John Lennon spent the last ten years of his life as a very cynical man. He was always one to be wry and sardonic, but from 1970-1980, his songs were written with personal and political sentiments, some even lashing out at those closest to him(i.e. "How do you sleep at night"). After 1972, everyone was tired of hearing his rants, and had all but lost interest in the voice that inspired a generation of children to pursue music as a future. What Lennon does here on Rock 'N' Roll is re-visit his musical roots and once again show the world that he is one of the best raw vocalists that rock and roll will ever offer. Be-Bop-A-Lula is glided through with awe-inspiring fluidity in such a manner that Gene Vincent himself would've cried had he been alive to hear it. The rest of this album follows suit. My personal favorites are Be-Bop-A-Lula, Stand by Me, Peggy Sue, Bring it on Home, and both of the Larry Williams covers on side-B (of the record, tracks 11 and 13 on the CD). Whenever Lennon would cover Larry Williams, whether it was in the Beatles (i.e. Slow Down, Bad Boy, Dizzy Miss Lizzy...etc.) he would always shine with his trademark raspy voice. What Phil Spector produced here is one of the finest post-Beatles albums ever. McCartney had "Ram," Harrison had "All Things Must Pass," and John Lennon had "Rock 'n' Roll." God bless you John!
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