NEWSLETTER #127
Vintage Rock 'n' Roll & Rockabilly

The Beaumarks -> Various Artists

BILLY ADAMS
OTIS BLACKWELL
JOHNNY BURNETTE
AL FERRIER
BROWN EYED HANDSOME MAN - BOOK!
CARL PERKINS		 JIMMY POWELL & THE 5 DIMENSIONS
LEE ROCKER
RAY RUFF
JOHNNY TILLOTSON
CONWAY TWITTY
VARIOUS ARTISTS
 

BILLY ADAMS Castle CMRCD 581 Rockin' Through The Years, 1955-2002 ● CD $14.98
Excellent 27 track collection featuring all the the early sides from the 50s and early 60s by this excellent rockabilly singer from Kentucky. This set also includes a couple of previously unissued demos from 1959 and '64, three tracks from the album of mostly recent recordings issued on Screen Door and a couple of recent live recordings.
 
OTIS BLACKWELL Empire Musicwerks 39069 They Called It Rock 'n' Roll ● CD $15.98
20 tracks, 52 min This kinda reminds me of a 50s rock version of Muddy Waters' "Electric Mud" album. Blackwell is a bit like Willie Dixon - writer of a ton of classics, but not great as the main performer. Blackwell is known for having written everything from Return To Sender/ Great Balls Of Fire/ All Shook UP & Don't Be Cruel to Fever/ Handyman, etc, all of which are heard here done by Otis. However, these sides, recorded in '68, were done in then "boogalu" style by producer Brandon L Harris & are full of funky bass, wah-wah guitar, & LOADS of female choruses. All the above tunes are here including a few alternate takes, as well as a few then new tunes. However, worth the price of the set are a couple early demos - his demo for Elvis for Paralyzed, just the songwriter & his piano, as well as his demo for Fats Domino on Heartbreak Hill with a small band. (GM)

 
JOHNNY BURNETTE Bear Family BCD 16438 The Train Kept A-Rollin' - Memphis To Hollywood ● CD $199.98
Bear Family have done it again with another spectacular compilation - this time devoted to the music of Johnny Burnette - a rockabilly pioneer who later went on to greater fame as a pop rock singer and met an untimely death in a boating accident in 1964. This 9 CD set features everything he ever recorded including his first single in 1955 for Von, his classics cuts with the Rock 'N' Roll Trio in 1956 and '57 including alternate takes and live performances, his recordings (issued and unissued) for Imperial, Liberty, Chancellor and his own Sahara/ Magic Lamp label. In addition to all the session recordings this set includes three CDs of demos that Johnny recorded with Eddie Cochran, his brother Dorsey, and others. It also includes his instrumental recordings for Infinity and Gothis plus Dorsey's classic rockabilly cut Bertha Lou (with Johnny on guitar and background vocal). Nearly 300 tracks in all and the set comes with a 116 page hardcover book with new notes, numerous photos (some previously unpublished) and a complete discography.

 
AL FERRIER Big Tone 5715 And His Boppin' Billies ● CD $17.98
30 tracks, 73 min., recommended. There are no liner notes here offering useful discographical information, but my best guess is that all of the tracks on this generous sampler date from the late 50's to the early 60's. At least, most of the tracks from Flyright's earlier Ferrier lp, "Let's Go Boppin' Tonight," are here, and they all date from the late 50's. Whatever the dates, this is the good stuff, rockabilly with a Louisiana bayou flavor, laid down by an artist whose solid feel for his material is shared by his back-up band. Among the many highlights are the title track, I'm the Man/ Blues Stop Knocking at My Door/ You Win Again/ Send Her Back, and the pure country Too Late Now. Several numbers are offered in two slightly different versions. Otherwise sound quality is acceptable, and cover graphics are effective. (DH)
 
BROWN EYED HANDSOME MAN by Bruce Pegg ● CD $29.98
BOOK Hardbound, 318 pages, counts as six CDs for shipping New, unauthorized, biography of this great rock 'n' roll pioneer Chuck Berry. Pegg's book is drawn from interviews with Berry's friends, lawyers, business associates and fellow musicians. Berry's personal life is a controversial one and Pegg tries to separate fact from fiction and correct facts presented in Berry's own autobiography published in 1986.

