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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 --
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.
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