CD
Näytetään tulokset 1–24 / 10404
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Leigh Brennen - Obsessed With The West (Feat. ASleep At the Wheel) (CD)
€20,00Quick View’I’ve been obsessed with western swing since I was a kid, and it’s always been an influence, but my records in the past have ranged from bluegrass to hard country to folk, So I’ve never fully explored it.’ So says genre-busting Fargo-born, Austin- incubated, Nashville resident Brennen Leigh, whose new collaboration with the kings of modern-day western swing, Asleep at the Wheel, Obsessed With The West, is a showcase not just for the Bob Wills fans, but for anyone who’s ever curled up with Loretta Lynn, Hank Sr., Cindy Walker, Billie Holiday, or Willie Nelson. On twelve all original songs, Leigh’s supple winking voice and multi-instrument fluency, her interplay with Ray Benson, and the undeniable chops of the Wheel serve up a treat on Leigh’s seventh album. With cameos from Emily Gimble and Katie Shore, and all the players getting their moments in the sun, Leigh – a two-time winner of the Texas Music Awards Best Female Vocalist award – demonstrates on the terrific jump 40’s rhythm and blues, ’Comin’ in Hot’ and the lonesome cowboy musing of ’Riding Off Onto Sunset Boulevard’ why Rodney Crowell and Lee Ann Womack have recorded her songs. Obsessed With The West is a celebration of music for music’s sake in 2022, not just an exercise in looking back on times gone by.
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Various - Dance Crazy A Rama (CD)
€15,00Quick ViewAtomicat Records have expanded the Bop, Jive, and Stroll -A-Rama series and added several new concepts to the series, and Dance Craze -A- Rama Atomicat (ACCD114) inaugurates the additions. The album is stuffed full of thematic dance-craze songs which are embellished with catchy tempos even though many of the titles were one-off attempts by the artist to create a hit, and become as popular as the Twist.”
During Dance Craze -A- Rama Atomicat 01 (ACCD0116) you will come across twenty-eight thematic songs, with a pleasing dance tempo, several of the titles entered the hot 100 charts, although many of the titles were one-off attempts by the artist to create a hit, and become as popular as the Twist (see Twist -A- Rama Volume One ACCD075).
Within Dance Craze -A-Rama there are dance-floor fillers in several genres sourced from the golden years 1957 through to 1963. The fun begins with The Isley Brothers frat-house classic Shout performed by Italian legend Dion. Chubby Checker redrafts The Hucklebuck into his elegance, and Steve Alaimo revises Lee Dorseys’ classic Ya, Ya with a softer sound which was aimed at the teenagers of the time. Ace Holder returns to life a song from 1937 and credits himself with creating the Wabba Suzy Q. Should you be confined to home or sitting in a very small venue then The Johnny Otis Show present a gentleman who dances with his hands, Willie And The Hand Jive, and The Isley Brothers make an appearance doing The Drag. Love is in the air for The Crystals who secured a date, Da Doo Ron Ron (When He Walked Me Home), Dee Dee Sharp wants a sauce for her starchy food, Gravy (For My Mashed Potatoes), Kenny Hamber and David Robertson’s Combo, Do The Hully Gully, and to close the fun Sylvie Vartan happily sings in her mother tongue Dansons (Let’s Dance).
Of these featured recordings, a handful most certainly caught the record-buying public’s attention, and undeniably they are all A grade titles and perfect for listening and dancing pleasure. Atomicat Records always endeavours to use some lesser-known and for some, perhaps more obscure titles and add something unexpected to every album.
The series is compiled by Dee Jay Mark Armstrong and topped off with the best possible sound quality from our mastering team at our El Paso, Texas, Studio. The top-quality eco-friendly cardboard sleeve is specially designed to avoid the use of plastic and be environmentally friendly. The album is lavishly decorated by design artist and working musician Henrique San. The twenty-eight dance-floor-fillers are perfect for; Dee Jays, home listening, or cruising around. All that remains is to say, “crank up the volume and dig these musical gems.