 
CARL PERKINS Culture Press 3012822 Turn Around ● CD $14.98
16 tracks, 36 mins, recommended. Interesting set of studio demos recorded by Carl with a small band in 1963 and '64. There is very little information about the source of these recordings but Carl is in fine form on a selection of rockers and country songs, some which he later recorded for Decca. Songs include Lonely Heart/ Take A Good Look At Me/ Big Taxes/ Big Bad Blues/ Tell Me/ Why Can't You Be Satisfied With Me/ Eternal Story/ So Long I'm Gone and others. Sound quality is not the greatest but is acceptable. As a bonus this includes a live recording, presumably from around the same time, of Carl doing his first Sun recording - the great country ballad Turn Around. Not essential by any means but very worthwhile, particularly for Perkins fans. (FS)

 
JIMMY POWELL & THE 5 DIMENSIONS Castle CMRCD 640 Sugar Babe ● CD $14.98
26 tracks, recommended 26 track collection of sides recorded for Pye, Strike & Youngblood between 1964 and 1973 by this powerful gravel voiced British R&B singer. It includes two versions of his most famous song Sugar Babe (a cover of a Buster Brown original) but not the best version which was originally recorded for Decca in 1962. His band, the Five Dimensions, were a crack outfit, although their greatest fame came as the backing group for Millie Small's hit My Boy Lollipop . He covered a lot of ground doing R&B like Nine Live Wire & Sugar Baby , cover versions of rock tunes like the excellent Out Of Time and the so-so House Of The Rising Sun. Some stuff like Hipster and Progressive Talking Blues are pretty good, quirky rock. (AE/FS)
 
LEE ROCKER 33rd Street 3316 Bulletproof ● CD $15.98
14 tracks, very good. It's almost pointless to play rockabilly without an upright bass player and one of the finest is former Stray Cat, Lee Rocker. On his self-produced "Bulletproof," he's joined by a couple of staggering guitarists, Brophy Dale and Tara Novick, and solid drumming from Jimmy Sage. Vocal chores are split between Rocker and Dale, both sounding superb with plenty of the necessary twang, but never overdoing things. Covers include Carl Perkins' One More Shot, Johnny Cash's Johnny, Frankie's Man, and Lennon/McCartney's I'll Cry Instead. The remainder is mostly originals written or co-written by Rocker and each hold true to form. Production values are kept to a minimum and most of this sounds like it came right out of 1956. (CR)

 
RAY RUFF Hydra 27116 I Took A Liking To You - The Buddy Holly Sounds Of ● CD $19.98
24 tracks, fans only. According to the liner notes "the name of Ray Ruff is unjustly omitted from the history books". Not really, he was just not very good. He did sound a bit like Buddy but even though he recorded many of his sides in Norman Petty's studio and even wore Buddy's glasses at some of the sessions (!) his bland vocals and lackluster backing failed to recapture the Holly magic. The tracks here recorded between 1959 and 1964 feature some mediocre covers of Holly songs (Umm Oh Yeah/ Well.. All Right/ I'm Gonna Love You Too/ Love Made A Fool Of You) along with a number of originals and other songs. For those who care this has a 16 page booklet with extensive notes, photos and complete discography. (FS)

 
JOHNNY TILLOTSON Disky 905025 Poetry In Motion ● CD $8.98
Budget priced collection featuring 12 of Johnny's most popular sides - Poetry In Motion/ Funny How Time Slips Away/ It Keeps Right On A Hurtin'/ Pledging My Love/ Talk Back Tremblin' Lips/ Blowin' In the Wind, etc.

