Documentary - RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World

[Canard]

I couldn't sleep last night, and so I sat up and watched this very interesting and somewhat provocative documentary, Rumble: The Indians who Rocked the World.

It looks at the contribution of aboriginals to the music and musical culture of North America and then through North America to that of the world. The contributions are often/sometimes recognised but seldom specifically as aboriginal contributions.

The documentary is meaty and convincing while at the same time provoking minor bits of scepticism here and there. There is more than enough rock-solid (pun intended) fact - its occasional flights of fancy were not necessary to make its case. But this is just my opinion.

There are lots of interview clips with interesting people and lots of cool music clips.

Among the interesting facts presented, there is the story of Link Wray's tune, Rumble. I love how this piece stands alone as the only instrumental tune that has ever been legally banned from radio play in North America - too dangerous.

I think the documentary is available from a wide variety of streaming services, PBS, included? Well worth watching, IMHO.

Anyway, the trailer:




The film's website:

A new feature documentary | RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked The World

A new feature documentary about the role of Native Americans in popular music history that premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

www.rumblethemovie.com

 

[Midnight Toker]

It's on either Netflix or Prime, I forget which, but I've watched it twice in the last 3-4 years. I really enjoyed it. On a rainy weekend, I often find myself going down the day-long music documentary rabbit hole.

 

[fronobulax]

Among the interesting facts presented, there is the story of Link Wray's tune, Rumble. I love how this piece stands alone as the only instrumental tune that has ever been legally banned from radio play in North America - too dangerous.

<veer>
There is nothing factually incorrect with the statement as written but the claim borders on being misleading without more context.

"Rumble" was suppressed because of the title but nevertheless made it to number 16 on the pop charts and number 11 on the R&B chart in the summer of 1958.

Frank Zappa's cover of Ravel's Bolero was legally banned from from radio and record distribution because the copyright owners decided to enforce their rights.



</veer>

 

[wileypickett]

And to suggest something sinister and menacing for his song "Shoot Out the Lights," Richard Thompson used "Rumble" as his blueprint.

 

[Canard]

<veer>

Interesting veer. Thanks.

 

[Midnight Toker]

<veer>
There is nothing factually incorrect with the statement as written but the claim borders on being misleading without more context.

"Rumble" was suppressed because of the title but nevertheless made it to number 16 on the pop charts and number 11 on the R&B chart in the summer of 1958.

Frank Zappa's cover of Ravel's Bolero was legally banned from from radio and record distribution because the copyright owners decided to enforce their rights.



</veer>

Apples and oranges IMO. One is a McCarthyesque social banning based purely on a simple one word title.....and a word that wouldnt have even made it in a Carlin bit....truly unheard of for an instrumental!!! The other was just a run of the mill cease and desist copyright legal claim. Now if Zappa's "G Spot Tornado" instrumental had come out in the late 50's, it might have also gotten banned by some radio stations.

 

[fronobulax]

Apples and oranges IMO.

I love how this piece stands alone as the only instrumental tune that has ever been legally banned from radio play in North America

I agree they weren't "banned" for the same reason. But there are a lot of people who make blanket generalizations that are only true if you restrict them to the generalizer's preferred genre of music. In this case we have two examples of "banned" instrumentals. I'm hoping the documentary was the source of the "error" and not an LTG poster If you think of me as "that guy" it might help.

 

[Canard]

"that guy"

Ralph? I am very used to seeing well informed, well researched corrections, and have come to enjoy them.

 

[Midnight Toker]

I agree they weren't "banned" for the same reason. But there are a lot of people who make blanket generalizations that are only true if you restrict them to the generalizer's preferred genre of music. In this case we have two examples of "banned" instrumentals. I'm hoping the documentary was the source of the "error" and not an LTG poster If you think of me as "that guy" it might help.

Ha ha, gotcha. But if you watch the doc, it definitely puts it in the correct context.....as in "scary music coming from scary people", as perceived by radio stations whose target audience tended to the be household of Ward and June Cleaver.

 

[Cougar]

The Indians who Rocked the World.

Here's one that wasn't mentioned: Jazz player Jim Pepper. (Happened to be the uncle of a PhD candidate my wife was advisor for.)


Brewer and Shipley put out a great version in 1969:

 

[Canard]

Pepper was also a very early Jazz Fusion pioneer, a member of The Free Spirits with Larry Coryell. He seems have been counted as a friend by many including Jack DeJohnette and Ralph Towner.

This is a nice live version of Witchi-Tai-To.




The version of Witchi-Tai-To, below, by Everything is Everything, a Pop/Rock group that had Pepper as a member, actually made it on to the charts, the bottom of the charts, and got radio play. There was some considerable irony in this at the time since it was (or was based on) a peyote song from the Native American Church. Flew under the radar, I guess.




Even stranger (or bizarre) is the cover by the MOR Pop group Harper's Bazzar:

 

[Canard]

Another group the film missed was The Chieftones (AKA Vince and The Chieftones or Billy Thunderkloud and The Chieftones or Billy Thunderkloud - same basic group, I think - the name changes reflect the swelling of the lead singer's ego - Vince and Billy are one in the same). The exclusion is surprising in that Rumble is a Canadian-made film and The Chieftones were an Alberta group. But then again it is not surprising because The Chieftones didn't exactly rock the world, only native communities, cities with large native populations, and Pow Wows in Canada and US border states. The Chieftones had a Buddy Holly/Ventures kind of groove going with occasional excursions into Country.

I saw them once when I was a little kid. For the longest time, I was convinced that they, and not The Big Bopper, had written Running Bear, because I heard them play it live long before I ever heard a recorded version of it.

 

[MacGuild]

Is Redbone in that documentary? Those guys rock. (Edit... yes, they are!)
First heard this classic song on a K-Tel album called "Dynamite" circa 1974.

 

[gjmalcyon]

Pepper was also a very early Jazz Fusion pioneer, a member of The Free Spirits with Larry Coryell. He seems have been counted as a friend by many including Jack DeJohnette and Ralph Towner.

This is a nice live version of Witchi-Tai-To.




The version of Witchi-Tai-To, below, by Everything is Everything, a Pop/Rock group that had Pepper as a member, actually made it on to the charts, the bottom of the charts, and got radio play. There was some considerable irony in this at the time since it was (or was based on) a peyote song from the Native American Church. Flew under the radar, I guess.




Even stranger (or bizarre) is the cover by the MOR Pop group Harper's Bazzar:

Ralph Towner covered it several times - here's a live version with Gary Peacock complete with Guild content.



And with Oregon.

 

[Canard]

The Norwegians, Jan Garbarek and Bobo Stenson, do a nice cover of Witchi-Tai-To, too. Terje Rypdal sits this one out.