Smith & Co

More than 50 years after the original quartet assembled as The Drifters to accompany an up and coming young singer named Cliff Richard on stage and record - and after some changes of personnel, fallow years and successful comebacks - The Shadows are still statistically among the top raters in the overall history of the UK pop singles and albums charts.  During the late 50s/early 60s period of this celebratory compilation they became for a while the most influential group in Britain, greatly boosting the sales of Fender guitars, Vox amps and mohair suits.

Founders Hank Marvin (lead guitar) and Bruce Welch (second guitar) still front the group's intermittent sell-out revivals.  Their original sidekicks Jet Harris (bass guitar) and Tony Meehan (drums) have been replaced over the years but the sound of The Shadows remains a distinctive reminder of where it all began - with the 66 tracks on this comprehensive 2CD set, the recordings that inspired a generation of young wannabes to pick up a guitar and kick a leg in tune and in step with the renowned 'Shads'.

Still a great crowd-pleaser on the oldies rock ‘n’ roll circuit, Massachusetts-born Freddy “Boom Boom” Cannon was by far the rowdiest pop charting vocalist on both sides of the Atlantic during the 1959-1963 lull between the big guns of the mid 50s and mid 60s.  Not so much singing as barnstorming his way through a succession of hit singles and a couple of best-selling albums, his recordings vibrated with echo, resounding percussion, syncopated hand-clapping, much background whooping & hollering and some stinging guitar licks from session man Kenny Paulson.  Subtle, he and his producers were not!

Freddy Cannon’s recordings leapt out of the radio with a unique blast of energy and let’s have a good time invitation to party.  The first American rockin’ popster of the era to top the UK album charts, Mr Picariello (you didn’t think he was born a cannon, did ya?) also holds the record for the most appearances - 110 - on US TV’s American Bandstand.  This explosive 2CD set includes all of his hit singles and album tracks from the time when he was a kick up the backside to the more sedate options of the day; his recordings still immensely more fun than a night in with Coldplay.

Our JUST ABOUT AS GOOD AS IT GETS! series is now an established guarantee of great value, authoritative compilations, expert re-mastering, consistently recognisable presentation, positive reviews and persistent sales in the Formula One reissue market.  So no further introduction required?  Well perhaps a few more words about this particular 2CD set…

Yes, we know that these days Sir Cliff is a weathered looking bronze old boy, better preserved than most if a little crinkly at the edges.  Nonetheless, when he was a callow youth (just emerging from the chrysalis of Harry Webb to fly as Cliff Richard) he cut some of the best British rock ’n’ roll records of the late 1950s into the early ‘60s.  He also recorded some very classy strollers and romantic ballads.  According to your age and inclination in matters of romance you may consider the ballads mushy or yummy - his legion of young female fans certainly loved them.  Our Volume 1 (SCCD1193) illustrated why Cliff Richard was the best-selling UK rockin’ pop star of the era; these follow-up 47 tracks are no less convincing.  Don’t worry, this was long before Congratulations.

Our JUST ABOUT AS GOOD AS IT GETS! series is now an established guarantee of great value, authoritative compilations, expert re-mastering, consistently recognisable presentation, positive reviews and persistent sales in the Formula One reissue market.  So no further introduction required?  Well perhaps a few more words about this particular 2CD set…

After the initial mid 1950s rock ‘n’ roll explosion, Bill Haley was soon deemed to be unsuitably aged, Elvis Presley was conscripted into the army, Little Richard ducked back in the alley to the church, Buddy Holly fell out of the sky, Chuck Berry was caught with his pants down and Jerry Lee Lewis offended stuffed-shirts everywhere by marrying his 13 year old second cousin.    Then came Duane Eddy, booming out of Arizona via California with a resonant, twangy guitar sound that hit all over the planet.

Ironically it was Duane’s friend and mentor Al Casey who played lead guitar on the first US release (explained in the booklet) then it all became Eddyfying, with a solid run of hit singles (20 in the UK) and best-selling LPs.  Duane is still touring to great acclaim, playing sell-out dates in Britain in October 2010.  This resounding compilation includes all of his early hits, equally compelling flipsides and the album tracks that made his reputation and boosted guitar sales around the world.

Again, you might be tempted to think, the five thousand and first Elvis Presley PD release and you’d be right, because there are literally thousands of cheap Elvis releases out there. The difference, in this case is that we are looking at a very specific period early on in his career, before he was corrupted by commerciality. Dave Travis who has compiled this collection has once again used his best efforts to gather together every little gem this great artist recorded, one way or another, in those early days to make this an album that that the dedicated fans will want to have on their shelves. As is the tradition with this series, everything has been mastered to the very best it can be and that, together with rare tracks included on this package, make it a very saleable product.