 
CONWAY TWITTY RPM 246 Looking Back - The Best Of The MGM Recordings ● CD $15.98
40 tracks, 92 mins, highly recommended. Recorded for MGM between 1958 and 1963, these songs came along before Twitty claimed the country singles chart as his personal property. Conway recorded in a number of styles and always sounded good and convincing. He was one of the best ever rock-ballad singers and his intense It's Only Make Believe was a deserved no #1 hit and there are other fine ballads like The Story Of My Love/ Heavenly and Lonely Blue Boy. There are some exciting rockers like the self composed I Viberate/ Pretty Eyed Baby and The Long Black Train and some great blues and R&B covers like Trouble In Mind/ What A Dream/ There Is Something On Your Mind and even Got My Mojo Working. He also rocked up some old pop, folk and country songs like Just Beacuse/ Mona Lisa/ Sentimental Journey and his update of the old Irish favorite Danny Boy which caused a furor in Britain at the time and so Conway had to re-record it as Rosaleena. It also includes one of my favorites - the hard driving waltz tempo It's Driving Me Wild which, apparently, Conway hated - I still like it! Credit must go whoever produced these recordings for a hard driving uncluttered sound - the frequent vocal chorus and occasional strings are used very effectively and are never intrusive. Includes fold out booklet with informative notes by Gordon Fleming. If you don't have any early Twitty this is a must. (FS)

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Ace CDCHD 851 Pet Projects - The Brian Wilson Productions ● CD $16.98
23 track collection of sides from the mid-late 60s featuring sessions produced by Beach Boy Brian Wilson. Remastered from original tapes many of these tracks are making their first appearance on CD and includes sides by Sharon Marie, Gary Usher, The Honeys, The Laughing Gravy, Glen Campbell and others. Includes 20 page extensively annotated booklet.

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Ace CDCHD 890 Chartbusters USA - Vol. 3 ● CD $16.98
Ace's third collection of U.S. hits from the mid/late 60s is a mix of rock, soul, pop, lounge and garage sounds. 29 tracks in all.
THE ASSOCIATION: Along Comes Mary/ THE BEACH BOYS: Fun, Fun, Fun/ BOOKER T & THE MGS: Soul Limbo/ THE BOX TOPS: The Letter/ CANNED HEAT: Going Up The Country/ GALE GARNETT: We'll Sing In The Sunshine/ MARVIN GAYE: I Heard It Through The Grapevine/ BOBBIE GENTRY: Ode To Billy Joe/ SLIM HARPO: Baby Scratch My Back/ THE HONDELLS: Little Honda/ THE IMPRESSIONS: People Get Ready/ THE KNICKERBOCKERS: Lies/ LITTLE ANTHONY & THE IMPERIALS: Goin' Out Of My Head/ HENRY MANCINI: The Pink Panther Theme/ THE MARVELOWS: I Do/ HUGH MASEKELA: Grazing In The Grass/ MUSIC EXPLOSION: Little Bit O' Soul/ MUSIC MACHINE: Talk Talk/ WILSON PICKETT: In The Midnight Hour/ PAUL REVERE & THE RAIDERS: Just Like Me/ ROSE GARDEN: Next Plane To London/ BILLY JOE ROYAL: Down In The Boondocks/ THE SANDPIPERS: Guantanamera/ TIMMY SHAW: Gonna Send You Back To Georgia/ SONNY & CHER: I Got You Babe/ STEPPENWOLF: Born To Be Wild/ JUNIOR WALKER & THE ALL STARS: I'm A Road Runner/ IAN WHITCOMB: You Turn Me On (turn On Song)/ THE ZOMBIES: She's Not There

