For those not in the know, fan albums are the attempts of me and many others to take songs and put them on an album, typically they’re made to improve upon something, such as an existing album or to take non-album tracks and put them on an album.
The music I’ll be covering here was a lot better than I was anticipating. Claire Lane has a strong voice, though the instrumentals have a great rock sound that reminds me of the Honeycombs. Note those instrumentals were not credited or treated as solo Claire Lane, but she was part of that band, called the Ramrods, and to my knowledge they never made a record without her. In my created album here, you basically jump back and forth from solo and vocal pop song to the instrumental and guitar-driven Ramrods. Despite the contrast, I think they work quite well together.
Claire’s career started as a series of singles, then an album, all happening within five years from 1959 to 1964, then she did a single in 1979. Sadly, a lot of her material is not accessible online, though I’d imagine you could get that stuff off Discogs if so inclined. The pre-album era is mostly available and is thus what I’ll be covering. The “bonus tracks” are the few tracks I actually could find from the album. Ideally, this project could’ve had one album of every early single, then the album, then the 70s single, but alas. Hopefully this article helps for those wanting good music and a list of what seems to be every recording she ever did. The album title doesn’t mean anything, I just thought of and liked it.
Claire Lane & The Ramrods – Frankie, Johnny & More Love Stories (1963) – YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
The Ramrods – “(Ghost) Riders In The Sky” (Released 1960)
Claire Lane – “I Love You So” (Released 1959)
Claire Lane – “An Orphan’s Christmas” (Released 1959)
Claire Lane – “The Boy Next Door” (Released 1959)
The Ramrods – “Zig Zag” (Released 1960)
The Ramrods – “Loch Lomond Rock” (Released 1961)
Claire Lane – “Isn’t It a Shame” (Released 1963)
SIDE B
Claire Lane – “Frankie And Johnny” (Released 1962 or 63)
The Ramrods – “Take Me Back To My Boots And Saddle” (Released 1961)
Claire Lane – “Curiosity” (Released 1962 or 63)
Claire Lane – “I Dig That Guy” (Released 1963)
The Ramrods – “Boing” (Released 1961)
The Ramrods – “War Cry” (Released 1961)
Claire Lane – “El Diablo” (Released 1963)
BONUS TRACKS
”Indian Love Call” (Excerpt)
“I Was Only A Stand-In” (Excerpt)
“Hey Lover” (From Drummer Girl Sings)
“Lonely Day” (From Drummer Girl Sings)
PERSONNEL
I could only find personnel credits for “(Ghost) Riders In The Sky”. I think this lineup played on every Ramrods recording, but that could be wrong. Even that credit for Sky is not verified.
Eugene Moore – bass
Claire Lane – drums
Vinny Lee – lead guitar
Richard Litke – tenor saxophone
Tracks I can’t find:
Claire Lane – “All By Myself” (Released 1959)
Claire Lane – “Run Run Run Away” (Released 1963)
Claire Lane – “Indian Love Call” (Released 1963)
Drummer Girl Sings (1964)
“Shangri-La”
“Moon River”
“Fly Me To The Moon”
“My Little Corner Of The World”
“More”
“West Of The Wall”
“Stolen Moments”
“You Can’t Stop Me From Dreaming”
“Never On Sunday”
“I Was Only A Stand-In” (Released 1963 or 64)
Later work:
Claire Lane – “A Talking Christmas Tree” (Released 1979)
Claire Lane – “Reflections” (Released 1979)
This is a passion of mine and if one person likes what I do, I’ll feel honored. I like suggestions on what artist to cover next, so if you know of one you’d like me to look at, feel free to suggest ‘em!
It’s been difficult trying to articulate what’s so great about the Zombies, especially from track to track. So many of their recordings offer their own flavor of magic that leaves you baffled those ideas hadn’t already been done and exploited. It’s not uncommon for bands to have vocal harmonies, but that double punch of Colin Blunstone backed by Chris White has a certain force that feels apparent and attention grabbing, while also soft and humbling. Many of these songs are about love and the problems that come from it. Blunstone yelling about his feelings for a certain girl being so impactful is probably a mix of being born with the right pipes and having his fair share of R&B and jazz classics to start off with, providing a level of sophistication lacking in average rock songs.
The sound of drums thumping in the back and organ pounding in the front immediately challenges those that think the guitar rules all. Despite that and the uncommon minor keys, there are many similarities to other pop rock music. There’s common subject matter for songs and lineup of instruments. The guitar and bass are not to be forgotten about and both serve their role. However, it’s as if the Zombies wanted to play different genres of music, such as jazz, and figured out how to translate that on rock instruments. Paul Atkinson’s solos on guitar sometimes feel reminiscent of jazz saxophone. The bass is very expressive, like in jazz, but we still get pop hooks. Ignoring solos, below the surface of the singing are little creative licks and flavors to enhance the music, with everyone enhancing in a single wall of sound-like unit or diversifying to give everyone a time to shine.
By extension, the studio itself is clearly doing its part, mainly in the part of singling in on one element to creative tension or release. The pain the singer sometimes feels is amplified by the beating drums, like a heart, or his joy showcased with a gliding and understated guitar part. These elements are apparent on the fourteen tracks I’ll be discussing here, listed in the order I listened in: “I’ll Keep Trying”, “You Must Believe Me”, “Don’t Go Away”, “Whenever You’re Ready”, “Nothing’s Changed”, “Just Out Of Reach”, “Remember You”, “If It Don’t Work Out”, “I Love You”, “It’s Alright”, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, “I Know She Will”, “Don’t Cry For Me”, and “How We Were Before”.
It’s often said that the Zombies were better at originals than covers. Despite the handful of very good covers, the ones here are noticeably lesser than the originals. As an example, “You Must Believe Me” doesn’t have the typical fire on some of the band’s originals. It sounds like it bores the band a bit, gathered from the lack of forcefulness and quirks in the playing. On these oldies, the group can’t write in their multilayered pop rockers. Colin as an example is singing someone else’s melody, which wasn’t written to accommodate his style and thus he’s not taken advantage of to his greatest potential. This does show how we’re evolving beyond the past where the covers fit in better. While some of the group’s earlier works had more of an R&B influence, here that’s mostly gone and in its place is not just pop, but an ethereal pop. The bass doesn’t just back the beat, it bumps along, like gliding along the bottom end. The singing lacks the attitude of before, replacing it with what at points feels like a plea. Objectively, you can’t say one is better than the other, but this later period is better liked due to the increased blend of ideas and development into uncharted territory of pop music.
Especially considering these songs aren’t from one cohesive album and instead a series of releases, there are variants in styling. “I’ll Keep Trying”’s low-key piano solo is so beautiful, functioning as an undercurrent. Those solos have usually been more aggressive. When we do get one of those on “Whenever You’re Ready”, it’s off kilter and jabbing. “If It Don’t Work Out” and “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” have their share of vocal strain, utilizing two singers to cover more ground than one alone could, while on “You Must Believe Me” Colin’s voice is atypically smooth.
