Various Artists - The Golden Age of American Rock `n` Roll, Vol. 12

Artist:

Various Artists

UPC:

029667043120

Description:

The best series of compilation albums devoted to the first decade of rock & roll didn`t run out of steam at all upon reaching a dozen volumes, even though this installment has nothing by early rock`s top superstars. The 30 tracks cover all facets of rock & roll between 1956 and 1963, from rockabilly and Bo Diddley to electric blues that crossed over into the pop charts (Slim Harpo and John Lee Hooker), novelties (John Zacherle`s "Dinner with Drac, Pt. 1"), surf (Dick Dale), early Motown, early girl group, an early Phil Spector production, instrumentals, doo wop, and more. Yet this wide swath doesn`t come at the expense of quality, and in fact, quite a few of these tracks were big classic hits, like the Rays` "Silhouettes," Bill Justis` "Raunchy," Jimmy Jones` "Handy Man," Larry Williams` "Short Fat Fannie," the Marvelettes` "Please Mr. Postman," the Dovells` "Bristol Stomp," Conway Twitty`s "Lonely Blue Boy," and Jerry Butler`s "He Will Break Your Heart." Some of the not-so-big hits were classics, too, like Diddley`s "Roadrunner," Arthur Alexander`s early soul heartbreaker "You Better Move On," LaVern Baker`s "Saved," the "5" Royales` "Think," the Righteous Brothers` "Little Latin Lupe Lu," and James Ray`s "If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody." For the fans who have everything, or think they have everything, there are some singles that didn`t make much of a mark but carry some historical interest, like Etta & Harvey`s "If I Can`t Have You" (a duet between Harvey Fuqua of the Moonglows and Etta James); the Velaires` adequately energetic 1961 version of "Roll Over Beethoven," the first Chuck Berry cover to make the Top 100; Marvin Rainwater`s "Whole Lotta Woman," a huge hit in the U.K. even though it peaked at a mere number 60 in the singer`s native U.S., and Bobby Gregg & His Friends` "The Jam, Pt. 1," featuring stinging guitar by a young Roy Buchanan. It`s true the most obscure cuts don`t tend to be close to the same level of quality as the big hits and classics, but they don`t seriously impair the listenability of another fine volume of this excellent series, which is supplemented by superbly detailed liner notes. ~ Richie Unterberger

Track Listing:

DISC 1

1. Road Runner - Bo Diddley
2. Bad Motorcycle - The Storey Sisters
3. Raunchy - Bill Justis
4. Silhouettes - The Rays
5. Handy Man - Jimmy Jones
6. If You Gotta Make A Fool Of Somebody - James Ray
7. Brisol Stomp - The Dovells
8. Rainin` In My Heart - Slim Harpo
9. Short Fat Fannie - Larry Williams
10. Dinner With Drac - John Zacherle
11. Back To School Again - Timmie "Oh Yeah!" Rogers
12. Little Latin Lupe Lu - The Righteous Brothers
13. If I Can`t Have You - Etta & Harvey
14. Think - The "5" Royales
15. Lonely Blue Boy - Conway Twitty
16. Butterfly - Charlie Gracie
17. Please Mr Postman - The Marvelettes
18. Let The Four Winds Blow - Roy Brown
19. Whole Lotta Woman - Marvin Rainwater
20. Let`s Go Trippin` - Dick Dale & the Del-Tones
21. He Will Break Your Heart - Jerry Butler
22. Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker
23. You Better Move On - Arthur Alexander
24. Saved - LaVern Baker
25. There`s No Other (Like My Baby) - The Crystals
26. Roll Over Beethoven - The Velaires
27. Dedicated (To The Songs I Love) - Three Friends
28. Jam, The - Bobby Gregg & His Friends
29. Come To Me - Marv Johnson
30. Every Day I Have To Cry - Steve Alaimo

Album Information

Release Date:

01/31/2011

Type:

Collection

Genre:

Oldies

Subgenre:

Doowop

Label:

Ace (Label)

Catalog Number:

CDCHD 1280

Original Release Year:

2010

# of Discs:

1

Studio/Live:

Studio

Mono/Stereo:

Stereo

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