You are listening to music from the past and preserving the future! Atomicat Records “Often imitated, never duplicated”
Dee Jay Mark Armstrong Bühl, Germany -
Various - Sadie’s Gentlemen’s Club V5 – Branded (CD)
€15,00Quick View“Atomicat Records with permission from Sadie the mysterious owner and mistress of The Gentlemen’s Club are making the music played at the venue referred to as “The House Of Sin” available to the public. During Visit 05 – Branded you will absorb the thirty songs which will enter your heart.”
The album undeniably includes styles associated with our labels Atomicat and Koko Mojo, specifically greasy rhythm and blues and rock ’n’ roll, and within the series, we include songs that are more fitting to a late-night rendezvous club. You will encounter and absorb yourself into the genres of; titty-shakers, popcorn, twist, pop, exotica, space-age, swing, and blues. The concept is presented Atomicat style ”loud, pulsating and vibrant” and sourced from the years 1947 onwards with most of the sounds being from the mid-1950s music through to 1963.
le rendezvous à la Maison du rouge known as Sadie’s Gentlemen’s Club aka The House of Sin – Visit 05 – Branded – Atomicat Records (ACCD110) the message is Teach Me Tonight.
The sensual feelings discovered during Visit 05 – Branded are focusing on the intention to gain satisfaction; Ernie Freeman, The Stripper, Otis Rush, I’m Satisfied, Mickey and Sylvia, A New Idea On Love, and Dinah Washington, Teach Me Tonight. There is some cheating going on, Charlie Blackwell, The Girl Of My Best Friend, The Hollywood Chicks find a playboy, Hey, Little Gigolo, and there is a hint of desperation from Gloria Irving, I Need A Man.
The album’s title Branded is performed by Richie Robin and other artists fully in love include; Magnificent Seven, Baby Doll, Roy Hamilton, A Great Romance, The Flamingos, Nobody Loves Me Like You, and Marilyn Monroe, I Wanna Be Loved By You.
For fun and frolics you will get low down and groovy to the sounds of; Berna-Dean, One Gal In Town, Five Men Hanging Around, Chance Halladay, 13 Women, Ray Charles and Orchestra, Kissa Me Baby, The Drifters, I’ll Take You Home, and for reminiscing fun, Chubby Checker, Dancin’ Party.
Every album has thirty recordings remastered Atomic style which is clear, vibrant and the music is carefully collected throughout the series to offer vibrant and diverse sounds from the numerous musical genres.The series is the brainchild of Dee Jay Mark Armstrong and has the expected vibrant Atomic remastered sound from The Studio That Time Forgot, El Paso, Texas, and the package is brought to life with wonderful illustrations from Gito Lima.
Dee Jay Mark Armstrong Bühl, Germany -
Various - Rhythm & Blues Goes Rock & Roll 2 – Rock And Roll Music (CD)
€15,00Quick View“Rhythm & Blues Goes Rock & Roll Volume Two – Rock And Roll Music – Atomicat Records (ACCD102) looks at Caucasian men and women from differing music backgrounds who covered R&B songs in their own style. The music within Rock And Roll Music is sourced from the golden years of 1954 through to 1963, from labels large and small. The 28-song album is stuffed full of American and Australian Rockers, with numerous artists being mostly unknown, but not lacking in star quality. The albums are perfect for collectors who wish to own a more diverse range of songs, and those who enjoy dancing.”
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Various - Twist A Rama (CD)
€15,00Quick ViewAtomicat Records have expanded the Bop, Jive, and Stroll-A-Rama series, and Twist-A- Rama Atomicat (ACCD075) is a new addition to the series. There are twenty-eight enjoyable twisting songs for those who enjoy dancing and losing their cares. Competing for the crown of King or Queen of the Twist are both known and unknown artists.
You will hear during Twist -A- Rama Atomicat 01 (ACCD075) twenty-eight enjoyable twisting songs for those who enjoy dancing and losing their cares. Competing for the crown of King or Queen of the Twist are both known and unknown artists.
