Bear Family Records Press Archive

Press Archiv - Modern Sound Quintet Otinku (LP, 180g Vinyl) - Mojo
Inspired by The Modern Jazz Quartet, they swapped vibes for steelpans.
The title track, written by I Ghanaian conga player Kofi Ayivor and Barbadian pianist John Roachford, introduces the Modern Sound Quintet's philosophy in just under four minutes of hypnotic percussive rhythm. Blending African tribal beats with calypso, reggae, high life and modern jazz, this is music as possibility and cultural unity.

Recorded in Stockholm in 1971 for EMI Finland, it's historically important, as one of the first records to introduce steelpan to Europe via the band's Trinidadian pannist Rudy Smith. He's behind the captivating originals Sugar Daddy, Ursia and Flamenco Groove. The remaining tracks include covers of Herbie Mann's Memphis Underground, here a furious furore of trap drums and pans, and Miles Davis's Bag's Groove, an experiment in jazz subversion and jarring pan dissonance. Lois Wilson

Press Archive - Various - The Bill Haley Connection (CD) - Mojo
29 Roots And Covers Of Bill Haley & His Comets BEAR FAMILY. CD Entertaining selection of tunes by people Bill covered and those who covered Bill. People sometimes forget, but in 1956 Bill Haley's songs were the sound of revolution. After showings of the film Rock Around The Clock, the Manchester Guardian sniffed that "a youth danced on the roof of a parked car, another performed a 'snake dance' in a dazed, hypnotised fashion." Who wouldn't? Bill had excellent taste in covers: vocal group sides (Burn That Candle by The Cues), R&B belters (Jimmy Preston's Rock The Joint) or Count Basie's 1938 big band workout Stop Beatin' Around The Mulberry Bush.

Press Archive - John Blair - Jon & The Nightriders Rumble At Waikiki – The John Blair Anthology (2-CD) - allaboutjazz.com
John Blair: Rumble at Waikiki. The John Blair Anthology There's something fundamentally life-affirming about surf music. Maybe it has something to do with the images the music conjures: swaying palms, hot sunshine, warm sand and blue waves. It's not a coincidence that the recordings sometimes include sounds of weather: piping wind and splashing waves.

Press Archiv - Champion Jack Dupree - Rocks - Ugly Things
CHAMPION JACK DUPREE–
Rocks (Bear Family) CD Bear Family has issued dozens of CDs in its Rocks series, dozens of a solid set of up tempo tracks from a variety of artists. Of course, with a Chuck Berry or a BM Haley or a Little Richard, you know what you are going to get rock-wise, so some of the most interesting entries in the Rocks series have been the surprising ones spotlighting blues or country artists one might not think of as "rocking" but who recorded enough rockers (whatever ugenre label might when they were in the recordings „-minute CD issued) have New compiled. pianist Orleans-born blues/R&B Champion Jack

Press Archive - Ray Anthony & His Orchestra- Rock Around The Rock Pile - AllMusic
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine [-]
As its title suggests, Rock Around the Rock Pile focuses on the rock & roll adjacent recordings swing trumpeter Ray Anthony made in the late '50s. Thanks to his success with the theme for Dragnet in 1953, Anthony was primed to leap into Hollywood's exploitation of rock & roll, which he did eagerly, contributing a good portion of the soundtrack to the 1956 comedy The Girl Can't Help It and recording an EP called Rock n Roll with Ray Anthony in 1957, where he covered Elvis Presley and Ricky Nelson.

Press Archive - Battleground Korea - Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War - allmusic
Battleground Korea, the weighty four-CD box from Bear Family, bears the subtitle "Songs and Sounds of America's Forgotten War," an assessment equal parts true and false. Compared to the wars that surrounded it -- it happened five years after World War II and ended two years prior to the escalation of military activities in Vietnam -- the Korean War doesn't occupy much space in the American popular consciousness, but it did generate two enduring works of art: The Manchurian Candidate and the 1970 feature film M*A*S*H, along with its accompanying television series. Both The Manchurian Candidate and M*A*S*H were written after the conclusion of the Korean War, but the recordings on Battleground Korea -- mainly music, but there is also a wealth of newsreel footage -- differ because they were produced during the war. These aren't reflections, they're documents of how the country felt as the battle raged.

Press Archive - Champion Jack Dupree - Rocks - AllMusic
The entries in Bear Family's ongoing Rocks series spotlight the hardest-rocking moments in an artist's catalog, sometimes offering a counter-narrative to an established narrative. In the case of Champion Jack Dupree, the hard-driving New Orleans blues and R&B pianist, his Rocks provides an introduction to his career that wasn't otherwise available when this was released in 2018.

