown Sings the Beatles.