The invitation to begin gyrating up and down and swivelling the hips followed by a turnaround spin is throughout the album and the following artists all have that twisting sensation in their songs. Hank Ballard wrote and originally recorded The Twist, although it was used as a B-side of Teardrops On Your Letter, and his 1958 version is featured within the album. Thematic titles about love and twisting are from, Jack Hammer, Kissin’ Twist, and Ronnie and The Hi Lites, Twistin’ And Kissin’. Saxophonist King Curtis with His Combo provides two infectious twisting rockers The Peppermint Twist and The Arthur Murray Twist, with an uncredited vocal from Don Covay. The fabulous guitarist Grady Martin with heavy use of fuzz-tone invites you to Twist And Turn, blues music legend Muddy Waters joins in on the fun with his self-tribute Muddy Waters Twist, and The Champs rework their first hit as Tequila Twist.The unexpected titles come from; Johnny Hallyday with his French language version of Twisting The Night Away, which becomes a Laissez-nous twister, and the Sam Cooke connection continues with Johnnie Morisette and his invitation to Meet Me At The Twistin’ Place. The Royal Teens update an old hit and Short Shorts becomes Short Short Twist, and the Latins provide the zany Habibi Twist. Jo Ann Campbell sings, Let Me Do My Twist, Linda Hopkins is dancing with her mother, Mama’s Doin’ The Twist, and Kay Armen declares, I Wanna Twist. A handful of songs omit the word twist from the title but are nonetheless twist tunes and featured are; Chuck Berry, I’m Talking About You, U.S. Bonds, New Orleans, and Chubby Checker with Bobby Rydell, My Baby Cares For Me. The Tornadoes (vocal) Kay Charles end the twisting around the floor fun with Tornado Twist.
Due to the fickle nature of the record-buying public, only a few artists hit the big-time, nonetheless, the non- hit-making titles are as good as the known hits. The music on the album is not ostensibly collector direction obscure, the songs are ideal for all-around listening. Be it, cruising down the highway, entertaining friends at home, or due to the clear Atomicat mastering blasting from the speakers at your record hop of choice.
The series is compiled by Dee Jay Mark Armstrong and topped off with the best possible sound quality from our mastering team at our El Paso, Texas, Studio. The top-quality eco-friendly cardboard sleeve is specially designed to avoid the use of plastic and be environmentally friendly. The album is lavishly decorated by design artist and working musician Henrique San. The twenty-eight dance-floor-fillers are perfect for; Dee Jays, home listening, or cruising around. All that remains is to say, “Crank up the volume and dig these musical gems.You are listening to music from the past and preserving the future! Atomicat Records “Often imitated, never duplicated”
Dee Jay Mark Armstrong Bühl, Germany -
Various - Rhythm & Western Vol. 2 – Your Cheatin’ Heart (CD)
€15,00Quick ViewWe’re kicking off with a fabulous version of Hank Snow’s ”I’m Moving On” by Clyde McPhatter, right before getting to ”Whiskey, Women & Loaded Dice” by Joe Liggins. Damita Jo gives us an up-tempo version of Hank Williams’s classic ”Jambalaya” and Ike Turner goes back to his Country & Western roots in ”Going Home.” Bobby Hebb delivers a cool version of the C&W standard ”Night Train To Memphis” penned and first recorded by Roy Acuff but also recorded by Red Foley, Grandpa Jones, Webb Pierce, Floyd Cramer, and a myriad of other artists. Low Rawls & The Pilgrim Travelers with ”If He Holds Your Hand” are the perfect example of how much Country & Western was influenced by Black Gospel. The infamous Hank Penny Western Swing tune ”Catch Em Young, Treat Em Rough, Tell Em Nothin’” is cleverly revisited here by Mabel Scott. I think Cecil Gant’s version of ”Goodnight, Irene” is one of my favourites. More bronze hillbilly ditties by Billy Bland and Little Mac followed by an incredible version of ”Got You On My Mind” by Brook Benton (a song also recorded by Webb Pierce, Jim Reeves, Hawkshaw Hawkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Kitty Wells, Buck Owens and a buttload of other singers). More greatness from Ray Charles with his take of ”It Makes No Difference Now” (Gene Autry, Merle Haggard, Ernest Tubb etc.) and Ivory Joe Hunter with his ”I Almost Lost My Mind”. A change of pace with the Lovers (”I Wanna Be Loved”) and a nice R&B rendition of