Warren Smith
SO LONG, I’M GONE: THE
COMPLETE SINGLES AS & BS
JASMINE
A fine overview of a rockabilly
pioneer on the Sun label that fame
chose to swerve. His cut of
Rock’n’Roll Ruby was a local
best-seller, and he went on to cut
classics like Ubangi Stomp, Miss
Froggie and Red Cadillac And A
Black Moustache, included among
the 33 tracks here. Sadly, he was
not able to turn a strong voice,
great material, and good looks into
a lucrative career, and sadly died at
the age of 47. His recorded legacy,
the complete singles 1956-1962, is a
worthy epitaph.
Snooks Eaglin
NEW ORLEANS STREET SINGER
JASMINE
A double CD covering much of the
recorded career of a Crescent City
native who went from singing on
the street to the recording studio
with the late, great Dave
Bartholomew at the controls.
His busking career, represented in
full, had him performing acoustic
blues standards like Careless Love,
Rock Island Line and See See Rider.
When Dave got him in the studio,
he was cutting R&B and swamp-
pop, with full band backing. Both
sides of Snooks are well worth a
listen, and you have a full 45
tracks here.
Julius La Rosa
THE SINGLES COLLECTION
1953-1962
ACROBAT
--
Julius is best remembered in the UK
for the hit Torero (“I met him on a
bus in Barcelona/ Then we started
talking/ But he did all the
talking...”). In the States, however,
he had consistent MOR hits with
show tunes like Suddenly There’s A
Valley, and was known for his
smooth and sophisticated style, the
Cat’s Pyjamas for the early 50s.
This is a double CD with 56 tracks
covering his time with Cadence and
RCA, with a sleeve photo that shows
the otherwise unseen Julius was
quite a Leonardo DiCaprio lookalike.Leroy Van Dyke
THE COMPLETE RELEASES
1956-1962
ACROBAT
---
With the benefit of hindsight,
Leroy Van Dyke was clearly a
country singer, but with novelty cuts
like The Auctioneer and million-
sellers like Walk On By, he was
regarded by record buyers in his
heyday as a quality pop artist. This
double CD has a generous 42 tracks,
and covers Leroy’s career with the
Dot and Mercury labels. He enjoyed
hits on both sides of the Atlantic,
and had a distinctive, sometimes
relaxing voice – if you don’t include
the frenetic, high-speed Auctioneer
in that bracket.Good Rockin’ Tonight
HOW BEAUTIFUL WAS THAT!!
GRT
-----
Always smartly turned out, totally professional, and with an ear for a
commercial rock’n’roll number, Good Rockin’ Tonight have established
themselves as one of the busiest bands on the rock’n’roll circuit.
Fronted by the multi-talented Mark Keeley, with able support from
seasoned guitarist and backing vocalist John O’Malley, not to mention
drummer Darren Leggatt, they offer a mix of originals and well-
chosen covers from a variety of sources.
Of the originals, Flyin’ High, second track in, is Haley in style, with
the group obviously aware of the growing taste for swing-style music
in the clubs. Best, though, is the title track, written by Mark Keeley
and performed Presley-style, with Mark’s own piano more to the
fore than Elvis himself would not have permitted Floyd Cramer.
A brilliant rocker.
Did I say diverse? Covers
include material from The
Mavericks, Shakin’ Stevens,
and even The Drifters’
Adorable, and to take on a
number exquisitely sung
by Clyde McPhatter in the
first place requires a great
deal of confidence, and
considerable vocal skills.
Mark nails it.Shirley And Lee
THE COMPLETE SINGLES AS & BS: 1952-62
ACROBAT
-----
Teenage vocal duo from New Orleans Shirley Goodman and Leonard
Lee had a lot going for them in the 50s. They wrote their own catchy
numbers and both had distinctive voices. Oh, and the musicians
who played on all of Little Richard and Fats Domino’s hits were
omnipresent in Cosimo Matassas’ studio where they cut most of
their sides.
You may know them best for the million-selling Let The Good
Times Roll, but that anthem is only part of their story. They started
as early as 1950 and by 1952 were placing recordings on the sepia
charts, well in advance of most of the recognised pioneers
of rock’n’roll.
And rock’n’roll they were, and if you don’t believe me, check out
the unbeatable 1954 cut Keep On.
This is a double CD
covering the decade
from 1952, with a
generous 62 tracks
covering their time
recording for Aladdin,
Imperial, Warwick and
other imprints and not a
duff one amongst them.
Shirley re-emerged in
1975 with the disco cut
Shame, Shame, Shame.CD Album Reviews