Press Archive - Various - The Bill Haley Connection (CD) - AllMusic
Bill Haley is a pivotal figure in rock & roll and not only because he had one of the first rock & roll hits in "Rock Around the Clock," a jumping little number that went to number one in 1954. Haley didn't write the song, nor did anybody in his Comets. It was written by Max Freedman and Jimmy DeKnight, who shopped it around to a number of groups before Haley cut the song. Sonny Dae & His Knights, a jump blues band from Indianapolis, was the first to record "Rock Around the Clock," playing it as a standard jump blues, which was good enough to catch the ear of Haley, who cut it with a harder, swinging backbeat, and the rest is history.

Press Archive- Eddie Cochran - The Year 1957 - AllMusic
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine [-]
The title The Year 1957 carries an air of documentary to it, so it's no surprise that this 2018 Bear Family collection does play a bit like a history lesson, telling the story of a pivotal 12 months in Eddie Cochran's career. During this year, Cochran scored his first Top 40 hit with the sultry slow-burner "Sittin' in the Balcony" and cut the swinging rock & roll standard "Twenty Flight Rock," along with several other fine sides for Liberty, many of which were issued on the album Singing to My Baby. Nearly all of that album is featured on The Year 1957, with the notable exceptions of substituting alternate takes for "Completely Sweet" and "Twenty Flight Rock," along with the undubbed take of "Ah, Pretty Girl." Added to the mix are a host of radio interviews and promos, plus three live tracks, including a version of Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." For most Cochran fanatics -- and it's hard not to argue that this is targeted at them -- it's this back section that will provide the most revelations, and for those who know the hits and want to dig a bit deeper, the interviews do push this collection of tremendously entertaining music toward the educational.

Press Archive- Eddie Cochran - The Year 1957 - AllMusic
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine [-]
The title The Year 1957 carries an air of documentary to it, so it's no surprise that this 2018 Bear Family collection does play a bit like a history lesson, telling the story of a pivotal 12 months in Eddie Cochran's career. During this year, Cochran scored his first Top 40 hit with the sultry slow-burner "Sittin' in the Balcony" and cut the swinging rock & roll standard "Twenty Flight Rock," along with several other fine sides for Liberty, many of which were issued on the album Singing to My Baby. Nearly all of that album is featured on The Year 1957, with the notable exceptions of substituting alternate takes for "Completely Sweet" and "Twenty Flight Rock," along with the undubbed take of "Ah, Pretty Girl." Added to the mix are a host of radio interviews and promos, plus three live tracks, including a version of Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On." For most Cochran fanatics -- and it's hard not to argue that this is targeted at them -- it's this back section that will provide the most revelations, and for those who know the hits and want to dig a bit deeper, the interviews do push this collection of tremendously entertaining music toward the educational.

Press Archive - Banana Split For My Baby - 33 Gems From The Good Old Summertime - AllMusic
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine [-]
The idea driving Bear Family's 2018 compilation Banana Split for My Baby is that it provides a soundtrack for a fantasy summer, arriving sometime between the birth of rock & roll and the arrival of the Beatles. Fantasy is the key here: the collection doesn't follow a strict chronology, nor is it rigid in its genre, which may come as a surprise to anybody who thought the American Graffiti homage of the album art indicated a strict allegiance to nostalgic sock hop. To be sure, there are some golden oldies here -- Frankie Ford's "Sea Cruise," Bobby Darin's "Splish Splash" and "Beyond the Sea," Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba," the Royal Teens' "Short Shorts," and Dean Martin's "Volare" -- but Elmore James also tears it up with "The Sun Is Shining" and Louis Prima is the man behind the swinging title track.

Press Archive - Fats Domino - Out Of New Orleans - AllMusic
Strictly speaking, many of the 32 tracks on the 2018 compilation The Ballads of Fats Domino are not ballads. They're blues and slow-rolling R&B, songs that seem to define the Big Easy sound of Fats: "Blueberry Hill," "Blue Monday," "One Night," "Poor Me, "Before I Grow Too Old," "Natural Born Lover," and "I Hear You Knocking." They're surrounded by lots of songs that could conceivably be called ballads, but the feel of the comp isn't sweet and anodyne. Some of the tempos may be slow, but this is an R&B and rock & roll record through and through; it just happens to lean toward an easier roll. That sustained feel is appealing, as is the fact that this compilation is filled with songs that aren't hits but aren't slouches either. For some listeners, this may be a good way to launch an exploration of his classic Imperial period.

Press Archive - Fats Domino - Out Of New Orleans - AllMusic
Strictly speaking, many of the 32 tracks on the 2018 compilation The Ballads of Fats Domino are not ballads. They're blues and slow-rolling R&B, songs that seem to define the Big Easy sound of Fats: "Blueberry Hill," "Blue Monday," "One Night," "Poor Me, "Before I Grow Too Old," "Natural Born Lover," and "I Hear You Knocking." They're surrounded by lots of songs that could conceivably be called ballads, but the feel of the comp isn't sweet and anodyne. Some of the tempos may be slow, but this is an R&B and rock & roll record through and through; it just happens to lean toward an easier roll. That sustained feel is appealing, as is the fact that this compilation is filled with songs that aren't hits but aren't slouches either. For some listeners, this may be a good way to launch an exploration of his classic Imperial period.

