VINTAGE
ROCK 'N' ROLL & ROCKABILLY
Dick
Dale -> Hueyln Duvall
DICK DALE |
Hightone HCD 8046 |
Tribal Thunder |
● CD $11.98 |
12 tracks, 48 minutes, recommended. Whoa dad! Dick Dale, the
king of the surf guitar, is back and man is he something else. The fans
catching the odd gig knew he could still mangle that ol' Strat but who
would've guessed he would come up with anything this boss. He unleashes an
avalanche of excitement with the opening cuts - Nitro/ The New Victor
, etc. gradually cooling off a bit on the exotic Ellington chestnut Caravan
and the hypnotic Trail Of Tears (a great tune) then blasting off
the the Stratocastersphere on The Eliminator/ Speardance/ The Long Ride
, etc., even throwing in a tribute to that other guitar god, Link Wray, on
Rumble . The final cut Tribal Thunder , a Bo Diddley homage,
might be a bit over-blown for some (Dick sings and screams) but that's
splitting hairs at this point. This savage onslaught is sure to please all
but the most fogeyish of rockers. (AE)
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DICK DALE |
Hightone 8055 |
Unknown Territory |
● CD $11.98 |
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DICK DALE &
HIS DEL-TONES |
GNP 2095 |
Greatest Hits 1961-1976 |
● CD $16.98 |
This is kind of a greatest hits collection but not really,
and I don't just mean because of the lack of chart material either. Some
of the original Deltone recordings are replaced by the 1975 versions from
the GNP Crescendo LP
Greatest Hits , a collection of remakes. You'll have to get the Rhino
collection for the early 60's originals of The Wedge , Misirlou
, Let's Go Trippin' , etc. but don't think there's anything
"wrong" with these 70's versions - they smoke! With a couple or
3 exceptions these 21 tracks just burst with reverb excitement. The
Scavenger/ Surf Buggy/ Death Of A Gremmie/ Peter Gunn , etc. (AE)
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DANNY & THE JUNIORS |
Rollercoaster RCCD 3005 |
Back To The Hop |
● CD $21.98 |
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 (not included for contractual reasons). 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. The 27 tracks comprise virtually their
entire Swan sessions, the label they signed with in 1960 after they left
ABC-Paramount. There are plenty of twist recordings, reflecting the times,
like Twistin' USA , Twistin' Italy , Twistin' Germany
, Twistin' England (what, no Twistin' Portugal ?), other
dance numbers like Doin' The Continental Walk and Do The Mashed
Potatoes and some fabulous tunes featuring the guitar work of Roy
Buchanan. (AE)
DANNY & THE JUNIORS: A thousand miles away/ Back to the hop/ Back to
the hop (alternate take)/ Candy cane sugary plum/ Cathedral bells/ Cha cha
go go/ Daydreamer/ Do the mashed potatoes/ Doin' the continental walk/
Doin' the continental walk (alternate take)/ Down I go/ Funny/ Just
because/ Let's stomp again/ Oh holy night/ Pony express/ Some kind of nut/
Tallahassee Lassie/ The twist/The mother's club twist/ Together you and I/
Twistin' England/ Twistin' Germany/ Twistin' Italy/ Twistin' USA/ Twistin'
all night long (with FREDDY CANNON)/ When the saints go twistin' in/ Your
hair's too long
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RONNIE DAWSON |
Crystal Clear 9643 |
Rockin' Bones |
● CD $21.98 |
34 tracks, 87 minutes, essential
This 2 CD set's a godsend,
an expansion of the hard to get LP of the same name (No Hit 001). The
Blond Bomber had a few 45s out in the late 50s, early 60s under a buncha
names, & was brought back to the spotlight in the 70s when the Cramps
& others covered his 2 wildest, Action Packed & the title
tune. In the late 50s, early 60s, Ronnie was a member of the long-running
western swing band the Light Crust Doughboys (great pics of the rockin'
16-year-old with the old swingsters), & LCD members Smokey Montgomery
& Ken Cob are present on much of the material. Recording as Ronnie
Dee, Ronnie Dawson, Snake Monroe, Commonwealth Jones & even The Levee
Singers (with Ronnie on banjo for Ghost Riders In The Sky), there's
both sides of Ronnie's 7 singles for such labels as Rockin', Swan,
Columbia, Levee & Do-Boy. Even more amazing is the 20 unreleased
tracks done from rough sounding acetates & slick demos, ranging from
Ronnie's 1st recording from 57 (Straight Skirts/ Searchin' For My Baby),
tracks featuring Delbert McClinton on harmonica, even an alternate take of
the title classic! Includes a fine booklet with full discographical info
& tons of photos. The best rockabilly ever by a guy who's voice hadn't
even changed! (GM)
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BOBBY DAY |
Ace CDCHD 834 |
Rockin' Robin - The Best Of Bobby Day |
● CD $18.98 |
28 track collection of sides recorded for Class and
Rendezvous between 1957 and 1962.
