Rockin' and Rollin' across the Web

by Eric Schwartzberg
For The Post

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum Web site (http://www.rockhall.com) is a well-designed site, with a great "this day in rock" section, but no amount of curios and exhibitions can capture the raw energy of the music itself. Instead, break on through to the other side at The History of Rock and Roll Web site (http://www.history-of-rock.com), a site that takes a sharper look at the music that set the world twistin' the night away.

Frontman Steven Tyler may have turned 53 earlier this week, but Aerosmith isn't showing any signs of slowing down. Check out Claud's Aerosmith Page (http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Studio/4815/index2.htm) for a tribute to a band that boasts the biggest mouth in show business - literally. The site contains standard fare for a tribute site (articles, lyrics, pictures, and videos) and sections dedicated to "bootlegs" and "Aerosmith's favorite sites."

Queen, the musically majestic master of '70's glam rock, makes an impressive dent in the World Wide Web, most notably in Queenzone.com (http://www.queenzone.com) and Queen Forever (http://queen.wz.cz/main/enmenu.htm). Those sites offer lengthy lists of live MP3s.

For a fascinating look at one of rock's greatest songwriters, Paul Simon, point the ol' Web browser to Lasers in the Jungle (http://Paul.Simon.org/). The site contains information about upcoming tour dates, set lists for past tour dates, and lyrics and chords to Simon's songs.

Although the media crowned him "The King of Pop," Michael Jackson's presence on the Web is much less conspicuous than one would expect from rock royalty. Still, Sony's official site for Jackson (http://www.mjnet.com/frameset.html) deserves to win some sort of award for its creative design and its thorough content.

Dedicated to the band that won a Grammy earlier this year for its first studio album in 20 years, The Official Steely Dan Home Page (http://www.steelydan.com) displays the band's great sense of humor. It's probably safe to say that any band whose possible names included "Iron Jaundice," "Oceans of Chocolate" and "Shredded Brain Compote" probably doesn't take itself too seriously.

While there are no Web sites that pay sufficient tribute to this year's other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees - "La Bamba" singer Ritchie Valens, doo-wop legends The Flamingos and Solomon Burke, the "The King of Rock 'n' Soul" - there's always Netradio.com (http://www.netradio.com). Long-time fans can click on the "learn" section and listen to the music of yesteryear that continues to (as '87 inductee Jackie Wilson might put it) lift us "higher and higher."