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VINTAGE
ROCK 'N' ROLL & ROCKABILLY
Danny
Gatton -> Hardrock Gunter
| DANNY GATTON |
Big Mo 2028 |
In Concert, 09/09/94 |
● CD $14.98 |
Live performance presented in its entirety from Alexandria,
Virginia. 9 tracks
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| DANNY GATTON |
Big Mo 2030 |
Portraits |
● CD $14.98 |
10 previously unissued tracks from this legendary, ill-fated
guitarist - 3 of them live.
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| DANNY GATTON |
Elektra 61032 |
88 Elmira St. |
● CD $10.98 |
Guitar whiz Danny Gatton finally gets the major label
treatment he has deserved for years, and turns in his most polished and
tasteful work yet on 11 diverse instrumentals. He comes out with both guns
blazing on John Patton's Texas shuffle Funky Mama, then launches
into Elmira St. Boogie, a masterful rockabilly romp in the Les Paul
tradition, an obligatory slow blues number, and the "Martin Denny
goes to Nashville" stylings of Quiet Village. The smorgasbord
continues unabated with the latin-flavored Red Label and a
surprisingly effective cover of the Beach Boys' In My Room. No one
can accuse Danny of being stuck in a rut here - what guitarist besides
Henry Kaiser would dare put on such a gleeful display of eclecticism, even
adding a new twist to The Simpsons theme with screaming sax and
blazing banjo! A piece of forgettable funk precedes a slow and pretty
blues entitled Pretty Blue, then Gatton winds down with a down home
Fandingus, finally closing up shop with the greasy grinder Slidin'
Home. He still has a problem finding inspired rhythm section players,
often laying his jaw-dropping leads over routine or predictable backing.
But the mean tenor sax of Bill Holloman does prevail on a few cuts, and
Danny never fails to amaze when he cuts loose. (MB)
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| DANNY GATTON |
Elektra 61465 |
Cruisin' Deuces |
● CD $10.98 |
12 tracks, 57 min., good. This nice guy guitar hero doesn't
look comfortable in the retro-50's cover shot, and he doesn't sound
comfortable in the latin fusion of the title track. The following Sun
Records medley (with Delbert McClinton) is an improvement, but Danny
doesn't cut loose until Harlem Nocturne, unleashing some of the
heaviest guitar menace since Roy Buchanan. The jump blues instrumental So
Good and a dramatic Satisfied Mind are equally astounding,
proving that there are still new tricks in the old electric guitar. And
this band, with the multi-talented Bil Holloman, is his best yet. Gatton
can still make my jaw drop, though he still meanders, and sometimes falls
flat in his search for sympathetic material. I'll keep listening, hoping
that someday he can top his second LP Unfinished Business. (MB)
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| JIMMY GILMER |
Ace CDCHD 665 |
Lucky 'Leven/ Folkbeat |
● CD $16.98 |
Two 1965 Dot LPs on one LP featuring Gilmer accompanied by
his usual group, The Fireballs and produced by Norman Petty. The first
album is primarily blues, R&B and R&R favorites (Boom Boom/
Shame, Shame, Shame/ Hi Heel Sneakers/ Dixie Fried etc) along with
a few more recent compositions. "Folkbeat" is a collection of 12
folk and country songs - mostly popular contemporary compositions of the
time including Buffy Saint-Marie's Codine, Tom Paxton's Can't
Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound and Dylan's She Belongs To Me
& Blowin' In The Wind.
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| JIMMY GILMER
& THE FIREBALLS |
Ace CDCHD 646 |
Sugar Shack/ Buddy's Buddy |
● CD $16.98 |
Two 12 track Dot LPs on one CD - the first from 1963
features the hit title song and the second from 1965 features 12 Buddy
Holly songs.
