Elly Roberts reviews
Various: Shake Rattle and Roll
Distributed by
Sanctuary TV
- Cat.no: TDSAN019
- Released: August 2005
- Rating: 10/10
Two CD set and 50 tracks that'll take you to Rock'n'Roll heaven.
This collection does exactly what it says on the tin - sweaty foreheads,
hollering, scoffed brothel-creepers, thumping upright basses, twanging
guitars, pounding pianos, and a whole lotta quiffs and riffs. Let's not
forget, at the time, the '50s and '60s, this music was totally earth -
shattering stuff. Some commentators, particularly the American church dubbed
it ' The Devil's Music.'
Some might say quite a few little devils emerged
from this era - not mentioning any names. Containing the usual suspects -
Elvis, Bill Haley, Carl Perkins, Everly Brothers, Chuck Berry - you also get
the odd unsung heroes such as Johnny Preston (Cradle of Love), Marvin
Rainwater (Whole Lotta Woman), The Penguins (Earth Angel) and Mickey and
Sylvia (Love Is Strange).
My first indelible image of the genre was seeing the flick Rock Around The
Clock on telly in the mid 60s, and I was blown away. Just watching Bill
Haley and His Comets banging out the signature tune was a life changing
experience. The excitement was too much for a youngster - but unforgettable.
Track 2, That's Alright is recognised as the first Rock'n'Roll record,
covered by Elvis.
Elsewhere, there's an excellent choice mid-paced ballads like Be Bop A Lula
by Gene Vincent, Roy Orbison's Only The Lonely, proving that he was arguably
the best singer of the lot.
Then there's the awesome vocal by Little Richard on Good Golly Miss Molly
the first 'rock voice', as tears up the piano with the rhythm section
pounding in the background- a real classic.
Sadly, most of this lot have snuffed it, with the exception of Jerry Lee
Lewis who I saw two years ago in Manchester - thank goodness I went. Marty
Wilde is still touring with great success.
A rather strange inclusion is Gene Pitney's UK debut single, I Wanna Love My
Life Way (sounding more like Neil Sedaka), which peaked at 26 in '61.
Sadly the UK representation is pitiful - Lonnie Donnegan, Marty Wilde, Billy
Fury, and no Sir Cliff - shameful!
Like the opening song says - "Get outta that kitchen and rattle those pots
and pans ."
Verdict - essential for all music lovers and mobile DJs everywhere.
This is where it all started.
The full list of tracks included are :
DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TXW32R4 32" widescreen TV
connected to either a Creative Dxr2 DVD-ROM player or Microsoft Xbox and
played through a Sony STR-DB930 amplifier.
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2008.
