In the mid 1980s, the NME released a series of “paid for” cassettes that showcased a fantastic range of music from blues to jazz to rock’n'roll to indie, etc.
In the days before t’internet and before we lived in a world where any track that has ever been recorded is only the click of a mouse away, this series of cassettes was a window into another world. Of tracks long gone and potentially forgotten. Only to be retrieved, if at all, by painstaking hours in the secondhand record shops that then filled the country and which I spent many of my waking hours in.
One of my favourite cassettes was the “Little Imp” compilation, showcasing tracks from the Aladdin and Imperial record labels of the 1950s and 1960s.
One of the all time great compilations – from it, I’ve already previously posted the staggering “I Ain’t Drunk” by Jimmy Liggins (here); “Messy Bessy” by Louis Jordan (here), “One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer” by Amos Milburn (here) and the peerless “Who Drank My Beer While I Was in the Rear” by Dave Bartholomew (here).
Joining this pantheon of greats is Patti Anne and the Flames’ “Shtiggy Boom” – another jump blues classic. Killer guitar, bass, piano and vocals ….
No better way than to welcome the New Year with a classic Bo Diddley album track from 1959 ….
“Go Bo Diddley” was Bo’s second LP and is a fantastically diverse affair starting with the classic Diddley guitar sound and moving on to slower tracks like this – a funereal, downbeat rhythm with understated guitar and a killer piano accompaniment.
For earlier post of Bo Dilddley’s classic “Pills” check here.
Great record from the immortal Buddy Holly. Might not have got round to posting this on the blog but stumbled across a wonderful clip from the Arthur Murray Dance Party at the tail end of 1957. All the better for the helpful introduction by Kathryn Murray who invites us to appreciate the “rock’n'roll specialists”. Who doesn’t?
One of the greatest performances of one of the greatest instrumentals of all time. Duane Eddy’s take on the Henry Mancini classic is, without doubt, one of the towering achievements of 20th century music.
As John Peel observed , the point where Duane Eddy’s guitar kicks in around 1:18 is a moment that transcends time, space and pop music.
I have always loved Bob McFadden ever since hearing the classic novelty hit “The Mummy”. The Fall do a fantastic cover version of that track and their version may well get an airing in the very near future. What I hadn’t realised was that the B-Side of “The Mummy” is this track, “The Beat Generation” which was the inspiration for the Richard Hell classic “Blank Generation”. Many thanks to an old colleague for posting this on FacebooK!
Just managed to get hold of an MP3 version as well – available on a fantastic 132 track compilation “The Beat Generation – Music and Poetry” available at Amazon for a stunning £6.99!
I think the first version I ever heard of this was by The Lurkers. Soon after, I heard the New York Doll’s fantastic rendition which appears on their eponymous debut LP of 1973 (which is, of course, Morrissey’s favourite album of all time) – plenty of New York Dolls to come on this blog in due course ….
However, always worth checking the original for what was in the composer’s head. Released as a single in 1961, “Pills” found Bo 6 years or so into his career and, while the hits were starting to dry up, this is a triumphant return to form with classic twangy guitar and a well researched early critique of the vagaries of the US Healthcare system. Costs were clearly spiralling out of control as pills are handed out with remarkable abandon and with scant regard for price or clinical effect - this is what Obama is still battling with today ….
Pure self indulgence this evening. Following up the brilliant song’n'dance number from a Bollywood classic, I just had to post this next.
Chuck Berry is simply an all-time great and, in due course, I will post dozens of his tracks. However, why not start here – nine years on from his early singles, Chuck still hasn’t lost it.
The unforgettable twisting competition from Pulp Fiction then the entire track off vinyl for completists.
I have a preposterous number of CDs featuring obscure rockabilly from the 1950s.
There’s the “That’ll Flat Git It” series on the wonderful Bear Family label operating out of Germany and a whole pile of themed CDs on ”Buffalo Bop” records. The quality is always a bit mixed and you have to sift through a lot of generic stuff to find the gems.
The “Desperate Rock’n'Roll” series is one of the most consistent and this track is a classic – not quite as frantic as Johnny Burnette (previously posted here) but great guitar and pace.
What better way than to alight on one of the all time classics of rock’n'roll/doo-wop. Recorded in 1961, pop heaven.
Great footage from the period.
The audience are clearly playing a sophisticated version of musical statues. The only thing moving in the audience is the cigarette smoke to the heavens. Dion just never stops! What a voice.
What better way to follow one of the great instrumentals of all time (Green Onions) than with one of the great “standards” of all time. This is the original recording from 1956; great rock’n'roll groove. Will post Peggy Lee’s cover version in due course which adds some new lyrics which were absent from the original!
Intriguing video for this one – these are pretty much the shapes I throw in the lounge when dancing to this …
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