New Releases: July
2010 -> March 2011
Vintage Rock 'n' Roll & Rockabilly
Freddi Bell & The
Bellboys
-> Conway Twitty +
Books + DVD
UGLY THINGS #31 |
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● BOOK $8.95 |
200 pages / perfect bound / full-color glossy cover,
essential
Counts as five CDs for shipping
These Ugly Things magazines
only come out about twice a year, but they are certainly worth the wait.
Covering the best in vintage Rock 'N' Roll, '60s Garage, Psych, and
Experimental, as well as usually a dab of '70s Punk and Power-Pop, and a
few current acts that have the R&R spirit. This new issue continues at
the high standard they have set with features like the first ever-major
interview with Billy Harrison, guitarist and founder member of Van
Morrison's seminal R&B group THEM. Then there's a big in-depth feature
on the great Norton record label and the Kicks zine that it started out
of. You also get the final installment in the ongoing Masters
Apprentices story, James Williamson and the Stooges, swingin' '60s
scenester and Rock star confidant Prince Stash de Rola, Cleveland Garage
Rock of the '60s, etc. Topping it all off is extensive record, CD, Book,
and DVD reviews, covering the latest re-issues, excavations and more,
much more. Regular readers will know how essential this mag is, if you
haven't checked it out yet, you certainly need to pick one up. (JM)
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ROCKET IN MY POCKET The
Hipsters Guide To Rockabilly Music by
Max Decharne |
● BOOK $23.98 |
Import paperback, 326 pages, counts as four CDs for
shipping
When Elvis Presley walked into Sam Phillips' Sun Studios in May
1954 to record his debut single "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon Of
Kentucky", he laid down the blueprint for the worldwide rock explosion
of the 1950's and so began the biggest and most successful career the
music world has ever known. And yet the story of rockabilly is largely
one of individual recordings, rather than stars. Many of the great
performances were by unknowns whose careers were over almost before the
ink dried on their record contracts. "A Rocket In My Pocket" makes sure
these unknowns get their due, alongside the legends - Jerry Lee Lewis,
Wanda Jackson, Buddy Holly and revivalists like The Stray Cats and The
Cramps. In his book, musician and writer Max Decharne celebrates the
original teenage rebel music, the primal mix of country, blues and
hillbilly that came out of the American South and conquered the world.
And don't forget the CD issued by Ace to complement this book (Ace CDCHD
1268 - Rocket In My Pocket - $18.98)
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I DON'T SOUND
LIKE NOBODY Remaking Music In 1950s America
by Albin J. Zak III |
● BOOK $29.95 |
Hardbound, 308 pages, counts as five CDs for shipping
The 1950s marked a radical transformation in American popular music as
the nation drifted away from its love affair with big band swing to
embrace the unschooled and unruly new sounds of Rock 'N' Roll. The
sudden flood of records from the margins of the music industry left
impressions on the pop soundscape that would eventually reshape
long-established listening habits and expectations, as well as
conventions of songwriting, performance, and recording. The central
story line of this book is change itself. The characters included here
are not just performers but engineers, producers, songwriters, label
owners, radio personalities, and fans-all key players in the decade's
musical transformation. In his book-written in an engaging and
accessible style-Albin Zak approaches music and historical issues of the
1950s through the lens of recordings, while fashioning a compelling
story of the birth of a whole new musical language.
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SMART ASS The Music Journalism Of
Joel Selvin |
● BOOK $19.98 |
Paperback, 400 pages, counts as seven CDs for shipping
In the world of Bay Area rock and roll, music journalist Joel Selvin has
become a mini legend. For over 40 years he has been a champion to some,
and a thorn in the side to others, but his always provocative pieces are
thought provoking and entertaining. In this collection of his writings,
mostly for the San Francisco Chronicle, the scope of his music interest
is exposed: he has examined everyone from Merle Haggard to Neil Young,
the Beach Boys to Phil Spector, John Lee Hooker to Steve Miller, The
Grateful Dead to Mimi Farina; he has covered everything from Southern
California rock/pop to Chris Strachwitz's roots music odyssey, and the
common thread running through all of them is Selvin's enthusiasm and
honesty about his subjects. There is something for everyone in this
book; whether your poison is country, blues, pop/rock, or soul, Selvin
has you covered. Because he spent most of his career writing for the San
Francisco Chronicle, Joel Selvin's name might not be well known outside
of the Bay Area, but one taste of this book might make you think that it
should be.
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VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Stomper Time STDVD 5 |
Hot Shot Rockabillies |
● DVD $28.98 |
45 performances, 100 mins, essential
Fantastic
collection of rockabilly, rock 'n' roll and rockin' country performances
drawn from the legendary Southern California based TV show "Town Hall
Party." Best known as an outlet for country performers the show, on the
air from 1953 to 1960, also featured some great rock 'n' roll and
rockabilly performers. Fortunately kinescopes of a number of the
original shows are preserved at the Country Music Foundation which is
the source of these priceless recordings. Bear Family has issued an
extensive series of DVDs drawn from these shows including a number of
complete shows but this disc strips it down to the essentials - just the
musical performances without any introductions or dull acts. Most of the
artists are backed by the Town Hall Party house band (who were
exceptional) though several brought their own groups. Most of the
performances here are from 1958 and 1959 when most of these artists were
in their prime and we get to see - Eddie Cochran, Bob Luman, The Flairs
(a fine white rock 'n' roll band), Wanda Jackson, Johnny Cash, The
Collins Kids, Carl Perkins, Gene Vincent, Marty Robbins, Skeets
McDonald, Jimmy Pruett and others. Sound and video quality are not
perfect but are generally fine and since they are licensed from Bear
Family they are probably as good it's going to get. (FS)
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FREDDIE
BELL & THE BELLBOYS |
Hallmark 709812 |
Rock & Roll ... All Flavors |
● CD $8.98 |
12 tracks, 29 mins, recommended
Freddie Bell etc. are a
Rock & Roll group by the most lenient of definitions; mostly, they were
a high-energy lounge act that played in the R&R style. So, much more
akin to Louis Prima than Bo Diddley, and honestly sounding pretty
similar to what Brian Setzer's big band would sound like a few decades
later. Legend has it that a young Elvis Presley, on his first (failed)
stint performing in Las Vegas, watched Freddie Bell and the Bellboys in
concert and was inspired by (among other things) their arrangement of
Hound Dog. This bare-bones collection gathers up a sampling of their
"classic" recordings. So you get Hound Dog, as well as
Hucklebuck for examples of their covers and most of the rest of this
collection is their crowd pleasing originals like Voo Doo/ Stay Loose
Mother Goose/ Giddy Up Ding Dong, (featured in the groundbreaking
"Rock Around The Clock" movie) and Big Bad Wolf. All in all this
is fun, and fans of hot Sax playing especially should dig it. (JM)
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THE BONZO DOG
(DOO DAH) BAND |
EMI 947 497-2 |
A Dog's Life |
● CD $29.98 |
3 CDs, 72 tracks, 230mins, highly recommended
Falling
somewhere between Monty Python and The Firesign Theatre, the great Bonzo
Dog (Doo Dah) Band put out a string of fantastically bizarre albums,
starting in 1967, that are still a blast today. Mocking just about
everything in British and American culture, these art school misfits
made five sublime albums in just about as many years, all of which are
collected here, plus more than a handful of "Extra Treats." I'm the
Urban Spaceman, probably the best actual song here and a modest
top-five hit in 1968 was produced by none other than Paul McCartney, who
song-writer Neil Innes would pay back in a way with his future project
"The Rutles." The five albums are all classics and the bonus tracks are
a real treat, but the unfortunate thing about this collection is, that
despite the wonderful production and thorough track compilation, there
isn't a single line of notes accompanying this set. They have missed a
grand opportunity to make the definitive "Bonzos" release and tell their
story along with the music, which is a shame. Nonetheless, I can still
heartily recommend this collection, its still quite the surrealist
smorgasbord. Among the bonus tracks, you get such choice cuts as I'm
Gonna Bring A Watermelon To My Girl Tonight/ Alley Oop/ Mr. Apollo
(German Version,) by the "Bonzos" and Labio Dental Fricative
by Vivian Stanshall Sean Head Showband featuring Eric Clapton, and more.