Jimmie Davies’s classic ”You Are My Sunshine”. Lazy Lester gives a swamp blues treatment to ”I Hear You Knocking” (originally written as a C&W song by his producer JD Miller) and Little Esther magically turns Jim Reeve’s Country hit “Am I Easy To Forget” into R&B without really changing much. Arthur Alexander is next with an excellent version of Johnny Bond’s ”I Wonder Where You Are Tonight” a song also recorded by Hank Snow, The Louvin Brothers, Porter Wagoner, Flatt & Scruggs, Ernest Tubb, Bill Monroe, and many, many more. I believe ”Long Gone” is the only Western song Eartha Kitt ever recorded but I may be wrong, the great King Curtis gives an unexpected ”Stand By Me” treatment to ”Your Cheatin’ Heart” and it really works. I’m convinced that ”Don’t Break This Heart Of Mine” by Jimmy Beasley and ”Farewell” by Willy & Ruth would have been C&W hits done by Country artists. More ”Country & Western-sounding” Black Gospel with ”Wade In The Water” by The Soul Stirrers. Hank Ballard & The Midnighters go C&W trying their hand at Buck Owens’ hit song ”Excuse Me (I’ve Got A Heartache)” and I must confess I like what they have done with it. A second helping of Little Esther this time doing Hank Williams’ ”Why Should We Try Anymore” followed by a boss version of Hank Thompson’s ”Humpty Dumpty Heart” by Elton Anderson. I always thought ”I Burned Your Letter” by Ruth Brown was a C&W tune that got labeled as ”R&B” because of Ruth’s skin color. I’m glad I could include the song in this volume. It was actually one of the very first ones I thought of when I started to work on this series. The closing number is the classic Western tune ”Cigarettes, Whusky, and Wild, Wild Women” by The Big Three Trio. The Nashville songwriter Tim Spencer penned this song in 1947 and first recorded it with his group Sons of the Pioneers. the song is titled either Cigareets, Whuskey, and Wild, Wild Women or Cigarettes, Whiskey, and Wild, Wild Women. and has been recorded by numerous artists. Country & Western fans probably remember the version recorded by Buck Owens.
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Coffinshakers - The Curse of the Coffinshakers 1996-2016 (3CD Boxset) (CD)
€36,00Quick ViewIlmestyy myös CD boxina (19.08.2022)
CD box set, thick booklet
Formed in 1995 in Karlstad, Sweden by Rob Coffinshaker, these graveyard country pioneers have been steadily putting out records, most of which have now become highly sought-after collector items. The Coffinshakers successfully merged the imagery of German expressionist cinema with traditional country sounds of Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash, occasionally flirting with Ennio Morricone -style melodies and the 60’s surf-garage sounds of The Ventures. Topped with full-bodied lyrics and Rob Coffinshaker’s haunting, low register voice, this combination gained them a cult following in the late 90’s and 2000’s, and they even creeped up to the Finnish top 40 with their self-titled album in 2007.
Svart Records are proud to announce the official Coffinshakers reissues, which have been in the works for a couple of years now. These reissues include the full length albums We Are The Undead (1998) and The Coffinshakers (2007). This deluxe CD box includes both albums, a bonus disc (From the Crypt – Rare and Unreleased) and a thick booklet with a lengthy interview and archive material. The bonus disc is only available in the box set and includes rare compilation tracks, EP releases and a handful of unreleased tunes from Rob Coffinshaker’s personal vaults.
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Raccoons - Panic (CD)
€15,00Quick ViewWhen Tasmanian rockers The Raccoons first hit the scene, it was 1987 and the world was a very different place. Inspired by English Teddy Boy bands and pub rockers like Dr Feelgood, they were a band in a league of their own, championing a unique blend of rockabilly blues and old school rock ‘n’ roll that still stands to this day. In 2012, the band reformed with newfound vigour, catching the ear of Raucous Records, and going on to release a string of impressive releases such as their official and long-awaited debut album, ‘All Draped Up’.
Described as “a 100 mile an hour modern Rockabilly British Teddy boy rock and roll thriller” by the likes of Slap That Bass, that album set a standard that The Raccoons have been keen to break, and one their sophomore record, ‘Panic’, they’ve done just that.
