Rock 'N' Roll on the New Long March (Chinese: 新长征路上的摇滚; pinyin: xīn chángzhènglù shàng de yáogǔn) is a 1989 album by Cui Jian, the so-called "Father of Chinese Rock". It is technically his second album as an album called Return of the Prodigal was released in 1984 in Hong Kong and Taiwan only, but he considers it his first and does not acknowledge the previous one.[1] It is Cui's most successful album,[2] and is considered China's first rock album. It also features "Nothing to My Name", the song that made Cui famous and which is considered to mark the beginning of rock music in China.[2] Cui made the album in cooperation with the band ADO, and it was the only album he released while he was still with them.
| Rock 'N' Roll on the New Long March | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1989 | |||
| Genre | Art rock • new wave • folk rock • jazz rock | |||
| Label | China Tourism Sound and Video Publishing Company | |||
| Producer | Cui Jian | |||
| Cui Jian chronology | ||||
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| ADO studio album chronology | ||||
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The Long March (1934–1935) is regarded as one of the most glorious episodes in the Communist revolutionary history. The ending of the Cultural Revolution led to the leftist value system collapsing. The term "Long March" in the text is a metaphor for the "new Long March" of searching for one’s own identity in the fast changing society.[3]
Versions
editAn almost identical album called Nothing to My Name was released in Hong Kong and Taiwan the same year; it did not include the song "Rock 'N' Roll on the New Long March".[1] In 1999 a second edition of the album was released, by Beijing-based Jingwen Records, to mark its tenth anniversary.[2]
Reception
editIn a review published in China Information, Woei Lin Chong considers it Cui's "most impressive recording".[4] This album, along with the success already enjoyed by "Nothing to My Name", established Cui as a symbol of the "angry youth" movement in China.[5]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Cui Jian
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rock 'N' Roll on the New Long March" (新长征路上的摇滚) | 4:45 |
| 2. | "No More Disguises" (不再掩饰) | 5:10 |
| 3. | "Let Me Sleep" (让我睡个好觉) | 3:56 |
| 4. | "Greenhouse Girl" (花房姑娘) | 4:54 |
| 5. | "Fake Monk" (假行僧) | 4:59 |
| 6. | "Do It All Over Again" (从头再来) | 5:17 |
| 7. | "Stepping Out" (出走) | 5:29 |
| 8. | "Nothing to My Name" (一无所有) | 5:43 |
| 9. | "It's Not That I Don't Understand" (不是我不明白) | 5:11 |
Personnel
edit- Cui Jian – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
ADO
edit- Eddie Randriamampionona (艾迪) – lead guitar
- Kassai Balazs (巴拉什) – bass
- Zhang Yongguang (张永光) – drums
- Liu Yuan (刘元) – saxophone, suona, flute
Additional musicians
edit- Liu Xiaosong (刘效松) – percussion
- Zhuang Biao (庄飚) – keyboards
- Wang Yong (王勇) – guzheng
References
edit- ^ a b Chong 1991, p. 58
- ^ a b c Steen 2000
- ^ Zhaoxi Liu (2016). "Cui Jian: Extolling Idealism Yet Advocating for Freedom Through Rock Music in China" (pdf). Trinity University.
- ^ Chong 1991, p. 56
- ^ "Cui Jian rocks again in Beijing". Global Times. 29 December 2009. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
- Chong, Woei Lin (1991). "Young China's voice of the 1980s: rock star Cui Jian". China Information. 6 (1).
- Steen, Andreas (2000). "Sound, Protest and Business. Modern Sky Co. and the New Ideology of Chinese Rock". Berliner China-Hefte (19).