About the song:
Written by Chuck Berry, ‘Rock And Roll Music’ was a staple of The Beatles’ live repertoire between 1959 and 1966. They recorded it for their fourth UK album, Beatles For Sale.
The song had been a hit for Berry in 1957. The Beatles selected it for Beatles For Sale, along with a number of other rock ‘n’ roll standards, when they were running short of original material.
Ezoic
This is an old Chuck Berry thing which we used to do at The Cavern, and we’ve tried for that old-type clipped down-in-the-valley echo on it. There’s some piano going, too. George Martin, John and I on the keyboard all at once!
Paul McCartney
Disc, 14 November 1964
A later live version, recorded at the Nippon Budokan Hall in Tokyo in June 1966, shortly before The Beatles abandoned touring, appears on Anthology 2.
In the studio
‘Rock And Roll Music’ was one of John Lennon’s great vocal performances, and a thrilling rendition by the group as a whole. Owing to their familiarity with the song, it took The Beatles just one take to record.
The basic track was recorded with drums and bass on track one, two guitars on the second, and Lennon’s vocals on track three. Afterwards Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Martin all overdubbed a piano part on a Steinway together.
The Beatles recorded it on 18 October 1964. During the same nine-hour session they also recorded ‘Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey!’, ‘Mr Moonlight’, ‘I Feel Fine’, ‘I’ll Follow The Sun’, ‘Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby’ and ‘Words Of Love’. ‘Rock And Roll Music’ was the penultimate song to be tackled.
Instruments The Beatles used when they performed it:
John used his Epiphone Casino
Paul used His Hofner 500/1 Bass
George used his Epiphone casino
Gear used:
John: Vintage VSA500P
Amplifier:
Vox Valvetronix VT20X