The band did three songs for a film and they’re probably the strongest of the lot, working in unison with each other. “Nothing’s Changed”’s aggressive and somber drums and guitar paired with Colin’s depressed vocals make for a deeply relatable love ballad. The restrained singing and various little touches, like the “I know” dissipating out into space and the elongated final line make for one of the group’s finest early works. “Just Out Of Reach” is a banger that bangs through a slightly faster tempo and varying little sections to distinct itself. “Remember You” ties these up with a reflective and honest work. Note how the changing emotions of the singer are matched by changes in the background, like with the line “And if I should change my mind.” The harmonized “sometimes” line is a pretty and fine example of the ethereal pop sound, enhanced by the studio. The soundtrack songs are especially romantic and down to Earth, giving each player a little role in the piece to enhance what’s being intended to be conveyed. Studio touches may be the only real difference between these and others, which makes me wonder how all these would sound if mixed the same way?
Admittedly, some of the originals don’t push the bar beyond where it’s already gone. “I Know She Will” has especially complex and ethereal singing at the beginning, though the rocking portions of the song are a bit less special, being a more typical rocking affair that lacks the forwardness of the backing vocals and drumming on other tracks. The lyrics and vocals of “Don’t Cry For Me” are particularly generic and feel like a bit of a reworking of other ideas. I do suspect that some of these tracks, like “How We Were Before”, would stand out more if we didn’t have the pop masterpieces to compare them to. That one turns in a particularly barebones backing and an unmissable guitar, making it a sharp oddity. While it lacks the best the group has to offer, it shows them trying new things. The same can be said for “Don’t Go Away”, which puts a rhythm guitar line in the front of the track, with the spot for the drums filled by a tambourine.
OVERVIEW
Despite the clear proof that the Zombies deserved respect and particularly albums, it does create the fear that the hypothetical albums would result in less time being devoted to songs and those extra tracks just being covers or filler. I long for more of their originals-based sound, which doesn’t sound quick or easy by any means. On their first album Begin Here, it’s known they rushed these along a little. Still, what can be said for sure is that we have another album’s worth of solid recordings that would’ve made a fine LP if released as such at the time. Thus, it’s a shame they aren’t better known, especially by those that like proper albums and don’t want to deal with searching through convoluted compilations for rarities.
For those not in the know, fan albums/album edits are the attempts of me and many others to take songs and put them on an album, typically they’re made to improve upon something, such as an existing album or to take non-album tracks and put them on an album.
The Luv’d Ones are a fun band I’ve listened to a few times. They don’t distinguish much from other hard rock 60s girl bands, but that is still a good sound and they deserve to be enjoyed. One reason I didn’t make an article about them the first time I listened to them is because it seemed everything they did was on a twenty-track compilation album. I decided they still deserved this project, with that comp just being divided in half, as the music drags as one sixty minute block, however I then found some more rare tracks that also help give this article legitimacy. They first recorded under the band name “The Tremelons”, which had the exact same lineup, so it’s strange these early tracks aren’t on that compilation. They also aren’t on Spotify, which is why the fan album with them isn’t on Spotify either.
Those Tremelon recordings were all released in 1965 according to Discogs. The Luv’d Ones box set says the material contained within it was recorded between 1966-1968. Everything released in 1965 or 66 almost is the length of a full album, so I added in some extra tracks and hoped they were recorded in 1966 and thus could hypothetically be released then. The later stuff we’ll say was released 1968.
The Luv’d Ones – Truth Gotta Stand (1966) – YouTube
Char Vinnedge went on to do some solo recordings, none of which I could find. They’re all listed below with possible release dates, which could be wrong.
“Better Look Out” (2011)
“You Asked Me To Go” (2011)
“Friend / Reprise” (2011)
“Silence” (2011)
“It’s Over It’s Done” (2011)
“Life Sentence” (2011)
“Rock Myself To Death” (2011)
“Trucks In My Head” (2011)
“Deathwish” (2011)
“I Never Sing The Blues” (2012)
“Bittersweet” (2012)
“Green Bird” (2012)
“With You I Am Without” (2013)
“How Could You Ask Me To Go” (2013)
This is a passion of mine and if one person likes what I do, I’ll feel honored. I like suggestions on what artist to cover next, so if you know of one you’d like me to look at, feel free to suggest ‘em!
For those not in the know, fan albums are the attempts of me and many others to take songs and put them on an album, typically they’re made to improve upon something, such as an existing album or to take non-album tracks and put them on an album.
With my recent Buddy Holly fan album and story project, I canonized his two proper studio albums as having happened as I didn’t want to alienate those that would prefer to enjoy the official albums as is. My plan was to continue this methodology for the post-Buddy years. On top of that, considering the fact that Jerry Allison is by far the only consistent member, I came up with some fun albums based on the logic that any song with Jerry is the Crickets. I then listened to my albums with this concept in mind. While some may still prefer listening to the official albums as they are and slotting the stray track ones in, I have found many of the official and personal sequences problematic for a few reasons: Some of these tracks are quite bad and some albums have tracks that would fit better elsewhere. Thus, I’ve decided to publish my stray track sequences here, as well as certain story ideas that can’t be reused, then I’ll write the narrative around what I think would make the best albums, with new sequences that arrange any track how I see fit.
For those that are fans of Jerry Allison or Sonny Curtis, I hope I can do them justice by accumulating so many rare recordings, especially because some are quite solid. One example is that Allison, Curtis, and famed Crickets bassist Joe B. Mauldin did some better known recordings as the Crickets, but also some obscure ones under different names. Those obscure ones are gathered and treated like just any other Cricket track.
During the Bobby Vee and later Jerry Naylor eras of the group, there is shaky and unreliable personnel info. Thus, things are listed vaguely.
Any album without a tracklist is an official album, not a construction of mine (unless where noted).
Based on some research, I think that almost every recording credited to Sonny Curtis as a solo artist prior to his 1979 solo album features the then-current Crickets lineup. There’s a few cases where either a track from a Crickets album is released as a solo Sonny single or the personnel is simply known to include them. However, his first two singles and flipsides have worse odds of featuring them, but I still wanted to include those regardless. The other oddity here is from the 1955 recordings he did. Him and Buddy Holly did six songs together. Five were released on my Buddy Holly & The Two Tones project, but one more, “Queen of the Ballroom”, was excluded due to their being a version with Buddy on vocals. This track almost definitely lacks Jerry Allison, but I didn’t want any of these early rarities to go absent from these albums, so here they are.
The primary source I used for information was Praguefrank, as well as Discogs, Nor-Va-Jak Music, and the Discography of American Historical Recordings.