Press Archive - Various - She's Selling What She Used To Give Away - AllMusic
AllMusic Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine [-]
Talk to record collectors at random and they'll be able to tell you that there were scads of ribald prewar blues and R&B, but those same collectors may not know that there's a rich tradition of smut lying within country, too. Bear Family's 2018 compilation She's Selling What She Used to Give Away shines a spotlight into these filthy back roads, collecting "28 Risque Hillbilly Songs from the '30s," as the subtitle says. Some of the featured artists are well known for their genial mainstream material --

Press Archive - Various - That'll Flat Git It! Vol.29 - AllMusic
The 29th installment of Bear Family's long-running rockabilly series That'll Flat Git It! shines a spotlight on Crest Records, a Hollywood-based imprint that opened its doors in 1954 and shuttered in 1963. Its lifespan ran the length of the big boom of rockabilly, but that didn't mean that Crest wound up scoring any big hits, but they did claim early recordings by Eddie Cochran and Glen Campbell. Cochran made his solo debut with "Skinny Jim," the best-known side here by a country mile, while Campbell plays lead guitar on "Rockin' and a Rollin'," a bit of a lark sung by his uncle Dick Bills.

Press Archive - Various - She's Selling What She Used To Give Away - Goldmine

Press Archive - Various - She's Selling What She Used To Give Away - Vive Le Rock

Presse Archiv - Battleground Korea - Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War - hifi & records
In the enclosed 168-page hard-cover book in LP format, all songs and artists are honoured in detail with their lyrics and bio-graphical facts. Countless photos of the war front in Korea document the dramatic deployment of the Allied troops. Posters and posters underline the patriotic madness of those days of war. Hollywood star Marilyn Monroe's late visit to the front in 1954 also enriches the visual component of this historically unique documentary by Bear Family. Willi Andresen

Press Archiv - Glen Glenn Pick 'Em Up And Lay 'Em Down - Oldie Markt
Glen Glenn Pick' em Up And Lay 'em Down (10") Bear Family BAF 14001 Der als Glen Troutman 1934 in Misouri geborene Mann war einer der gro-ßen Geheimtips des Rock-abilly und diese 10"-Vi-nylplatte, die 12 bislang unveröffentlichte Tracks des Mannes zusammen mit seinem Gitarristen Gary Lambert bringt, de-monstriert die Klasse des Mannes, der sowohl als Songschreiber wie als Sänger beweist, dass er ei-ner der herausragenden Stilisten der frühen Rock'n'Roll-Ära gewesen ist. So vital wie die Musik auf dieser 10" ist, lebt der Stil ewig weiter.

Press Archive - Joey Castle Rock & Roll Daddy-O (CD) - Jamboree IT
"That ain't nothing but right", the third piece of the CD, is none other than Joey's first record released on RCA (20/47-7283) in 1958 and earned him the fame of New King of R'n'R. Followed by "Please love me (slow rock sweet) and "Shake hands with a fool", two new songs that were to be released on Vik and that you can not understand why they were not published. After the two B-sides: "Come a little closer baby" (B-side of the first record on RCA) and "Wild love" comes like a bomb the main dish of this CD: the famous "Rock and Roll Daddy-O", wild song in pure rockabilly style embellished by the solos of guitarist James G. LIddle.

Press Archive- Eddie Cochran - The Year 1957 - Musenblätter
An extensive booklet (51 pages) with texts by Bill Dahl, many extremely rare photos, discography and detailed recording data completes the documentation about Eddie Cochran's successful year 1957.

Press Archive - Battleground Korea - Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War - theseconddisc.com
Equal parts propaganda and patriotism, romance and realism, drama and comic relief, celebration and devastation, the songs on Battleground Korea illuminate a war that need not be forgotten. So does the 160-page book which impresses in every way. Between its covers, one will find not only track-by-track liner notes detailing facts about the most obscure of artists, but also essays, photo scrapbooks, complete lyrics, and appendices. Penned by Hugo Keesing with Bill Geerhart, and chockablock with memorabilia and illustrations, it’s a stunning and compelling reference book. The four compact discs are housed on spindles within. Christian Zwarg has remastered the material here under the supervision of producers Keesing and Geerhart and executive producer (and Bear Family founder) Richard Weize.

Press Archive - Battleground Korea - Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War - musoscribe
The hardcover book features several in-depth essays that help place the Korean War in context, as well as set the scene for music’s relationship with the war. Detailed biographical and background essays are provided for every recording, and – since the subject matter is at the heart of the collection – printed lyrics are provided for all of the songs.

The book also features a staggering collection of photos – quite a few in color – that provide added dimension to the narrative. As historical releases go, Battleground Korea establishes a nearly impossibly high standard. For those interested in digging into the Korean War from a rarely-approached historical angle, this boxed set is just the ticket. Recalling George Santayana’s aphorism about not learning the lessons of the past, and with the Korean peninsula (and the American government’s perspective on it) currently back in the news, there’s no better time.

