BULLETIN -
September
2010
Vintage Rock 'n' Roll & Rockabilly
Joey Dee & The
Starlighters
-> Clint West
JOEY DEE AND
THE STARLITERS |
Peppermint 1001 |
More Than Just The Peppermint Twist |
● CD $18.98 |
25 tracks, 69 min., recommended
Those who picked up the
2 CD Scepter/Jubilee set on Westside (now out of print, of course), have
most of what's here, but they are missing the circa 1960 doo wop of
Lorraine and The Girl I Walk To School (both sides of Bonus
7009)--the best cuts here. The Jubilee/Scepter stuff, such as the soul
standards Hold On I'm Comin' and Reach Out (I'll Be There)
(which Dee covers more credibly than many might imagine), makes up the
majority of tracks here. Joey Dee was nothing if not a versatile singer,
despite being pigeonholed into the ubiquitous Peppermint Twist hell.
This collection also offers
from a rare 1975 45rpm (Tonsil 0003), as well as
Wasn't It A Heavy Summer from a rare 45rpm on the Sunburst label.
A decent overview of Dee's career and necessary for superfans and
completists. Sound is not bad, though unsurprisingly at least some of
the source material comes from vinyl. The booklet is full of mostly
unidentified photos and no notes (JC)
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Ace CDTOP 1264 |
You Baby - Words & Music by P.F. Sloan
and Steve Barri |
● CD $18.98 |
25 tracks, 62 mins, highly recommended
If you listened
to Top 40 radio in the mid-60s, chances are you heard a song penned by
this team of West Coast-based songwriters. Although they only wrote
together for four years - the two singer/songwriters (before the term
was coined) who brought together by producer/businessman Lou Adler in
1963-produced gems of lasting quality in those few years, some of which
have been compiled here by Ace Records in their quest to document the
great songwriters-for-hire of the 60's. Sloan and Barri could knock out
a song in any genre, but they are most identified with Folk Rock through
their pioneering hits for Barry McGuire (the towering Eve of
Destruction, just as relevant now as it was then), the Turtles (You
Baby, represented here in a version by the Mamas and the Papas, and
Let Me Be), and the Grass Roots (Where Were You When I Needed
You). Whether writing surfing and hot rod songs for Jan and Dean,
proto-Folk Rock for the Searchers, perfect pop for Herman's Hermits and
the 5th Dimension, girl group confections (Ramona King), or R&B (Betty
Everett and Yvonne Carroll), Phil Sloan and Steve Barri gave it their
all and usually came up aces. Among the more interesting rarities: two
of duo's own recordings using aliases, the Chad & Jeremy-esque Meet
Me Tonight Little Girl (as Phillip and Stephan) and the surf-centric
Tell 'Em I'm Surfin' (as the Fantastic Baggys); as well as a demo
of Another Day, Another Heartache sung by Sloan which is actually
better than the version cut by the 5th Dimension. And for comedy relief,
nothing beats Mel Torme's version of Secret Agent Man (written
for the TV show "Secret Agent," and originally sung by Johnny Rivers).
Hell, Barri and Sloan are so good they make Ann-Margret sound credible
on You Sure Know How To Hurt Someone. Take it from me, if you
haven't experienced the songwriting genius of Phil and Steve, then this
is a pretty great place to start. (GMC)
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Ace CDCHD 1268 |
A Rocket In My Pocket |
● CD $18.98 |
28 tracks, highly recommended
Although there's no
shortage of rockabilly compilations this new Ace release is a bit
special since it is meant as a complement to the recently published
British book of the same title by Max Decharne which we're working on
getting copies of. Decharne compiled this compilation and alongside
acknowledged classics of the genre such as Put Your Cat Clothes On
by Carl Perkins and Mystery Train by Elvis, there are rare
rockin' one-offs such as the frantic bass-slapping Don't Be Gone Long
by Bob Doss or the remarkable Wash Machine Boogie by the Echo
Valley Boys - the world's finest rockin' hymn to the romantic joys of
household appliances. The CD covers the whole rockabilly spectrum, with
tracks from prime rockin' labels such as Sun, Starday, Meteor and
Columbia, plus tiny imprints such as Lilac, Moon & Fascination. This is
the first time on CD for some of these tracks, many of them favorites at
rockin' clubs around the world. The CD's title comes from Jimmy Lloyd's
1958 classic I Got A Rocket In My Pocket, included here alongside
frantic movers such as The Raging Sea by Gene Maltais or the
gutbucket hill-country sounds Rocky Bill Ford's Mad Dog In Town.