The first post-Buddy lineup
The Crickets & Their Buddies Volume 2 (1959) – Archive.org
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
Billy Walker – “On My Mind Again” (Recorded April 8th, 1957)
Hal Goodson & The Raiders – “Who’s Gonna Be The Next One Honey” (Recorded May 2nd, 1957)
Hal Goodson & The Raiders – “Later Baby” (Recorded May 2nd, 1957)
Johnny “Peanuts” Wilson – “I’ve Had It” (Recorded November 10th, 1957)
The Roses (Robert Linville, Ray Rush, David Bingham) – backing vocals (track 3)
Buddy Holly – guitar (track 6)
Larry Welborn – bass (track 6)
Dudley A. Brooks – piano (track 8)
Johnny Mann, Alan Davies, Bill Lee – backing vocals (track 8)
The Crickets – In Style With The Crickets (1960) – YouTube, Spotify
PERSONNEL
Earl Sinks – lead vocals (tracks 2-6, 8-12)
Sonny Curtis – lead guitar (tracks 1-12), lead vocals (tracks 1, 7)
Joe B. Mauldin – bass (tracks 1-12)
Jerry Allison – drums (tracks 1-12)
Dudley Brooks – piano (tracks 1, 2, 3, 7)
The Roses – backing vocals (track 12)
Tommy Allsup – rhythm guitar (tracks 1-5, 7-10)
A common issue with the one-off singers is they can’t sing very well. Bobby Vee and Johnny Burnette are personal least favorites. However, there are some gems. David Box is excellent and by far the group’s best singer that went for a Buddy Holly-vocal style. “You Made Me Love You” also has phenomenal backing vocals.
The Crickets & Their Buddies Volume 3 (1960) – Archive.org
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
Derrell Felts – “It’s A Great Big Day” (Recorded February 13th, 1959)
Jimmy Bowen – “You Made Me Love You” (Recorded February 21st, 1959)
The Everly Brothers – “(Til) I Kissed You” (Recorded July 7th, 1959)
The Everly Brothers – “Oh What a Feeling” (Recorded July 7th, 1959)
Jack C. Smith – “Honeysuckle Rose” (Recorded 1959, Released May 1960)
David Box – “Don’t Cha Know” (Recorded August 11th, 1960)
SIDE B
Derrell Felts – “Lookie Lookie Lookie” (Recorded February 13th, 1959)
Jimmy Bowen – “Eenie Meenie Minnie Moe” (Recorded February 21st, 1959)
The Everly Brothers – “Let It Be Me” (Recorded December 15th, 1959)
The Everly Brothers – “Since You Broke My Heart” (Recorded December 15th, 1959)
Jack C. Smith – “There’ll Never Be Another” (Recorded 1959, Released May 1960)
David Box – “Peggy Sue Got Married” (Recorded August 11th, 1960)
Derrell Felts – lead vocals, probably guitar (tracks 1, 7)
Sonny Curtis – lead guitar (tracks 2-4, 8)
George Atwood – bass (tracks 2, 8)
Jimmy Bowen – lead vocals, guitar (tracks 2, 8)
Don Everly – lead vocals, probably guitar (tracks 3-4, 9-10)
Phil Everly – lead vocals, probably guitar (tracks 3-4, 9-10)
Chet Atkins – guitar (tracks 3-4)
Lightnin Chance – bass (tracks 3-4)
Floyd Cramer – piano (tracks 3-4)
Jack C. Smith – lead vocals (tracks 5, 11)
David Box – lead vocals, lead guitar (tracks 6, 12)
Ernie Hall – drums (track 6)
Howard Collins – guitar (tracks 9-10)
Barry Galbraith – guitar (tracks 9-10)
Mundell Lowe – guitar (tracks 9-10)
Lloyd Trotman – bass (tracks 9-10)
Hank Rowland – piano (tracks 9-10)
Johnny Burnette & The Crickets – Dreamin’(1960) – YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Dreamin’” (Recorded January 7th, 1960)
“Kaw-Liga” (Recorded January 7th, 1960)
“You’re Sixteen” (Recorded September 19th, 1960)
“I Beg Your Pardon” (Recorded September 19th, 1960)
“Singing The Blues” (Recorded November 29th, 1960)
SIDE B
“It’s My Way” (Recorded September 19th, 1960)
“That’s The Way I Feel” (Recorded November 28th, 1960)
“Little Boy Sad” (Recorded November 28th, 1960)
“I Love My Baby” (Recorded November 28th, 1960)
“(I Go) Down The River (Recorded November 28th, 1960)
PERSONNEL
Johnny Burnette – lead vocals (tracks 1-10)
Howard Roberts – guitar (tracks 1-2)
Glen Campbell – guitar (tracks 1-2)
Jerry Allison – drums (tracks 1-10)
Johnny Mann Singers – backing vocals (tracks 1-2)
Joseph Gibbons – guitar (tracks 3-10)
Vincent Terri – guitar (tracks 3-4, 6)
George Callender – bass (tracks 3-10)
Ernie Freeman – piano (tracks 3-4, 6)
Milton Pitman – guitar (track 5, 7-10)
Johnny Burnette & The Crickets – Let’s Think About Living (1961) – YouTube, Spotify
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Let’s Think About Living” (Recorded November 29th, 1960)
“It’s Only Make Believe” (Recorded November 29th, 1960)
“Oh Lonesome Me” (Recorded November 29th, 1960)
“Dream Lover” (Recorded November 30th, 1960)
“You’re So Fine” (Recorded November 30th, 1960)
SIDE B
“Blue Blue Morning” (Recorded November 30th, 1960)
“Pledge Of Love” (Recorded November 30th, 1960)
“Honestly I Do” (Recorded September 22nd, 1961)
“Fools Like Me” (Recorded September 22nd, 1961)
“God, Country And My Baby” (Recorded September 22nd, 1961)
PERSONNEL
Johnny Burnette – lead vocals (tracks 1-10)
Joseph Gibbons – guitar (tracks 1-7)
Milton Pitman – guitar (tracks 1-7)
George Callender – bass (tracks 1-7)
Jerry Allison – drums (tracks 1-10)
Tommy Allsup – guitar (tracks 8-10)
Dick Glasser – guitar (tracks 8-10)
Clifford A. Hils – bass (tracks 8-10)
unknown – mandolin (tracks 8-10)
Bobby Vee & The Crickets – Rock Around With Bobby Vee (1961) – Archive.org
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Stagger Lee” (Recorded September 12th, 1961)
“Party Doll” (Recorded September 13th, 1961)
“Come On Baby” (Recorded September 13th, 1961)
“Lonely Weekends” (Version 2) (Recorded September 20th, 1961)
“Mountain Of Love” (Recorded September 20th, 1961)
SIDE B
“No One Knows” (Recorded September 20th, 1961)
“I’m Feeling Better” (Recorded September 28th, 1961)
“Shanghaied” (Recorded September 1961)
“Keep A Knockin’” (Recorded September 1961)
“It’s Too Late” (Version 2) (Recorded September 1961)
PERSONNEL
Bobby Vee – lead vocals (tracks 1-10)
Tommy Allsup – guitar (tracks 1-7)
Red Callender – bass (tracks 1-7)
Jerry Allison – drums (tracks 1-10)
Cliff Crofford – lead vocals (track 7)
Sonny Curtis, Joe B. Mauldin, Howard Roberts, Earl Palmer, Ernie Freeman, and Gene Garf have been credited as being part of both sets of Bobby Vee recordings. The main four players listed above are probably on at least most of all the Bobby Vee tracks.