Press Archives - Battleground Korea - Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War - Mojo
The 'Songs And Sounds Of America's Forgotten War' on 4-CDs plus book. Following 2010's Next Stop Is Vietnam, compiler Hugo Keesing turns his forensic attention to documenting the often-overlooked Korean conflict that started in June 1950 and ended three years later.

Press Archiv - Glen Glenn Pick 'Em Up And Lay 'Em Down - Vintage Rock

Press Archiv - Fats Domino - Teenageparty with Mr. Domino - Vintage Rock
FATS DOMINO TEENAGE PARTY WITH MR DOMINO BEAR FAMILY VINYL CLUB 00000 Bear Family Vinyl Club once again unearths the most obscure pressings imaginable with this 1962, Dutch, 10" The compilers didn't limit themselves to then-recent material from his vast Imperial Records catalogue: Please Don't Leave Me was a smash for Domino nearly a decade earlier and I'm Walkin' shot up the charts like a rocket in 1957. Some of Fats' lesser-known boppers are here too, including What A Party, My Real Name and Rockin' Bicycle. Only 1,000 copies pressed.

Press Archiv - Fats Domino - Teenageparty with Mr. Domino - Ugly Things
FATS DOMINO–Teenage Party with Mr Domino (Bear Family) 10" The Ballads of Fats Domino (Bear Family) CD The 10" LP Teenage Party with Mr Domino is a reissue of a 1963 Netherlands release freshly pressed onto gold vinyl. A well-chosen blend of early rock ditties circa 1953-1962, it is entertaining and concise. Some million sellers are here: The stomp-ing "I'm Walkin'," the teen appeal working man's lament "Blue Monday," the countryish tribute to a varmint "Bo Weevil," and the plead-ing R&B of"Please Don't Leave Me." However, this 10-song disc mainly works because of the less famous ]racks, Domino's 1962 allusion to „idninY Jones's "Handy Man," "MY Real Name," is a happy boast. The lost love song "It Keeps rifling," features a trilling guitar Hre and trumpets instead of s.. sound is further updated on the lawful "Rockin' Bicycle" where '",kne not only smartly double-Ceics his vocal on the chorus but . down some nasty piano bogie the middle.

Press Archive - Buddy Holly Countrywise - Vintage Rock
BUDDY HOLLY COUNTRYWISE
BUDDY HOLLY COUNTRYWISE BEAR FAMILY VINYL CLUB 0000 Before he achieved stardom, Buddy Holly was a struggling country artist in Lubbock, Texas, singing duets with his pal Bob Montgomery. They taped some of their fledgling efforts in 1954-55; those recordings ended up in the hands of Holly's subsequent producer Norman Petty, who overdubbed the Fireballs on them after Holly's death and released them on Coral Records. A rare compilation of those tracks was issued as Countrywise in 1965, and an immaculately realised repressing is one of the latest offerings from Bear Family Vinyl Club.

Press Archive - Battleground Korea - Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War - Los Angeles Times Print Edition
World War II produced its own trove of hit songs, including "Don't Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me)," "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas." And who can think of the Vietnam War without summoning memories of Barry Sadler's "The Ballad of the Green Berets," Pete Seeger's "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy," the Doors' apocalyptic "The End" or Country Joe & the Fish's "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag." The Korean War, however, is something of an anomaly in that regard, one that is addressed in an expansive new four-CD box set, "Battleground Korea: Songs and Sounds of America's Forgotten War," just released by the wondrously obsessive German label Bear Family Records. About three years ago —long before Donald Trump was considered a serious candidate for president and well before his Twitter war with current North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un propelled the country back onto center stage of world affairs — coproducers Bill Geerhart and Hugo Keesing went to work on culling music of the Korean conflict.

Press Archive - Champion Jack Dupree - Rocks - Vive Le Rock
Champion Jack Dupree did a lot of living and more importantly, surviving during the four year hiatus between his first ten singles, that is if you count two years in a Japanese prisoner of war camp as a 'hiatus'. Before his recording career began in 1940 he'd already fought 107 boxing bouts, winning many picking up his nickname

Presse Archives - Champion Jack Dupree - Rocks - Vive Le Rock
Champion Jack Dupree a beaucoup vécu et surtout, survivant pendant les quatre années d'interruption entre ses dix premiers singles, c'est-à-dire si vous comptez deux ans dans un camp de prisonniers de guerre japonais comme un'hiatus'. Avant le début de sa carrière d'enregistrement en 1940, il avait déjà combattu 107 combats de boxe, gagnant de nombreux surnoms.

Presse Archives - Champion Jack Dupree - Rocks - Vive Le Rock
Champion Jack Dupree a beaucoup vécu et surtout, survivant pendant les quatre années d'interruption entre ses dix premiers singles, c'est-à-dire si vous comptez deux ans dans un camp de prisonniers de guerre japonais comme un'hiatus'. Avant le début de sa carrière d'enregistrement en 1940, il avait déjà combattu 107 combats de boxe, gagnant de nombreux surnoms.

