Long-established as a hugely popular radio format, the Classic Rock sound was established – though not codified and canonised until some while later – in the Seventies, when numerous British bands from a pop or blues-based background pioneered a muscular, riff-based sound that dominated American FM airwaves and led the most successful practitioners to fame, fortune and all manner of related excess.
But although there are innumerable radio stations now devoted to the baby boomer sounds of Classic Rock, their innately conservative, playlist-based nature means that the same heavyweight tunes are endlessly recycled: the casual listener could be forgiven for thinking that the careers of major bands like Thin Lizzy and The Who didn’t extend beyond ‘Whiskey In The Jar’, ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’.
So allow the Grapefruit label to break down the walls of stultifying retroactive conservatism with an alternative look at the Classic Rock genre. Riding The Rock Machine features many of the era’s headline names (Lizzy and The ‘Oo, but also The Moody Blues, Free, Status Quo, Jethro Tull, Procol Harum, ELP, ELO, Uriah Heep etc) in slightly less familiar settings as well as some Classic Rock-friendly performances from acts who walked the walk and talked the talk but never quite received the same level of acclaim as the brand leaders.
CD 1
1. Rainbow - Long Live Rock 'n' Roll (4:23)
2. Uriah Heep - Easy Livin' (2:37)
3. The Moody Blues - I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band) (4:16)
4. The Alan Parsons Project - I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You (3:24)
5. Foghat - Slow Ride [Single Version] (3:59)
6. The Spencer Davis Group - Catch You On The Rebop (3:12)
7. Yvonne Elliman - I Can't Explain (3:12)
8. Faces - Cindy Incidentally (2:39)
9. Procol Harum - Robert's Box (4:43)
10. Blackfoot Sue - Standing In The Road (3:56)
11. Medicine Head - Back To The Wall (3:21)
12. The Who - Success Story (3:22)
13. Trapeze - Black Cloud (6:12)
14. Chris Squire - Hold Out Your Hand (4:17)
15. Manfred Mann's Earth Band - Spirits In The Night (6:28)
16. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band - Boston Tea Party (4:39)
17. Jethro Tull - Bungle In The Jungle (3:40)
18. Anges Strange - Clever Fool (3:24)
19. Fancy - She's Ridin' The Rock Machine (3:31)
20. Sweet - Action (3:19)
CD 2
1. Foreigner - Feels Like The First Time (3:14)
2. Nazareth - This Flight Tonight (3:24)
3. Free - Wishing Well (3:41)
4. Man - Out Of Your Head (4:05)
5. Strawbs - My Friend Peter (2:19)
6. Hawkwind - Quark, Strangeness And Charm (3:43)
7. Silverhead - Ace Supreme (3:44)
8. Status Quo - Mystery Song (6:46)
9. Curved Air - U.H.F. (5:10)
10. Magnum - Baby I Need (2:59)
11. Electric Light Orchestra - Showdown (4:13)
12. City Boy - Momma's Boy (3:46)
13. Duffy - The 1959 Rock 'n' Roll Bop (3:02)
14. Rococo - Hoodlum Fun (3:29)
15. Mick Ronson - Only After Dark (3:31)
16. Strider - Straddle (3:49)
17. Stray - Move It (4:05)
18. Bullfrog - Ice Cold Dick (3:16)
19. Maggot - Shoelace (5:50)
20. Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Lucky Man (4:40)
CD 3
1. Roxy Music - Street Life (3:30)
2. Be-Bop Deluxe - Maid In Heaven (2:28)
3. Atomic Rooster - Devil's Answer (3:30)
4. Family - In My Own Time (3:34)
5. Dana Gillespie - Get My Rocks Off (4:32)
6. Hello - New York Groove (2:47)
7. Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak (4:02)
8. Tucky Buzzard - Can't Live Without It (3:48)
9. National Flag - Blowing A Million (4:46)
10. Hard Stuff - Monster In Paradise (4:36)
11. Fat Mattress - Black Sheep Of The Family (4:35)
12. 10CC - Life Is A Minestrone (4:43)
13. Sutherland Brothers - Dream Kid (2:49)
14. Smokestack Crumble - Got A Bad Leg (3:08)
15. The Winkies - Fever (5:12)
16. Mott The Hoople - Ready For Love (6:47)
17. Sad Cafe - My Oh My (3:57)
18. Babe Ruth - Jack O'lantern (3:23)
19. Argent - God Gave Rock N' Roll To You (6:42)