Bobby Vee & The Crickets – Bobby Vee Meets The Crickets (1962) – YouTube, Spotify (Personnel matches the previous Bobby Vee album.)
Despite Bobby Vee’s recordings with Allison being credited as The Crickets, the reunion of Sonny Curtis, along with newbies Jerry Naylor and Glen Hardin, is in my eyes the closest we get to more of the Crickets sound. Mauldin is sometimes credited as being part of the group from the early to mid 60s, but that does not seem to be true. Oftentimes, other players are credited as having partaken in them. There’s some very barebones recordings from 1961 of Allison singing that I suspect were recorded with help from the Bobby Vee-era lineup, but that’s just speculation. If there had been an album of this, I would have made them a Jerry solo album, but as just three recordings, they’re included here. This album probably would have only been released like this if the band needed material quickly, as the flow isn’t great. Still, these songs, as well as the whole Naylor era, are mostly good.
The Crickets – Fell In Love With A Face (1962) – YouTube, Spotify
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Fell In Love With A Face” (Recorded February 2nd, 1962)
“Never Ever Told Me” (Recorded February 2nd, 1962)
“There’s No Better Way To Die” (Recorded February 2nd, 1962)
“Bottom Of The Sea” (Recorded February 2nd, 1962)
“I’m Not A Bad Guy” (Recorded March 9th, 1962)
“I Don’t Need A Friend” (Recorded September 18th, 1961)
SIDE B
“I Believe In You” (Recorded March 19th, 1962)
“The Real Thing” (Recorded June 4th, 1962)
“My Little Kim Ruth” (Recorded September 18th, 1961)
“It’s All Right With Me” (Recorded September 18th, 1961)
“Smooth Guy” (Recorded February 29th, 1960)
“So You’re In Love” (Recorded February 29th, 1960)
“Break It Easy” (Recorded June 19th, 1962)
PERSONNEL
Jerry Naylor – lead vocals
Sonny Curtis – lead guitar, lead vocals (tracks 11-12)
Red Callender – bass
Jerry Allison – drums, lead vocals (tracks 6, 9-10)
“Looking All Over Town” (Recorded October 17th, 1962)
“Teardrops Fall Like Rain” (Recorded October 17th, 1962)
“Farewell, My Bluebell” (Recorded October 23rd, 1962)
“The Ballad of Batman” (Recorded 1962)
“Batmobile” (Recorded 1962)
SIDE B
“Lost And All Alone” (Recorded April 3rd, 1963)
“Don’t Try To Change Me” (Recorded April 3rd, 1963)
“Surfin’ Special” (Recorded June 14th, 1963)
“April Avenue” (Recorded June 14th, 1963)
“A Harlem Girl” (Recorded July 17th, 1962)
“Brand New Doll” (Recorded July 17th, 1962)
PERSONNEL
Jerry Allison – drums
Sonny Curtis – lead guitar, vocals
Red Callender – bass
Jerry Naylor – lead vocals
Glen D. Hardin – piano
Tommy Allsup – guitar (tracks 5-6)
Glen D. Hardin and Joe B. Mauldin have sometimes been credited as playing bass. Ernie Freeman has been credited on piano.
The Crickets – California Sun / She Loves You (1964) – YouTube, Spotify
PERSONNEL
Jerry Allison – drums
Sonny Curtis – lead guitar, vocals
unknown – bass
Jerry Naylor – lead vocals
Glen D. Hardin – piano
Buzz Cason – backing vocals
Glen D. Hardin and Joe B. Mauldin have sometimes been credited as playing bass. Ernie Freeman has been credited on piano.
Despite my criticism of some of the one-off projects, this album is solid other than the Everly Brothers tracks. If it wasn’t obvious, Eddie Cochran is rivaled only by Holly himself and a few others, but that track is out of place for the Crickets. Still two great cuts, regardless.
The Crickets & Their Buddies Volume 4 (1964) – Archive.org
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
Eddie Cochran – “Cut Across Shorty” (Recorded January 8th, 1960)
The Raiders – “Dardanella” (Released November 1961)
The Everly Brothers – “No One Can Make My Sunshine Smile” (Recorded September 20th, 1962)
The Everly Brothers – “Dancing On My Feet” (Recorded September 20th, 1962)
Lucille Starr – “The French Song” (Recorded October 24th, 1963)
Joe Carson – “Be A Good Girl” (Recorded February 10th, 1964)
SIDE B
Eddie Cochran – “Three Steps To Heaven” (Recorded January 8th, 1960)
The Raiders – “What Time Is It?” (Released November 1961)
Lucille Starr – “Sit Down And Write A Letter To Me” (Recorded October 24th, 1963)
The Everly Brothers – “The Facts Of Life” (Recorded January 16th, 1964)
Joe Carson – “Guess You Don’t Love Me Anymore” (Recorded February 10th, 1964)
PERSONNEL
Jerry Allison – drums (tracks 1-11) (Possibly not on track 10)
Eddie Cochran – lead vocals, guitar (tracks 1, 7)
Sonny Curtis – lead guitar (tracks 1, 3-7, 9-11)
Conrad ‘Guybo’ Smith – bass (tracks 1, 7)
Tommy Allsup – guitar (tracks 2-4, 8)
Unknown other musicians, possibly Bobby Keys on sax (tracks 2, 8)
Don Everly – lead vocals, probably guitar (tracks 3-4, 10)
Phil Everly – lead vocals, probably guitar (tracks 3-4, 10)
Billy Strange – guitar (tracks 3-4, 10)
Red Callendar and/or Pat Vegas – bass (tracks 3-4)
Ray Johnson – piano (tracks 5, 9)
Lucille Starr – lead vocals (tracks 5, 9)
Joe Maphis – guitar (tracks 5, 9)
Bill Pitman – guitar (tracks 5, 9)
Wilbur Pitman – bass (tracks 5, 9)
Herb Alpert – trumpet (tracks 5, 9)
Joe Carson – lead vocals (tracks 6, 11)
James Burton – guitar (tracks 6, 11)
Billy Mize – steel guitar (tracks 6, 11)
Bob Morris – bass (tracks 6, 11)
Billy Armstrong – fiddle (tracks 6, 11)
Bobby Bruce – fiddle (tracks 6, 11)
Glen D. Hardin – piano (tracks 6, 11)
Ray Pohlman – bass (track 10)
Hal Blaine – drums (probably on track 10)
Leon Russell – keyboard (tracks 10)
Harold Cliner – trombone (track 10)