Press Archive - Various - That'll Flat Git It! Vol.28 - Vive Le Rock
Of course, what you didn't get previously was the superb sound quality and extensive sleeve notes you get with Bear Family. There's some absolutely seminal e rocking included here, with stand-outs including Tom Tall and the Tom g Cat's 'Stack A Records' and a young Eddie 'Summertime Blues' Cochran cutting loose with 'Skinny Jim'. What you also get for your hard-earned money is 32 stomping tracks with a 36-page booklet to fill you in on who's who. 60 years on and the vaults keep delivering. Simon Nott

Presse Archiv - Ray Anthony & His Orchestra- Rock Around The Rock Pile - Hi-Fi World
That said, Bear Family has done a remarkable job in maintaining a reasonable sonic balance to prevent listening fatigue, maintaining midrange precision without overt and destructive brightness. An entertaining release.

Press Archive - Ricky Nelson - The American Dream - Keep Rockin'
lt has been nearly 10 years since Bear Family released the first Rick Nelson box set The American Dream. All phases of Rick's recording career are vital to his fans but my favorite has always been his 1957 to 1962 period which includes his early (but limited) Verve recordings.

Press Archive - Ricky Nelson - For You-Decca 1963-69 - Country Music
171 tracks - Bear Family 6xCD Box Set album — Jerry Fuller, Ellie BCD 16512 Greenwich, Hal David — but 6:52:49 perhaps producer Charles 'Bud' Dant (1907-1999), who was probably not too interested in rock'n'roll or country, was the wrong man for the job. More to the point, the musical values of the previous decade had been forgotten as Motown and Phil Spector kicked the rockers into touch and even Elvis seemed to have lost the plot. New names like The Beach Boys and The Four Seasons were in the charts. and Nelson was just one of many US acts feeling the pinch. The first 1964 album, Rick Nelson Sings For You', was a slight improvement, as it included a US Top 20 single. a revival of the Glenn Miller hit, Fools Rush In, and a US Top 10 single in For You (a revival of a 1933 recording by Glen Gray & His Casa Loma Orchestra), while the album itself also went Top 20. but was Nelson's last chart album for six years, as British Beat, psychedelic, etc., eliminated the vast majority of earlier stars.

Press Archive - Ricky Nelson - For You-Decca 1963-69 - Blue Suede News
Nelson's last top 40 hit during this period was Bob Dylan's "She Belongs To Me" charting in 1970. Dylan himself thought it was a great cover version. Smartly researched notes from Todd Everett within the 140 page hardcover book provide a clear understanding of Nelson's life and times and are bolstered with many amazing unseen photos, a great collection of picture sleeves, labels album covers and sheet music from all over the world. Along with the full session and discography there are also six promo spots for his Universal Movie (Produced and directed by father Ozzie Nelson) Love and Kisses. More importantly, diligent efforts have been taken to remaster this set which showcases the oft underrated Rick Nelson as the brilliant recording artist he was. -- Johnny Vallis

Presse Archives - Ricky Nelson - For You-Decca 1963-69 - Blue Suede News
Le dernier succès de Nelson dans le top 40 de cette période a été le "She Belongs To Me" de Bob Dylan en 1970. Dylan lui-même pensait que c'était une excellente reprise. Les notes intelligemment recherchées de Todd Everett dans le livre à couverture rigide de 140 pages fournissent une compréhension claire de la vie et de l'époque de Nelson et sont agrémentées de nombreuses photos étonnantes et inédites, d'une grande collection de pochettes d'images, de couvertures d'albums d'étiquettes et de partitions du monde entier. En plus de la session complète et de la discographie, il y a aussi six spots promotionnels pour son film Universal Movie (produit et réalisé par le père Ozzie Nelson) Love and Kisses. Plus important encore, des efforts diligents ont été déployés pour remasteriser cet ensemble qui présente Rick Nelson, souvent sous-estimé, comme l'artiste brillant qu'il était. Johnny Vallis

Presse Archives - Roy Orbison - The Sun Years - Hifi Vision
Roy Orbison: The Sun Years 1956-58'The Big 0', as his friends called him, who died in December 1988, left behind a current hit album (see issue 5/1989) and recorded many a classic in pop history during the three decades of his career.

Presse Archiv - Roy Orbison - The Sun Years - The Memphis Magazine
Roy Orbison never quite fit into Sam Phillips' rockabilly vision, and Phillips has admitted that he really didn't know what to do with him. Orbison had always wanted to do ballads, even though he was initially inspired by the rocking sounds of Bob Wills, Elvis Presley, and Buddy Holly

Press Archive - Roy Orbison 1955-1965 (7-CD Deluxe Box Set) - Country Music People
The package reproduces lots of memorabilia but couldn't any of Bear Family's researchers identify the "British comedian" in one photograph as Les Dawson? There are very few photos of Roy with his first wife, Claudette, and hardly any with his children. Did he really wear sunglasses when he went for a swim and have a dog run alongside when he rode a scooter? When Roy left Moument for MGM in 1965, it was with the promise of a film career. Looking at all these photos, I'm amazed to think he could make it as a film star.

