by Joe ViglioneRockin' is Greg Leskiw's last of three albums with the Guess Who; he came onboard with Kurt Winter for Share the Land and recorded So Long, Bannatyne as well, the two men slipping into the big shoes of Randy Bachman. This finds Burton Cummings in a definite '50s mode, "Running Bear" and "Nashville Sneakers" being throwbacks to another time. When "Herbert's a Loser" kicks, one can't help but feel it's been enough already, "Herbert's a Loser" being the one tune composed by the Winter/Leskiw guitar team. The album predominantly features the songwriting of Cummings, though Kurt Winter does lend a generous hand. As an artistic statement it's all very interesting, but for a band whose bread and butter was the Top 40, this stuff tempts fate a bit too much. Jerry Lee Lewis released an album with the same title the same year, 1972. Lots of artists released albums titled Rockin', in fact: Frankie Laine back in 1957 and the Drifters with Rockin' & Driftin' in 1964, among many, many others. The nostalgia aside, "Heartbroken Bopper" is a true original and an almost-hit single. If you think Aerosmith ripped off David Bowie's "Fame," you're only half right; they stole the melody from the Guess Who: Aerosmith got the melody for "Last Child" directly from "Heartbroken Bopper." ... Read More...