Kenneth Shroyer – trombone (track 10)
John Audino – trumpet (track 10)
Anthony Terram – trumpet (track 10)
Sonny Curtis (Possibly with The Crickets) – Beatle Hits Flamenco Guitar Style (1964) – Archive.org
PERSONNEL
Sonny Curtis – lead guitar
Likely present
Jerry Allison – drums
Glen D. Hardin – keyboard
Tommy Allsup & The Crickets – The Buddy Holly Songbook (1964) – YouTube, Spotify
PERSONNEL
Lynn Bailey – bass
Jerry Allison – drums
George Tomsco – guitar
Tommy Allsup – guitar
Buzz Cason – piano
The Crickets – Surfing, Bo Diddley, and Beatles!! (1964) – YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Don’t Breathe A Word” (Recorded June 14th, 1963)
“Bring Back My Surfboard” (Recorded June 14th, 1963)
“Don’t Say You Love Me” (Recorded June 28th, 1963)
“A Beatle I Want To Be” (Recorded Late 1963)
“So Used To Loving You” (Recorded Summer 1963)
“Right Or Wrong” (Recorded August 1st, 1963)
SIDE B
“Playboy” (Recorded December 12th, 1963)
“(They Call Her) La Bamba” (Recorded March 23rd, 1964)
“All Over You” (Recorded March 23rd, 1964)
“I Think I’ve Caught The Blues” (Recorded August 27th, 1964)
“Bo Diddley Bach” (Recorded June 1964)
“I Pledge My Love To You” (Recorded June 1964)
PERSONNEL
Jerry Allison – drums, lead vocals (track 10)
Sonny Curtis – lead guitar (absent from track 10)
Red Callender – bass (absent from track 10)
Jerry Naylor – lead vocals (absent from track 10)
Glen D. Hardin – piano (absent from track 10)
Buzz Cason – backing vocals, lead vocals (track 10)
Tommy Allsup – guitar (track 10)
George Tomsco – guitar (track 10)
Stan Lark – bass (track 10)
Glen D. Hardin and Joe B. Mauldin have sometimes been credited as playing bass. Ernie Freeman has been credited on piano.
“Lord Of The Manor” and the Carson tracks are the ones here I like.
The Crickets & Their Buddies Volume 5 (1968) – Archive.org
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
Joe Carson – “Release Me” (Recorded February 10th, 1964)
Joe Carson – “Who’ll Buy The Wine” (Recorded February 10th, 1964)
The Everly Brothers – “I Used To Love You” (Recorded November 12th, 1965)
The Everly Brothers – “It’s All Over” (Recorded November 12th, 1965)
Rusty Steagall – “Motel Rooms And Coffee Shops” (Recorded March 1st, 1966)
SIDE B
Joe Carson – “I’ll Be There” (Recorded February 10th, 1964)
Joe Carson – “Fraulein” (Recorded February 10th, 1964)
Rusty Steagall – “Playboy Heart” (Recorded March 1st, 1966)
The Everly Brothers – “Lord Of The Manor” (Recorded February 27th, 1968)
Jammë – “Empty Feelings” (Recorded 1968)
PERSONNEL
Jerry Allison – drums (tracks 1-10) (Possibly not on tracks 3-4)
Sonny Curtis – guitar (tracks 1-4, 6-7, 9)
Joe Carson – lead vocals (tracks 1-2, 6-7)
James Burton – guitar (tracks 1-4, 6-7, 9)
Billy Mize – steel guitar (tracks 1-2, 6-7)
Bob Morris – bass (tracks 1-2, 6-7)
Billy Armstrong – fiddle (tracks 1-2, 6-7)
Bobby Bruce – fiddle (tracks 1-2, 6-7)
Glen D. Hardin – piano (tracks 1-2, 6-7)
Doris Hallcom – bass (tracks 3-4)
Jim Gordon – drums (probably on tracks 3-4)
Don Randi – harpsichord (tracks 3-4)
Leon Russell – keyboard (track 4)
Rusty Steagall – lead vocals (tracks 5, 8)
Don Lanier – guitar (tracks 5, 8)
Glen Campbell – guitar (tracks 5, 8)
Larry Knechtel – bass (tracks 5, 8)
Don Randi – keyboard (tracks 5, 8)
Terry Slater – bass (track 9)
Don Adey – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (track 10)
Timmy Smyser – bass (track 10)
Paul Downing – lead guitar (track 10)
These two Sonny Curtis albums, as well as some Crickets or Sonny material from around this time, are incredibly strong and deserved to have been released on Crickets albums. In fact, I’ll go as far as to say that Style is the best work covered in this post, being comparable in quality with Buddy Holly.
Sonny Curtis (Possibly with The Crickets) – The 1st Of Sonny Curtis (1968) – YouTube, Spotify
PERSONNEL
Sonny Curtis – lead guitar
Glen D. Hardin – keyboard
Likely present
Jerry Allison – drums
Sonny Curtis (Possibly with The Crickets) – The Sonny Curtis Style (1969) – YouTube, Spotify
PERSONNEL
Sonny Curtis – lead guitar
Likely present
Jerry Allison – drums
Glen D. Hardin – keyboard
Lee Dresser & The Crickets – El Camino Real (1969) – Archive.org
PERSONNEL
Rick Cathaway – bass
Jerry Allison – drums
Lee Dresser – lead vocals, guitar
Glen D. Hardin – piano
Eric Clapton & The Crickets – Eric Clapton (1970) – YouTube, Spotify
PERSONNEL
Eric Clapton – lead guitar, lead vocals
Delaney Bramlett – rhythm guitars, backing vocals
Stephen Stills – guitars, bass (track 11), backing vocals
Leon Russell – piano
John Simon – piano
Bobby Whitlock – organ, backing vocals
Carl Radle – bass
Jim Gordon – drums
Bobby Keys – saxophones
Jim Price – trumpet
Jerry Allison – backing vocals
Bonnie Bramlett – backing vocals
Rita Coolidge – backing vocals
Sonny Curtis – backing vocals
The 70s is the beginning of the downfall of the Crickets. This era is consistently okay, with this album of mostly Buddy Holly covers being one of the better efforts.
The Crickets – Rockin’ 50’s Rock’n’Roll (1970) – YouTube, Spotify
PERSONNEL
Sonny Curtis – lead vocals, lead guitar
Jerry Allison – drums, vocals
Jerry Scheff – bass
Glen D. Hardin – piano
This is one of the weaker albums I constructed simply because it spans from the mid 60s to the early 70s. It was one reason I found issue with this “stray track” idea. Note there’s two 1972 Sonny Curtis tracks I could not find: “Sunny Mornin’” and “Lights Of L.A.”.