Press Archive - Roy Orbison - Rocks - Now Dig This
I'll never forget how flabbergasted I was when I first heard 'Domino', albeit in overdubbed form, in the mid-'60s. When we eventually got the undubbed version in 1973, on the original 'Sun Rockabillys - Put Your Cat Clothes On LP, it sounded even better. Pure Sun rockabilly in alt its glory. But then in more recent times we've been introduced to the Clovis recording of the song - full title 'Cat Called Domino' - and that one's even better! Probably the toughest rocker Orbison ever laid down, it opens this new Bear Family collection of his finest uptempo rockin material in sparkling style

Press Archive- Tennessee Ernie Ford - Portrait Of An American Singer - CMP
With A Recent Lavish Boxed Set From Bear Family Focusing On The Sixteen Tons Singer's Early Years, Jack Watkins Thinks Tennessee Ernie Should Be Remembered More Fondly - And Especially For His Many 'boogies'

Presse - Various Artists - Meet The Pearls - Jukebox Pearls - Ugly Things

It has to be said upfront that this 'reissue series is built on a foundation so weak the concrete could have been mixed with quicksand. Out-side of committing to a single gender, nothing really makes sense. We are told that 'Jukebox Pearls' are girl singers from the Fifties (or some-times Sixties) recording rockabilly (or sometimes country...or even pop) who are pearlesque because they're 'shiny, smooth, and pleas-ing, but surprisingly tough,' and also because when you play one of these obscurities on the (oyster-esque?) jukebox you find a precious, hidden treasure.

Press Archive - Margie Singleton - Pledging My Love - Juke Box Pearls - Blue Suede News

You probably know Margie's husband much better, but Shelby Singleton only got involved in the music business because his wife was in it. He just happened to be very good at it, working his way up through labels like Mercury and eventually buying Sam Phillips out of Sun.

Press Archive - Laura Lee Perkins - Don't Wait Up - Juke Box Pearls - Western Mail

Die beiden IMPERIAL-Singles von Laura Lee Perkins galten als die besten und seltensten Rockabilly-Auf-nahmen von Frauen überhaupt! Produziert wurden sie von Ricky Nelsons Arrangeur.

Presse Archiv - Carl Perkins - The Classic Carl Perkins (5-CD) - Philadelphia Inquirer

A revelation: If all you know about Carl Perkins is "Blue Suede Shoes," "Honey Don't" and maybe the great "Dixie Fried," you may have Perkins pegged as a limited artist, the least interesting of the first generation of Sun Records rockers.


Right at the outset of the liner notes to Bear Family's five-CD boxed set The Classic Carl Perkins, writer Colin Escott sets one long-standing myth straight: Carl Perkins would not have become as successful as Elvis Presley, he says, even if his career had not been inter-rupted by an auto accident just as Perkins began to take off.

Presse Archiv - Carl Perkins - The Classic Carl Perkins (5-CD) - Hank Davis

Although he really enjoyed only one major hit record, and that a distant S4 years ago, Carl Perkins is a seminal figure in the evolution of rock & roll. It is easy and misleading to reduce Perkins, the originator of Blue Suede Shoes, to a footnote in R&R history. However, unlike most proverbial "one hit wonders", Carl Perkins has recorded literally hundreds of different titles (there are over 100 on this 5 CD collection, and it stops 26 years ago!)

Presse Archiv - Carl Perkins - The Classic Carl Perkins (5-CD) - ARSC

Dear Mr. Weize:
On behalf of the Association for Recorded Sound Collections, I am pleased to officially notify you that your publication, the notes to "The Classic Carl Perkins" by Colin Escott, has been selected as the winner of the 1991 ARSC Award for Excellence in the field of Rock, Rhythm and Blues or Soul.

Press Archive - Carl Perkins - Carl Rocks - Now Dig This
Single volume career overviews from a variety of labels are usually a rare commodity. Fortunately, Bear Family have no qualms about this and have issued this superb Carl Perkins set in their 'Rocks' series, compiled by the NDT editor. The Rockin' Guitar Man recorded for many companies during ms illustrious career. Sun Records of Memphis may be for many the only label to look at for Perkins, but he laid down good material throughout his life.

Press Archive - Carl Perkins - The Sun Era Outtakes - Now Dig This
I still get goosebumps recalling how exciting it was when Charly issued their 3xLP Carl Perkins
box-set, 'The Sun Years' (SUN BOX 101), back n 1982. A handful of The Rockin' Guitar Man's
unissued-at-the-time Sun recordings had sneaked out prior to that ('Her Love Rubbed Off', 'You
Can Do No Wrong', 'Put Your Cat Clothes On' etc.), but this was the first comprehensive
collection of his career-defining sides ever assembled. And boy was it good! For the very first time
we got to hear alternative takes of gems such as 'Honey Don't', 'Boppin' The Blues', 'Matchbox'
and, of course, 'Blue Suede Shoes' - with its unfamiliar "Go, BOY, Go!" refrain! The Charly set
was later repackaged as a 3xCD set with the addition of some home-recorded demos (CD SUN
BOX 2).