(JM)
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THE BURNETTE BROTHERS |
El Toro 1037 |
If You Want It Enough |
● CD $26.98 |
Two CDs, 57 tracks, recommended
Having already told the
story of the Burnettes' legendary Rock 'n' Roll Trio from beginning to
acrimonious end (El Toro 10010 - $24.98), El Toro Records now takes the
story of the talented Memphis-born brothers forward from the parting of
the ways in 1956 through their separate relocation to the West Coast and
their happy reconciliation a year later, and on to their subsequent
recordings both individually and collaboratively until they each began
to enjoy national chart success in the early 1960s. Johnny continued
with four more rockabilly sides for Coral before moving out West where
he recorded for Liberty subsidiary Freedom before moving to the parent
company and starting his successful career as a pop rock singer which
was cut short in 1964 by his premature in an accident. Dorsey first
recorded for Abbott before his two rockabilly classics for Surf -
Bertha Lou and Til The Law Sais Stop and ending up on
Imperial where he recorded a number sides with Ricky Nelson's backing
band including James Burton on guitar. The duo reunited for one Imperial
single with a tough band featuring hot rockabilly guitar from Joe Maphis
and later had four instrumental sides issued as by The Texans on the
obscure Infinity and Gothic labels. The set includes lots of originally
unissued songs and a bunch of demos - the duo were very active as
songwriters and were responsible for a number of Ricky Nelson's big hits
and this set includes Dorsey's originally unissued version of It's
Late and a great demo of I Believe What You Say. The last
half a dozen songs on the set are other artists doing Burnette songs
including Nelson, Fohnny Faire, Bob Luman and The Ring A Dings. Although
there is a fair amount of pop oriented material here there are also many
fine rockers. (FS)
JOHNNY BURNETT: I'm Restless/ Kiss Me/ DORSEY
BURNETTE: At A Distance/ Bertha Lou/ Circle Rock/ House With A Tin Roof
Top/ I Believe What You Say (demo)/ I Only Came Here To Dance
(unissued)/ It's Late (unissued)/ Jungle Magic/ Let's Fall In Love/
Lonely Train/ Lonely Train (undubbed master)/ Misery/ The Devil's Queen/
Til The Law Says Stop/ Try/ Way In The Middle Of The Night/ You Came As
A Miracle/ Your Love/ JOHNNY BURNETTE: Butter Fingers/ Eager Beaver
Baby/ Gumbo/ I'll Never Love Again/ I'll Never Love Again (take 2)/ If
You Want It Enough/ Kentucky Waltz/ Kiss Me/ Love Kept A-Rollin'
(unissued)/ Me And The Bear/ Settin' The Woods On Fire/ Sweet Baby Doll/
That's All I Care (unissued)/ Touch Me/ THE BURNETTE BROTHERS: Ballad Of
The One-Eyed Jacks (demo)/ Blue School Days (demo)/ Boppin' Rosalie
(unissued)/ Do Baby Do (unissued)/ I'm Happy (demo)/ Just A Memory
(demo)/ Just Keep On Goin' (demo)/ Just Keep On Goin' (demo)/ My Honey/
Warm Love/ You're Cheatin' On Me (overdubbed master)/ You're Cheatin' On
Me (rehearsal)/ You're Cheatin' On Me (undubbed master)/ JOHNNY FAIRE:
Til The Law Says Stop/ BOB LUMAN: Whenever You're Ready (AKA 'Let's Fall
In Love')/ RICKY NELSON: Believe What You Say/ It's Late/ THE RING A
DINGS: Snacky Poo/ Snacky Poo #2/ THE TEXANS: Bloody River/ Green Green
Grass Of Texas/ Ole Reb/ Rockin' Johnny Home
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AL CASEY |
El Toro 1036 |
I'm A Guitar Man |
● CD $26.98 |
Two CD set, 59 tracks, very highly recommended
Complementing El Toro's recent Hal Harris release and Rev-Ola's Grady
Martin issue this great set puts the focus on another superb session
guitarist whose career has been overshadowed by that of the artists he
recorded with. Most of the recordings here are from the period 1955
through 1960 made for more than a dozen different labels - most in his
home state of Arizona. Al's first work as a session guitarist was
accompanying Sanford Clark on his big hit The Fool and a couple
of years later provided some more unique guitar sounds on Jody Reynolds'
classic Endless Sleep - both included here. In an interesting
twist of fate Al's band was joined by a young guitar player Duane Eddy
in 1957 as a second guitarist and the group recorded the hot
instrumental Ramrod which was issued under Duane's name though
that great lead work is by Al. A year later when Duane was a star, Jamie
reissued an overdubbed version of Ramrod and subsequently Al
joined Duane's band as second guitarist! In addition to more cuts
backing Sanford Clark and Jody Reynolds Al also provided dynamite work
behind Jimmy Johnson (his rockabilly classic Cat Daddy), Dave
Lowe, Gene Maltais, Judy Faye, Don Cole, Loy Clingman, Ted Newman and
others. There are also a dozen cuts issued under Al's name - half vocal
and half instrumental and while no great shakes as a vocalist most of
his songs have hot guitar breaks. In the late 50s Al moved to the West
Coast and became a founder of the surf guitar movement and acted as
session guitarist for the like of Elvis, The Beach Boys, Dean Martin and
others. It's a real treat to hear all these tracks together and realize
what a talented and versatile musician Al was - mostly rock 'n roll but
with some country and jazz elements. Sound quality is superb and there
are informative notes by Dave Penny. (FS)
THE BARKER BROTHERS (MONTY & FREDY): Hey Little Mama/
AL CASEY: A Fool's Blues/ Come What May/ Guitar Man/ If I Told You
(Wouldn't Know It All By Myself)/ Juice/ Keep Talking/ She Gotta Shake/
The Pink Panther/ The Stinger/ Willa Mae/ Give'n Up/ (Got The) Teen-Age
Blues/ The Adventures of Frank N Stein/ SANFORD CLARK: 9LB. Hammer/ A
Cheat/ A Cross-Eyed Alley Cat (unissued)/ Ain't Nobody Here But Us
Chickens (unissued)/ Don't Care (unissued)/ Every Minute Of The Day
(unissued)/ Lonesome For A Letter/ Modern Romance/ New Kind Of Fool/ Ooo
Baby/ The Fool/ Usta Be My Baby/ LOY CLINGMAN WITH AL CASEY & THE
ARIZONA HAY: Time Wounds All Heels/ DON COLE: Saturday Nite Party Time/
Sweet Lovin' Honey/ Snake Eyed Mama/ JIMMY DELL: I've Got A Dollar/
JERRY DEMAR: (She Wantsa) Lover Man/ DUANE EDDY & HIS ROCK-A-BILLIES:
Caravan/ Ramrod/ JUDY FAYE: Rocky-Rolly-Lover Boy/ JOE D. JOHNSON:
Rattlesnake Daddy/ JIMMY JOHNSON WITH AL CASEY & THE ARIZONA HAYR: Cat
Daddy/ How About Me? pRETTY bABY/ DAVE LOWE: A Tramp/ GENE MALTAIS:
Lovemakin'/ The Bug/ JOE MONTGOMERY: Planetary Run/ JIM MURPHY & THE
ACCENTS: I'm Gone, Mama/ Plumb Crazy/ TED NEWMAN: Plaything/ JODY
REYNOLDS: Daisy Mae/ Endless Sleep/ Fire Of Love/ Beulah Lee/ Tight
Capris/ DICK ROBINSON & HIS MAKEBELIEVERS: The Boppin' Martian (Gibo
Miban Gibo)/ 'FRANTIC' JOHNNY ROGERS: Sassy/ LONESOME LONG JOHN ROLLER:
Hay Momma/ Long John's Flagpole Rock/ JIMMY SPELLMAN WITH AL CASEY:
Doggonit/ JIMMY SPELLMAN WITH THE SUNSET RIDERS: It's You, You, You/ THE
STORMS: Tarantula/ Thunder/ THE TADS: The Pink Panther
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DANY & THE JUNIORS |
Singular 711 |
Rock And Roll Is Here To Stay |
● CD $17.98 |
32 tracks, recommended
Danny Rapp and the Juniors were a
White South Philly vocal group that had a national #1 hit in 1958 with
the rousing dance tune At The Hop. Due to its overexposure on
oldies stations through the years you might be a bit tired of it by now,
but this collection should give you a fresh jolt since there are many
more energetic tunes like their big smash. Sure you have a few Four
Freshmen type ballads, but for the most part they stick with the tried
and true dance floor boppers. This includes just about everything they
recorded between 1957 and 1963 including all eight of their chart hits.
