Smith & Co (label)
25 October 2010 (released)
31 October 2010
Every year the team at Smith & Co put out more in the ‘Just About as Good...’ series and every year I wonder when they are going to start scraping the bottom of the barrel but this year ain’t the one.
This year I have had three sets, all different and all excellent in their own way.
GREAT ROCK ‘N’ ROLL – RED HOT
A double CD set of Rock ‘n’ Roll classics from 1953-1957, compiled by Dave Lee Travis and filled with a combination of real classics such as Little Richard’s ‘Lucille’ or Jerry Lee Lewis ‘High School Confidential’ and oddball items like Paul Chaplain & His Emeralds ‘Shortenin’ Bread’ or Billy Riley And The Little Green Men ‘Flying Saucer Rock & Roll’.
The majority of the numbers here have been hits on this side of the Atlantic or in the US and they all have a sense of life and vigour that helps this collection be different from most of the collections that will be out this Xmas and that are padded out with the kind of lachrymosia (tear jerkers) that all true rockers hate.
JOHNNY & THE HURRICANES RED RIVER ROCK
Not just a double CD but a DVD as well and, once more, packed with good rock, roll and everything in between. With their trademark Farfisa organ and saxes they were one of the best of the instrumental bands – ‘Red River Rock’ was a chart hit as was their rocking version of ‘Reveille’. Some of the numbers are just plain bizarre – ‘Sheik of Araby’ as a rock number is out there and ‘Oh Du Leiber Augustin’ positively surreal – but they showed that you turn just about any tune into a Rock & Roll number and the entire set is ridiculously danceable.
ELVIS: ROCKABILLY YEARS
Covers the years 1954 – 1957 when he was still ‘dangerous’ and before he was absorbed into the mainstream. You get some Elvis classics: ‘That’s All Right’, ‘Mystery Train’ and a wicked version of ‘Shake Rattle & Roll’, and some oddities, two versions of ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, the second recorded live and a whole stck of live material from radion and tv performances of the time. Elvis in those days was still a blistering performer and just developing the mannerisms that were later ‘smoothed over’. There is enough here to prove just how good he really was and very few out and out turkeys.