Press Archive - Carl Perkins - The Sun Era Outtakes - Country Music People
When Carl Perkins auditioned for Sun he took with him a drummer, WS Holland, who until two days before had not so much as thought of picking up a drumstick; he'd never even seen a drum kit set up and subsequently arranged his borrowed kit the wrong way round. That was the extent to which the hayseed rockabillies of the 1950s made things up as they went along.

Press Archive - Carl Perkins - The Sun Era Outtakes - Jukebox Magazine
Carl Perkins (1932-1998) de Jackson, Mississippi, est incontestablement l'un des rois du rock'n'roll, du rockabilly, du hill-billy bop, etc. Il démarre sa carrière à Memphis grâce au label Sun de Sam P,hillips. Ayant été accepté après audition, le Perkins Brothers Band - Carl Perkins (chant, guitare), James Buck Perkins (guitare ryth-mique), Lloyd Clayton Perkins (basse), WS Holland (batterie) - effectue une première séance fin octobre ou début novembre 1954. Pendant la durée du contrat avec Sun, 21 chansons sont publiées, réparties sur un album et huit 45 tours.

Press Archive - Carl Perkins - Carl Rocks - Rock'n'Roll Musikmagazin
Shortly before the editorial deadline, a whole series of new CDs from Bear Family have arrived, of which I would like to present the new Carl Perkins CD here. The series"...Rocks" comes with a Digi-Pac gatefold cover and an excellent book-let. In this case Colin Escott wrote the text and he also wrote the discography.

Presse Archiv - Carl Perkins - The Classic Carl Perkins (5-CD) - Goldmine

Hey! Look what I found .. .
CDs CARL PERKINS The Classic (Bear Family BCD 15494)

My favorite thing (in theory, mind you) about boxed sets is that there's a finality to them. Ostensibly, what you're plunking down all that hard earned cash for is the ultimate collection, all the good stuff in one place, one frame of reference that you reach for every single time when that's the sound you're looking for. Yeah, that boxed set.

Presse Archiv - Carl Perkins - The Classic Carl Perkins (5-CD) - Tower Magazine


Right at the outset of the liner notes to Bear Family's five-CD boxed set The Classic Carl Perkins, writer Colin Escott sets one long-standing myth straight: Carl Perkins would not have become as successful as Elvis Presley, he says, even if his career had not been inter-rupted by an auto accident just as Perkins began to take off.

Press Archive - Jerry Lee Lewis At Sun Records: The Collected Works - Rock Classic Italia
LAST MAN STANDING: This was the title of one of the most significant records by Ferriday's artist, Louisiana, released about ten years ago. He proclaimed in a brazen way like the Killer, this is the name that already, as a rage, they drowned him because of his reckless and overpowering character, he was the only survivor of that generation of pioneers who, in the 50s

Press Archive - Boom! Boom! Deluxe (LP, 10inch Vinyl) - Ambient Light
This EP does a great job of conveying the energy of the band – clearly one that thrives on live performance. They pack a pretty lively punch aurally, delivering a rollicking sound dripping with double-bass, electric guitar reverb, harmonica, and a thumping up-tempo drum-beat. Llead-vocals duties shared by D.D. Deluxe quite Elvis-esque at times; and the delectable Double-Bass pin-up, Hettie La Bombe. Whether you grab the vinyl or the CD, make sure you catch these guys live – they’ll knock your (bobby) socks off!

Press Archive - Johnny Burnette - Train Kept A-Rollin (9-CD) - Blue Suede News
Johnny Burnette The Complete Recordings 1955 — 1964 Bear Family BCD 16438
Well, Johnny Burnette's work with the Rock'n'Roll Trio (the first disc here) is absolutely essential. In fact we bought Bear Family's single disc of them for our-selves for Christmas! If you're one of those vehemently anti teen idol types perhaps you make exceptions for certain artists like Johnny Burnette because of their earlier contributions. Even still, will you want to listen to 5 CDs of "Dreamin'", "Your Sixteen" and remakes of nearly every other similar hit from other artists

Press Archive - Johnny Burnette - Train Kept A-Rollin (9-CD) - Now Dig This
Boxed sets in 2003: Right about now, a casual glance at the 'body of work. section in any sizable neighbourhood record emporium would reveal an abundance of blues biographies, folk forums, country concepts and jazz junkets. Various labels are bound to be represented, including the likes of Chess, Vanguard. Mercury and Blue Note. With respect to these power brands, it will come as no surprise to the discerning rock n roll fan that the imprint dominating the racks is likely to be Bear Family. Given that they have over twenty years experience in this field, the German company pretty much sets the standards by which the medium is currently governed. New that the hour has come to vent chapter and verse on the entire recorded works of Johnny Burnette, its Richard Weize's team who are behind the diamond-studded. nine CD overview that has transpired.