It is also important to remember that before Elvis became that disinfected glad-wrapped package that made millions of house wives hearts beat faster, he was in fact a Rockabilly Rebel!

OK,I hear you saying, “not another Rock ‘n’ Roll” collection, but have a second look and, much better, have a listen to both CD’s. Whenever I listen to a rock ‘n’ roll compilation it is inevitably spoiled with soppy ballads whose only connection with the genre is that they come from the same era. For this reason the “Just about as good as it Gets!” team have put together 64 non-stop, Red Hot rockers that swing like hell from start to end. Absolutely no ballads! And whilst the big names are featured, in the true style of this series you will find it jam packed with gems from artists long forgotten, if in fact they were ever known to but a few dedicated aficionados.

Once again, a wonderful addition to the series that will not disappoint!

At first glance you probably think, oh yeah, he was that guy who did that really gutsy version of "Red River Valley" and not realise that he did in fact have a series of hits in the US, the UK and the continent. This double CD collection includes all the best recordings from Johnny with his very recognisable sax sound. He was probably the most successful sax artist outside the jazz world who had a string of hits in the late 50's and on into the 60's.

What makes this package all the more interesting is that it includes an 80's gig in Dortmund, which his widow, Sonja Paris, assures me is the only live footage of Johnny available. As a DVD production it is not going to win any prizes, but it is unique and that makes it extremely saleable. Another major plus for this album is that it has been lovingly re-mastered which sets it apart from any other products on the market, most of which are illegal pirate copies. Ours is licensed directly from the estate who unquestionably own the original recordings and assure us that he never re-recorded his material.

It hardly seems necessary to write sales notes for Cliff Richard; what can we say about him that hasn’t been said before. Unquestionably Britain’s greatest rock ‘n’ roll star, Cliff’s career which started in the late 50’s and is still running 60 years on, he has to be a living legend. However, as with Elvis, many of us feel his best days were undoubtedly when he was a rock ‘n’ roller rather than his later ballad and crooner years. This double compilation puts together all his recordings from the last years of the 50’s including some recordings from his first film outing. Many feature the Drifters as backing band who of course then mutated into the Shadows. Simply the best of Cliff in the 50’s this 70 track double album will delight both old and new fans. A great addition to the series.

It seems that the world just can't get enough of the late, great Lonnie Donegan so the story continues in volume 2 . This double album takes over where the first volume ended in 1956 and takes us up to 1959, without doubt the most successful period of his career in chart terms. Of course the Skiffle purist will have us believe that Lonnie deserted his roots during this period and went "pop'! Horror of horrors, but as most purists seem to forget, an artist not only needs to not only make hay while the sun shines, hopefully garnering enough success to keep a roof over their heads for the remainder of their lives, but they also need to move on musically. His hit period, starting with 'Cumberland Gap' through to 'Sal's got a sugar lip' and everything in between are included on these 2 CD's as well as other tracks which every Skiffle and/or Lonnie Donegan fan should have. Due to the progressive nature of Lonnie at this stage of his career (tongue firmly in cheek) you will notice that the length his recording were becoming longer, so we have only been able to squeeze 55 tracks on to this compilation.

More by accident than design, Anthony 'Lonnie' Donegan became the first international British star during the Rock 'n' Roll explosion of the mid '50s - in fact the ONLY international star, the only British artist to hit in America when the USA was invading the UK charts at the time. He was also arguably the prime catalyst for sparking off the subsequent British beat boom of the '60s, inspiring legions of young wannabees across the nation - including The Quarry Men, evolving into The Beatles - to pick up guitars and form groups.

Donegan first recorded for Storyville in 1953 as a featured member of Ken Colyer's Jazzmen,
and the following year for Decca in a similar role with The Chris Barber Jazz Band, in both instances fronting the rhythm section of the bands on Skiffle recordings. The 1954 recordings formed part of a 10" LP that year but nearly two years later "Rock Island Line" from the album rocketed Donegan to stardom as an unexpected smash hit single. At which point he was immediately signed to a solo contract by Pye Records.

There have of course been Lonnie Donegan compilations before. The beauty of this 50 track, mid-price double is that it covers his recordings for all three labels and presents Lonnie in his true vintage Skiffle days, with none of the cabaret knockabout stuff he veered towards later in his career.