Virgil, Auteur à the rockabilly chronicle

Lew Phillips

4 May 20149 September 2024

Reviews

Lew Phillips – s/t

Rhythm Bomb – RBR 5782
Fallin’ In Love Is Easy – Marie-Lou -Laurie-Anne -Be My Baby – Tell Me Why – In The Night -Your Love -Hey Baby -My Little Woman -You’re The One -On My Way -Love Makes Me Feel Blue -What Have You Done -Rock With Me Baby -Mister Colter

Lew Phillips is a young rocker from Canada. After one ep and one single on Wild Records, Rhythm Bomb presents his debut album with 15 self-penned songs. Beside singing lead, Phillips also plays lead and acoustic guitar. The other musicians are Dominic Simard and Eddy Blake Eaton on bass and Michel Dagenais (Howlin’ Hound Dogs) who plays drums, bass, piano, organ. He is also credited for producing, recording and mixing the record.
Phillips has a good voice and obviously Buddy Holly had a major influence on his musical development (and probably still have). One can find and hear the same inflections and hiccups in his voice. The songs are in adequation with the voice and often sound like some Holly’s long lost recordings. Other influences that can be heard are Ritchie Valens, notably on the ballad Laurie Anne and a bit of Little Richard on Rock With Me Baby. Dagenais’s production is perfect and give to the LP a true and real 50’s sound.
Despite the fact that some of the orginals sounds VERY much like Buddy Holly (Tell Me Why that is quite close to Tell Me How and In The Night being just a mix between Take Your Time and Well All Right) it’s a very good album. Good to hear new artists like Phillips or his label mate Ricky Fabian, who concentrate on the melodies.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Pat Cupp – Long Gone Daddy – Complete 50’s recordings

1 May 201410 October 2019

Reissues

El Toro Records ETCD1019
That Girl of Mine (demo) – I Guess It’s Mean That Way (demo) – Baby Come Back (demo) – Do Me No Wrong (RPM 461) – Baby Come Back (RPM 461) – Long Gone Daddy (RPM 473) – To Be The One (RPM 473) – Long Gone Daddy (Crown CLP 5364) – Do Me No Wrong (Crown CLP 5364) – Baby Come Back (Crown CLP 5364) – That Girl of Mine (Crown CLP 5364) – I Guess It’s Meant That Way (Crown CLP 5364) – Baby Come Back (Rollin’ Rock 45-002) – Do Me No Wrong (Rollin’ Rock 45-002) – Long Gone Daddy (Rollin’ Rock 45-003) – That Girl of Mine (Rollin’ Rock 45-003) – I Guess It’s Meant That Way (Rollin’ Rock 45-009) – I Won’t Remember To Cry (Rollin’ Rock 45-009)

Pat Cupp’s fifties recordings stand as some of the finest rockabilly ever made. His legacy may be modest in term of quantity (18 cuts for only 7 different songs) but the quality equals the likes of Carl Perkins and Mac Curtis (to name two that pop in my mind). Songs 1 to 3 are demos recorded at the Onyx studio in Memphis in January 1956 to get interest from Sam Phillips. Had he only recorded these demos, his place in the rockabilly pantheon would have been assured. Powerfull rhythmic, hiccupy voice, mean guitar… all the ingredients are here to satisfy the most exigeant rockabilly fan. But more was to come. Cupp and his band (the Flying Saucers) secured a contract with Joe Bihari from Modern Records. The result is the session of May 13 1956 that saw the release of two singles, RPM 461 (Do Me No Wrong/Baby Come Back) and RPM 473 (Long Gone Daddy/To Be The One). The fact that Modern/RPM was more R & B oriented shows on this recording. A tamer rock’n’roll sound was favored, like the sax version of “Long Gone Daddy” (recorded with session musicians) or “To be The One“, written by Pat’s sister Ruth, with doo woop backing vocals. Despite the high quality of these recording, the true genius of Pat cupp lies in his rejected blistering rockabilly version of this songs recorded that same day (10 in total). They later resurfaced on Crown and another batch in the 70’s on Rollin’ rock. I guess I’ll soon run out of superlative, but if someone asked me what rockabilly is, Pat Cupp’s complete 50’s recording would be one of the records I’d play to help him understand.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Phil Haley and the Comments

