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VINTAGE ROCK 'N' ROLL & ROCKABILLY
Billy Lee Riley -> Bobby Rydell

BILLY LEE RILEY
CHUCK RIO
JOHNNY RIVERS
THE RIVIERAS
MARTY ROBBINS
THE ROCK-A-TEENS
THE ROCKIN' REBELS
TOMMY ROE
WELDON ROGERS
ROSIE & THE ORIGINALS
THE ROYAL TEENS
THE ROYALTONES/ THE RAMRODS
BOBBY RYDELL
 

 
BILLY LEE RILEY Bear Family BCD 15444 Classic Recordings, 1956-60 ● CD $41.98
Arkansas singer Billy Lee Riley was one of the finest artists to emerge from Sam Phillips' Sun studios in the 50s and his lack of success was not due to lack of talent as this excellent double CD retrospective demonstrates. He was an outstanding singer with a natural affinity for the blues, a fine guitarist and harmonica player and a good songwriter. The first compact disc features all his issued recordings released on Sun, Brunswick and Rita. It includes some of his most memorable rockers such as Rock With Me Baby/ Flying Saucer Rock & Roll/ Red Hot and Pearly Lee where he is accompanied by such terrific Sun session men as Roland Janes, Martin Willis and J.M. Van Eaton. It also includes the fine bluesy harmonica instrumentals Itchy and Thunderbird which were originally issued under Sonny Burgess's name, his relatively undistinguished Brunswick coupling and his two singles issued on the Rita label formed by Billy and Roland Janes. One of these featured two blues and were issued as by Lightnin' Leon and Billy's performance was so convincing that many blues collectors assumed it was a black artist! The second disc features 28 tracks not originally issued including alternate takes of some of his best Sun songs plus quite quite a few excellent covers of blues and R&B favorites like Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But Trash/ Betty & Dupree/ Saturday Night Fish Fry and others including the particularly fine When A Gets The Blues There is also a brief parody of Johnny Cash's Folsom Prison Blues and a 1960 remake of one of his most popular Sun songs Red Hot which is given a very different treatment. Being Bear Family the sound is superb and there is a 40 page booklet with fine notes by Rob Bowman and Ross Johnson, much of it based on an interview with Billy plus great 50s photos of Billy with his band The Little Green Men and full discographical details. Highly recommended to anyone who loves rock 'n roll. (FS)

 
BILLY LEE RILEY Collectables 6008 Red Hot - The Very Best Of Billy Lee Riley ● CD $13.98
22 Sun classics with Collectables usual unexceptional sound quality - Red Hot/ Flying Saucers Rock And Roll/ Searchin'/ Trouble Bound/ College Man/ I Want You baby/ Rock With M/ No name Gilr/ Down By The Riverside/ Lookin' For My Baby/ Workin' On the River, etc.

 
CHUCK RIO Ace CDCHD 688 The Tequila Man ● CD $18.98
A 30 track collection of instrumentals and songs covering the period 1956 to '64 from Rio who is best known for having written, played sax on and provided gravel voice interjections on The Champs' #1 hit Tequila. That tune is featured here along with several other titles with The Champs plus early vocal cuts recorded under his real name of Danny Flores and recordings with rock 'n' roll and surf bands like The Originals, Contenders, Persuaders and others. 3 of the tracks are previously unissued.
CHUCK 'TEQUILA' RIO & THE CRESHENDOES: Kreshendo Stomp Aka Kahuna Stomp/ THE CHAMPS: El Rancho Rock/ Midnighter/ Tequila/ Tnt/ THE CONTENDERS: Wildman/ THE CRESHENDOES WITH CHUCK RIO [THE PERSUADE: Hanging Ten/ Surfer Strip/ DANNY BOY (VOCAL): Don't Go Baby/ DANNY FLORES (VOCAL): Worried, Restless And Sad/ You Are My Sunshine/ DANNY FLORES & THE FANS: Bruce/ DANNY FLORES (VOCAL): Crazy Street/ THE ORIGINALS: The Whip/ THE PERSUADERS FEATURING CHUCK 'TEQUILA' RIO: Caught In The Soup/ Gremmie Bread/ THE PERSUADERS FEATURING CHUCK 'TEQUILA' RI: Persuasion Aka Let's Go Surfin'/ Surfer's Lullaby/ Surfer's Nightmare/ Surfin' Blues/ THE PERSUADERS FEATURING CHUCK 'TEQUILA': Taking Off On A Wall/ The Raid/ Toes On The Nose/ CHUCK RIO: Antonillo/ Mama Inez/ CHUCK 'TEQUILA' RIO (VOCAL): Denise/ CHUCK RIO & THE ORIGINALS: C'est La Vie/ Margarita/ CHUCK 'TEQUILA' RIO (VOCAL): Bad Boy/ Call Me Baby

 
JOHNNY RIVERS Imperial 32819 Totally Live At The Whiskey A Go Go ● CD $18.98
Two live Lps on one CD.