There's a previously unissued song - the hot Rock To The Boogie
by Roy Burk & The Bell Bottoms and a previously unissued alternate take
of Rockin' In The Graveyard by Jackie Morningstar. An ideal
introduction for anyone new to genre, but with enough rare tracks to
please the long-term, hardcore rockabilly fan. Superb sound and 20 page
illustrated booklet with detailed notes on each track. (FS)
ROY BURK & BELL BOTTOMS: Rock To The Boogie/ JOHNNY
BURNETTE & ROCK'N'ROLL TRIO: Train Kept A-Rollin'/ JIMMY CARROLL: Big
Green Car/ RIC CARTEY: Scratching On My Screen/ DON COLE: Snake Eyed
Mama/ BOB DOSS: Don't Be Gone Long/ THE ECHO VALLEY BOYS (W BILL
BROWNING): Wash Machine Boogie/ CHARLIE FEATHERS WITH JODY & JERRY: Get
With It/ SONNY FISHER: Pink And Black/ ROCKY BILL FORD: Mad Dog In Town/
FREDDIE FRANKS: Everybody's Trying To Be Baby/ HAL HARRIS: Jitterbop
Baby/ RAY HARRIS: Come On Little Mama/ BENNY INGRAM: Jello Sal/ WANDA
JACKSON: Mean Mean Man/ JIMMY & JOHNNY: I Can't Find The Doorknob/ JIMMY
LLOYD: I Got A Rocket In My Pocket/ GENE MALTAIS: The Raging Sea/ JACKIE
MORNINGSTAR: Rockin' In The Graveyard/ ALLEN PAGE: She's The One That's
Got It/ CARL PERKINS: Put Your Cat Clothes On/ ELVIS PRESLEY: Mystery
Train/ THE RHYTHM ROCKERS: The Slide/ MEL ROBBINS: Save It/ RONNIE SELF:
Bop-A-Lena/ JUNIOR THOMPSON WITH THE METEORS: Mama's Little Baby/ DALE
VAUGHN: How Can You Be Mean To Me/ DON WILLIS: Boppin' High School Baby
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Ace CDCHD 1276 |
Red Bluejeans & Checkerboard Socks |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks, 53 mins, highly recommended
Occasionally,
U.K. Ace Records puts together thematic compilations of songs from a
certain genre or songs that contain the same or similar subject matter;
these type of collections are usually lots of fun, and this one is no
exception. The subject this time is the clothing styles worn by the
fashionable teens of the 1950's; but really, this CD seems more like an
excuse to bring together a sprightly sampling of mid to late 50's
rockabilly and R&B, much in the vein of Buffalo Bop's series of rock 'n'
roll discs. From skirts (Gene Summers' Straight Skirt) to pants,
both male (Eddie Cochran's Pink Peg Slacks) and female (Jody
Reynolds' Tight Capris) to socks and shoes (Joe Bennett's
Penny Loafers and Bobby Socks) to sun glasses (Sun Glasses by
the Shades, natch), no wearable object is left unexplored. Even how the
clothes are cleaned (Wash Machine Boogie from the Echo Valley
Boys) is tackled; talk about being thorough! Let's not forget clothes
shopping with Boogaloo & His Gallant Crew's great Clothes Line (Wrap
It Up) from 1956 which Leiber & Stoller reworked as Shopping For
Clothes which was a hit for The Coasters in 1960. Don't come to this
CD expecting anything profound or of national importance; just dig some
groovy, funky, and very "stylish" rock 'n' roll. And, really, how can
anyone go wrong with The Clovers gliding through Blue Velvet?
