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VINTAGE
ROCK 'N' ROLL & ROCKABILLY
Dick
Dale -> Hueyln Duvall
| DICK DALE |
Hightone HCD 8046 |
Tribal Thunder |
● CD $12.98 |
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 $12.98 |
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| DICK DALE |
Rhino 72631 |
Better Shred Than Dead - The Dick Dale
Anthology |
● CD $29.98 |
Two CD set including rarities and
alternate takes.
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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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| DANTE |
Clifton 3013 |
Evergreens & Friends |
● CD $15.98 |
25 tracks from the 60s - several previously unissued
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| BOBBY DARIN |
Atco 33131 |
The Bobby Darin Story |
● CD $12.98 |
Best of the Atco sides - Splish Slash/ Mack The Knife, etc.
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| BOBBY DARIN |
Atco 91794 |
Splish Splash - The Best Of Bobby Darin Vol.
1 |
● CD $12.98 |
Atlantic has just released this 2 volume, 42 song collection
of that quintessential crooner Bobby Darin. Packaged and sold separately,
the first disc focuses on the rock and roll side of his career. Includes
his original recordings of Splish Splash/ Dream Lover/ Things/ Queen Of
The Hop. The sound quality of these 1958-71 recordings is excellent.
Darin sounds energetic and sharp, but I think his vocal style is more
suited to the ballads and dance music featured in volume 2. (PG)
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| BOBBY DARIN |
Atco 91795 |
Mack The Knife - The Best Of Bobby Darin
Vol. 2 |
● CD $12.98 |
Volume 2 covers the period from 1958-1961. Here is Darin at
his unique, cheesy-Vegas-slick-crooning-schmatltzy style that we love him
for, exemplified by his classic version of Mack The Knife. Others
include Black Coffee/ Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home/ What A
Difference A Day Made/ Guys And Dolls/ Skylark, and an incredibly
bouncing and happy version of a very sad song, Artificial Flowers.
Both volumes include a 16 page booklet with good liner notes and photos.
(PG)
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| BOBBY DARIN |
Atlantic 91772 |
The 25th Day Of December |
● CD $12.98 |
14 holiday hummables from Atlantic's entry in the teen idol
market. O Come All Ye Faithful/ Ave Maria/ Go Tell It On The Mountain/
Silent Night/ and bonus track Christmas Auld Lang Syne.
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| BOBBY DARIN |
Rhino 72206 |
As Long As I'm Singing : The Bobby Darin
Collection |
● CD $59.98 |
Extensive retrospective of the
recordings of this talented and versatile performer. 96 tracks featuring
material from all the labels he recorded for - Dot, Atco, Atlantic,
Capitol, Motown & Direction. Includes all his hits, rarities and 11
previously unissued tracks. 60 page booklet with rare photos, biography
and track by track discusion from Darin's good friend and record producer
Nick Venet.
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| BOBBY DARIN |
Warner Bros. 27606 |
The Ultimate Bobby Darin |
● CD $12.98 |
17 of Bobby's biggest hits - Splish Splash/ Plain Jane/
Mack The Knife/ Bill Bailey Won't You Please Come Home/ You Must Have Been
A Beautiful Baby/ Things/ Early In the Morning/ Somebody To Love , etc
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| JAMES DARREN |
Rhino 71664 |
The Best Of James Darren |
● CD $12.98 |
18 tracks, 45 min., good There at the dawn of lite rock was
one James Ercolani, already a modestly successful actor under his better
known stage name. A handsome young man, he, like several others, was
groomed by the entertainment powers-that-be to be a teen idol. And with a
series of mostly novelty numbers - Goodbye Cruel World/ Her Royal
Majesty/ Conscience/ Mary's Little Lamb and Gotta Have Love -
Darren did indeed make the charts. Other numbers in this collection derive
from movies, like "Gidget", or are string-laden pop numbers. But
then that was what often succeeded in the early 60's. (DH)
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| RONNIE DAWSON |
Crystal Clear Sound 9431 |
Monkey Beat |
● CD $14.98 |
23 tracks, 61 minutes, essential. Ronnie Dawson, a young performer during the tail-end of
rockabilly's heyday, is still young enough to rock like a wild young kid.
His recent live shows and recordings are a revelation. This CD takes his
second NoHit LP and adds an additional 11 tracks to make an absolutely
essential collection of modern but classic sounding rockabilly. He mixes
his own original songs with lots of under-appreciated tunes like the
Coasters' Down In Mexico , Fats Domino's Sick And Tired and
great unknowns like Little Mixed Up and Hillbilly Blues .