1 May 20149 September 2024

Reviews

Phil & Gina Haley - Rock'n'roll Lifestyle — Phil & Gina Haley – Rock’n’roll Lifestyle

Phil Haley and the Comments with Gina Haley – Rock & Roll Lifestyle

Press Tone Music International – PCD 28
Rock & Roll Lifestyle – One Step Away – Thirteen Men – Chick Safari – Mockingbird Hill – Dance Me – Farewell, So Long Goodbye – Jealous Heart – Later – Hawk – Tell Me – Rock My Baby – Loveless Blues – Come Rock With Me – Happy Baby – Are You Lonesome Tonight

It was inevitable. One day or another, the finest purveyors of the Big beat, Phil Haley and the Comments, should meet Bill Haley’s daughter, Gina. Not only they met, but thanks to Press Tone, it materialized on records. The album is split in two. One half features Phil and his band and finds them in fine form with no less than five originals played in the style of the real king of Rock’n’roll. They also cover Bill Haley’s Come Rock With Me, the Jodimars’ Later, Mockingbird Hill and Are You Lonesome Tonight. In the great Haley’s tradition, Phil shares the vocal duties and bass player Martyn Savage takes lead vocals on two tracks.
Gina Haley sings lead on the remaining half with Phil and the Comments providing the backing band. The repertoire ranges from Bill’s classics (Thirteen Men [aka Thirteen Women], Farewell, So Long, Goodbye; Happy Baby) to the Warner years (Hawk, Chick Safari in duet with Martyn Savage) and some lesser known stuff like Jealous Heart that Haley recorded in the late 60’s. She has a strong and powerful voice that works fine on the rockin’ stuff but is even better on the more country and jazzy stuff like Loveless Blues (from Bill’s hillbilly era).
It’s a very good album that mixes strong musicianship, good originals, judicious choice of covers (especially Bill’s later stuff that is too often underrated) and two strong singers.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Hot Lips Page – Roll! Roll! Roll! The R&B Years

19 April 201410 October 2019

Reissues

El Toro R&B 110. [2009]
In A Daze – Miss Larceny Blues – Roll, Roll, Roll – Gimme Gimme Gimme – Jeety-Boat Joad – Florida Blues – Ashes On My Pillow – Open The Door Richard – Birmingham Boogie – I Want To Ride Like The Cowboys Do – Let Me In – Strike While The Iron’s Hot – The Jungle King – The Cadillac Song – Blow Champ Blow – Chocolate Candy Blues – The Hucklebuck – Pacifying Blues – That’s The One For Me – Sharp Little Sister – Main Street – I’ve Got The Upper Hand – Moanin’ Dan

Hot Lips Page could have been a serious rival to Louis Armstrong both as a vocalist and a trumpet player. Sadly, it never materialised due to bad moves and mistakes from his management (though it may have been deliberated as Page shared the same manager than Armstrong). But Page became a sought after session man, playing with Billie Holiday, Artie Shaw, Pete Johnson and Wynonie Harrie with whom he recorded “Good Rockin’ Tonight”. He also assembled various small jump blues combo under his own name and recorded sides for labels like Columbia, RCA, King, Harmony, Circle etc. With those hotter than pepper bands he pionneered the pre-rock’n’roll era in a genre similar to the great Louis Jordan (whom he admired). This compilation gathers 27 of his best sides recorded between the 40’s and his death in 1954, including unissued material and duet with female singers like Little Sylvia, Pearl Bailey and Mildred Anderson.
Absolutely and totally essential.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Sidewynders (the)