Press Archive - Johnny Burnette - Johnny Rocks - Now dig this
Along with all these 'regular' items there are eleven of Johnny and Dorsey's vocal / guitar demos which are quite interesting and its nice to try imagining how they might have sounded had someone like Ricky Nelson picked up on them. Personally. I'd have preferred to have had finished masters like love Kept A' Rollin" and 'That's All I Care' included here, but if you really enjoy these demos you'd best start saving for the 9xCD 'Memphis To Hollywood' box-set (BCD 16438) which contains a further couple of CDs' worth! In the meantime. this fine addition to the highly collectable 'Rocks series will do nicely.

Press Archive - Bob Luman - Bob Rocks - Now dig this
Bob Luman was a cool cat, of that there is no doubt. And Bear Family have served his fans well over the years with a steady stream of releases going back to the vinyl days and culminating in his entire recorded output being encapsulated in two Bear Family box-sets. This chunky 36-tracker serves up his finest rockin' sides spanning the years 1955 - 1974 and is a great introduction to this talented late great who recorded our kind of music throughout his career. He may well be better known in certain circies for his tater country hits, but Bob Luman was always a rocker at heart

Press Archive - Champion Jack Dupree - Rocks - Vintage Rock
The last of the Barrelhouse piano pounders, Champion Jack ventured into uptempo rock'n'roll on a fairly regular basis in his long career, and now the compilers at this German label have isolated the rockers from the straight blues and boogie to superb effect. There's the obvious, like Shake Baby Shake, and Shim Sham Shimmy, and plenty of similar material that equals those to attract jivers to the dancefloor. Jack always attacked a song with unequalled vibrancy, and this is yet one more excellent collection to add to his legacy.

Press Archive - Various - That'll Flat Git It! Vol.28 - Vintage Rock
Rock'n'roll was pioneered for the most part by independent labels, and Warner-Reprise was a major. However, it got its slice of the pie by buying rocking tracks from indies, and using its marketing power to produce hits.

Press Archive - Ricky Nelson Sing, Ricky, Sing! (10inch Vinyl) - Vintage Rock
Rather than repress Ricky Nelson's inconsistent 1960 Imperial LP More Songs By Ricky, the imaginative folks at Bear Family have opted to reissue the teen idol's incredibly rare 1960 Japanese 10" Sing Ricky Sing! It's a limited edition: only 1,000 copies have been pressed on coloured vinyl.

Press Archive - Various At The Louisiana Hayride Tonight (20-CD) - Vintage Rock
Then there's no better way to spend £200 plus than on this magnificent 20CD boxset celebrating the history of The Louisiana Hayride radio show, with a 25 hour run time and no less than 559 tracks. Staged live in Shreveport, the Hayride featured national country music stars, soon-to-be legends, regional break-outs, and talented newcomers. This fine box includes previously unknown recordings by Hank Williams, the earliest recordings by Elvis Presley, and a who's who of country music from the 50s to the 60s,

Press Archive - Various - That'll Flat Git It! Vol.28 - Vive Le Rock
It's 25 years since the first of this series and seven years since number 27. That's quite an achievement, considering rockabilly lasted the blink of an eye in the bigger musical scheme of things. This one is slightly different and could auger the continuation of the series, veering into what happened next.

Press Archive - Battleground Korea - Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War - innocentwords.com
There has never been a box set quite like Battleground Korea: Songs and Sounds of America’s Forgotten War, due out in the U.S. on March 23, 2018. The award-winning folks at Bear Family Records have assembled an impressive four-CD anthology that is part ’50s American soundtrack and part historical document, representing the most comprehensive examination ever assembled of songs inspired by the Korean War. While the music of the World War II and Vietnam War eras garnered a lot of attention, far less is known about the sounds of the Korea War period, even though it stands as a significant time in American society, from the post-WWII boom years to dawning of the ’60s.

Press Archive - Woody Guthrie - The Tribute Concerts - country standard time
These historical concerts honoring one of America's greatest musical treasures are worthy of the Bear Family treatment, and the label did not disappoint when assembling this fantastic box.

Press - Clive Zanda - Clive Zanda Is Here With 'Dat Kinda Ting - Mojo March 2018Recorded at Trinidad's KH studios in 1975 and originally issued as a limited edition 350-copy run on his own Gayap Production imprint, Is Here! With "Dat Kinda Ting" captures pianist/percussionist Clive Zanda Alexander with his trio, its line-up completed by drummer Toby Tobas and bassist Mike Georges, on a set of conscience jazz which mixes calypso with the New Thing! Songs are driven by frenzied percussion and thudding bass, with Zanda's piano vamps atop. The result is compelling, especially on s the album's opening and