The Crickets – Million Dollar Movie (1971) – YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Million Dollar Movie” (Recorded Mid 1968)
“We Gotta Get Together” (Recorded August 27th, 1964)
“Everybody’s Got A Little Problem” (Recorded August 28th, 1964)
“Now Hear This” (Recorded January 1st, 1965)
“Thoughtless” (Recorded January 2nd, 1965)
“Rave On” (Recorded January 3rd, 1965)
SIDE B
“A Million Miles Apart” (Recorded Mid 1968)
“Last Call” (Recorded July 1966)
“Love Is All Around” (Recorded Fall 1970)
“Here, There And Everywhere” (Recorded Fall 1970)
“Unsaintly Judy” (Recorded Spring 1971)
“You Don’t Belong In This Place” (Recorded Spring 1971)
PERSONNEL (Only confirmed contributions listed)
Jerry Naylor – lead vocals (tracks 4-6)
Sonny Curtis – lead guitar (tracks 1, 7-12), lead vocals (tracks 7-12)
Jerry Allison – drums (tracks 2-6) (Probably on every track), lead vocals (track 2)
Glen D. Hardin – (Possibly plays piano on tracks 1, 7-12)
Buzz Cason – lead vocals (tracks 2-3)
Tommy Allsup – guitar (tracks 2-6)
George Tomsco – guitar (track 2)
Stan Lark – bass (track 2)
Lynn Bailey – bass (tracks 3-6)
Johnny Rivers & The Crickets – L.A. Reggae(1972) – YouTube
PERSONNEL
Joe Osborn – bass
Miss Bobbye Hall – congas, bongos
Jerry Allison and/or Jim Gordon – drums
Dean Parks and/or Larry Carlton – guitar
Herb Pedersen and/or Michael Georgiades – backing vocals
Gary Coleman – percussion
Larry Knechtel and/or Jim Webb and/or Michael O’Martian – piano/organ
A Long Way from Lubbock is an officially released album, though one frustrating issue is that it pointlessly takes recordings from the previous two 1973 albums. There were two much better ideas that could have been used for a follow up. There’s basically one album’s worth of strays listed below that have no overlap with previous albums. The other idea is to cut out the dud tracks and make these albums all much shorter. The Remnants album is bizarrely forty minutes long. The album listed below was all recorded in 1973, except for “Carolyn Walking Away”, where that’s just a guess.
The Crickets – A Long Way from Lubbock(1973) – Archive.org
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“That Is Not What I Need”
“Carolyn Walking Away”
“Rock’n Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)” (Recorded October 1973)
“My Mama Sure Left Me Some Good Old Days” (Recorded October 1973)
“An American Love Affair”
“He’s Got A Way With Women”
SIDE B
“You Make It Way Too Hard”
“Ain’t Protestin’” (Demo version)
“Ain’t Protestin’” (Band version)
“Bony Moronie”
“I Like Your Music”
“Now & Then It’s Gonna Rain”
PERSONNEL
Sonny Curtis – lead vocals, lead guitar
Ric Grech – lead vocals, bass, piano
Jerry Allison – lead vocals, drums
Nick Van Maarth – lead vocals, guitar
Albert Lee – lead vocals, guitar, piano
Steve Krikorian – vocals
Lee Dresser & The Crickets – To Touch The Wind (1975) – Can’t find
PERSONNEL
Lee Dresser – lead vocals (tracks 1-12), guitar, banjo, harmonica (tracks 2-6, 8-12)
Larry McNeely – banjo (tracks 1-12)
Pat Smith – bass (tracks 1, 7)
Al Garibaldi – drums (tracks 1, 7)
Dan Crary – guitar (tracks 1, 7)
Pete Jolly – piano (tracks 1, 7)
Red Rhodes – steel guitar (tracks 1, 7)
Joe Osborn – bass (tracks 2-6, 8-12)
Jerry Allison – drums, hambone (tracks 2-6, 8-12)
Ron Dasaro – organ (tracks 2-6, 8-12)
Doug Gilmore – hambone (tracks 2-6, 8-12)
Glen D. Hardin – piano (tracks 2-6, 8-12)
Al Perkins – steel guitar (tracks 2-6, 8-12)
The Teesdale Street Choir – backing vocals (tracks 2-6, 8-12)
Originally this album spanned into the 80s with a few solo Sonny singles. Two issues with that is that those 80s tracks almost certainly lacked Jerry Allison and Sonny’s real solo career where Jerry was absent is quite confusing. Many of the released albums are unavailable online and I later found more stray tracks. There’s also some repeats from one album to another. Thus, you can think of this as the last release of his for quite a while with Jerry before they went separate ways into less documented music, though it’s quite short. I liked that the 1973 strays perfectly make up their own album, while this is everything after in the 70s. Note that a track called “When It’s Just You And Me” is from 1975, but isn’t accessible. If it was, it would make this one a bit longer.
The Crickets – Reunion(1978) – Archive.org (All tracks recorded in 1978 except where noted otherwise.)
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“It’s Only A Question Of Time” (Recorded July 10th, 1975)
“Where’s Patricia Now” (Recorded February 1976)
“The Breeze”
SIDE B
“Mulholland Drive”
“It’s Only Rock’n’Roll”
“Cruise In It”
“Rock Around With Ollie Vee”
PERSONNEL (Only confirmed contributions listed)
Sonny Curtis – lead vocals, lead guitar (tracks 1-7)
Jerry Allison – drums (tracks 3-7)
Joe B. Mauldin – bass (tracks 3-7)
Mauldin, Curtis, Jennings, and Allison
Note that half of Rollin’ and a 1982 track called “Dream Well All Of You Children” are missing. Also, the three Sonny Curtis albums listed below are not fan albums and instead are official. I’m writing out the tracklisting to make it more explicit what I do have. The personnel notes will be absent for solo Sonny due to this article being more about Jerry.
Sonny Curtis (1979) – Archive.org (Missing Two Tracks)
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“The Cowboy Singer”
“Walk Right Back”
“So Used To Loving You”
“Tennessee”
“Do You Remember Roll Over Beethoven”
SIDE B
“It’s Not Easy Being Fifteen”
“I Fought The Law”
“I’ll Stay With You” (Can’t find)
“Cheatin’ Clouds” (Can’t find)
“Ain’t Nobody Honest”
Sonny Curtis – Love Is All Around (1980) – Archive.org
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Love Is All Around”
“You Made My Life A Song”
“Eager For The Edge”
“The Real Buddy Holly Story”
“Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover”
SIDE B
“Wild Side Of Life”
“The Cowboy Singer” (Same recording as on the 1979 album)
“I Fought The Law” (Same recording as on the 1979 album)
“Walk Right Back” (Same recording as on the 1979 album)
“The Clone Song”
With one exception, the personnel for the Waylon Jennings albums won’t be listed due to how confusing it all is.
