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.