BOB & EARL: Chains Of Love (alt Take)/ Gee Whiz/ Sweet Pea (alt Take)/
That's My Desire/ When She Walks (alt Take)/ You Made A Boo Boo/ BOBBY
DAY: Ain't Gonna Cry No More/ Gotta New Girl/ Honey-suckle Baby/ I Need
Help/ King's Highway/ Life Can Be Beautiful/ Little Bitty Pretty One/
Little Turtle Dove/ Mr & Mrs Rock'n'roll/ Oop-i-du-pers Ball/ Over And
Over/ Rockin' Robin/ Saving My Life For You/ Slow Pokey Joe (alt Take)/
Sweet Little Thing : Say Yes/ Teenage Philosopher/ That's All I Want/ The
Bluebird, The Buzzard & The Oriole/ Three Young Rebs From Georgia/
What Fools We Mortals Be/ When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano
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LEE DENSON |
Hydra 27115 |
The South's Gonna Rise Again |
● CD $19.98 |
23 track collection featuring 21 tracks by singer/ guitarist
best known for the title song and the great Red Hot Rockin' Blues
recorded for Kent in 1958 under the pseudonym Jesse James. The remaining tracks were recorded between 1956 and 1965 for various labels and are a
mix of rockers, fairly mediocre novelty songs and even more mediocre
ballads. Also includes two bonus songs written by Denson featuring vocals
by Jerry Capehart and some guy names Elvis Presley. Includes 16 page
booklet with extensive notes, photos and discography.
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DION 'N LITTLE KINGS |
Ace CDHCD 797 |
Live In New York City |
● CD $18.98 |
Dion takes a turn into hard-edged rock 'n roll on this live
album from 1996. Previously only available as a very limited bootleg
recording, the songs You Move Me
& King Of Hearts
also appeared on the now deleted "King Of The New
York Streets" 3-CD box set. Little Kings consisted of guitar/vocalist Dion,
lead guitarist Scott Kempner (ex-Dictator & Del-Lord), drummer Frank Funaro
(ex-Del-Lord) & bassist Mike Mesaros (ex-Smithereen). Dion delivers gritty,
street-tough vocals & guitars backed by this tight & punchy rhythm section.
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THE DIXIE CUPS |
Varese 66375 |
The Complete Red Bird Recordings |
● CD $15.98 |
18 tracks, 45 min, highly recommended
New Orleans meets the
Brill Building with wonderful results! The New Orleans trio did songs produced
by Leiber & Stoller, written by Barry & Greenwich (& Phil Spector - some of
their original recordings, including the perennial Chapel Of Love,
were originally written for Spector acts), & arranged by Joe Jones & Wardell
Quezerque, who first made his name with the arrangement of I Got You Babe
& later was on the Dr John The Night Tripper LPs! As the name implies, all
the Red Bird tunes are here (also Gee Baby Gee/ Girls Can Tell/ I'm Gonna
Get You Yet). There's also the mono 45 version of Gee The Moon Is
Shining Bright, an alternate take of People Say, & the original
acapella version of Iko Iko, the tune that, when I saw them do it on
Shindig as a kid, turned me into a lifelong New Orleans fan (now if someone
will only reissue their ABC sides so I can get a copy of Two-Way Poc-A-Way!)
(GM)
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CARL DOBKINS, JR. |
Bear Family BCD 15546 |
My Heart Is An Open Book |
● CD $21.98 |
28 songs - a few previously unissued.
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LONNIE DONEGAN |
Bear Family BCD 15700 |
More Than Pye In The Sky |
● CD $189.98 |
More skiffle than you can shake a stick at. Though hailed as "The King Of Skiffle" this Scottish born cockney was much more. He was a big influence on the British music scene in the 50s and 60s
and is acknowledged as an influence on the Beatles as well as many others. He blended a range of vernacular American music - blues, folk, country and gospel into his repertoire and added in some British music hall material too. In the U.K. Lonnie had more than 30 hits in the late 50s and early 60s and broke into the U.S. charts too with an American song, Huddie Leadbetter's
Rock Island Line. This 8 CD set with 209 tracks features all his studio recordings for Decca and Pye between 1954 and 1966 plus unissued songs, alternate takes, demos from Lonnie's personal collection and BBC radio broadcasts.