Sonny Curtis – 1981 and 1982 loose tracks – Archive.org
“Good Ol’ Girls” (From Rollin’ (1981))
“Married Women” (From Rollin’ (1981))
“Rollin’” (From Rollin’ (1981))
“More Than I Can Say” (From Rollin’ (1981))
“I Like Your Music” (From Rollin’ (1981))
“The Christmas Song” (Chestnut Roasting On A Open Fire) (1981)
“Together Alone” (1982)
“Love is All Around” (From Sonny Curtis (2007)) (Unsure of recording date, very roughly guessing 1982)
“Hung Up In Your Eyes” (From Sonny Curtis (2007)) (Unsure of recording date, very roughly guessing 1982)
“My Worst Enemy” (From Sonny Curtis (2007)) (Unsure of recording date, very roughly guessing 1982)
“Party Of The First Part” (From Sonny Curtis (2007)) (Unsure of recording date, very roughly guessing 1982)
Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson & The Crickets – WWII(1982) – YouTube, Spotify
PERSONNEL
Waylon Jennings – guitar, vocals
Jerry Allison – drums
Gene Chrisman – drums, percussion
Chips Moman – guitar
Reggie Young – guitar
Willie Nelson – guitar, vocals
Bobby Emmons – keyboards
Johnny Christopher – guitar, backing vocals
Bobby Wood – piano
Toni White – backing vocals
Mike Leech – bass
Jerry Bridges – bass
Waylon Jennings & The Crickets – It’s Only Rock & Roll (1983) – YouTube, Spotify
Waylon Jennings & The Crickets – Never Could Toe the Mark(1984) – YouTube, Spotify
Most of the Payne stuff feels like a parody of the band, with the new lead singer doing a bad Holly impression. It’s a shame Allison and Mauldin didn’t make Crickets albums with Waylon Jennings or Sonny, especially because most of the Crickets’ 60s and 70s songs lack Mauldin and now that he’s back they’re either inactive or making such poor material.
Gordon Payne & The Crickets – Jigger, Crank & Jive (1988) – Archive.org
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Back Home In Tennessee” (Released 1988)
“Blackmail” (Released 1988)
“I Can’t Hold On Any Longer” (Released 1988)
“For A While We Helped Each Other Out” (Released 1988)
SIDE B
“I Got A Woman” (Recorded Late 70s-Early 80s)
“She’s Got A Right To Cry” (Recorded Late 70s-Early 80s)
“Do You Ever Think Of Me” (Recorded Late 70s-Early 80s)
“Let’s Do It Again” (Released 1988)
PERSONNEL
Gordon Payne – lead vocals, lead guitar (tracks 1-8)
Jerry Bridges – bass (tracks 5-7)
Jerry Allison – drums (tracks 1-8)
Joe B. Mauldin – bass (tracks 1-4, 8)
The Payne lineup
Gordon Payne & The Crickets – T-Shirt (1988) – Archive.org
“I Think I’m In Love” (From Spectrum (1987), though recorded in 1985)
“Now I’ve Got A Heart Of Gold” (From Spectrum (1987), though recorded in 1985)
“Monetta” (Recorded 1990)
“Evening Shade” (Recording date guessed 1990)
“I Fought The Law” (Recorded June 1990 in Torino, ITA)
Sonny Curtis – No Stranger to the Rain (Released September 1990) – Archive.org
“I’m No Stranger to the Rain” (Possibly the same recording that was on the previous album, Spectrum)
“Hello Mary Lou”
“You’re the Lesson I Never Learned”
“When Amarillo Blows”
“Back When Has Been Lover”
“I Saved My Last Name for You”
“Bad Case of Love”
“Think It Over”
“That’ll Be the Day”
“More Than I Can Say”
“Well, All Right”
“Rock Around with Ollie Vee”
“Midnight Shift”
Gordon Payne & The Crickets – Double Exposure (1993) – YouTube, Spotify
PERSONNEL
Gordon Payne – lead vocals, probably guitar
Sonny Curtis – lead guitar
Jerry Allison – drums
Joe B. Mauldin – bass
Glen D. Hardin – keyboard
Too Much Monday Morning is a shockingly good album that goes to show how much a shame it was that this lineup wasn’t more often all together. Naylor, and especially Sinks and Box are good, but Curtis’ voice feels more at home with the Crickets. After this album, the band would go back to being an oldies act, often redoing their own songs needlessly. Admittedly, not many people are out asking for the next hot Sonny Curtis and the Crickets album.
The Crickets – Too Much Monday Morning (1996) – YouTube, Spotify
The Everly Brothers, Eric Clapton, Nanci Griffith, Bobby Vee, Albert Lee, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Rivers – guest vocals
Many, many more guest performers. Only ones that have previously worked with the Crickets are listed here.
Mike Berry & The Crickets – About Time Too! (2005) – YouTube, Spotify
PERSONNEL
Sonny Curtis – lead guitar, rhythm guitar, lead vocals
Jerry Allison – drums, lead vocals
Joe B. Mauldin – bass, backing vocals
Mike Berry – lead vocals, backing vocals
Chas Hodges – piano, backing vocals, guitar
Chad Hodges & Jerry Allison – Before We Grow Too Old (2007) – Archive.org
PERSONNEL
Jack Clement – dobro
Jerry Allison – drums, lead vocals (tracks 7, 10)
Chas Hodges – piano, lead vocals, guitar
There seems to have been a whole album of John Beland tracks recorded, but this is the only one I could find. The Limitations’ “Well… All Right” I also can’t find.
The Crickets & Their Buddies Over The Years (2013) – Archive.org
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
J.J. Cale – “I’m A Gypsy Man” (Released 1976)
John Beland – “True Love Never Runs Dry” (Recorded 1978)
Bobby Vee – “Buddy Holly Medley” (Recorded April 16th, 1989)
Dale Hawkins – “Rain On The Roof” (Recorded 1990s)
David Falconi (Might be misspelling his name) – keyboard (track 3)
Joe B. Mauldin – bass (track 3), possibly plays bass on tracks 4-7
Dale Hawkins – lead vocals, guitar (tracks 4-7)
Ray Flack – lead guitar (tracks 4-7)
Joe Osborn – possibly plays bass on tracks 4-7
unknown – piano (tracks 4-7)
Joell Le Sonier – accordion (tracks 8-9)
Margot Buchanan – backing vocals (tracks 8-9)
Sam Brown – backing vocals (tracks 8-9)
Sonia Jones – backing vocals (tracks 8-9)
Gerry Conway – drums (tracks 8-9)
Brian Hodgson – bass (track 8)
Paul Henry – guitar (track 8)
Rufus Thibodeaux – fiddle (tracks 8-9)
Nick Payne – harmonica (track 8)
Lonnie Donegan – lead vocals, rhythm guitar (tracks 8-9)
Sticky Wicket – washboard (track 8)
Vic Pitt – bass (track 9)
Chad Hodges – performer (track 10)
Dave Peacock – performer (track 10)
Albert Lee – guitar (track 10)
Track 2’s personnel information is especially confusing, but it does seem Allison, Mauldin, and Curtis are on it in some capacity.