(GMC)
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Ace CDCHD 1277 |
Califia - The Songs Of Lee Hazlewood |
● CD $18.98 |
25 tracks, 62 mins, highly recommended
Although Lee Hazlewood is best known for his ahead-of-their-time 60's duets with
Nancy Sinatra, he was also a songwriter and producer of some renown.
This collection salutes the late cult legend's work, spanning the years
1956 to 1970. Mixing fan favorites and rarities, Ace's compilers give an
accurate picture of Hazlewood's versatility as a writer. There's
something for nearly everyone here: pop (two tracks from teen dreams
Dino, Desi & Billy), R&B (The Sharps), rockabilly (Sanford Clark), and
psychedelia (Ann-Margret!). All of these tracks feature Lee's two
trademarks: his echo-laden, atmospheric production style and his fantasy
drenched, impressionistic lyrics. Highlights include: Need All the
Help I Can Get from Suzi Jane Hokom (the best record Nancy Sinatra
never made); (Got the) Teen-Age Blues by Al Casey & The Bats,
Don't Look Now, But I've Got the Blues as interpreted by B.B. King;
the extremely rare recording of Dusty Springfield's theme song for the
1967 movie "The Sweet Ride"; and Lee's collaboration with Duane Eddy,
The Girl On Death Row. Although Hazlewood's career is eternally
linked with those of Nancy Sinatra, Duane Eddy, and Al Casey, this
collection goes a long way toward showing that Lee Hazlewood had so much
more going on during the halcyon days of the 50's and 60's. (GMC)
ANN-MARGRET: You Turned My Head Around/ THE BARKER
BROTHERS: You Can't Stay Here/ HAL BLAINE & THE YOUNG COUGARS: The Dip/
AL CASEY & THE BATS: (Got The) Teen-Age Blues/ AL CASEY WITH THE
K-C-ETTES: Guitars, Guitars, Guitars/ SANFORD CLARK: Houston/ The Fool/
DON COLE: Snake Eyed Mama/ THE DARLENES: (I'm Afraid) You'll Hurt Me/
DINO, DESI & BILLY: Not The Lovin' Kind/ The Rebel Kind/ DUANE & MIRIAM
EDDY: Guitar On My Mind/ DUANE EDDY & THE REBELETTES: My Baby Plays That
Same Old Song On His Guitar All Night Long/ LEE HAZLEWOOD & SUZI JANE
HOKOM: Califia (Stone Rider)/ LEE HAZLEWOOD WITH DUANE EDDY: The Girl On
Death Row/ SUZI JANE HOKOM: Need All The Help I Can Get/ THE HONDAS:
Twelve Feet High/ B.B. KING: Don't Look Now, But I've Got The Blues/
PEGGY MARCH: Das Ist Zauberei/ ROSE & THE HEAVENLY TONES: These Boots
Are Made For Walkin'/ THE SHACKLEFORDS: The City Never Sleeps At Night/
THE SHARPS: Have Love, Will Travel/ NANCY SINATRA & LEE HAZLEWOOD: Lady
Bird/ DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: Sweet Ride/ THE WILDCATS: What Are We Gonna Do
In '64?
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Bear Family BCD 16070 |
Next Stop Is Vietnam |
● CD $259.98 |
Another incredible music magnum opus that could only
come from Bear Family. The most comprehensive anthology of music
inspired by the Vietnam War ever released. Presented on 13 CDs with a
304-page hard cover book illustrated with numerous archival photographs,
this collection examines the war in a powerful and unprecedented way.
