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VINTAGE ROCK 'N' ROLL & ROCKABILLY

VERNON TAYLOR
TEXAS TORNADOS
B.J. THOMAS
THOR'S HAMMER
THE THREE CHUCKLES
JOHNNY TILLOTSON
TINY TIM
TOMMY TOLLESON
GEORGE TOMSCO

BOBBY LEE TRAMMELL
THE TRASHMEN
TURBAN RENEWAL
CONWAY TWITTY
 

VERNON TAYLOR Eagle 90120 There's Only One ... Your Lovin' Man ● CD $18.98
29 tracks, 73 minutes, recommended
Vern's known for 5 singles, 2 for Dot in '57, Losing Game/ I've Got The Blues & Why Must You Leave Me/ Satisfaction Guaranteed, & 3 for Sun in '58 & '59, Breeze/ Today Is A Blue Day, Your Lovin' Man/ This Kind Of Love, Sweet & Easy To Love/ Mystery Train. Of course all those tracks are here, plus lots more. Vern's band was so good that they were often borrowed by Patsy Cline for live dates. Also heard here are '56 demo sessions for Dot & everything done for Sun, released & unreleased, besides stuff only released on The Sun Box, there's a whole batch of work on 4 tunes never released, including alternate takes & false starts. Plenty of pics from Vern's collection (GM)

 
TEXAS TORNADOS Reprise 26683 Zone Of Our Own ● CD $10.98
OK, so I was less than kind about the Tornados' first release. Don't let that prejudice you toward their followup effort; this time out Doug Sahm, Flaco Jimenez, Freddy Fender and Augie Meyers finally get to play their winning hands. Opening with Sir Doug's delivery of the border anthem Is Anybody Goin' To San Antone, the Tornados blow through these 10 good-timin' tunes with youthful spunk. You'll be hankerin' for a Lone Star beer to wash down Sahm's I'm Not That Kat Anymore/ He Is A Tejano/ Just Can't Fake It. And it's great to hear these radio-ready roots rockers alongside genuine Tex-Mex fare like Bailando/ La Mucura and the old favorites El Pantalon Blue Jean/ Volver. Good clean fun, Texas style. (MB)

 
B.J. THOMAS Collectables 5099 Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head - Golden Classics ● CD $11.98
This one would make great music for a late 60's theme park - remember Rock & Roll Lullaby/ Hooked On A Feeling/ I Just Can't Help Believing/ The Eyes Of A New York Woman? 12 in all, including the title hit.

 
THOR'S HAMMER Big Beat 206 From Keflavik ... With Love ● CD $18.98
20 tracks, 53 min, recommended
VERY rare beat music from Iceland by Hljomar (The Chords), better known (if at all) as Thor's Hammer. This collects 20 of their tunes from 65-67, including their original Icelandic tunes, stuff in '66 recorded in UK for Parlophone, even a '67 Columbia session done by their leader in the US with John Simon producing. Though some of the early material is very Mersey Beat, it's the later fuzz-guitar laden '66 Freak Beat material that especially shines through including I Don't Care/ My Life/ Big Beat Country Dance. (GM)

 
THE THREE CHUCKLES Collectables 5835 Golden Classics ● CD $15.98

 
JOHNNY TILLOTSON Ace CDCHD 331 Talk Back Trembling Lips/ The Tillotson Touch ● CD $18.98
2 LP's on one CD - Talk Back Trembling Lips and The Tillotson Touch , both from the early 60's. Tillotson puts his touch on Blue Velvet/ Danke Schoen/ Blowin' In The Wind/ This Ole House/ Cold, Cold Heart/ Jailer Bring Me Water , etc.

 
JOHNNY TILLOTSON Ace CDCHD 345 She Understands Me/ That's My Style ● CD $18.98
Pop-country singer Tillotson signed with Cadence in 1958 and made a name for himself with songs like Poetry In Motion/ It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'. This CD reissues two complete MGM albums from 1964-65 and contains his last two chart successes, She Understands Me/ Heartaches By The Number. Most of the material here is marred by strings and background singers; Johnny's smooth voice deserved better but he still shines on Busted/ I've Seen Better Days/ Oh, Lonesome Me/ Me, Myself And I. He even rocks a little on The Race Is On until the Anita Kerr singers swoop in. 24 songs in all. (JC)