A titanic sixteen-track release that simply refuses to quit, ‘Panic’ is a rockabilly juggernaut that hits the ground running and never once pauses for breath. Armed with all the trademark sounds of classic rockabilly music, the teddy boy four-piece waste no time in making their mark, delivering a stellar opening cut in ‘Hot Rod Dawn’, a fiery track the emerges from the sweet sounds of engines revving and some thunderous percussive beats. As the track builds, the boys unleash a timeless medley of rhythm guitar, upright bass, and some self-assured vocals, laying a steady foundation with a strong automotive anthem.
As the album progresses, highlights abound in tracks like ‘Crazy Days, Crazy Nights’, ‘Electro Shock Boogie’, and the quickfire ‘Black Knight Satellite’, cementing the band’s sound and delivering plenty of intense rhythms and sharp vocal twangs that bring the 1950’s back to your stereo. Elsewhere, there’s plenty to love and admire about the album, with the band hitting their stride and delivering one bash, lively anthem after another. Tracks like ‘Torpedo Alley’, ‘You’ve Got It’, and ‘Shop Girl’ break the mould and add some clever, textured twists to the mix, while the title track arrives a sharp, string-slapping blend of the two styles, conjuring up gorgeous shades of the original rockabilly scene.
A titanic release that defiantly stands apart from the crowd, ‘Panic’ is the beating heart of yesteryear dragged into the modern age, and it’s an absolute joy to hear. Filled with fast-paced, toe-tapping, and wonderfully authentic anthems about cars, girls, and everything in between, ‘Panic’ is an album that Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, and Carl Perkins would be proud of.
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Midland - The Last Resort: Greetings From (CD)
€20,00Quick ViewMidland – ”The Last Resort: Greetings From” – Midland likes their music straight-up. Hardcore country, the kind you find in forgotten bars in Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, wherever the neon’s buzzing, but not quite dead. The Grammy-nominated trio plots a resurgence of their thick harmonies, tart lyrics and steel guitar with The Last Resort: Greetings From. Unfiltered, they want their country 120 proof. Whether it’s a cheating song, a heartbreak ballad or a shoot-out-the-lights romper, they savor the emotions with a gusto unseen for decades.
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Nelson Willie - A Beautiful Time (CD)
€18,00Quick ViewWillie is back with his 72nd solo studio album. A full-fledged album of new studio material produced with long-time collaborator Buddy Cannon, it comes on Willie’s 89th birthday and shows off just how prolific he continues to be as the album includes some of his finest songwriting and performances in years! The 14 tracks include five amazing new Willie Nelson/Buddy Cannon compositions, new songs from Chris Stapleton & Rodney Crowell (the first single ”I’ll Love You Till The End Of Time”) and a cadre of top Nashville songwriters, plus a couple of plum covers by Leonard Cohen (”Tower Of Song”) and The Beatles (”With A Little Help From My Friends”) given expert interpretation by Willie.
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Old Crow Medicine Show - Paint This Town (CD)
€20,00Quick ViewOn Paint This Town, Old Crow Medicine Show offers a riveting glimpse into American mythology and the wildly colorful characters who populate it. Co-produced by OCMS and Matt Ross-Spang, the album pays homage to everyone from Elvis Presley to Eudora Welty while shedding a bright light on the darker aspects of the country’s legacy. Fueled by Old Crow’s freewheeling collision of Americana, old-time music, folk and rock & roll, Paint This Town turns razor-sharp commentary into rapturous sing-alongs.
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Wayne Dallas - Coldwater, Tennessee (CD)
€18,00Quick ViewDallas Wayne is a singer, songwriter, radio DJ, voice actor, actor and music producer. He considers himself lucky to be able to make a living doing things he loves. Some would say that has more to do with talent than luck.
He has performed throughout North America and Europe and has released 12 albums of his own, and appeared on various compilations and band recordings, including the TwangBangers, Heybale! and a Grammy-nominated bluegrass album with Special Consensus.Dallas released his album Coldwater, Tennessee through the BFD/Audium Nashville label in April 2022. Produced by Buddy Cannon (Willie Nelson, Kenny Chesney), this album of original compositions includes several co-writes with longtime collaborator Robbie Fulks and one track co-written with Buddy Cannon and Country Music Hall Of Famer Whisperin’ Bill Anderson – two of Dallas’ songwriting heroes.