334 music and spoken word tracks take the listener through a guided tour
of this epochal period of modern history. From America's first, naive
impressions of a country called Vietnam through the spirited musical
debate over the morality of the war to the healing meditations on the
conflict's lengthy aftermath, this set captures it all and more. All
genres of music are featured including folk, rock, country, R&B, blues
and more. Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, Joan Baez, J.B. Lenoir, Merle Haggard,
William Bell, Pete Seeger, Skeeter Bonn, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Ochs,
Steppenwolf, Johnny Cash, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Yoko Ono, Jimmie
Holiday, John Lennon, Donovan, The Doors, Inez & Charlie Foxx, Country
Joe McDonald and hundreds of other artists including two CDs worth of
rare recordings by Vietnam veterans. These are the tour guides through
this enlightening and entertaining journey. The full-color book that
accompanies the music is packed with information on the songs and the
artists who recorded them by music scholar Hugo A. Keesing; a history of
the war by Vietnam historian Lois T. Vietri; and an oral history of the
tunes that 'incountry' vets loved best by authors Doug Bradley and Craig
Werner. The introduction to this remarkable tome is written by the
legendary Country Joe McDonald. The complete track listing can be found
on our web site or e-mail us for the listing. Packaged in a massive LP
sized box this is equivalent to 24 CDs for shipping.
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
CSP 1029 |
Pure Swamp Pop Gold, Vol. 2 |
● CD $16.98 |
20 tracks, 64 mins, highly recommended
It's nice to know
that even in the 21st century, that South Louisiana mixture of rock 'n'
roll, R&B, soul, country and cajun music blended together with heartfelt
vocals that is known as "swamp pop" is still alive and well. Apart from
more polished arrangements and slicker production values the music has
changed little from the 50s. This 2002 release features sides from the
1990s and early 2000s. There are five sides from the superb Van
Broussard who has been around since the early 60s including the swamp
pop favorites Red, Red Wine/ I'm A Fool To Care and Hello
Willpower. Crosscut do a lovely blue eyed soul rendition of Irma
Thomas's Zero Willpower and there are fine sides by Bits &
Pieces, Kane Glaze, Wayne Foret, Mike Broussard and Kane Glaze. Although
most of the songs are covers it doesn't matter because these versions
are all stamped with that trademark "swamp pop" sound. Good stuff. (FS)
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Lesley 7B |
Brunswick Rock 'n' Roll Party, Vol. 2 |
● CD $15.98 |
30 tracks, 68 mins, highly recommended
Another fine
collection of mid/ late 50s sides from the Brunswick label including the
great I'll Be Back Home by Don Webb - the flip of Little Ditty
Baby on the first volume. It was recorded at Norman Petty's studios
and has a strong Buddy Holly flavor - what a shame he didn't record any
more. Another Holly connection comes in the person of Don Guess who
played bass with Buddy in his early days and is featured on two fine
sides. Other artists include Billy Harlan, Johnny Parker, Peanuts Wilson
(the frequently reissued but always great Cast Iron Arm), Chuck &
Bill (the catchy country flavored I Wanna Move A Little Closer),
Veline Hackert, Mickey & Shonnie Lane (the truly infectious Daddy's
Little Baby), Bobby Jackson (a fine version of the traditional blues
Deep Elm Blues), Billy Lee Riley (one of his more obscure sides -
the fine Is That All To The Ball, Mr. Hall), Terry Noland
(another Buddy Holly associate recorded at Petty's studios), Johnny Bell
(a great rockabilly version of Big Joe Turner's Flip, Flop & Fly
with hot guitar) and more.