 
THE RIVIERAS Norton 272 California Sun : Best Of The Rivieras ● CD $13.98
First, in-depth compilation of sides by this shortlived surf/ garage group from the midwest who, like many others, succumbed to the British Invasion. Includes hits, rare album tracks, singles and unissued sides. Includes the original 1963 version of their great California Sun, the 1965 remake plus Danny Boy/ Little Donna/ Church key/ let's Have A Party/ H.B. Goosestep/ Oh Boy/ Played On and more. Comes with booklet with extensive notes, interviews and rare photos.

 
MARTY ROBBINS Bear Family BCD 15566 Marty Robbins Sings - Rockin' Rollin' Robbins Vol. 1 ● CD $21.98
This is basically a reissue of BFX 15212 (LP) with two more songs (Call Me Up and the earliest track here, It's A Long, Long Ride), still covering his rockabilly, rock and uptempo country material recorded from 1953-1958. These 19 tracks, concentrate on the hard rockers such as his hit cover of Elvis's That's All Right (Mama), and his covers of Maybelline, Long Tall Sally, Bill Monroe's Footprints In the Snow (from 1958). Pain And Misery, his 1954 duet with Nashville session guitarist Ray Edenton is here along with other Marty originals like Mean Mama Blues, and the chaotic Tennessee Toddy. To round it out are Marty's 1956 crossover hits Singing the Blues and Knee Deep In The Blues, both Melvin Endsley compositions are also included. Unlike the LP version, this one includes notes by Colin Escott and complete discographical data. (RK)
MARTY ROBBINS: Baby, I Need You (Like You Need Me)/ Call Me Up (And I'll Come Calling On You)/ Footprints In The Snow/ I Can't Quit (I've Gone Too Far)/ It's A Long, Long Ride/ It's Driving Me Crazy/ Knee Deep In The Blues Blues/ Long Gone Lonesome Blues/ Long Tall Sally/ Maybelline/ Mean Mama Blues/ Mister teardrop/ Pain And Misery/ Pretty Mama/ Respectfully Miss Brooks/ Singing The Blues/ Tennessee Toddy/ That's All Right/ You Don't Owe Me A Thing

 
MARTY ROBBINS Bear Family BCD 15567 The Story Of My Life - Rockin' Rollin' Robbins, Vol. 2 ● CD $21.98
Marty Robbins was steamed when Columbia Records New York A & R man Mitch Miller had pop singer Guy Mitchell cover two of his hits, Singing The Blues and Knee Deep In the Blues, denying Marty the vast pop success that could have been his. Known for his hot temper as a teenager, this time he got mad with a purpose. The result? He came to New York in January, 1957 to record with Miller, with arrangements done by former big band trumpeter Ray Conniff, Guy Mitchell's arranger. The first session produced the megahit A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation). Over the next year and a half he would do four more sessions there, yielding a total of 16 songs, all of them compiled here as they were on the LP version (BFX 15105). Among them were The Story of My Life, one of the first hits for the legendary pop songwriting team of Hal David and Burt Bacharach. Most of this material was softer-edged teen fare yet most of these were both country and pop hits. So were Just Married, Stairway of Love, She Was Only Seventeen and Melvin Endsley's Ain't I The Lucky One. The Hanging Tree, from the movie of the same name, was recorded at their final session together in L. A. Sound is as you'd expect from Bear, notes include new interviews with both Mitch Miller and Conniff. Also includes complete discographical data. Those who know jazz will see such names among the backup players as guitarists Bucky Pizzarelli, Allan Reuss and Tony Rizzi and trumpeter Billy Butterfield. (RK)

 
MARTY ROBBINS Bear Family BCD 15569 Ruby Ann - Rockin' Rollin' Robbins, Vol. 3 ● CD $21.98
A CD reissue of BFX 15184, which brings together rock and pop tunes from Robbins's post-rockabilly and Ray Conniff periods. The material here ranges from 1959 to 1966 and wasn't quite on the level of the earlier sides, but rounds out the other two volumes. Several titles such as Sweet Cora, Ain't Life A Cryin' Shame and Silence And Tears were on Volume 5 of the Marty Robbins Files series. Two versions of his 1962 hit Ruby Ann, the hit and an alternate slower version with horns are included as are the previously included items like Teenager's Dad. More importantly, this CD also adds a number of songs not on the LP including an entire unissued 1959 session with Mitch Miller not included on BCD 15567 (with another unissued version of Cap And Gown, for those who have to have it all). A Whole Lot Easier and two takes of Hello Baby (Goodbye Baby) come from 1964, Baby's Gone from 1965 and You've Been So Busy Baby from 1966. (RK)

 
THE ROCK-A-TEENS Sparkletone 99015 Woo-Hoo & Other Classics ● CD $21.98
Everything you could possibly want by this vocal and instrumental quintet who hit it big in 1959 with the title tune. It includes their only album in both stereo an mono versions along with some alternate takes and false starts for a total of 34 tracks.