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Mahal Taj & Cooder Ry - Get On Board (CD)
€20,00Quick ViewNearly sixty years after they first played together, Ry Cooder and Taj Mahal, longtime friends and collaborators, reunite with an album of music from two Piedmont blues masters who have inspired them all their lives: GET ON BOARD: THE SONGS OF SONNY TERRY & BROWNIE MCGHEE.
With Taj Mahal on vocals, harmonica, guitar, and piano and Cooder on vocals, guitar, mandolin, and banjo—joined by Joachim Cooder on drums and bass—the duo recorded eleven songs drawn from recordings and live performances by Terry and McGhee, who they both first heard as teenagers in California.
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Johnny Littlejohn & J.B. Hutto - Slide ’em On Down: Chicago Slide Guitar 1966-1992 (2CD) (CD)
€29,90Quick View”People was coming from places like Joliet, Chicago Heights, different places, they’d listen, they’d sit there and drink, they’d listen to me.” Johnny Littlejohn ”Johnny Littlejohn was a dazzling slide guitarist heavily influenced by Elmore James. His versatility and professionalism made him popular on the Chicago blues scene.” James Segrest & Mark Hoffman ”Today’s blues in the small bars still draws strength from the slide guitar style, whose shrill whine rings loud and clear from the taverns. Homesick James, J.B. Hutto, Hound Dog Taylor and David ’Honeyboy’ Edwards have always played with a slide. But a newer name is Johnny Littlejohn (John Funchess) from Lake, Mississippi, who although part of the Gary scene in the early ’50s, when he played with John Brim as well as with Jimmy Reed and Eddie Taylor had to wait until 1965* to get on record.” Mike Rowe, ’Chicago Breakdown’ Like many Chicago bluesmen, Johnny’s first 45s were recorded for small labels and when Mike Rowe wrote ’Chicago Breakdown’ in 1973 Johnny Littlejohn was still seen as a ’newer name’. Yet he had recorded a well-received album for Arhoolie Records – ’Chicago Blues Stars’ five years earlier. He had also tried out for Chess Records in 1969 (although the session remained in the can), tracks from his Arhoolie album appeared on blues compilations and he had a solid reputation among African Americans who still bought blues records and frequented Chicago’s blues clubs, bars and lounges.
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Zito Mike - Blues For The Southside (2CD) (CD)
€25,00Quick ViewRecorded on November 26, 2021, at the Old Rock House in St. Louis, Missouri, and produced by Mike Zito, Blues for the Southside showcases Zito (guitar, vocals) and his stellar band in full fury with special guests Tony Campanella, Dave Kalz and guitar wizard Eric Gales. The set list for that special night included tunes from Mike’s earlier albums and his tributes to Chuck Berry, Jimi Hendrix and Steve Ray Vaughan.
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Quinn David - Country Fresh (CD)
€18,00Quick Viewnspired by an old ashtray he found in a Nashville emporium, inscribed with a label that read “Country Fresh”, David Quinn found the impetus to sum up his feelings about the grandeur of America’s vast heartland.
Having left his Midwestern environs to live in the country and isolate himself at the peak of the pandemic, he allowed nostalgia to take hold and reconnect him with the muse he was motivated by initially. A purveyor of a sound fondly referred to as “Black Dirt country music”, he created songs seeped in everyday circumstance, shared from the perspective of those who experience life’s highs and lows through both discovery and desire.
Country Fresh reaffirms Quinn’s uncompromising everyman attitude. While some tend to compare him to John Prine — after all, both were born in Chicago and each tends to take the same approach to humor and happenstance — Quinn tends to fall prey to disappointment and despair more frequently.
He surveys the path forward with dire circumspect on the aching ballad ‘Long Road’ and shares his search for satisfaction with ‘I Just Want to Feel Alright’, shading the songs with a vulnerability that often verges on despair. Indeed, honesty is essential here, giving Quinn a well-rounded appeal that makes any challenge as pertinent as his triumphs.
That said, Quinn is mostly a celebratory sort. The rousing refrains that soar through the title track, the double time tempo of ‘Low Down’ and the effusive enthusiasm he shares in both ‘Boy From Illinois’ and ‘Heartland’ — two obvious odes to his original environs — make his contentment clear.
