User Reviews

It's hard to believe that more than 30 years has passed since the performances of some of rock and roll's pioneers were filmed at Wembley Stadium. The 1972 London Rock and Roll Show was the Rock n Roll Revival equivalent of Woodstock.

The film gets off to a bit of a shaky start, with more a focus on the audience than the performers, which is probably just as well as the opening acts were performers such as Heinz -- a name I didn't recognize and I'm a rockabilly fan. The infamous Screaming Lord Sutch threatens to drive the whole event into parody, if he doesn't get it shut down with his Marilyn Manson-like antics, bikini-clad dancers and even a cameo appearance by a stripper who proceeds to live up to her profession.

But once Bo Diddley takes the stage, all is right with the film. Diddley brings everything back on track, and from here on it's solid big name rockers.

After a simple tribute to Buddy Holly (someone just puts on a record of Peggy Sue and everyone listens), Jerry Lee Lewis takes the stage and makes it his own. We then get an amusing war of words between Lewis and Little Richard -- possibly two of the biggest egos in rock and roll history -- over who holds the more important place in the music. As a humorous counterpoint, Rock and Roll founder Bill Haley then comes on to speak of the musical brotherhood that exists between the 50s acts.

Haley and his Comets put on a great, if too-short performance, and in fact perform the last verse of Rock Around the Clock twice before they can leave the stage! He may have been past his prime, but the audience still loved him, and with good reason. There is very little live concert footage of Haley and the Comets available, which makes this snippet almost worth the price of admission alone.

The last half hour of the film is devoted to the two main headliners of the show -- Little Richard and Chuck Berry. Show the footage of Little Richard to a 16 year old and it shouldn't surprise you if they think they're watching Prince (or the Artist formerly known as...). I've never been a big Little Richard fan, but he nearly steals the show... ... That is until Chuck Berry comes on to conclude the concert and the film with an epic set of performances that, inexplicably, does not include Johnny B. Goode! That omission aside, Berry is having a blast and this is one of the better live performances recorded by the poet of rock and roll.

I'm not quite sure why the film is occasionally interrupted by interview snippets with Mick Jagger. If the Rolling Stones had performed, it would have made sense, but as it is, it feels like his interviews were simply inserted to allow the producers to add a contemporary name to the credits.

London Rock and Roll Show is not a perfect film, but if you want to see some great rock and roll, and maybe learn a little bit about what got your parents or even grandparents excited back in the 50s, 60s and early 70s -- check it out.

This was a '50s rock tribute show that played in Wembley Stadium in London on August of 1972. It featured such acts from that time as Bo Diddley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bill Haley and the Comets, Little Richard, and Chuck Berry. They still had the charisma to play to the crowds that gathered for the event. Not all the performances are perfect, in fact, Berry's guitar was suddenly off during his final song but after he talked about it in an edited interview snippet, they showed him getting back with the instrument once again plugged and playing before he then switches to another one. There are some other acts at the beginning that I didn't know about and were as far from '50s-style music as the concert was mostly supposed to be about though I did like it when one of them performed "Be Bop a-Lula". Oh, and Mick Jagger also is shown in interview bits talking about his influences among the ones showcased. Also, the late Buddy Holly is acknowledged when his recording of "Peggy Sue" is playing on the turntable as the movie shows what was going on during that. So on that note, I highly recommend The London Rock and Roll Show.

I love the Ramones, but there are people who cannot understand how I can listen to a band with a repertoire strictly bound by such rigid formulaic strictures. Well, it's a lot easier than enduring the welter of three-chord 12-bars which held an obsessive sway over the artists of the 1950s. It took the Beatles (etcetera) to wrest rock'n'roll out of its three-chord 12-bar infancy, but the stars and audience of 'The London Rock'n'Roll Show' revel in the minimalistic compositions of the era. With such a limited palette to draw musical 'colour' from, the performers sink or swim with only their individual talent to buoy them up. Fittingly the show opens with the forgettable Heinz, and then moves on to the c-grade theatrics and talent-free zone that was Screaming Lord Sutch. Sutch verbally challenges Alice Cooper, but comes off looking like a cheap threadbare high-school imitation. At least he does provide some pretty dancing girls to look at (and a delightfully gorgeous stripper; just like the Beatles did in 'Magical Mystery Tour'). Outstaying his welcome with an unfortunate bout of tedious go-nowhere jamming, Bo Diddley proves he's a song-based artist and not an improviser, and his section is mercifully brief. Grumpy old Jerry Lee Lewis is surprisingly vital and energetic, and his set is a rip-roarer. Next there's Bill Haley and the Comets, a bunch of well-traveled, well-oiled professionals who nevertheless manage to pull off an unexpectedly engaging set. Even better than Jerry Lee Lewis is his commercial rival Little Richard, the pick of the bunch with his driving proto-rock rhythms and flamboyant persona. Unfortunately this is where the 'three-chord fatigue' really sets in, and then comes the act the audience has apparently all been waiting for. I'm not a fan of Chuck Berry for a number of reasons (Keith Richards does 'Chuck Berry' better, at least for me), and although after a few songs he does seem to drop the cynicism and cold artifice to genuinely become a part of the music, he's the sloppiest performer of the day. Out of tune, out of time and putting more work into pulling silly poses than playing his own music, Berry just seems like he doesn't care about anything but the money and the fame. Thankfully he doesn't do 'My Ding-A-Ling'. Elsewhere in the movie, the audience are scanned for their interesting get-ups and dancing, and keep a look-out for the alarmingly punky female sales-hand manning the 'Let It Rock' stall (a shop run by future New York Dolls/Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren). The interview snippets with a bored, tired Mick Jagger are completely gratuitous and contribute virtually nothing, however. A fascinating time-capsule all up, but you might want to watch the performers separately and avoid some serious three-chord fatigue.

The London Rock and Roll Show (1973)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

In 1972, Wembley Stadium played host to a rock and roll show, which was designed to be like Woostock but instead of current hot acts, this show was for the people who kicked off rock and roll. Bo Diddley, Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Chuck Berry are all featured on stage as well as brief interviews with them as well as Mick Jaggar.

If you're a fan of the classic rock and roll music then this documentary is going to be a must-see for you. There's no question that these men helped put rock music on the map and it's excellent entertainment getting to see them all rocking in the same place. The interview segments are also quite fun and especially a little back-and-forth between Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. In fact, Richard doesn't seem too happy that he's not the main headliner as that there belongs to Berry and Ricard lets people know his thoughts.

Of course, the banter is fun but the majority of the running time is devoted to the music and it's terrific. All of the acts really bring their A-game and we're treated to countless classics like Rock Around the Clock, Whole Lotta Shaking' Going On, Good Golly Miss Molly and a number of classics from Berry. As I said, all of the acts are great but Jerry Lee Lewis really steals the show with a thunderous set that has him bouncing, jumping and howling all over the place.