MELROSE BAGBY: Sighin'/ CARL BELEW: Twenty-Four Hour
Night/ JOHNNY BELL: Flip Flop & Fly/ The Third Degree/ THE CASUAL-AIRES:
Thunderbird/ CHUCK & BILL: I Wanna Move a Little Closer/ RUSTY EVANS:
Shine Its Lights on Me/ When I'm Alone With You/ DON GUESS: Just a
Little Lovin' Baby/ Shir-Lee/ VELINE HACKERT: Billy Boy/ BILLY HARLAN: I
Wanna Bop/ School House Rock/ THE HI-LITES: Friday Night, Go Go/ BOBBY
JACKSON: Deep Elm Blues/ Dinah's Party/ MICKEY & SHONNIE LANE: Daddy's
Little Baby/ Toasted Love/ BOB MCFADDEN: The Best Generation/ TERRY
NOLAND: Come Marry Me/ Look At Me/ JOHNNY PARKER: (We've Got) a Lot in
Common/ I Must Be in Love/ BILL RILEY: Is That All To The Ball (Mr.
Hall)/ JANICE SMITH: Kiss Kiss Crazy/ TONY & PAUL: Oh, Oh, Lolita/ JIMMY
WATSON: Daisy/ DON WEBB: I'll Be Back Home/ PEANUTS WILSON: Cast Iron
Arm/ You've Got Love
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Lesley 9 |
Decca Rock & Roll Party, Vol. 2 |
● CD $15.98 |
30 tracks, 69 mins, highly recommended
Another fine
collection of 50s rockers recorded for Decca. I think this is qa bit
stronger than the first volume thanks to such fine tracks as the hard
driving opening number Cheat On Me Baby by The Rockin' Saints
with tough vocals and fine guitar work, the fine rockabilly number
Just As Long by Rudy Hansen, a storming instrumental version of
When My Dreamboat Comes Home by legendary session guitarist Grady
Martin featuring ferocious guitar work, the tough R&B number Rough
Lover by Annisteen Allen, a couple of hot instrumentals from Virg,
Murf & Prof plus sides by The Jumpin' Jaguars, Joey Biscoe, The Sparks,
Jimmy Daley, Tex Williams (veteran western singer with Let's Go
Rockabilly which isn't), Eddie Fontaine (a fine growling cover of
Johnny Horton's Honky Tonk Man), Frankie Sal, Ray Doggett (fine
rockabilly), The Tyrones, Pat Shannon (two songs including a fine cover
of The Coasters' The Snake & The Bookworm) and more. The label
says "sample copy, not for sale" but that's just part of the graphics
-they're all like that! (FS)
ANNISTEEN ALLEN: Rough Lover/ JOEY BISCOE: You Lovin'
Doll/ CHUCK BOWERS: Till My Baby Comes Home/ CHUCK & BETTY: Come Back
Little Girl/ Walking In My Dreams/ JIMMY DALEY: Bongo Rock (vocal-Kip
Tyler)/ Hole in the Wall (vocal-Kip Tyler)/ Rock, Pretty Baby
(vocal-Alan Copeland)/ RAY DOGGETT: It Hurts the One Who Loves You/
EDDIE FONTAINE: Honky Tonk Man/ DAVE GARDNER: Hop Along Rock/ RUDY
HANSEN: Just as Long/ THE JUMPIN' JAGUARS: Knock-Kneed Nellie From
Knoxville/ GRADY MARTIN: When My Dream Boat Comes Home/ THE PERRY
SISTERS: Willie Boy/ ANDY QUINN: Can'tcha See/ DODIE RANDLE: I Fell in
Love Again/ GLENN REEVES: Tarzan/ THE ROCKIN' SAINTS: Cheat On Me Baby/
FRANKIE SAL: Fabulous Cure/ PAT SHANNON: Maybelle/ The Snake & the
Bookworm/ THE SPARKS: Mary, Mary Lou/ THE TEEN TONES: Yes You May/ THE
TYRONES: Broke Down Baby/ Giggles/ VIRG, MURF & PROF: Buggin'/ Way Out/
THE WILBURN BROTHERS: Oo Bop Sha Boom/ TEX WILLIAMS: Let's Go Rockabilly
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Spin It 703 |
Bip Bop Bip, Vol. 2 - Hoppin' In