Add a touch of blues, boogie, rockin' country, instrumental rock 'n' roll
and tons of red hot guitar and you have a winner. Wham Bam Jam/ Fool
About You/ Come Back Uncle John/ Roadhouse Rock/ Mule Train , etc. (AE)
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| RONNIE DAWSON |
Crystal Clear 9619 |
Rockinitis |
● CD $14.98 |
16 tracks, 43 min, recommended Stateside issue of the blonde
bombers' 1989 album, recorded back when he first hit the comeback trail in
the wake of "Rockin' Bones." As you should know by now, Ronnie is no has
been, and he still rocks in a way that you know is no mere nostalgia or
gimmick. Highlights here are Shim Sham Shimmy/ Monkey's Uncle/I'm Tore
Up/Red Hot Mama/Rockin' In The Cemetary/ Knock Down Drag Out/The Worryin'
Kind, and the bonus track Sloppy Drunk, several of which have
become staples in his live set. As Cees Klop might say, real rockabilly
from a real rocker. (GDR)
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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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| RONNIE DAWSON |
Upstart 032 |
Just Rockin' And Rollin' |
● CD $15.98 |
16 tracks, 50 mins, highly recommended Ronnie Dawson, a
young performer during the tail-end of rockabilly's heyday, is still young
enough to rock like a wild young kid. This excellent collection features
16 tracks recorded in London in 1996 with a tough little group featuring
hot lead guitar by Tjarko Jeen or Eddie Angel plus solid bass and drums
and occasional horns. Mostly new songs like the title track, You Got A
Long Way To Go/ Home Cookin'/ Mexigo/ Club Wig Wam and others. There's
also a great version of Rocket Morgan's classic You're Humbuggin' Me
and Ronnie shows his chops as a country singer on the mellow Veronica.
This is not rockabilly revival but rather rockabilly with a contemporary
sensibility. Good stuff! (FS)
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| TEISCO DEL REY |
Upstart 7 |
The Many Moods Of Teisco Del Rey |
● CD $15.98 |
12 tracks, 37 minutes, essential. Teisco Del Rey is known as
"the champion of el-cheapo guitars" because of his fondness for
cheap but exotic guitars. On this sensational debut he doesn't stick with
just the pawn shop trophies, he also uses some nice Fenders, Gretsch's,
etc. but he does know when a novel sound helps elevate a tune like the
Guitorgan used on Ridin' The Wind and the cover of Harvey Mandel's
classic arrangement for Christo Redentor re-titled Teisco
Redentor (with Charlie Musselwhite on harp.) He digs out the old
Rickenbacker to tackle the 13th Floor Elevators' You're Gonna Miss Me
. He seems to have a fondness for surf music covering The Hearse ,
Dick Dale's The Wedge , as well as adding a couple of wet
originals. Others helping out Mr. Del Rey (as if he needs it) are Steve
Douglas(ts) & Jimmy Vaughan(g). One of the year's very best rockers.
(AE)
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| TEISCO DEL REY |
Upstart 30 |
Music For Lovers |
● CD $15.98 |
13 songs, 42 min., recommended Teisco's back with another
cool LP of guitar instro cross-breeding. True to form, he's all over the
place, tackling Finnish folk (Kyla Vuotti Uuta Kuuta), melding surf
and reggae (El Sleazo Chorizo), and reworking "The Barber Of
Seville" (Seville). He also finds time for tributes to Sandy
Nelson (Casbah"--with 3 drummers!) and baseball's finest
all-brother outfield (Hermanos Alou), and debuts the Talking Guitorgan on
a great version of Sealed With A Kiss. (GDR)
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| THE DELGADO BROTHERS |
Hightone HCD 8009 |
The Delgado Brothers |
● CD $13.98 |
Well-produced roots rock from 1987.
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| DICK & DEE DEE |
Varese Vintage VSD 5576 |
The Best Of Dick & Dee Dee |
● CD $11.98 |
12 tracks, 28 min., recommended Well, the program here is
not particularly generous, but if you like the work of this high-pitched
duo, their early chart successes are here - The Mountain's High and
Tell Me - plus the charted songs from their Shindig days, including
Young and In Love, Where Did the Good Times Go, Turn
Around, Thou Shalt Not Steal, All My Trials, and Be
My Baby. One note of interest to you trivia fans: On Blue Turns to
Grey from 1964, which is included here, Dick and Dee Dee's
accompanying musicians are none other than the Rolling Stones. Yes,
Virginia, those Rolling Stones. Otherwise, the notes are ample and
informative, the sound quality is fine, and there are several vintage
photos of the handsome couple as well. (DH)
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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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| 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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| JOHNNY DOLLAR |
Dragon Street 70298 |
Mr. Action Packed |
● CD $13.98 |
20 tracks, 45 mins, recommended A collection of rockabilly,
rock 'n' roll and rock ballads by Texas singer Dollar (his real name!)
recorded around 1958 and all previously unissued. A number of the songs
were written by legendary songwriter Jack Rhodes including Action
Packed and Rockin' Bones which were later recorded by Ronnie
Dawson. Many of the tracks feature hot guitar from Howard Reed who later
joined Gene Vincent's Blue Caps and piano pounding from 16 year old C.B.
Oliver. There are also 2 songs recorded live at the Big "D"
Jamboree. Eight page booklet has detailed notes and rare photos. (FS)
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| LONNIE DONEGAN |
Bear Family BCD 15700 |
More Than Pye In The Sky |
● CD $199.98 |
| 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 |
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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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