Includes Doing The Continental Walk with hot guitar from Roy
Buchanan. (AE/ FS)
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JACKIE DESHANNON |
Ace CDCHD 1290 |
Come And Get Me - Complete Liberty &
Imperial Singles 2 |
● CD $18.98 |
26 tracks, 67 mins, very highly recommended
The first
volume of Ace's collection of DeShannon's Liberty singles (Ace 1243 -
$18.98) tackled the beginning of her career in the early 60's; this set
(the second of three) picks up in 1964 and takes us through 1967. And
what we are given is an assortment of tracks-all singles, although some
were UK releases-that further show Jackie's talents as a singer (on the
covers) and as an exceptional songwriter in her own right. She does
Buddy Holly proud on rowdy versions of Oh Boy! and I'm Looking
For Someone to Love, and sings the Bacharach/David compositions A
Lifetime of Loneliness/ Come and Get Me Windows and Doors, and the
peerless hit What the World Needs Now with a skill and feeling
rivaled only by Dionne Warwick. And as always, her own songs sit
alongside the pros as beautiful pieces of pop masterworks: a cool fast
mix of When You Walk in the Room/ Don't Turn Your Back on Me/ I
Remember the Boy/ Are You Ready For This, and two gossamer
collaborations with Randy Newman, Hold Your Head High and She
Don't Understand Him Like I Do, which are worth the price of
admission all by themselves. Upon listening to this collection, it's
easy to see that Jackie's mid 60's work reached a peak in her career; it
will be interesting to see what Vol. 3 has in store. Meanwhile, fans of
singer/songwriters, 60's pop, and plain old good tunes will lap this
music up like fine wine. (GMC)
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DION & THE BELMONTS |
Jasmine 153 |
Teenagers In Love, 1957-1960 |
● CD $15.98 |
2 CDs, 43 tracks, 103 mins, highly recommended
Here's
something that I have been wanting for a long time; a comprehensive
collection for Dion & The Belmonts that includes all the hits, plus a
whole bunch of tracks covering the groups original three-year recording
run. This even features the first two tracks that Dion sang on when they
group first were signed to the Mohawk record label; the ridiculous
western themed The Chose Few and Out In Colorado which
feature Dion's vocals plopped down on top of tracks by Hugo Montenegro
orchestra. Things get a lot better from there, and that beautiful street
corner vocal group sound that Dion & The Belmonts perfected will
dominate most of the rest of the tracks. I Wonder Why/ Teen Angel/ No
One Knows/ Don't Pity Me/ A Teenager In Love/ Lonely Teenager/ That's My
Desire, and many, many more great tunes. (JM)
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LONNIE DONEGAN |
Spectrum 553 906-6 |
The Lonnie Donegan Collection |
● CD $28.98 |
Inexpensive five CD set with 108 tracks spanning
Lonnie's career from his first hit Rock Island Line through to
1983's Ding Ding. It includes all 32 songs that reached the
British top 30, including three that topped the charts. All your
favorites are here - Bring A Little Water Sylvie/ Don't You Rock Me
Daddy-O/ Puttin' On The Style/ Jack O' Diamonds/ Grand Coulee Dam/
Lonnie's Skiffle Party, Parts 1 & 2/ Tom Dooley/ Does Your Chewing Gum
Lose Its Flavour/ Battle Of New Orleans/ My Old Man's A Dustman and
many more plus a whole heap of lesser known but fine sides. Includes 16
page, full color, illustrated booklet with a full biography.
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DUANE EDDY |
Jamie 3926 |
The Birth Of A Guitar Legend - The Jamie
Singles Sessio |
● CD $36.98 |
Three CDs, 75 tracks, highly recommended
All the twang
you could want and more featuring every single the Rebel Rouser made for
Jamie between 1957 and 1962, from his great hits (Rebel Rouser/
Cannonball/ Moovin' n' Groovin'/ Peter Gunn Theme/ Forty Miles of Bad
Road/ Ramrod/ Because They're Young/ Yep/ Dixie/ Kommotion/ Some Kinda
Earthquake/ Pepe, etc.) to lesser known titles and flipsides. Many
of the cuts feature his fine backup band The Rebels with tough sax from
Steve Douglas. Although his music gradually moved in a pop direction,
with strings and vocal choruses there are plenty of fine rockin' sides
here. In addition to both sides of all the singles there are bonus cuts
featuring undubbed and/ or unedited versions of some his singles and a
couple of tunes that were not originally issued. About 2/3 of the tracks
are in stereo and the set ends in new digital stereo versions of two of
his earliest hits Moovin' 'n' Groovin and, of course, Rebel
Rouser. Includes 16 page illustrated booklet with notes on the
recordings. If you missed out on the long deleted Bear Family box this
is your chance to get a com,prhensive collection of twang. (FS)
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THE EVERLY BROTHERS |
Legends 019 |
100 Hits |
● CD $19.98 |
Five CDs, 100 tracks, highly recommended
Another
impressive budget priced collection devoted to important performers from
the Legends label. This time its the great Everly Brothers who had a
slew of hits in the 50s and early 60s and whose harmonies influenced
many later groups. The first disc is mostly devoted to their Cadence
recordings made between 1957 and 1960 and features most of their Cadence
hits though the omission of the gorgeous I Wonder If I Care As Much
(the flip of Bye Bye Love) is really unfortunate. The other four
discs are devoted to their Warner Brothers recordings made between 1960
and '67 and includes all their hits for that label (Cathy's Clown/
Ebony Eyes/ So Sad (To Watch Good Love Go Bad)/ Temptation/ Crying In
The Rain, etc.) along with non hits, flip sides and album cuts.