JIMMY GILMER: Everyday/ I'm Gonna Love You Too/ It's So Easy/ Listen To
Me/ Look At Me/ Maybe Baby/ Oh Boy!/ Think It Over/ Wishing/ Words Of
Love/ Almost Eighteen/ I Wonder Why/ Let The Good Times Roll/ Let's Talk/
Linda Lu/ Little Baby/ Lonesome Tears/ Pretend/ Red Cadillac And A Black
Moustache/ Sugar Shack/ Suzie Q/ Won't Be Long
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| GLEN GLENN |
Ace CDCH 403 |
The Glen Glenn Story/ Everybody's Movin'
Again |
● CD $16.98 |
Generous offering of both of Glenn's old Ace LP's on one CD,
and Ace has even thrown in a pair of vintage bonus tracks from 1958 to
sweeten the deal. The first 15 selections are the 50's recordings done for
Era featuring some of the highest quality rockabilly you'll ever hear like
Everybody's Movin' , If I Had Me A Woman and One Cup Of
Coffee . There's some exciting live tunes too like Shake, Rattle
And Roll and Treat Me Nice . In the early 80's Glenn was
persuaded to enter the studio again (with guitarist Gary Lambert &
Guybo Smith on bass, who both played on the Era sessions) and the final 14
tunes are a fine testament to a rockabilly cat that never lost the fire.
Glen sounds great as he and the band charge through favorites like Down
The Line , Come On , Flip, Flop And Fly and Rock'n'Roll
Ruby (AE)
GLEN GLENN: Baby Let's Play House/ Be-bop-a-lula/ Blue Jeans And A Boy's
Shirt/ Bony Maronie/ Come On/ Down The Line/ Everybody's Movin'/
Everybody's Movin' Again/ Flip, Flop And Fly/ Hold Me Baby/ I Got A Woman/
I Sure Do Love You Baby/ I'm Glad My Baby's Gone Away/ If I Had Me A
Woman/ Jack And Jill Boogie/ Kathleen/ Kitty Kat/ Laurie Ann/ Mean Woman
Blues/ One Cup Of Coffee/ Rock 'n' Roll Ruby/ Rockin' Around The Mountain/
Shake, Rattle And Roll/ Sick And Tired/ Treat Me Nice/ Ugly And Slouchy/
Why Don't You Love Me/ Would Ja'/ You Win Again
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| GLEN GLENN |
Stomper Time STCD 4 |
Missouri Rockabilly, 1955-65 |
● CD $19.98 |
35 tracks, 76 minutes, good. This is a bonanza for Glen
Glenn and 50's rockabilly/ hillbilly fans but I couldn't recommend it to
the casual listener. Practically the whole CD consists of poorly (but
listenable) recorded TV and radio shows and home recordings but it is a
valuable insight into the Hollywood scene of the 50's. Glenn was a fine
singer of both rockabilly and hillbilly and was helped enormously by Gary
Lambert's brilliant lead guitar on many of these tunes. Other luminaries
sitting in at various times include Eddie Cochran's bass player Guybo
Smith, steel guitar whiz Ralph Mooney, Fred Maddox and Black Jack Wayne (a
legendary San Francisco picker.) Glenn and the crew rock out on originals
and covers of Baby I Don't Care/ Honey Don't/ Jailhouse Rock ,
etc., some C&W - Dim Lights, Thick Smoke/ Crazy Arms/ There She
Goes and hot instrumentals. 35 tunes in all....
AE
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| ROBERT GORDON |
Bear Family BCD 15446 |
Robert Gordon Is Red Hot |
● CD $19.98 |
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| ROBERT GORDON |
Bear Family BCD 15489 |
Black Slacks |
● CD $19.98 |
25 titles from Private Stock and RCA Records by rockabilly
revivalist. Summertime Blues/Twenty Flight Rock/Sea Cruise/Boppin' The
Blues plus Fire with Bruce Springsteen! CD only.
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| ROBERT GORDON |
Bear Family BCD 16251 |
The Lost Album, Plus... |
● CD $19.98 |
21 tracks from the RCA vaults, 1977-1981.