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Castle CMEDD 496 Joe Meek - The Alchemist Of Pop, Home Made Hits & Rarities ● CD $21.98
In depth retrospective of the work of Britain's first independent record producer - the ill fated Joe Meek who committed suicide in 1967 on the anniversary of Buddy Holly's death. Called Britain's answer to Phil Spector beacuse of his innovative productions and arrangements concocted in his tiny flat cum studio in North London's Holloway Road. Meek was also an audio engineer and also came up with some unusual sounds on some of his recordings. This two CD set with 56 tracks features recordings from throughout his short career including many British top ten hits along with a tasty selection of rarities.
CLIFF BENNETT & THE REBEL ROUSERS: You Got What I Like/ MIKE BERRY & THE OUTLAWS: Don't You Think It's Time/ It's Just A Matter Of Time/ Tribute To Buddy Holly/ PAMELA BLUE: My Friend Bobby/ THE BLUE RONDOS: Little Baby/ BUZZ: You're Holding Me Down/ DON CHARLES: Walk With Me My Angel/ GLENDA COLLINS: I Lost My Heart At The Fairground/ It's Hard To Believe/ Something I've Got To Tell You/ MICHAEL COX: Angela Jones/ Stand Up/ THE CRYIN' SHAMES: Please Stay/ THE DOWLANDS: All My Loving/ JASON EDDY & THE CENTREMEN: Singing The Blues/ What'cha Gonna Do Baby/ THE FABULOUS FLEE-REKKERS: Green Jeans/ THE FLEEREKKERS: Sunday Date/ EMILE FORD & THE CHECKMATES: What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For/ LANCE FORTUNE: Be Mine/ GEOFF GODDARD: Sky Men/ IAIN GREGORY: Can't You Hear The Beat Of A Broken Heart/ HEINZ: Country Boy/ Just Like Eddie/ Questions I Can't Answer/ You Were There/ THE HONEYCOMBS: Have I The Right/ I Can't Stop/ Something Better Beginning/ That's The Way/ PETER JAY: Paradise Garden/ Can Can '62/ DAVID JOHN & THE MOOD: Diggin' For Gold/ JOHN LEYTON: Johnny Remember Me/ Lonely City/ Son This Is She/ Wild Wind/ THE MOONTREKKERS: Night Of The Vampire/ THE OUTLAWS: Ambush/ Swingin' Low/ THE PACKABEATS: Traitors Theme/ THE RIOT SQUAD: I Take It That We're Through/ DANNY RIVERS: Can't You Hear My Heart/ THE SAINTS: Wipeout/ SCREAMING LORD SUTCH: Jack The Ripper/ Till The Following Night/ THE SYNDICATS: Crawdaddy Simone/ THE TORNADOS: Globetrotter/ Ridin' The Wind/ Robot/ Telstar/ RICKY WAYNE & THE FLEE-REKKERS: Chick A'roo/ HOUSTON WELLS: Hobbies/ North Wind/ Only The Heartaches

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Collector 4473 Real Gone Girl ● CD $16.98
A collection of 32 rockers from the 50s and early 60s by female artist. Quite a bit of it falls under the category of light teen rock but there are also some more energetic rockabilly numbers and some rocking country songs. Includes The Acorn Sisters, Anita Wood, Betty jane & The Teenettes, Becky Clark (a nice cover of Buddy Knox's Party Doll), Lenora Crider, The Valentines, Beverlee Dennis, Joannie King, The Logan Sisters, Sandy Page, Jeanne Garry and others.

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Stomper Time 16 Memphis Rockabillies, Hillbillies & Honky Tonk, Vol. 3 ● CD $17.98
The third volume in this series of recordings from some of the lesser known Memphis Record companies features 34 tracks recorded for Shelby Smith's Rebel, Rebel Ace and affiliated labels. Perhaps not quite as strong as the first two volumes there are some excellent rockabilly, rock 'n' roll and honky tonk country cuts. Artists includes Parker Cunningham (the great Dry Run), Doug McClure (three previously unissued sides - all excellent), Jimmy Evans (the odd but appealing Dudley Do-Rite), Johnny Seals (a version of Little Walter's My babe with a trumpet solo!), Glen Linder, Eddie Beers, Bobby davis and others including some fine sides by Smith himself. Booklet has extensive notes, photos, and discographical information.

 

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