Although some of the material they recorded for Warners was questionable
(Mention My Name In Sheboyagn/ My Mammy/ Bye Bye Blackbird) there
are lots of fine sides including such gems as The Price Of Love/ This
Is The Last Song I'm Ever Going To Sing and the sublime Love
Hurts plus some great and unique covers of rock 'n' roll, R&B and
country songs - dig the fuzz guitar on their cover of Chuck Willis's
See See Rider! Booklet has brief introductory notes by Stuart
Batsford - if you have little or no songs by the Everlys this is a
perfect collection. (FS)
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AL FERRIER |
El Toro 1032 |
I'm The Man - Louisiana Swamp
Rockabilly, 1955-1959 |
● CD $18.98 |
32 tracks, 79 mins, highly recommended
Superb collection
of rockabilly, rock 'n' roll and honky tonk country Louisiana bayou
flavor, laid down by an artist whose solid feel for his material is
shared by his back-up band which usually featured his brother Brian on
lead guitar and on the earliest cuts his other brother Warren on fiddle
or bass. Among the many highlights are the Johnny Cash flavored title
track, the wild Hey Baby the originally unissued Blues Stop
Knocking at My Door, the great My Baby Done Gone Away which adds
some fiddle into the rockabilly mix plus No No Baby/ You Win Again/
Send Her Back, and the pure country It's Too Late Now. As the
50s progressed Al moved to a more straight ahead rock 'n' roll style but
with solid vocals and great accompaniments they are all a joy. In
addition to all the issued sides this includes originally unissued songs
and alternate takes that turned up in the 1980s and help round out the
picture of Al's considerable talent. Excellent sound and 8 page booklet
with detailed notes. (FS)
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BILLY FURY |
Jasmine 154 |
Maybe Tomorrow - The Billy Fury Story,
1958-60 |
● CD $15.98 |
Two CDs, 50 tracks, 123 mins, recommended
Billy Fury
(born Ronald Wycherly) from Liverpool was one of the finest rock 'n'
roll artists to emerge in Britain in the late 50s. With a style
obviously influenced by Elvis and similar smoldering good looks he soon
became a teen idol though in spite of influences Billy was definitely
his own man and wrote a good number of his songs. Although most of his
hits were rock ballads he was also a fine up tempo rock 'n' roll singer
and had some excellent backup groups. He was also a controversial
performer whose on stage antics led him to be banned from performing in
several cities! Disc 1 opens up with six solo demos made in 1958 - four
Elvis covers and two originals. Sound quality is rough but the
performances are impressive. Disc 1 also includes his Decca singles from
1959 and 1960 - a mix of ballads and rockers including his hits Maybe
Tomorrow and Margo (Don't Go). It also includes all the
tracks from his "Sound Of Fury" LP - accompanied by a first class band
and singing all original songs this is considered by many to be the best
British rock 'n' roll album of the era. The first disc is rounded out by
some live performances from radio shows including a hot version of My
Babe where he duets with Gene Vincent and is given great guitar
accompaniment by Joe Brown. Side two features a bunch of solo demos by
Billy of songs intended for the "Sound Of Fury" album - some of which
did not appear on the final album along with an alternate take of
Maybe Tomorrow and stereo mixes of songs issued on singles and LP.
12 page booklet has informative notes on Billy's career. (FS)
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THE GOODEES |
Ace CDCHD 1291 |
Condition Red! The Complete Goodees |
● CD $18.98 |
22 tracks, 64 mins, highly recommended
On initial
listen, the Goodees' Condition Red sounds like a Shangri-La's
Leader of the Pack-style rip-off, which doesn't bode well for the
rest of this collection of everything recorded by this last gasp girl
group, but listen closer. By 1969, when the Goodees' sole LP "Candy
Coated Goodees" was released, girl group pop was well and truly dead
(with the exception of the Supremes.and one could debate whether or not
they were really a "girl group") and it should come as no surprise that
neither the album nor any of their singles (with exception of
Condition Red) were hits. But what makes this trio of ladies
interesting are several facts: they were Memphis white girls who
recorded for Stax (and Stax imprint Hip), and worked with the cream of
Memphis talent, including Isaac Hayes and David Porter, and Dan Penn and
Spooner Oldham. With that kind of talent in the background, one would
think that these girls are a great lost act, buried in the mists of time
and bad luck. Well, although they didn't record anything as memorable as
The Letter or Cry Like a Baby, I would certainly say that
their LP is as good as any of the Box Tops' LPs, overseen by Penn and
Oldham (which this album wasn't). There's some decent covers of Worst
That Could Happen/ My Boyfriend's Back and He's A Rebel, but
the highlights are definitely the singles Condition Red and
Jilted, and the sultry, Isaac Hayes co-written Didn't Know Love
Was So Good. In fact, it's when Hayes and Porter start writing and
producing the girl's non-album singles that things really start heating
up: from the evidence here, formula appeared to be to give the girls the
same treatment that Dusty Springfield got for "Dusty in Memphis."
Needless to say, these girls were not in Dusty's class vocally, but they
do acquit themselves well on the sophisticated Southern soul that was
created around them. For a Little While/ Would You Could You
(from Hayes/Porter) and Goodies (from Penn/Oldham) were gems that
were completely of their time and yet not in step with the prevailing
trends of the day. As for the seven previously unreleased tracks,
Angry Eyes/ Show Me How, and Have You Ever Hurt the One You Love
are the keepers. Anyone who is interested in "girl group" pop should
definitely give this CD a spin. (GMC)
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BILL HALEY &
HIS COMETS |
Hydra 27112 |
On The Air |
● CD $22.98 |
32 tracks, 74 mins, highly recommended
Back in print.