Likewise, the upbeat appeal of ‘Cornbread and Chili’ and the steady stomp of ‘Grassy Trails’ assert a certain satisfaction in the life he’s been destined to lead. That’s never more evident than in the ebullient strains of ‘Easy Life the Breeze,’ a song flush with the joys of a life spurred by desire and determination. So too, when he shares a story about his grandfather, the man that inspired him to follow his dreams, with the album’s final entry, ‘Hummingbird’s Song’, the listener is left with a clear understanding of Quinn’s essential early inspiration.
Quinn enlists an exceptional group of musicians to complete his task, among them Nashville veteran Fats Kaplan, a player who takes the lead in several of these songs. Kaplan’s versatility on fiddle, banjo and dobro adds extra illumination to many of these melodies, and in so doing, underscores the ebullience and exuberance shared throughout. Quinn himself is a decidedly understated singer, his matter-of-fact delivery ensuring that the scenarios he sings about state a case, sans posturing or pretense.
Ultimately, that makes Country Fresh a more nuanced narrative, one that’s both revelatory and revealing in its tone and temperament. So, while the comparisons to certain rugged forebears may seem inevitable, it’s a pretty good bet that Mr. Prine would be proud.
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Lewis Jerry Lee - It Won’t Happen With Me – The Singles 1960-1962 Plus (CD)
€13,00Quick ViewAt the time of writing these sales notes, Jerry Lee Lewis is the ’last man standing’ of the original 1950s Rock ’n’ Roll giants. He may no longer be working, but over a recording career that has spanned seven decades he has amassed a vast catalogue of repertoire and a formidable number of hits across most of his career. An iconic and unique artist whose music will sustain and be enjoyed for decades to come, many will tell you he was never better than when his career was under the supervision of Sam Phillips, founder of the legendary Sun label of Memphis, between 1956 and 1963.
Most JLL compilations go heavy on The Killer’s 50s repertoire and recycle his big hits of the rock ’n’ roll years ad infinitum. ’It Won’t Happen With Me’ begins where they end and features the A and B side of almost every 45 that he released between the beginning of 1960 and the end of 1962, including the piano instrumentals that came out under the pseudonym of ’The Hawk’. It also included five bonus tracks that were issued for the first time on his only album of the period, ’Jerry Lee’s Greatest’. While many of the tracks still rock, they show that Jerry Lee was also not averse to trying his hand at R&B, early Motown, straight pop or the country music that would regenerate his career later in the 1960s, in an attempt to sustain a career in the era of ’teenage idols’ like Frankie Avalon and Fabian.
Jerry Lee was always up for a musical challenge and he met most of them head on, without any real regard for the commercial potential of the outcome but making some of the best music of his career in the process of meeting them. ’It Won’t Happen With Me’ more than bears this out. There may not be a ’Whole Lotta Shakin’ or ’Great Balls Of Fire’-sized hit here, but there are plenty of tracks that could and should have been just as big, and that are just as classic in their own way.
Remastered as always from the best possible sources, with detailed annotation on the period this collection covers, it’s a fascinating look at and a rewarding listen to an era of Jerry Lee known mostly to only his most ardent fans, until now.
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Genies / Don & Juan - Who’s That Knocking / What’s Your Name (CD)
€13,00Quick ViewTHE GENIES were a short-lived DooWop group who dented the US Top 100 in 1959 with their very first release, ’Who’s That Knocking’, and ceased trading a year or so later after cutting a handful of 45s.
DON & JUAN were a DooWop vocal duo who registered a massive, million-selling hit with ’What’s Your Name’ in early 1962, but were unlucky with follow-ups.
The link between The Genies and Don & Juan was the lead voice of Claude Johnson, a vastly underrated singer and above average songwriter who, despite these two brushes with success, remains something of a mystery man.
The Genies’ other ’main man’ was singer Roy Charles Hammond, who later became well known as Roy ’C’.
This compilation anthologises all the known recordings of The Genies and Don & Juan to the end of 1962, and also features a couple of Hammond’s spinoff Genies-oriented projects.
These sides are all collectors’ rarities, many of which are hard to find elsewhere on CD.
