Your thoughts on David Essex's Rock On

I was just a wee lad when this hit the radio in '73 and at the time it was too sophisticated for my young ears. But years later and a great stereo system won me over big time. What a dark song! So well-produced. Just when I thought I could not love the song more, I bought the album and heard the segue into "Streetfight", which is even more twisted than "Rock On". Never heard anything like it before

To this day, I have "Rock On/Streetfight" gatherings where we darken the room and let the music and sound-activated light show take over. Thankfully none of us take drugs or else people would get hurt because it does mess up your mind. The video might help you understand.

 

A unique record and an incredibly brave one considering his general fan base were young teenyboppers. At the time, I mistakenly presumed David and the other early 70's stars in the UK were the 'new breed'. What I didn't know then was that most of them - Rod, Marc, Gary Glitter, David Bowie, Elton and of course Essex himself, were pretty much (and I don't wish this to sound unkind) failed 60's acts who'd had to wait for those bloody Beatles to step aside in order to get their moment in the sun! (Incredible now to think Elton's Your Song was his only chart entry out of his first 8 singles and David's Rock On was his first hit after 11 misses!) Thankfully, back in the 60's and 70's, record companies nurtured careers and had more patience with their acts. By the time their moment finally arrived they were already confident and seasoned performers/recording artistes with the abilities to create such sophisticated records as Rock On, Your Song and Life On Mars.

 

I can recommend the 7ts reissues David’s first 3 albums (Rock On, David Essex and All The Fun Of The Fair). They all sound good and have all the original artwork. A couple of bonus tracks apiece on the last two albums too.

 

I love Rock On....
Even Def Leppard's cover ain't three bad.

 

The song "Rock On" is quite spectacular in quad. I suggested to Marshall to get this track on their "Collection SACD" they put out a few years ago, but I guess it didn't make the cut. It's a shame, as it would have been the highlight of that disc.

The surround mix reveals the detail and precision of the vocals. There is no way to describe it in text. If you can, even if you hate the song, try and get a listen to the discrete (Q8) mix of this track. The SQ will be close with a Surround Master or Tate, but the Q8 discrete mix will blow you away.