Certainly this is most appealing to Bill Haley fanatics, but casual fans
(like me) will find a lot to love about this collection as well. This CD
features radio shows Bill Haley & His Comets did in 1962 for Armed
Forces Network, recorded over in Frankfurt, Germany. By '62 Bill Haley's
hit years were definitely behind him, but he could still put on a great
performance and could retain fantastic players to back him up. This has
a ton of music and a ton of interview material in-between. Haley is
charming and upbeat, the band is hot, the interviewer is cheesy. You'll
get versions of the big hits, of course--Shake Rattle & Roll/ Rock
Around The Clock, etc. -- stabs at new hits, like The Peppermint
Twist, etc, as well as other lesser known songs, some of which he'd
not recorded before. The sound is a little off, but only on a couple
small moments, not enough to be a distraction. All in all, a great
historical document, with lots of great Rock 'n' Roll, plus a big thick
booklet with rare info, stories, etc., that Haley fans will love. (JM)
|
RONNIE HAWKINS |
Jasmine 592 |
Dynamic Ronnie Hawkins - Early Album
Collection |
● CD $15.98 |
Two CDs, 49 tracks, highly recommended
Two CD set with
49 tracks comprising all four albums issued by Roulette in 1959 and 1960
which also included most of the singles issued during this period. The
first disc with "Ronnie Hawkins" and "Mr Dynamo" features his hard
driving rockers and rock ballads with his own band The Hawks with great
lead guitar by Jimmy Ray Paulman, piano from Willard Jones and Levon
Helm on drums. It includes his first two hits - his cover of Chuck
Berry's Thirty DaysForty Days and Young Jessie's
Mary Lou. The rest of the materials is fine originals (Wild
Little Willie/ Need Your Lovin (Oh So Bad)/ One Of These Days/ Hey Boba
Lou, etc) and excellent copvers of rock 'n' roll and R&b classics (Ruby
Baby/ Dizzy Miss Lizzy/ Honey Don't/ Sick And Tired, etc). The
second disc features his two thematic LPs - "The Folk Ballads OF Ronnie
Hawkins" and "Ronnie Hawkins Sings The Songs Of Hank Williams" - these
were recorded in Nashville with standard studio musicians (Grady Martin,
Bob Moore, Floyd Cramer, etc.) though Levon Helm is also on drums and on
the first session Robbie Robertson is featured on guitar and turns in
some fine solos. Ronnie's performances of songs like Sometimes I Feel
LIke A Motherless Child/ Wayfaring Stranger/ John Henry/ The Death Of
Floyd Collins/ Hey Good Lookin'/ Weary Blues From Waiting and
Ramblin' Man are fine, unfortunately the ever present Anita Kerr
Singers make these performances less rewarding that they could have
been. There is a bonus track Ballad Of Caryl Chessman - a plea to
spare the life of the convicted robber and rapist (not murderer - he was
sentenced to death for what was considered the kidnapping of his rape
victim - at the time a capital crime in California) that was only ever
issued as a single. (FS)
RONNIE HAWKINS: Baby Jean/ Brave Man/ Clara/ Cold Cold
Heart/ Dizzy Miss Lizzy/ Dreams Do Come True/ Fare Thee Well/ Forty
Days/ Hayride/ Hey Boba Lou/ Hey Good Lookin/ Honey Dont/ Horace/ I
Cant Help It (If Im Still In Love With You)/ I Gave My Love A Cherry/
I Hear That Lonesome Whistle/ Im So Lonesome I Could Cry/ Jambalaya/
John Henry/ Lonely Hours/ Love From Afar/ Love Me Like You Can/ Mary
Lou/ Mister And Mississippi/ My Girl Is Red Hot/ Need Your Lovin (Oh So
Bad)/ Nobodys Lonesome For Me/ Odessa/ Oh Sugar/ One Of These Days/ One
Out Of A Hundred/ Ramblin Man/ Ruby Baby/ Sick And Tired/ Someone Like
You/ Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child/ Southern Love/
Summertime/ The Ballad Of Caryl Chessman/ The Death Of Floyd Collins/
Therell Be No Teardrops Tonight/ Virginia Bride/ Wayfaring Stranger/
Weary Blues From Waitin/ Whatcha Gonna Do (When The Creek Runs Dry)/
Wild Little Willy/ You Cheated, You Lied/ You Win Again/ Your Cheatin
Heart
|
WANDA JACKSON |
EMI Gold 397120-2 |
The Ultimate Collection |
● CD $11.98 |
Available again at a lower price. One of the great
female rockabilly and country artists of the 50s and 60s this budget
priced two CD with 50 tracks recorded for Capitol includes one CD of
country sides (I Gotta Know/ In The Middle Of A Heartache/ Slippin'/
Tears Will Be The Chaser For The Wine/ Fancy Satin Pillows, etc) and
one CD of raucous rock 'n' roll (Let's Have A Party/ Money Honey/
Hard Headed Woman/ Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On< etc). Not as
attractively packaged as collections from Ace and Bear Family this is
the perfect way to get some of Wanda's best recordings at an unbeatable
price.
WANDA JACKSON: A Girl Don't Have to Drink to Have Fun/
A Woman Lives for Love/ Both Sides of the Line/ Brown Eyed Handsome Man/
Candy Man/ Cold Cold Heart/ Crazy/ Fancy Satin Pillows/ Fujiyama Mama/
Funny How Time Slips Away/ Hard Headed Woman/ Honey Bop/ Honey Don't/
Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad/ I Gotta Know/ I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry/
If I Cried Every Time You Hurt Me/ In the Middle of a Heartache/ It
Doesn't Matter Anymore/ Jackson/ Jambalaya/ Kansas City/ Let's Have a
Party/ Lonely Weekends/ Long Legged Guitar Pickin' Man/ Long Tall Sally/
Mean Mean Man/ Memphis Tennessee/ Money Honey/ My Baby Left Me/ My Baby
Walked Right out on Me/ My Big Iron Skillet/ Right or Wrong/ Riot in
Cell Block Number Nine/ Rip It Up/ Silver Threads and Golden Needles/
Singing the Blues/ Slippin'/ Slippin' and Slidin'/ Stupid Cupid/ Tears
Will Be the Chaser for Your Wine/ The Box It Came In/ The Violet and the
Rose/ Two Separate Bar Stools/ Who Shot Sam?/ Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin'
On/ Yakety Yak/ You Win Again
|
WANDA JACKSON |
Nonesuch 525263 |
The Party Ain't Over |
● CD $15.98 |
11 tracks, 39 mins, recommended
Let me begin by saying
that I enjoy hearing old school performers making a comeback; some of
the best albums of the last decade were from old-timers like the late
great Solomon Burke, Mavis Staples, Candi Staton, and Sharon Jones. This
album from Wanda Jackson-which is not the first time she's attempted a
comeback, she has secular albums dating from 2003-had me excited because
it's produced by Jack White, the mastermind of the late lamented White
Stripes and, most importantly, producer of Loretta Lynn's excellent 2004
album "Van Lear Rose." White worked wonders with Lynn and I had hoped
that he'd do the same for Wanda, and he does, sort of. First off, the
album is a collection of covers - which is not a bad thing nor
unexpected, since Wanda was never really a songwriter - and they're well
chosen for the most part. My problem is the choice for the arrangements:
way too much horns, and the effect is needlessly busy. The first three
songs - Shakin' All Over/ Rip it Up, and Busted - suffer
the most from the bombastic arrangements, which is too bad because
Wanda's singing is very good. Happily, things start to pick up with a
fun take on Rum and Coca-Cola, a driving take on Dylan's
Thunder on the Mountain, and a bluesy version of Amy Winehouse's
You Know I'm No Good (an inspired choice, by the way); the
arrangements don't quite overshadow Wanda as much and she can really
sink her teeth into well matched material. Another inspired match of
artist and song: the Bailes Brothers' Dust on the Bible done as
uptempo R&B, and it's fabulous. But the best comes last in the form of
Jimmie Rodgers' "Blue Yodel #6" performed simply with just Wanda, an
acoustic guitar and a tambourine for percussion. If the whole album had
been like this, it would have been truly great. As it is, there are
enough enjoyable moments to make this LP worth while for Jackson fans
'cos the lady's still got it. (GMC)
|
JOHNNY JANO |
El Toro 1038 |
Rocking And Rolling, 1956-58 |
● CD $17.98 |
23 tracks, 48 mins, almost highly recommended
Complementing El Toro's recent Al Ferrier collection this is another
fine slab of rockabilly - Louisiana style - which is not a whole
different to Memphis Style. Only eight of the tracks here, recorded
between 1956 and 1958 were originally issued as singles on Excello,
Goldband, Hollywood and Showtime but thanks to research in the vaults
in the 1980s a whole bunch of excellent unissued songs and alternate
takes were discovered which makes up most of the rest of the album.