Hollywood |
● CD $16.98 |
22 tracks, 49 mins, highly recommended
Here's a lively
mix of R&B, Rock 'N' Roll, Doo-Wop and Novelty songs that most of you
will probably dig. With no less than three tracks being of the monster
variety You might also want to pick this up for your next Halloween
party,; Which Witch Doctor by The Vogues, plus Monster Movie
Ball, and (I Was A) Teenage Brain Surgeon, both by Spike
Jones and his Sicknicks. On top of those sickos, you also get such wild
& wooly numbers as I'm An Eskimo Too by Gene Nash, The
Breather by The Magnificent Monta-gue, Lone Ranger Gonna Get
Married by Jimmy Johnson & His Band, etc. Then there's I'm On My
Way by Bobby Sanders (off of the Kaybo label); if there was a track
that was so killer that it almost made a compilation worth the price of
admission all by itself, I'm On My Way might be one. The Spin-it
label ain't much in the way of liner notes and all, but you get enough
real gone and fantastic stuff on here to more that make up for it. (JM)
SEPH ACRE & THE PETS: Rock & Roll Cha Cha/ THE BEAVERS
WITH JACK MARSHALL ORCH.: Sack Dress/ CANDY & THE SUGAR TONES:
I-Ay-Ov-Lay-Oo-Yay/ THE CONTENDERS: Tequila Song/ BILLY DOLTON: Girls/
GAIL & SANDRA: Bill/ I Mean, You Know/ RONNIE GOODE WITH BOBBY GROSS
ORCH.: Crazy Bait/ HEDLEY & LEE: Little Miss Treater/ JIMMY JOHNSON &
HIS BAND: Lone Ranger Gonna Get Married/ SPIKE JONES & HIS SICKNICKS: (I
Was A) Teenage Brain Surgeon/ Monster Movie Ball/ BUDDY LOWE: Sherry
Lee/ AL LUCAS: Sweet Tooth For My Baby Ruth/ MAGNIFICENT MONTA-GUE: The
Breather/ PRENTICE MORELAND: Limbo Party/ GENE NASH: I'm An Eskimo Too/
BOBBY SANDERS: I'm On My Way/ JOHNNY SARDO: Late, Late To School/ THE
STEREOS: Sole Mio Rock/ THE VOGUES WITH AL KAVELIN ORCH.: Which Witch
Doctor/ BOB WILSON: Imogene
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
T-Bird 005 |
The Soundalike Kings Present Cover Hits
& Misses |
● CD $24.98 |
2 CDs, 124 min., all but recommended
The guys behind
Spar Records spent the 1950's and 1960's selling cheap (39 cents per or
3 for a buck) 45 rpms that looked and sounded like the hit records
people wanted but weren't. They were available in supermarkets and dime
stores and thus available everywhere in America. Why would anyone want a
2-disc collection of pretend hits? Easy, Spar was located in Nashville,
and the session musicians they used were often top flight, including
Charlie McCoy, David Briggs, Boots Randolph, Wayne Moss, Bill Pursell,
Norbert Putnam, Mac Gayden, Henry Strzelecki, Jimmy Wilkerson, Bob Moore
and many others. These session musicians were sometimes the very same
performers who cut the actual hit for Elvis or whomever. And some of the
singers were first rate talents who hadn't been discovered. Add to that
the fact that sometimes famous folks would make appearances on
soundalike versions. Ray Stevens, for example, shows up on the Spar
version of the culturally insensitive Speedy Gonzales as the
voice of Speedy, or so say the liner notes. The dozens of singers listed
are apparently just a few people recording under different names.