 
JOHNNY TILLOTSON Ace CDCHD 618 You're The Reason ● CD $18.98
JOHNNY TILLOTSON: (Wait 'til You See) My Gidget/ All Alone Am I/ Always/ Angel/ Another You/ Blue Velvet/ Cold, Cold Heart/ Danke Schoen/ Dreamy Eyes/ Heartaches By The Number/ I Can't Stop Loving You/ I Rise, I Fall/ It Keeps Right On A Hurtin'/ More Than Before/ No Love At All/ Oh, Lonesome Me/ Please Don't Go Away/ Red Roses For A Blue Lady/ Rhythm Of The Rain/ She Understands Me/ Suff'rin' From A Heartache/ Talk Back Trembling Lips/ The Race Is On/ Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye/ Things/ When I Lost You/ Without You/ Worried Guy/ Worry/ You're The Reason

 
JOHNNY TILLOTSON Ace CDCHD 946 All His Early Hits - And More! ● CD $18.98
30-track CD of Cadence sides - Poetry In Motion/ It Keeps Right On A-Hurtin'/ Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On/ I Can't Help It/ Funny How Time Slips Away/ Earth Angel/ Pledging My Love and many more from the late 50's and early 60's.

 
JOHNNY TILLOTSON Collectables 5251 Golden Classics ● CD $11.98
18 tracks, 46 min., recommended
Joining the Tillotson reissues already available on England's Ace label, this entry from Collectables offers a shorter play list, but the featured selections cover both his Cadence and, at least briefly, his MGM years. The program opens with Poetry in Motion from 1960, this gentle-voiced Floridian's first national hit, then moves onto Dreamy Eyes, True True Happiness, covers of Earth Angel and Pledging My Love, the self-penned It Keeps Right on A-Hurtin' (probably his best song), covers of Send Me the Pillow That You Dream On and I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, and Out of My Mind. Sound quality is above reproach as are the liner notes by Mark Marymont. (DH)

 
TINY TIM Bear Family BCD 15409 Tip Toe Through The Tulips/ Resurrection ● CD $21.98
Truly horrible CD containing 16 recent recordings done for Playback Records in Nashville. While that, when hard pressed, you must admit there was a certain charm in his original Reprise recording of the 60's, these, complete with orchestral background, are just plain lousy - Tip Toe Through The Tulips/ Bill Bailey/ Pennies From Heaven/ Baby Face (GM)

 
TOMMY TOLLESON Collector 4407 Rockin' The Boogie ● CD $16.98
24 cut mixture of old and new tunes from Tommy Tolleson, a Gulf Coast piano player who's best known for his rockin' Kool disc, A Gal Named Sue (included here). The 50's and 60's recordings are very good for the most part but there are only 9 of them. The rest were recorded in the late 70's in Tommy's living room and are only of minor interest. To The Dance/ The Gulf Coast Twist/ Carla Blues/ Stompin' The Boogie/ Wild Leg Boogie , etc. (AE)
TOMMY TOLLESON: A Gal Named Sue/ Alexander Ragtime Rand/ Bill Bailey Blues/ Carla Blues/ Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes/ Gonna Be Allright/ I Love You And Miss You All The Time/ Music Box Dance/ One More Time/ Palacios Boogie/ Rock And Roll Boogie/ Rockin' Pneumonia & The Boogie Woogie Flu/ So Wonderful To Me/ Stompin' The Boogie/ The Gulf Coast Twist/ The One I Love/ There Is A Song In My Heart/ To The Dance/ Tolleson's Boogie Woogie/ Wild Leg Boogie/ Wildcat Boogie

 
GEORGE TOMSCO Ace CDCHD 695 The Tex-Mex Fireball ● CD $18.98
30 tracks, mostly recorded in the late 50s & 60s at the Norman Petty Studios in Clovis, new Mexico featuring the fine guitar work of Fireballs founding member George Tomsco. Includes tracks by The Fireballs, Arthur Alexander, Larry Trider, Carolyn Hester, George & Babs, Ben Wasson and others includes posthumous overdubs on Buddy Holly tracks. A few cuts are previously unissued including a demo from 1957 by The Fireballs doing Rip It Up.
ARTHUR ALEXANDER: You Don't Care/ HULAN BASS: Little Bitty Man/ PAT CARTER: Lyin' Ways/ Tell Me/ JIMMY CRAIG: Oh Little Girl/ WES DAKUS: Las Vegas Scene/ FIREBALL COUNTRY (VOCAL BY GEORGE TOMSCO: Goin' Away/ THE FIREBALLS: Fiero/ I Don't Know/ Rip It Up (demo)/ Say I Am (What I Am)/ Torquay/ Walkin'/ GEORGE & BABS: Come On Home/ You Don't Need Me/ JIMMY GILMER & THE FIREBALLS: Sugar Shack/ TOMMY HANEY: Like All The Others/ CAROLYN HESTER: That's My Song/ BUDDY HOLLY: Bo Diddley/ Crying, Waiting, Hoping/ Learning The Game/ Peggy Sue Got Married/ DON HUME: Go Right Ahead/ JERRY ROBERTS: Little Bitty Lover/ GARY LEE SWAFFORD: Bandit Boy/ Drum Riot/ CHUCK THARP & THE FIREBALLS: Let's Take The Long Way Home/ GEORGE TOMSCO & THE DOTS: Mexican Fun/ LARRY TRIDER: Don't Stop/ BEN WASSON: It's Spring Time Baby