Johnny was an excellent singer accompanied by tough small bands - in the
case of Excello, some of the tracks featuring the fine guitar work by
Guitar Gable and the Goldband sides feature blues inspired guitarist
Johnny Duhon who turns in a fine rendition of Clarence "Gatemouth"
Brown's Okie Dokie Stomp. Sound quality is excellent and there
are informative notes by Dave Penny. My only disappointment is the lack
of inclusion of the sides he records around the same time for Lyric and
his own Jador label. They may, or may not, be as good as the tracks here
but I think it would have been worth including to round out the picture
and give us a bit more value for our money. (FS)
|
JOHNNY AND THE
HURRICANES |
Smith & Co. 2429 |
Red River Rock Anthology |
● CD $21.98 |
Two CDs (60 tracks) + DVD (16 tracks), highly
recommended
All the Johnny & The Hurricanes music you could possibly
want and then some. Led by saxophonist Johnny Paris (aka John Pocsisk)
this group produced a series of immensely appealing instrumentals often
based around old folk or pop songs and had a string of hits in the late
50s and early 60. In addition to Paris the group featured the
wonderfully cheesy organ sound Paul Tesluk and the dynamic guitar of
Dave Yorko. This collection includes all their big hits (Red River
Rock/ Beatnik Fly/ Crossfire/ Reveille Rock/ Down Yonder, etc) along
with loads of non hits, B-sides and album tracks. The bonus DVD features
a 45 minute concert by the group in Germany in 1983 and although Johnny
Paris is the only original member of the group they generally recapture
the old sound though the guitarist tries to sound too contemporary.
Being live Johnny gets a chance to stretch out on his solos showing what
a fine musician he was. (FS)
JOHNNY & THE HURRICANES: Bam boo/ Beanbag/ Beatnik
fly/ Buckeye/ Bye bye blackbird/ Catnip/ Come on train/ Corn Pone/ Corn
bread/ Crossfire/ Cut out/ Cyclone/ Down yonder/ Farewell farewell/
Greens and benas/ Happy time/ High voltage/ Hot fudge/ It's a mad mad
world/ Ja-da/ James bond theme/ Joy ride/ Kaw-liga/ Lazy/ Milk shake/
Minnesota fats/ Miserlou/ Mister Irving/ Molly-O/ Money honey/ Mr.
Lonely/ Oh du lieber augustin/ Old smokie/ Red river rock/ Reveille
rock/ Revival/ Rock-cha/ Rockin' T/ Rocking Goose/ Rough road/
Salvation/ San antonio rose/ Sand storm/ Shadowns/ Sheba/ Sheik of
araby/ Storm warning/ Teensville tonight/ That's all/ The 'Hep' canary/
The hungry eye/ The kid/ Thunderbolt/ Time bomb/ Tom's tune/ Traffic
jam/ Travelin'/ Walkin'/ Whatever happen to baby Jane/ You are my
sunshine
|
JERRY LEE LEWIS |
Spectrum 753 322-6 |
Fireball! The Collection |
● CD $18.98 |
2 CDs, 41 tracks, 110 mins, highly recommended
I have
long though that Jerry Lee Lewis' recordings for Smash records are some
of the most underrated in music history. People tend to put Jerry Lee
Lewis' career into two segments; his early fiery rise to the top and the
handful of amazing records that he did for Sun records in the '50s and
then his later mellowed down Country music successes of the late '60s
through the '70s. Guess what, though: from right out of the gate with
Smash records in 1963, Jerry Lee started doing great work. This
fantastic set covers Jerry Lee Lewis' best work throughout his tenure at
Smash and contains a whole bunch of red-hot rockers, a mess of stone
cold Country classics and a number of downright weepers all done like no
one else could. This collection fires right up with the 1963 mono album
version of Great Balls Of Fire, which is only the second greatest
version of the song, then keeps tearing it up through versions of
Roll Over Beethoven/ Hit The Road Jack/ Walking The Floor Over You,
and Lonely Weekends. The collection lets up the pace a bit by
track six, his powerful rendition of Joe South's Walk A Mile In My
Shoes, but that isn't the end of the barnburners by a long shot. I
think what the collection does the best, though, is that it shows the
wide variety and depth of the talent that Jerry Lee Lewis had/has, not
the least of which is his talent for working his own name into songs no
matter who the actual songwriter is. Country fans especially will like
this, Rock 'n' Roll fans will also like this, even some Rhythm & Blues
fans will like it as well, everyone should dig a little deeper into
Jerry Lee Lewis' catalog, most will be glad that they did. (JM)
JERRY LEE LEWIS: Baby (You've Got What It Takes) (with
Linda Gail Lewis)/ Before The Snow Falls (with Linda Gail Lewis)/ Break
Up/ Crazy Arms (Featuring Dennis Quad - From the "Great Balls Of Fire"
OST)/ Don't Boogie Woogie/ Don't Put No/ Down The Line (Live)/ Dream
Baby (How Long Must I Dream)/ Flip Flop And Fly/ Fraulein/ Funny How
Time/ Georgia On My Mind/ Great Balls Of Fire/ Hey Baby/ High Heel
Sneakers/ Hit The Road Jack/ How's My Ex/ I Can Still Hear The Music In
The Rest Room/ It Makes No/ Jack Daniels Old No.7/ Life's Little Ups And
Downs/ Lonely Weekends/ Long Tall Sally/ Louisiana Man/ Me And Jesus
(with Linda Gail Lewis)/ No Particular Place To Go (Live)/ Pen And
Paper/ Roll Over Beethoven/ Secret Places (with Linda Gail Lewis)/ Sexy
Ways/ She Thinks I Still Care/ She Was My Baby (He Was My Friend)/
Slipping Around/ The Hole He Said He'd Dig For Me/ The Wild Side Of
Life/ Turn On Your Love Light/ Walk A Mile In My Shoes/ Walking The
Floor Over You/ Wolverton Mountain/ Working Man Blues/ You Win Again
|
BOBBY LORD |
Bear Family BCD 16524 |
Everybody's Rockin' But Me |
● CD $21.98 |
The first ever CD of Bobby Lord's vintage
recordings. Bear Family has carefully selected his finest
proto-rockabilly, upbeat country and pop recordings for Columbia from
1954-1960. The collection also features three previously unissued
numbers from 1956 and '60, plus the complete January, 1956 session (two
days after Elvis recorded Heartbreak Hotel) that produced
Beautiful Baby and Lord's blazing cover of Johnny Cash's hit So
Doggone Lonesome. Elvis's bassist and drummer stayed around to work
the session. Also featured is the original recording of Boudleaux
Bryant's Hawk-Eye, later a chart single for Frankie Laine! The
star sidemen include Chet Atkins, Hank Garland, Harold Bradley, Grady
Martin, and two of Hank Williams's Drifting Cowboys.