Herbert Hunter is one of the best. And yet, sometimes the sound-alike
doesn't earn the name. The New Generation's Where Did Our Love Go
is a plodding, ugly affair that no one at Motown would have ever given
the green light to. And then there's the fact that sometimes a certain
take of a certain song is just magically better than the rest. No way to
duplicate that. An interesting collection for someone looking for
something out of the ordinary. (JC)
|
VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Wanda 1007 |
Love At First Bite |
● CD $18.98 |
25 tracks, 62 mins, recommended
Just in time for
Halloween, 2011 we get the "Love At First Bite, Vampires Have No Life!"
collection. 25 horrific tunes from diverse musical styles ranging from
Pop, like Merv Griffin Screemin' Meemies) and Rosemary Clooney (The
Wobblin' Goblin), to the classic Jamaican Ska of Desmond Dekker (Dracula)
and hot Rhythm and Blues like Jupiter Jones (The Spook Spoke),
and Bill Doggett (Monster Party). As is the case with most of the
fantastical collections, the bulk of the material is in the wild Rock
'n' Roll or twisted Country music mode. Culprits like Buck Owens with
Monster's Holiday, and his Hee-Haw partner Roy Clark in more of a
Rock 'n' Roll mode with Spooky Movies, represent the Country end
of things whilst artists like The Hollywood Argyles doing Bugeyed Man
and Jeckyl and Hyde with Frankenstein Meets The Beatles represent
the R&R angle. About 25-30% of the tracks here are pretty easily found
elsewhere, another 30% or so are hard to find desirables, while the
remaining 30% or so are hard to want throwaways. So, overall, fanatics
like me will need this, the casual fan might be a bit squeamish, though.
(JM)
|
THE
VENTURES/ THE STRING-A-LONGS |
Ace CDLUX 004 |
Exotic Guitars From The Clovis Vaults |
● CD $24.98 |
30 tracks, 74 mins, highly recommended
The fourth volume
in Ace Records' Limited Edition CD series takes a slightly different
tack from the ones so far issued; the spotlight is on New Mexico band
the Fireballs and the assorted names that producer Norman Petty had them
record as. While the previous Limited Editions all contained songs with
vocals, this is the first all-instrumental edition. Although as much a
tribute to Petty's production skills and business acumen as to the
Fireball's playing prowess, this collection has the least mainstream
appeal of the Limited batch of CDs. But lovers of classic 50's and 60's
instrumental rock guitar will eat this stuff up, and collectors will
salivate over the first-time-ever on CD release of the complete 1968
album "Wide World Hits" by the String-A-Longs. The band does themselves
proud on everything from covers of well-known songs like Stormy
and Hold Me Tight to originals like Drugstore Cowboy and
Holiday Love, and even though they became a mostly vocal act
after the success of Sugar Shack in 1963 the music here proves
that they never lost the knack of knocking out tasty instrumentals. And
make no mistake, this is wonderful music that has its place in rock 'n'
roll history and deserves to be preserved and heard. As always with this
series, the worldwide pressing is limited to 1,500, so, if you're
interested, get it while you can. (GMC)
|
CLINT WEST |
Jin 9055 |
Swamp Pop Legend |
● CD $15.98 |
21 tracks, recommended
Not a new release but not
reviewed before. A fine selection of swamp pop recorded in the 60s and
70s by this excellent vocalist who led the legendary Boogie Kings in the
early 60s. Ville Platte born West has a lovely and distinctive high
voice - a little like that of Freddy Fender. His repertoire ranges from
R&B to rock 'n' roll to country to pop and all of it given that
distinctive South Louisiana soulful swamp pop treatment. The music
seamlessly transitions from the pop standard Twelfth Of Never to
James Brown's Try Me. Other songs include a fine version of the
swamp pop anthem Mathilda plus Big Blue Diamonds/ Our Love/
here Comes My baby/ A Tear Fell/ Lover Blues/ Teardrops In My Eyes/
Shelly's Winter Love and more. On Bayou Pon Bon his Cajun
background comes to the fore with some fine accordion work. A very
enjoyable set. (FS)
|
Back To New Release Index
Back
To Home Page
Roots & Rhythm
P.O. Box 837
El Cerrito, CA 94530 USA
Toll Free Order Line : 888-ROOTS-66
© 2017 Roots & Rhythm. No part of this site may be reproduced without written permission
|