The History of Rock [Clean Lyrics]

( 1 )

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Despite his assertions that he was "going platinum" throughout the title track of Devil Without a Cause, nobody expected Kid Rock to sell 7,000 copies of his fourth record, let alone 7,000,000. This was a guy who was pretty much considered a joke if he was considered at all ever since the 1990 release of his sub-Beasties debut, Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast. College radio veterans tell tales of being inundated with copies of the CD, receiving so many free copies that they eventually ran out of ways to destroy the promos. So, when the Kid returned with Devil Without a Cause in 1998, nobody outside of his hardcore Detroit partisans expected him to make much of an...
See more details below
CD
$11.73
BN.com price
(Save 16%)$13.99 List Price
Other sellers (CD)
  • All (17) from $2.40   
  • New (14) from $3.63   
  • Used (3) from $2.40   

More About This Product

Editorial Reviews

All Music Guide - Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Despite his assertions that he was "going platinum" throughout the title track of Devil Without a Cause, nobody expected Kid Rock to sell 7,000 copies of his fourth record, let alone 7,000,000. This was a guy who was pretty much considered a joke if he was considered at all ever since the 1990 release of his sub-Beasties debut, Grits Sandwiches for Breakfast. College radio veterans tell tales of being inundated with copies of the CD, receiving so many free copies that they eventually ran out of ways to destroy the promos. So, when the Kid returned with Devil Without a Cause in 1998, nobody outside of his hardcore Detroit partisans expected him to make much of an impact. As it turns out -- and doesn't it always turn out this way -- the intelligentsia really didn't have a clue about Kid Rock, since they hadn't been paying attention. Despite a near-universal lack of support, he did not give up; he just kept plugging away, eventually developing a rather unique blend of white-boy rap, Detroit rock & roll, and metal posturing. It was as if David Lee Roth was raised a white-trash rapper and had a dirtier, funkier band than Van Halen. It was totally unpredictable, especially at the tail end of a decade dominated by humorless grunge and doom metal. It was a blast of raw, fun, and very, very hard rock, topped off with a surprisingly witty sense of humor. Devil Without a Cause was so good it caused everybody to re-evaluate Kid Rock, including Rock himself. As he was prepping a follow-up, he decided to buy time with a compilation of his older recordings, many of which were unknown and out of print. That album became The History of Rock, a hodgepodge of new songs, unreleased tunes, demos, old cuts, and re-recordings of his decade-long journey to stardom. Releasing an odds and sods collection as a sequel to a career-making blockbuster may look like a scam; it's sort of an ingenious move, since it not only buys the Kid time, but it also gives him a chance to revamp a past that was bordering on the seriously lame. According to The History, Rock always knew what he was doing. As anybody who heard The Polyfuze Method knows, that's not the case, but that's the beauty of The History; here, he makes his unfocused early stuff of a piece with Devil Without a Cause. That doesn't necessarily mean that it's just as good. It isn't nearly as good, but that's sort of an unfair comparison, since this is flotsam and jetsam, and Devil wasn't just the best of Rock, it was the best hard rock album of the last quarter of the '90s. This delivers some of the same thrills -- mainly because the band hits harder and funkier than any of its rap-rock peers, and Rock now has a fully cultivated persona that really is worthy of stardom -- but it just doesn't compare because the songs aren't there. Consider this: the best song is "American Bad Ass," a shameless slab of self-mythology where the former Bob Ritchie calls out tag-lines from Devil and places himself in the company of Seger, the Beasties, and No-Show Jones, all to a sample of Metallica's "Sad but True." Cool, more or less, but not as monumental as "Bawitdaba," which had true wit, original riffs, and a sense of purpose. In other words, "American Bad Ass" has the sound but not the substance. But, once you've worn out Devil and you need a new fix, you're not going to find it on the older Kid Rock albums -- you're going to find it here. That may be enough for some listeners, even if the songs themselves -- apart from the "Get Out of Denver" rewrite "Born 2 B a Hick," "Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp," the funky "3 Sheets to the Wind" and maybe the Skynyrd-aping "Prodigal Son" -- never really make much of an impact. Most importantly, perhaps, The History of Rock accomplishes everything Rock set out to do -- it buys him time while enhancing his persona. It might not make for a great listen, but its swagger and white-trash style make it the second-best record in his catalog. Mild praise, of course, considering that everything besides Devil Without a Cause just isn't very good, but at least with History there's another platter in his catalog that's worth a spin. [The History of Rock was also released in a "clean" version, containing no profanities or vulgarities.]
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • Release Date: 5/30/2000
  • Label: Lava
  • UPC: 075678331527
  • Catalog Number: 83315
  • Sales rank: 147,107

Tracks

Disc 1
  1. 1 Intro (1:07)
  2. 2 American Bad A** (4:32)
  3. 3 Prodigal Son (6:39)
  4. 4 Paid (4:45)
  5. 5 Early Mornin' Stoned Pimp - Joe C. (7:14)
  6. 6 Dark & Grey (4:56)
  7. 7 3 Sheets to the Wind (What's My Name) (3:59)
  8. 8 Abortion (4:29)
  9. 9 I Wanna Go Back (5:28)
  10. 10 Ya' Keep On (3:53)
  11. 11 F**K That (3:42)
  12. 12 Born 2 B a Hick (1:41)
  13. 13 My Oedipus Complex (8:21)
Read More Show Less

Album Credits

Performance Credits
Kid Rock Primary Artist, scratching
Kenny Olson Guitar
Jason Krause Electric Guitar
Jimmy Bones Keyboards, Vocals
Stefanie Eulinberg Drums, Vocals
Twisted Brown Trucker Track Performer
Uncle Kracker Turntables, Vocals
Technical Credits
Kid Rock Producer
Larry Freemantle Art Direction
Tony Dawsey Mastering
Mike Bradford Engineer
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 5
( 1 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(1)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(0)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review

  • Anonymous

    Posted October 1, 2010

    BEST Kid Rock CD EVER!!!!!!

    This is one of Kid Rocks best Cds ever,It is really really good.As soon as i heard that he was coming out with The History Of Rock,I wanted it bad.His Devil Without A Cause was really good too.So i would like to say to anyone who hasen't heard Kid Rock,LISTEN TO HIS MUSIC,YOU WILL LIKE IT!!!

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Sort by: Showing 1 Customer Review