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LARRY DONN |
Collector CLCD 4429 |
That's What I Call A Ball |
● CD $16.98 |
LARRY DONN: All Night Stomp/ Baby Let's Play House/ Blue Moon Of Kentucky/
Down The Line/ Down The Line/ End Of The Road/ Girl Next Door/ Girl Next
Door/ Good Golly Miss Molly/ Great Balls Of Fire/ Heartbeat/ Honey Bun/
I'll Never Forget You/ I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone/ Lonely Avenue/
Milcow Blues Boogie/ Mona Lisa/ Mystery Train/ One Broken Heart/ One More
Time/ Rock And Rhythm/ Rockin' Love/ Shake Rattle And Roll/ She's Mine/
Skinny Minnie/ Sunshine Rock/ Surf Twist/ Swinging/ That's What I Call A
Ball/ The Twist/ Trouble Bound/ Wayward Wind
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RAL DONNER |
Canadian 241 |
Rip It Up - 27 Rockin' Hits |
● CD $18.98 |
27 rockers, rock ballads and pop songs in the Elvis style
from this fine singer - Rip It Up/ All Of A Sudden My Heart Sings/ Take
Me Back/ The Other Side Of You/ If You Love Him/ Just A Little Sunshine/ I
Wish This Night Would Never End/ Love Isn't Like That/ If I Promise,
etc.
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RAL DONNER |
Collectables 5627 |
Golden Classics |
● CD $13.98 |
18 tracks, 41 min., recommended
He may have sounded like
Elvis to many listeners, but Ralph Stewart Donner had plenty of talent on
his own. And, if Sequel's double Donner disc was too much for you, this
single disc from Collectables might just fill the bill. It's got his
biggest hits, and the stereo sound quality is above reproach. Featured
tracks include You Don't Know What You've Got (Until You Lose It), (What
a Sad Way) To Love Somebody, Little Miss Heartache, Please
Don't Go, Will You Love Me in Heaven, The Girl of My Best
Friend, Lonely Star, and Bells of Love. All of the
numbers here were recorded in the early 60's for George Goldner's Gone
Records. (DH)
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DICKEY DOO & THE
DONTS |
Dr. Money 2020 |
The Complete Dickey Doo & The Donts with
Bonus Tracks |
● CD $18.98 |
Features all 18 recordings issued by Gerry Granahan under
the name of Dickey Doo & The Donts plus six tracks by Granahan group
The Fireflies and six under his own name.
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BIG AL DOWNING |
Eagle 90116 |
Rockin' Down The Farm, Vol 1 |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks, 56 minutes, good
Downing has proven to be an
incredible survivor. He started playing piano in Bobby Poe's rockabilly
band, the Poe Kats, in the 50's (doing high energy R&B), moved into a
New Orleans groove after that (recording with Red Tyler, Dr. John, etc. -
Fats Domino even recorded some of his tunes), did the soul trip in the
60's and proceeded to stake out a country career (still going strong) in
the 70's to 90's! This CD has an excellent selection from all of his
styles except for Country. Down On The Farm/ Georgia Slop/ Oh Babe/
Miss Lucy/ She's Tough/ It Must Be Love , etc. (AE)
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THE DUALS |
Collectables 0680 |
Stick Shift |
● CD $11.98 |
12 tracks, 30 minutes, very good Reissue of Sue 2002 from
'61. The Duals were a rarity, a Black duo performing surf & hot rod
instrumentals (though it's hard to tell - there's no pictures on the
cover, but the liner notes do tell of their success playing with Jackie
Wilson at The Apollo Theater!) Johnny Lageman & Henry Bellinger do the
title classic & 9 other instrumentals with such titles as Beach
Party/ Lover's Satellite & Runnin' Water, along with 2
terrible vocal cuts. (GM)
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JOHNNY DUNCAN |
Bear Family BCD 15947 |
Last Train To San Fernando |
● CD $99.98 |
4 CD set with 28 page book featuring the complete recordings
between 1956 and 1973 by this popular skiffle performer.
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HUELYN DUVALL |
Collector CLCD 4415 |
Three Months To Kill |
● CD $16.98 |
25 trks, 53 min., fans only. Huelyn Duvall was a part of the
50's Dallas/ Ft. Worth scene along with Tooter Boatman and the gifted
writer/ pianist Danny Wolfe. He's best known for his Challenge recordings.
His best tunes are quite good with a classic, sparse rockabilly feel, best
illustrated by Modern Romance , Life Begins At 4 O'Clock , Susie's
House , Com'n Or Go'n and a few others. This CD version has a
lot of the tracks that were on the 2 White Label LP's (8864 & 8880)
plus a trio of previously unissued instrumentals. Except for the handful
of tunes mentioned above the rest would be of interest only to hard core
collectors. Rockin' Fun/ Humdinger/ Teen Queen/ Blue Eyed Sally/ So
Help Me Gal , etc. (AE)
HUELYN DUVAL: Blue Eyed Sally/ Blue Lotta Blue/ Com'n Or Go'n/ Double
Talkin' Baby/ Friday Night On A Dollar Bill/ Got A Little Girl/ Humdinger/
It's No Wonder/ Juliet/ Just Me And You Baby/ Let's Make A Block/ Life
Begins At 4 O'Clock/ Lonely/ Modern Romance/ My Girl/ Pickin' Over You/
Rockin' And Warming Up/ Rockin' Fun/ Shakin'/ So Help Me Gal/ Susie's
House/ Teen Queen/ Three Months To Kill/ When The Party's Over
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