Smith & Co

Does the world need another retrospective of The King?  It's all been out there somewhere in expensive box sets and compendiums of old albums.  Ardent Elvis fans have probably got it all in triplicate.  But for the newly curious, those asking "What was it about this man that set the world on fire?", our potent selection of key tracks highlights the vital burst of internationally impacting recordings between Elvis's rural rockabilly beginnings (not immediately recognised outside of the southern USA) and his demobbed decline into a glamour boy fronting a series of second-rate movies in the sixties.  There was a period of about six years when Elvis really was the King Of Rock 'n' Roll around the globe, with a voice, the looks, the moves and an overload of oomph that sent the kittens crazy and the old cats wild.  This is it.

He wasn't only a dynamic performer and outstanding singer, as illustrated here he had a keen ear for a damn good song, whether written specifically for him or - as often as not - those he hand-picked from his personal collection of favourite country and rhythm 'n' blues originals.  This is Elvis as he should be remembered.

The trauma of pubescent stirrings has probably troubled adolescents since the stone age but it wasn't until the 1950s that "teenagers" became identified as a distinct tribal entity with mixed-up emotions twixt 12 and 20 - and the new-found opportunity to sing about it, whether writing their own thoughts on the matter or groomed for pop stardom by Tin Pan Alley professionals.  This supposed 'age of innocence' (or canny exploitation of the teenage market by wily old hucksters)  produced some dreadful schlock but also many undeniable classics of the genre.

Our 60-tracker sorts the wheat from the chaff and also includes a strong seasoning of otherwise rock 'n' rolling stars who recorded a nod to their own teenage insecurities along the way.  It's a bewitching and generally tunefully catchy reminder of that time of life when 'love' is a metaphor for unruly lumps in the trousers of young men and blossoming bumps on the chests of young women.  Aw, c'mon, own up, we've all been there.

You couldn't invent such a man as Jerry Lee Lewis:  such a character, such a firebrand talent.  Recently remarried for the seventh time (to the ex-wife of the brother of his third wife!), despite 60+ years of boozing and hell-raising he is truly The Last Man Standing from the original Memphis Sun rise of 50s rock 'n' roll.  His rapscallion reputation sometimes obscures the fact that along with being an astonishing piano-pumper, for most of his career - if perhaps not so evident today - Jerry Lee excelled vocally as a masterful interpreter of others' songs into the Lewis style, the Lewis way, often with spontaneous one-take studio workouts.  This 67-track power pack of his vibrating younger years reveals the truth of the matter.

This isn't 'just another' Jerry Lee Lewis compilation.  Naturally his hits of the era are included but many of the other Sun recordings on Disc One have been chosen specifically to highlight The Killer's interpretative skills.  Disc Two is a fascinating selection of examples of Jerry Lee as the unmistakable accompanist on label-mates' recordings, some previously unreleased out-takes, the best of the legendary Million Dollar Quartet session, his early pre-Sun private demos and his 50s live TV performances:  some of the tracks now in far better sound quality than any previous reissue.  Not for the faint-hearted.

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.