 
THE ROCKIN' REBELS Ace CDCHD 426 Tom Shannon Presents .. The Rockin' Rebels ● CD $18.98
27 tracks, 60 min., recommended At least half of the fun of this disc is reading the liner notes and discovering that the Rockin' Rebels were in fact three separate bands. And the title here, with its reference to DJ Tom Shannon, is no accident. He owned the group name and was the rather free-wheeling producer of its three different configurations. Meanwhile, the music itself, mostly sax-led instrumentals in the early 60's vein, ranges from the well known - like their hit, Wild Weekend, and the hits of others like Rumble/ Honky Tonk and Tequila - to the gimmicky - like Weekend Cha Cha/ Coconuts, and Happy Popcorn. It's all pleasant enough and nicely packaged by Ace with a fine cover photo of one of the performing ensembles, notes worthy of a music detective, and excellent sound quality. (DH)

 
TOMMY ROE MCA D 10884 Greatest Hits ● CD $9.98
18 tracks, 48 min., recommended
Another squeaky-clean pop singer who never quite became a household world, Roe scored big in '62 with his Buddy Holly-inspired Sheila and has kept it going to this very day ("100 shows in 1992" say the notes), though he hasn't dented the pop charts since '71 with Stagger Lee. Using these two songs as bookends, this collection fills in Roe's golden decade with a generous helping of his biggest hits, and there's nary a bad apple in the bunch. After several upbeat follow-ups to Sheila, Roe hit stride in the mid-sixties with back-to-back singles Sweet Pea and Honey For Hazel,2 great organ-fueled slices of near-bubblegum flavor. He proceeded in much the same kiddiepop vein throughout the rest of decade, producing such gems as Dottie I Like It (a thinly-disguised re-packaging of Sheila), Dizzy, Jam Up And Jelly Tight, and the very Partridge-ish Heather Honey, before succumbing to the "disco doomsday" (his phrase, not mine) and going country(!). Informative booklet, nice photos, too. (GDR)

 
WELDON ROGERS Bear Family BCD 16165 Trying To get To You ● CD $21.98
Rockabilly and country sides from 1955 to 1968 including duets with his wife Wanda, unissued sides cut at Normal Petty's studios and the rocking Everybody Wants You with a young Glenn Campbell on lead guitar.

 
ROSIE & THE ORIGINALS Ace CDCHD 738 The Best Of Rosie & The Originals ● CD $18.98
23 track collection featuring all the recordings made by Rosie for Highland and Brunswick between 1960 and 1962 including her all time classic recordings of Angel Baby plus 10 fine tracks from a previously unissued 1969 session where she does covers of favorites like There's No Other Like My Baby/ Confidential/ Happy Happy Birthday Baby, etc.

 
ROSIE & THE ORIGINALS Ace CDCHD 814 Angel Baby Revisited ● CD $18.98
After several months of delays this release is finally available featuring all of Rosie's remaining original 45s and Brunswick LP tracks along with more recent recordings. The recent recordings include a fine acapella version of the Shirelles classic Dedicated To The One I Love, a nice Spanish/ English version of Angel Baby, a fine verion of La Bamba with Ernie Valens and The Originals featuring some accordion and a disappointing acapella version of Angel Baby. There are reissues of very rare 45s from Globe and wax World which are not particularly good. Set has extensive notes by Opal Louis Nations along with some fine photos.

 
THE ROYAL TEENS ABC 1053 Believe Me ● CD $18.98
24 track collection - Short Shorts/ Little Trixie/ All Right Baby/ Was It A Dream/ Open The Door/ Not Meant For Lovers/ Believe Me/ Dottie Ann/ Wounded Heart/ My memories Of You/ My Kind Of Dream/ Little Cricket, etc.

 
THE ROYAL TEENS Collectables 5094 Short Shorts - Golden Classics ● CD $11.98

 
THE ROYALTONES/ THE RAMRODS Alvorado 6310121 Flamingo Express ● CD $18.98
25 tracks by The Royaltones, a fine instrumental group from Dearborn, Michigan including mono & stereo versions of their most popular tunes - Flamingo Express and Poor Boy. Also seven tracks by Conecticut instrumental group The Ramrods.

 
BOBBY RYDELL Famous Groove 971005 That Old Black Magic ● CD $18.98
Philadelphia pop-rocker does 30 songs - mostly pop standards - That Old Black Magic/ See See Rider/ One Last Kiss/ April Showers/ Frenesi/ This Could Be The Start Of Something Big/ Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams/ Ruby Ann/ Telstar/ Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder, etc.

 

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