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| ROBERT GORDON WITH
LINK WRAY |
Ace CDCHD 656 |
2 Lps One CD |
● CD $16.98 |
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ROBERT GORDON & LINK WRAY: Blue Eyes (don't Run Away)/ Boppin' The
Blues/ Endless Sleep/ Fire/ Five Days, Five Days/ Flyin' Saucers
Rock'n'roll/ I Sure Miss You/ I Want To Be Free/ If This Is Wrong/ Is This
The Way/ It's In The Bottle/ Lonesome Train (on A Lonesome Track)/ Red
Cadillac And A Black Moustache/ Sea Cruise/ Summertime Blues/ Sweet
Surrender/ The Fool/ The Way I Walk/ Twenty Flight Rock/ Woman (you're My
Woman)
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| LESLEY GORE |
Bear Family BCD 15742 |
It's My Party |
● CD $113.98 |
5 CD box set, 148 tracks, 6 hrs 19 min, recommended
Another
meticulously detailed Bear Family set, here totally capturing Leslie's
Mercury years, 1963-69, which covers EVERYTHING recorded for the label
except for 14 lost tracks. 148 tracks, with tons never on LP & lots of
unreleased. Starting as a Brooklyn sobber (It's My Party/ Judy's Turn
To Cry, even a concept debut LP of nothing but weepers called I'll
Cry If I Want To), Leslie's confidence, along with superior
musicianship from the studio cats starting with producer Quincy Jones led
to braver material, topped by the 1st feminist anthem You Don't Own Me.
All the hits are here including my fave Maybe I Know (remember
Les's wonderful performance of this from "TAMI"?), She's A
Fool/ Sunshine Lollipops & Rainbows/ Summer & Sandy/ That's The
Way Boys Are/ My Town, My Guy & Me/ California Nights. CD 5 is
full of recordings done for the Italian, French & Germans (where You
Don't Own Mebecomes Good-bye Tony!) My fave, though are two
4-song sessions produced by Jack "Specs" Nitzche, with only the
single Baby That's Me (co-written by Specs & Jackie DeShannon)/No
Matter What You Do released, but includes a very jazzy feel to
unreleased tunes like Let It Be Me/ When Sunny Gets Blue & an
early version of Sunshine, Lollipops & Rainbows.
12"x12" 32 page booklet with tons of great photos, complete
liner notes & detailed notes by Goldmine's Dawn Eden. (GM)
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| LESLEY GORE |
Mercury 532 517-2 |
It's My Party |
● CD $29.98 |
2 discs, 52 tracks, 128 min., recommended. This set covers Gore's career from
1963 to 1969, offering all of her hits, plus lots of solid B sides and
album cuts. It features excellent liner notes by Fred Bronson. And the
cover photo will forever serve as an answer to the inquiry: What, exactly,
was a beehive hairdo? A minor buying incentive, I suppose. Oh well,
featured tracks here include all of the hits you'd expect - It's My
Party, Judy's Turn to Cry, Sunshine Lollipops and Rainbows,
She's a Fool, and You Don't Own Me - plus The Old Crowd,
Run Bobby Run, Little Girl Go Home, What's a Girl
Supposed to Do, Happiness is Just Around the Corner, The
Bubble Broke, On a Day Like Today, Magic Colors, I
Can't Make It Without You, and Ride a Tall White Horse. Most
numbers up through 1965 were produced by Quincy Jones. (DH)
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| LESLEY GORE |
Raven 31 |
Start The Party Again |
● CD $17.98 |
30 tracks, 71 min., recommended
This solid and generous
Australian disc fills the middle ground between the currently available
Bear Family boxed set and the significantly shorter Rhino retrospective.
Starting with Gore's first hit from 1963, It's My Party, the
program here hangs in with multiple well chosen highlights from her first
stint with the Mercury label, including three numbers sung in German. And
those were the years when Quincy Jones was her producer. Among those
highlights are Judy's Turn to Cry, She's a Fool, You
Don't Own Me, That's the Way Boys Are, Run Bobby Run, You
Didn't Look Around, Sunshine Lollipops & Roses, What's a
Girl Supposed to Do?, I Don't Care, Young Love, Summer
& Sandy, Small Talk, and Start the Party Again.
