Rock N Roll

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Enjoyment of IRock N Roll/I--Ryan Adams' follow up to his alt-country hit, IGold/I--is largely dependant on both your approach to it and your knowledge of rock's rich history. There's definitely plenty to enjoy, if you look in the right places and don't focus so much on others. If you know zilch about music, but love gritty, rough and ready rock with big, fat slices of tunes, crunching guitars and attitude, then this will make you growl. If you loved IGold/I, but secretly hoped something rockier would emerge after Adams's much publicised socialising with the Strokes and tribute-paying to Noel Gallagher, then this may be your record of the year. However, if you know your stuff, then you may feel uneasy. Not disappointed, but a little cheated. Why? Because, internal record-company politics and artistic tantrums aside, this is more Ryan Adams "In the Style of..." than anything else. For instance, "This Is It" sounds exactly like a Strokes song would sound, "Shallow" is IDefinitely Maybe/I-era Oasis (even down to the stolen T-Rex riff) and "So Alive" is 1980s U2. pThat isn't to say the songs aren't anything short of fantastic (especially the almost ethereal, emotional "So Alive" ("Today I watched the boats / Moving through the harbour / Walking on water / In your arms I stay")--great melodies, great guitar work. But you have to wonder, why. Thinking about that can only diminish enjoyment. It's not his best work, but still damn good dirty fun. I--Cortman Virtue/I

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-09-26 rating:
Brash, cocky, ironic and insecure
Hearing this album for the first time five years after its release leads to the conclusion that its poor reception at the time had more to do with its failure to be Heartbreaker 2 and critics getting fed up with Adams relentless opinionated self-promotion. In fact Rock n Roll does exactly what it says on the can. Recorded in two weeks when Lost Highway refused to release Love Is Hell (not commercially viable) this is the sound of Adams sticking up two fingers to his label. That it is an ironic pastiche doesn't mean that it's not good, and in some cases better than the source of inspiration. Neither does it mean that it's not recognisably, characteristically Ryan Adams. 'This Is It' opens the album a response to The Strokes, muscling in on their territory, and like every other song here says: look at me, I can do this too and I can do it better than you'. It's brash, cocky and insecure but criticising it for a lack of sincerity surely misses the point. Rock N Roll may fall short of the classic status that Adams so craves, but it's still a great listen.

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review by: date: 2007-11-18 rating:
Poor Performance
Rock N Roll... br /Well, it's certainly different but I think that Ryan is just thrashing his guitar here and is not thinking about his lyrics. br /The songs themselves lack the special quality that Ryan usually brings in his tunes. br /Rock N Roll has a few decent tracks on, but all in all, its not the one for you if you are looking to buy your first Ryan Adams album! br / br /What happened Ryan? I know you were annoyed at your record company, BUT COME ON!

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review by: tommo date: 2007-05-08 rating:
Interesting
I swear the amazon guy who wrote the review read my mind.....!! Exactly what i was going to say - Yes its not Adams finest work - but too many people expect these good singer songwriters to consistantly top what they did last time - losing the appreciation of what they have actually accomplished. br / br /Yes it is true that if you are a music purist - you may not enjoy this as it is not adams writing his 'own' music - yes he did write it but with a deliberate attempt to sound like other bands - tribute or not - they do sound like Oasis, U2 Strokes, Green day - and 1974 which sounds awfully like the Stooges '1969'. br / br /It is more accessible than his lat rock stuff - and just as enjoyable - just buy it and appreciate it is not the album of his career but listen to some damn good popular rock....

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review by: aguitarist date: 2006-04-13 rating:
actually quite good
i just had to write my own review of this class album. i was tired of the people saying how this is a rubbish album when i do honestly think they are wrong, this album alone just proves that mr adams can do almost anything and the end result is still better than most music thats in the charts at the minute. i would definatley recomend it... its just upbeat rock, fair enough it isnt really the alt country that hes been used to but everyone likes a change every once in a while dont they? this album is just what he thought hed like to try out and the end result just simply rocks... especially the track 1974. br / br /definatley recomended to any ryan fans. br /


review by: oldgeezer64 date: 2006-01-20 rating:
Tribute album?
This album is a weird and wonderful project, it's as if Ryan Adams is challenging the listener to work out who he is copying this time, but he certainly doesn't make some of the tracks very difficult to figure out. "This is it" is obviously Strokes (their first lp is "Is this it?" - Ryan is obviously a very confident boy!). Other examples are (hilariously) "Note to self: don't die" a Nirvana copy, and "Anybody wanna take me home" as close to The Smiths as it is possible to get.brAdams is obviously an exceptionally talented musician, his ability to write excellent songs in so many different styles is unparallelled. brBy definition this is not an album to buy if you want to learn about Adams' own voice, for that try Heartbreaker or in his previous incarnation Pneumonia by Whiskeytown, nevertheless heartily recommended.

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