BOBBY LORD: Ain't Cha Ever Gonna?/ Am I A Fool/
Beautiful Baby/ Everybody's Rockin' But Me/ Hawk-Eye/ High Voltage/ I
Can't Do Without You Anymore/ I Know It Was You/ I'd Rather Be Blue/
Just Wonderful/ No More, No More, No More/ Party Pooper/ Pie Peachie Pie
Pie/ Run, Honey Run/ Sack/ Sittin' Home Prayin' For Rain/ So Doggone
Lonesome/ Swamp Fox/ The Fire Of Love (1)/ The Fire Of Love (2)/ Too
Many Miles (Down The Road)/ What A Thrill/ Why Should I Cry/ You Robber
You
|
WARNER MACK |
RC 2003 |
Rockin' The Country, 1957-1966 |
● CD $19.98 |
We've turned up a couple of copies of this limited
edition release featuring 31 of country singer Warner Mack's more
rocking recordings. Mack started his career in the mid 50s and has
racked up numerous country hits. Like many country singers Warner tried
his hand at rock 'n' roll in the mid 50s and turned out some fine
releases. This collection opens with his classic Roc-A-Chicka
from 1957 and includes 30 more songs recorded between 1957 and '64, some
prettty much straight country, including Is It Wrong/ That's My
Heart's Desire/ Yes There's a Reason/ Prison Of Love/ I Heard You Crying
In Your Sleep/ Surely, etc.
|
ROY ORBISON |
Charly SNAP 296 |
At The Rock House |
● CD $12.98 |
37 tracks, 77 mins, highly recommended
Originally
released in 1961, "At The Rock House" was not so much a proper album,
but Sun records cobbling together the best of what they had the rights
to after Roy Orbison had hit big on Monument records. So, although
released in '61, the tracks were mostly recorded in 1957. Certainly none
of that is necessarily a bad thing, because what Orbison recorded for
Sun records was fantastic and easily represents the best of his pure
Rockabilly numbers, often featuring his hot guitar work. This new
edition comprises the original '61 album, with such great cuts as
Devil Doll/ You're My Baby/ Rock House/ Ooby Dooby/ Problem Child,
etc, plus singles versions of 7 songs Go Go Go/ Chicken Hearted/ I
Like Love, etc. and 11 tracks of demos and recordings unreleased
from the time including killer versions of The Clown/ Domino, and
Claudette, and then seven undubbed versions of songs from the
album. Since Charley has the rights to the original Sun masters, the
sound here is pretty much as good as it gets. All in all, a feast for
Roy Orbison fans, of which I am a big one, and as such I highly
recommend it to others. (JM)
|
GLENN REEVES |
Bear Family BCD 16658 |
Johnny On The Spot |
● CD $21.98 |
This 25 track collection is the first and only
compilation of music by an important but little-reissued singer and
songwriter. Includes the original demo recording of Heartbreak Hotel,
one of the most important recordings in rock 'n' roll. All eight singles
by Glenn Reeves issued on TNT, Republic, Atco and Decca in the 1950s are
included! Also here are six unissued 1950s recordings and a very rare
single from the 1960s on the Envy label. There are rare photographs and
interviews with Reeves's friends and family. The comprehensive 44-page
booklet by Martin Hawkins covers all of Glenn's various careers as a
singer, songwriter, disc jockey, TV star, music promoter and more.
|
CHARLIE RICH |
Ace CDCHD 1298 |
It Ain't Gonna Be That Way - The
Complete Smash Session |
● CD $18.98 |
29 tracks, 69 mins, very highly recommended
Before his
70's renaissance at the hands of Nashville producer Billy Sherrill,
Charlie Rich's most noteworthy period was the 18 months he spent Mercury
Records' Smash subsidiary. Starting in 1965 and on into 1966, Rich
produced some of his most adventurous music; mixing R&B, Jazz, and
Country and performing songs mostly written by himself or his wife, he
created a sound uniquely his own and these tracks are considered to be
as close as we would ever get to the "real" Charlie Rich. Of these
songs, the only one that was hit was Mohair Sam - written by
Dallas Frazier- but there's many fine compositions that deserved to hear
by the masses: ballads like It Ain't Gonna Be That Way/ I Can't Go On
or A Field of Yellow Daisies (which, in fact, was a minor hit for
Smash, cashing in on Rich's newfound success in the 70's); and up tempo
jivers like Everything I Do is Wrong and Just a Little Bit of
Time. For those keeping score, these tracks were originally released
as the Smash LPs "The Many New Sides of Charlie Rich" (1965) and "The
Best Years" (1966); in 1992, Mercury issued three additional tracks from
these sessions that had never been released before. But for the first
time it's all here in one place: the glorious gospel inflected You
Can Have Her and I Washed My Hands in Muddy Water, the Ray
Charles-style of Down and Out, the rock and roll of When My
Baby Comes Home, and the update of his Sun classic Lonely
Weekends. If you're a fan of Charlie's, this CD is mandatory. (GMC)
|
BILLY RILEY |
Bear Family BCD 16529 |
The Mojo Albums, plus |
● CD $21.98 |
29 tracks, 88 mins, recommended
Billy Riley was a
rockabilly legend who never got the hit record that he deserved. This CD
comprises material he recorded for his own Mojo label during the 60s,
after his Sun Records heyday had passed. The live material, recorded in
Atlanta in 1966, is lively, contemporary and shows his unwillingness to
pigeonhole himself musically. Although there is nothing bad about these
songs and performances, there is nothing extraordinary about them
either; just enthusiastic romps through some great rock and roll, R&B
and folk songs. Basically, this CD is for fans of Billy "Lee" Riley who
want a better picture of his post-Sun career; and for that purpose, this
CD does the job extremely well. (GMC)
|
BILLY RILEY |
Bear Family BCD 17122 |
The Outtakes |
● CD $44.98 |
2CD, 79 tracks, highly recommended
Bear Family recently
launched a series where they have culled through the archives and begun
compiling "outtake" collections of assorted artists (the list so far
includes Johnny Cash, Janis Martin, the Everly Brothers, and Gene
Vincent). This set geared toward cult rockabilly god, Billy (Lee) Riley,
contains alternate takes and false starts (some with studio chatter,
some without) of 12 tracks Riley recorded for Sun Records between 1956
and 1959. Bear Family's claim that these recordings have never been
released before is not strictly true as alternate versions of I Want
You/ She's My Baby/ Pearly Lee, and Wouldn't You Know
appeared on a 1990 Bear Family Riley compilation, "Classic Recordings
1956-1960." And their claim that the set includes the outtakes to every
Riley Sun single is certainly not completely accurate. Nitpicking aside,
the set is catnip for Riley fans, rock 'n' roll historians, and
rockabilly junkies. For most people, trying to tell the difference
between one take of She's My Baby (aka Red Hot) or
Flying Saucer Rock 'n' Roll and another is a daunting proposition at
best, boring at worst; for those so inclined, it's nirvana and you know
who you are. The transfer quality is excellent, there's a 68 page
booklet with never-seen-before photos of Riley in the studio, as well as
a revised and expanded Sun discography, detailed track-by-track
commentaries, and new interview material by Sun historian Hank Davis. So
what are you waiting for? (GMC)
|
THE RONETTES |
Legacy/ Spector 61286 |
Be My Baby - The Very Best Of The
Ronettes |
● CD $11.98 |
18 tracks, 56 mins, essential
There are not that many
perfect records in the history of Rock 'n' Roll--plenty of great ones,
but a small number that achieved perfection-but The Ronettes with Phil
Spector at the helm arguably made five of them! Be My Baby/ Baby, I
Love You/ The Best Part Of Breaking Up/ Walking In The Rain, and
I Can Hear Music, all here sounding crisp and clean and as good as I
have ever heard them. On top of those masterpieces you get thirteen
other great tracks from the groups legendary 1960's recordings. Some
cuts, like So Young/ I Wonder, and Born To Be Together,
would be enough to make a great career for most other artists; for The
Ronettes, they were just icing on the cake. You want to fill your home
up with music, just put this collection on and crank it up; it will rock
your house to the foundation. Collection also features brand new liner
notes by the great Lenny Kaye. (JM)
|
DOUG SAHM |
Norton CED 274 |
San Antonio Rock |
● CD $13.98 |
18 tracks, 47 mins, highly recommended
This came out a
while back, but we just got a stack of them recently and its so good, we
thought that we should feature it. There are only a small number of
artists that have contributed to American music and culture more than
Doug Sahm, and when you're talking about Texas, there are far fewer, if
any, above him. When he died in 1999 at the age of 58, it seemed pretty
young, but by that point Doug Sahm had already given the world about 40
years worth of great music. His most famous years were from the mid
1960s onward with the Sir Douglas Quintet, Texas Tornadoes, Solo,
etcetera, but Sahm had already been making music for over a decade
before the Quintet even formed. This collection presents a selection of
tracks from his child prodigy years into adulthood, when he was famous
in and around San Antonio, before the rest of the world would know.
