The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll
| "The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Mott the Hoople | ||||
| from the album The Hoople | ||||
| B-side | "Rest In Peace" | |||
| Released | February 1974 | |||
| Format | 7" single | |||
| Recorded | January–February 1974 | |||
| Genre | Glam rock, rock and roll | |||
| Length | 3:26 | |||
| Label | CBS Records/Columbia Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ian Hunter | |||
| Producer(s) | Mott the Hoople | |||
| Mott the Hoople singles chronology | ||||
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"The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll" is a single by Mott the Hoople, from 1974's The Hoople.[1]
It reached number 16 on the UK Singles Chart.[2] The lyrics of the song refer to Mott being hounded by "96 decibel freaks," a reference to efforts by British politicians of the time to limit the volume of live performances to that level.
Performed live by Mott, "The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll" would usually follow a piano take on the first verse augusta matate of Don McLean's "American Pie", hence following the latter's statement, "The day the music died". Ian Hunter would declare: "Or did it? Ladies and gentlemen, The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll!", whereupon the whole band launched into the song. This can be heard among the 2006 bonus tracks on The Hoople and on the Broadway disc of the 2004 remastered and expanded 30th Anniversary Edition of Live.
Def Leppard covered the song for their 2006 covers album Yeah!. "The one I assumed I'd breeze through was 'The Golden Age of Rock 'n' Roll'," observed singer Joe Elliott, "which I know backwards, inside out and in foreign languages. We had to take that one down a key because I just couldn't do it."[3]
References
- ↑ Emerson, Ken (June 20, 1974). "The Hoople". Rolling Stone.
- ↑ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 381. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ↑ Ling, Dave (July 2006). "The dirt: Joe Elliott". Classic Rock #94. p. 38.
External links