19 April 20149 September 2024

Reviews

The Sidewynders – Let’s Go Sparkin’ With…

Rhythm Bomb – RBR5788 – 2014
Lyin’ Baby – Heart In A Daze – Salty Dog Blues – Fancy Free – No Shame – Knock On Wood – Mad At You – Dry Run – Closer & Closer – Every Girl’s Heart – The Blues Don’t Care – She’s Got It Made – She’s Alright With Me

Rhythm Bomb launched its Los Angeles branch with two releases that will be hard to top: the Frantic Rockers and this album, Let’s Go Sparkin’ with the Sidewynders.
The line-up remained unchanged since their debut album except for the addition of Brian “Shorty” Poole of Dave’n’Deke Combo fame on steel and double bass. The band rips through a 13-song-half-an-hour set of mostly originals ranging from Sun inspired Rockabilly to hillbilly bop with fine harmonies and a bit of western swing in between with superb interplay between Ramon Espinoza on guitar and Poole on steel. Cervantes sings with his heart (and a bit of his guts too) while Carlos Velazquez provides a solid beat but not too heavy. Danny Angulo (Rip Carson, Omar) guest on three tracks on second and baritone guitar.
Perfectly recorded by Poole and Wally Hersom for two songs it’s a killer from start to finish!

Fred ‘Virgil’ Turgis

The Speedos

11 April 20149 September 2024

Reviews

The Speedos – It’s Only Rock’n’Roll

PART 647.001 [2010]
Ghostriders ~ Believe me ~ Remember then ~ From the bottom of my heart ~ Sandy ~ You’re driving me crazy ~ Cotton fields ~ I’m not a juvenile delinquent ~ A Zippe Di Zoom ~ Fly me to the moon ~ Come go with me ~ Lovely night ~ Rag Mop ~ I just want to know ~ Sh’Boom ~ West Virginia (Country Roads) ~ The Diary

Part has the good idea to reissue the Speedos catalog. First released in 1989, It’s Only Rock’n’roll was until this reissue only available on vinyl and I suppose long out of print.
This quartet could be described as the German cousins of the British Keytones.
They play doo-wop harmonies with a bit of jive on a rockabilly background. There’s even some hillbilly with their uptempo cover of Cotton Fields.
Like numerous debut album, it’s not flawless, but the few minor imperfections are well compensated by the freshness of their approach.
The repertoire goes from Frankie Lymon (I’m Not A Juvenile Delinquent) to the Del-Vikings (Come Go With Me) or Frank Sinatra (Fly Me To The Moon) with a couple of originals too written by lead singer/guitarist Olaf Prinz. On a couple of songs the line-up (guitar / doublebass / drums / saxophone) is augmented by Götz Alsmann on piano for a fuller sound.
As an added bonus,the band’s debut ep from 1987 – featuring a self penned song (I Just Want To Know) and three covers: Sh-Boom, John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Roads and a rockabilly-doo-wop rendition of Neil Sedaka’s The Diary – is included. Recommended.

The Speedos – A Dreamin’ Life

King Hat [1992] – reissue Part [2010]
I call it bop – Duke of earl – Jungle book – I adore you – Quiet whiskey – Believe me – A dreamin´life – Dance town – Caledonia – Blackboard jungle – Forever – Hey you

A Dreamin’ Life is the band’s second album, and to get to the point, their best. It takes more or less the same ingredients than their debut but both the sound and the band are better.
It kicks off with “I Call It Bop” that wouldn’t be out of place on the Stargazers’ debut album. Next is the accapella doo-wop “Duke Of Earl” with top vocals and harmonies. They also do great justice to Louis Prima’s Jungle Book. “I Adore You” is a sweet ballad with a bluesy edge. The pace changes with Wynonie Harris’ Quiet Whiskey, a solid jiver also treated in a Stargazers style. Believe Me features Gotz Allssman and is a re-recording of a song from their first album in a more accomplished version. The title track is a soft rockabilly. “Caldonia” is the sole weak point of the album, but it’s quickly forgotten with Blackboard Jungle a great rock’n’roll. “Forever” is another great moment in the Keytones style while Hey You concludes the album on an uptempo note.

Fred “Virgil” Turgis