Recording under the guidance of music entrepreneur E.J. Henke and
putting out records on Henke's multitude of record labels (Harlem,
Warrior, Satin, Cobra, etc.) Sahm would grow Country & Western prodigy
to Rock & Roll genius. These early tracks of Doo Wop, R&R, and Rhythm &
Blues feature Sahm fronting a number of bands like The Pharaohs,
Mar-Kays, Dell Kings, Knights, and so on, plus as well as some numbers
with Sahm accompanying artists like the Spot Barnett Band, and Jimmy
Dee. All in all this is a fine collection of early Rock & Roll that
shows the blossoming of a great artist. Many of the tracks here are
making their first appearance ever. (JM)
|
PHIL
SPECTOR & THE TEDDY BEARS |
Jasmine 582 |
Building The Wall Of Sound |
● CD $13.98 |
23 tracks, 52 mins, highly recommended
CD featuring the
earliest recordings of one of the greatest producers in pop music - Phil
Spector. It includes all 17 tracks by Phil's first group The Teddy Bears
from 1958 and 1959. The Teddy Bears have always been a guilty pleasure
for me with Annette Kleinbard's haunting plaintive lead vocals,
Spector's mournful lyrics and tunes and the gentle background harmonies
of Phil and Marshall Lieb. This disc features all the group's singles as
well as all the tracks from their only LP that were not on singles - the
latter mostly pop standards. In addition to their big hit To Know
Him Is To Love Him it includes their minor hits Oh Why and
I Don't Need You Anymore - both Spector compositions plus
Don't You Worry My Little Pet/ Til You're Mine/ Unchained Melody/ True
Love/ Tammy and others. 12 of these tracks are in stereo. It also
features Phil's 1959 recordings and earliest production efforts as by
Phil Harvey and The Spectors Three. Phil Harvey was a fine rock 'n' roll
instrumental group and The Spector's Group were a studio group with
Phil, Ricki Page and Russ Titleman and their style was similar to that
of The Teddy Bears though not as compelling. This was Phil's last
appearance on record as a vocalist. These were produced for the Trey
label under the supervision of Lester Sill who would soon join up with
Phil to form the Philles label and produce some of the greatest pop
records of the 60s. Includes informative notes by Bob Fisher describing
how much of a perfectionist (or control freak, if you prefer) Phil was
right from the very beginning of his career, horrifying Imperial head
Lew Chudd by taking two weeks to record six songs by The Teddy Bears.
(FS)
PHIL HARVEY: Bumbershoot/ Willy Boy/ THE SPECTOR'S
THREE: I Know Why/ I Really Do/ Mr. Robin/ My Heart Stood Still/ THE
TEDDY BEARS: Don't Go Away/ Don't You Worry My Little Pet/ I Don't Need
You Anymore/ If I Give My Heart To You/ If Only You Knew (The Love I
Have For You)/ Little Things Mean A Lot/ Long Ago And Far Away/ My
Foolish Heart/ Oh Why/ Seven Lonely Days/ Tammy/ Til Your Mine/ To Know
Him Is To Love Him/ True Love/ Unchained Melody/ Wonderful Lovable You/
You Said Goodbye
|
CLYDE STACY |
Bear Family BCD 17152 |
Hoy Hoy |
● CD $21.98 |
Just arrived. This CD is a comprehensive look at the
career of Clyde Stacy, a man who grew up in Tulsa, went to school in
Lubbock with Buddy Holly, had a minor hit with a rocking version of the
R&B song Hoy Hoy and charted with the ballad So Young (the
first chart success by a Lubbock artist), moved to Scranton, appeared on
'Bandstand' and other TV shows, recorded in New York with top session
men, saw many hits in Canada, and is still working country, blues, and
rockabilly venues. His part in the story of rock 'n' roll has been
little-known but is told here in words, pictures, and rocking music.
This disc features all 12 tracks issued on six singles on the
Candlelight, Bullseye, and Len record labels between 1957 and 1961 plus
another 10 vocal and instrumental tracks not originally issued - many
with Big Al Downing on piano!
THE FOUR FLAMES: Scotch On The Rocks (instr)/
Transquilizer Cins (instr)/ CLYDE STACY: A Broken Heart (Is So Hard To
Mend)/ Baby Shame/ Be My Love/ Dream Boy/ End Up With The Blues/ Good
Rockin' Tonight/ Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor/ Hoy Hoy/ I Sure Do Love You
Baby/ I'll Try/ Live And Learn/ Nobody's Darlin'/ Once In A While/
Return To Me/ Sit'in Down Crying/ So Young/ Summertime Blues/ Well I
Love You/ You Want Love/ You're Satisfied
|
THOM STARR &
THE GALAXIES |
Sundazed 11173 |
Anthology, 1963-1964 |
● CD $16.98 |
22 tracks, 59 mins, highly recommended
The part of
California coastline between Orange County and Los Angeles to the north
is usually referred to as the South Bay-stretching from Palos Verdes to
the neighboring beaches of Redondo, Hermosa, and Manhattan. In the early
60's, while Dick Dale was grabbing all the surf rock glory, there was a
surf music scene developing in the South Bay, and one of the guitar
heroes of that scene was Thom Starr. With his band the Galaxies, Starr
became a popular fixture in the South Bay and Orange County throughout
1962 and 1963. This collection contains the group's unreleased "Sons of
the Beach" (1963) LP and 12 other unissued tracks from 1963 and 1964.
This music has been locked in the almost five decades, but it was worth
the wait because this is brutal stuff. As a guitar player, Starr was the
equal of Dale although he was reportedly influenced by another local
player, Paul Johnson of the Belairs (who were the seminal band from that
scene). The songs here - Launching Pad/ No. 1 Son/ Strange Fever,
etc. --would warm the heart of any surf music fan and can measure up to
any thing Dale has recorded, before or since. Whether you're a fan of
the original stuff or the revivalists, all surf music fans owe it to
yourselves to check this CD out. (GMC)
|
CONWAY TWITTY |
Bear Family BCD 15982 |
The Ballads Of Conway Twitty |
● CD $24.98 |
33 tracks, 79 mins, very highly recommended
A great
collection featuring some of the earliest ballad recordings of Country
superstar Conway Twitty when he was a great rock 'n' roll singer. Conway
recorded in a number of styles and always sounded good and convincing.
This collection is drawn from his recordings made for MGM along with one
cut each from his Mercury and Sun recordings (the latter originally
unissued). He was one of the best ever rock-ballad singers featuring heatfelt lyrics delivered with great intensity and his 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 -
all cowritten by Twitty. Twitty's covers of well known R&B songs (Pledging
My Love/ Blueberry Hill/ What Am I LIving For) and Tin Pan Alley
standards (You'll Never Walk Alone/ Unchained Melody) are
exceptionally well executed; without a doubt, he makes these songs
totally his own. The highlights are many, but one of our favorite tracks
is his superb cover of Big Jay McNeely's There is Something On Your
Mind, which features one of Twitty's very best vocal performances.
This is primo stuff and a most welcome addition to any music library.
(GMC)
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