Successful teenage angst from the female point of view, all nicely
packaged and annotated here. (DH)
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| CHARLIE GRACIE |
Cotton Town Jubilee CTJCD 2 |
It's Fabulous, It's .... |
● CD $21.98 |
32 tracks, 71 min., recommended
This is surely the
definitive look at the early career of the man who made the song Butterfly
a top 1957 hit. Covering the years 1951 to 1958, it reveals an artist who,
in spite of his relative youth, at heart was more of an early 50's belter
than he was a late 50's rocker. Nonetheless, given the right material, as
he is with songs like Fabulous, Wandering Eyes, Crazy Girl, Cool
Baby, and the wonderful, previously unreleased ballad I'm So Glad
It's You, Gracie can stake an honest claim to the sound of the last
half of the decade. Other titles, recorded when Gracie was in his early
teens, such as Boogie Woogie Blues, T'Ain't No Sin in Rhythm,
All Over Town, and I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a
Letter, are pretty much high energy pop tunes. All in all, a nicely
produced disc, with solid sound quality, nice cover graphics, and
excellent notes by Charlie Gracie, Jr. (DH)
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| BUCK GRIFFIN |
Bear Family BCD 15811 |
Let's Elope Baby |
● CD $19.98 |
28 cuts, 73 mins, very good
Was Janice Martin one of our top
rockabilly singers? And was Let's Elope Baby her best song? The
folks at Bear Family must think so, as in their quest to uncover the most
obscure, give us the complete recorded output of that tune's writer, who
had the original version on Lin Records in '56. Buck was a good, if
derivative singer & songwriter who's tunes ran the gamut from straight
country, to rockin' country , to almost rock'n'roll. Includes the 14 sides
he cut in Dallas for Lin '54-'56, some at the legendary Jim Beck studios
with Bill Wimberly's Show Band which features Johnny Gimble. These tunes,
led by the "Kaw-Liga" soundalike Cochise, got Buck 6
sides on MGM in '56, & 2 sides on subsidiary Metro in '58 before
returning to Lin for 2 more sides in '60 incl First Man To Walk On The
Moon & 4 final sides (including 2 lost ones) done in '62 for Sam
Phillips' Holiday Inn label. As usual for BF, exhaustive liner notes,
complete sessionography & plenty of photos. (GM)
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| HARDROCK
GUNTER & THE RHYTHM ROCKERS |
Rollercoaster RCCD 3013 |
Gonna Rock 'n' Roll Gonna Dance All Night |
● CD $19.98 |
31 tracks, 75 mins, highly recommended
It's hard to sit don
while listening to this CD. Gunter got a kick-start to his career when,
after putting out Birmingham Bounce on Bama Records in '50, Decca
tried to lease it &, when turned down, had their star Red Foley cover
it, taking it to #1 on the national charts. This CD collects a cross
section of Gunter's recordings from the 50s from such labels Bama, Bullet,
Decca, MGM & King. Styles range from country 2-step (My Bucket's
Been Fixed) to hillbilly bop & boogie (Boppin' To Grandfather's
Clock), rockin' country (title track), rock'n'roll (Bloodshot Eyes),
even jazz (Hardrock Rock's The Moon). Comes in a beautiful tri-fold
cardboard cover with a 16 page booklet full of exhaustive liner notes,
pics, & complete career sessionography. (GM)
HARDROCK GUNTER: Beggars can't be choosers/ Birmingham bounce/ Birmingham
bounce/ Bloodshot eyes/ Bonaparte's retreat/ Boppin' to Grandfather's
clock/ Chattanooga shoeshine boy/ Dad gave my hog away/ Fallen angel/
Fiddle bop/ Go low boogie/ Gonna dance all nighfi How can I believe you
love me/ Gonna dance all night/ Guitar on the mountain/ Hardrock rocks the
moon/ I'll go chasin' women/ It can't be right/ Jukebox help me find my
baby/ Lonesome blues/ Maybe baby you'll be true/ Mountain dew/ My bucket's
been fixed/ Rifle belt and bayonet/ Right key but the wrong keyhole/
Rock-a-bop baby/ Spring has sprung/ Take away your rosy lips/ Tico tico/
We three/ Whoo! I mean whee
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