 
BOBBY LEE TRAMMELL Bear Family BCD 15887 You Mostest Girl ● CD $21.98
25 tracks, 59 min., recommended
25 cuts by The Wild Man Of Alabama, described as "...downright vulgar, 10 times worse than Elvis"! Starts off with his 6 sides recorded for country promoter Fabor Robison's Fabor & Radio labels in '58, including the classic Shirley Lee, later covered by Ricky Nelson, with James Burton on guitar, My Susie Jane with Joe Maphis on guitar, & the classic title track, a reworking of You're So Square. Next are his 10 sides recorded for Sims 1963-65, including a single billed as "The First American Beatle" with Travis Wammack on guitar, & 4 sides with The Jordanaires, & his final 70s sides done for Capital, including a remake of the title track & Sun Int'l. 20 page booklet includes detailed liner notes based on interviews, discography & lots of pics. (GM)

 
BOBBY LEE TRAMMELL Buffalo Bop 55153 Arkansas Twist ● CD $19.98
30 track collection of this Arkansas rocker recorded between 1960 and 1970 for small local labels like Vaden, Atlanta, Alley and others. Includes Hi Ho Silver/ Woe Is Me/ Come On/ Arkansas Twist/ I Like It/ Sally twist/ If You Ever Get It Once/ I Tried Not To Cry/ I Need Love/ Mary Ann/ New Dance In France/ Skimmy Lou/ Betty Jean/ Toolie Frollie and more. It seems like Buffalo Bop is using a new remastering engineer as sound quality on their recent issues sound a bit muffled compared to previous releases.

 
THE TRASHMEN Sundazed 11006 Live Bird '65-'67! ● CD $16.98
Who woulda thunk it, after all these years the Sundazed crew have unearthed and released some primo vintage Trashmen captured live in their Midwest habitat. Land locked they might have been but The Trashmen certainly didn't let the lack of surf stop them from churnin' up a tidal wave of super wet, reverb-drenched surf tunes. The first 8 tracks are from a '65 gig at Proaches Popular Ballroom. They blast through Dick Dale's Let's Go Trippin' as well as surfin' standards like Baja and Malaguena . Jerry Lee's Lovin' Up A Storm gets the full treatment and of course they can't fly the coop until they've ruffled a few feathers with Surfin' Bird , all 5 minutes and 49 seconds worth! Bird Dance Beat and King Of The Surf were recorded in '66 at a girls reform school (the mind boggles) and Mashed Potatoes and Ubangi Stomp at St. Paul's version of Whiskey A Go Go. Throw in a couple more from a '67 gig and some short interviews and you've got one essential collection.... AE

 
THE TRASHMEN Sundazed 11007 Unreleased Studio Recordings '64-'66 ● CD $16.98
Surfin' Bird did well for The Trashmen in 1963 becoming a big nation wide hit, a novelty tune for sure but the absolute wildest novelty tune. Their first LP rode the crest but subsequent 45rpm releases didn't fare so well with the fickle public. By the time they were ready to release their second LP their label got cold feet and the LP stayed in the can. Well the word is out and it's the same hard drivin' uncompromising rock 'n 'roll as the first LP. There's a hefty dollop of surf music with bitchin' versions of Stick Shift , Hava Nagila and even Be True To Your School . Lead guitarist Tony Andreason really has that wet sound down pat using it to great effect on everything from Ghost Riders In The Sky to Greensleeves to Green Onions . Mind Your Own Business and Bird Diddley Beat come from a '66 session recorded for Huey Meaux. A couple more '66 era tunes close things out, recorded at the legendary IGL Studios in Iowa. (AE)

 
THE TRASHMEN Sundazed 11011 Tube City - Best Of ● CD $16.98

 
THE TRASHMEN Sundazed 11022 Bird Call! The Twin City Stomp Of The Trashmen ● CD $51.98
The ultimate Trashmen package - 4 CD box set - 80 tracks - half previously unreleased. Studio recordings, demos, rehearsal recordings and live tracks. Comes with large 40 page book with extensive notes, memorabilia and photos (many previously unpublished).

 
TURBAN RENEWAL Norton 234 Tribute To Sam The Sham & Pharoahs ● CD $15.98

 
CONWAY TWITTY Bear Family BCD 16112 The Rock 'n' Roll Years (1956-64) ● CD $189.98
8 CD box set with 62 page book featuring all of Conway's early sides.

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