This is a passion of mine and if one person likes what I do, I’ll feel honored. I like suggestions on what artist to cover next, so if you know of one you’d like me to look at, feel free to suggest ‘em!
For those not in the know, fan albums are the attempts of me and many others to take songs and put them on an album, typically they’re made to improve upon something, such as an existing album or to take non-album tracks and put them on an album.
The Beach Boys in 1961
This project has been a long time coming. For years I’ve wanted to do a comprehensive Beach Boys fan album series, but was just so overwhelmed by the history. I’ve done a lot of research, but even then feel like I’m missing something. Originally I wanted to include every song ever, but that sacrifices listenability due to what’s simply not good or in really poor quality. I also don’t want to be working on this forever. I’m not a big fan of Mike or Al, so it’s difficult to really care much about them, especially because Mike has a huge and convoluted solo career.
The main goal is to better represent the works of the three Wilson brothers. I find their material consistently interesting and worth listening to in an easier way, instead of being spread across multiple artist names and levels of obscurity. In terms of the other members, I’m not sure what to do, but I have ideas. For the long term members of Mike, Al, and Bruce, anything I like will be a Beach Boys release. The stuff I don’t might be relegated to something else? Maybe in this universe, things like Mike’s re-recordings of Beach Boys songs are considered so bad they can’t be released under the official name? The exception is pre-Beach Boys Bruce, which I like, but find too out of step with the early Beach Boys. For David, Ricky, and Blondie, their outputs were at most minimal and not very much like the Beach Boys. Thus, they will be treated as just helpers who were always more prioritized with other projects, not unlike the various session or touring members.
While I have a way of not finishing things, at least not in a timely manner, this project is dauntingly intended to go up to the current day Beach Boys recordings. I’m really looking forward to it, as I think these album sequences are better than the official ones, feeling a lot more cohesive. The albums here I particularly like are The Beginning of the End, The Survivors, Shut Down Volume 2, and especially All Summer Long. If these sequences were officially released, I think All Summer Long would be considered the group’s first masterpiece. The other four are fine, but have a bit too much filler. The material on Brian’s Bag has been some of my least favorite of this era, but it works better as is here than interspersed with excellent cuts that deserve to thrive as much as possible. It’s also easier to appreciate those lesser tracks this way as they feel at home. As an example, I love surf rock that only cares about being danceable, and the Beach Boys have many successes in that field, but that doesn’t fit with the lush and warm ballads about aspects of life. And now, without further ado…
“Do You Love Me, Do You Surfer Girl?”
In 1961, California teenager Brian Wilson began to learn and sing songs with his family and friends. Clearly a standout among his brothers or most kids his age, his father Murry sought to obtain him a record contract. Eventually, it was arranged for him to perform live. However, at the show, he had such stage fright that he decided to merely be part of a backing group. At his mother’s insistence, his cousin Mike Love and brothers Carl and Dennis were added to his band idea. They were rounded out by friend Al Jardine. Brian wanted girlfriend Judy Bowles to participate, mainly as an excuse for her to take Mike’s place, but she wasn’t interested. As retribution, Brian’s mother said Mike got to sing the first song they recorded and pick the subject. Mike was going to suggest a song based on his job, sheet metal working, but when Dennis added in surfing, Mike went with that, but still took the credit. Mike would go on to claim he was an avid surfer to friends, even doctoring images of Dennis surfing with his own face.
This song ended up being “Surfin’”. The lineup was set to be Mike on vocals and sax, Carl on lead guitar, Dennis drums, Al rhythm guitar, and Brian bass and keyboard. After months of agonizing rehearsing, with Brian taking the proceedings very seriously, they arranged to have a recording session with producers Hite and Dorinda Morgan. Some of the material consisted of ballads and others more rocking tracks reminiscent of what other teen groups were doing. Despite ostensibly being led by the Morgans, Brian more and more exerted control over the project. Even on what was to be their first single, Brian was unsatisfied with Mike and Dennis’ playing, so he played drums himself and excised saxophone entirely.
“I sometimes wish I could play without these guys.” He said.
With prompting from his family, Al left the band. Friend David Marks replaced him, though Al still helped out. David seemed less comfortable with singing. Brian often experimented with including or excluding certain people to get a particular sound. Even Al Jardine was recruited briefly. It was decided that tracks “Surfin’” and “Luau” would be the a and b-side to their first record respectively. Despite going by the name “The Pendletones”, when the single was finally released, it was credited to “The Beach Boys” and was a reasonable hit. This was considered either a decision of a nameless record executive or someone poorly spelling “Brian’s Band”. If it’s the latter, it couldn’t have been a higher up due to their proclivity to eating apples. Ultimately, Murry arranged for Brian to be given a recording contract for an LP. When his aversion to singing on tour became apparent, it was decided Mike would be the lead singer due to singing on the record, while Brian was still the leader. Only the Wilsons and Mike Love were signed to Capitol as official members. This created animosity between them and Al and David, especially as Capitol refused to pay six members, resulting in Al leaving again, declaring he’d never return.
As the group recorded their first album, Brian became more comfortable singing, though he was more interested in the romantic ballad tracks. Capitol, wanting a pure teen rock album, didn’t want these cuts included. Regardless, the group still recorded several. When all was said and done, Capitol created a tracklist which only included the “fun” songs. Surf Songs For Beach Lovers was released in summer 1962 to mixed reviews and little fanfare. Troubles increased when Al sued to be credited as an official member. This was granted to keep the peace. Despite this, he did not rejoin the group. The record credited David Marks as “Al”, due to not having the ability or desire to take photographs with Jardine. Despite their initial hit, the album was considered too underwhelming to keep the band on. The Beach Boys broke up.
Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – Surf Songs For Beach Lovers (1962) – YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Surfin’ Safari”
“County Fair”
“Chug-A-Lug”
“Summertime Blues”
“Land Ahoy”
“Luau”
“Beach Boy Stomp (Aka Karate)”
SIDE B
“Surfin’”
“Shut Down”
“Judy”
“Ten Little Indians”
“409”
“Moon Dawg”
“The Shift”
PERSONNEL
Brian Wilson – bass guitar, lead vocals, co-producer, keyboard, drums
Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
Mike Love – lead vocals, saxophone
Al Jardine – guitar, bass (occasional)
Friends
Nick Venet – co-producer, carnival barker
Hite Morgan – co-producer
Dorinda Morgan – co-producer
Murry Wilson – manager, producer (latter uncredited)
David Marks – guitar
Andrea Carlo – voice of girlfriend
Gary Usher – car sound effects
Brian had started making efforts to assist other artists in recording. Carl and Dennis in turn played on a few records for other people while David typically stayed home rehearsing more and more complex pieces. Mike counted his pennies, hoping to put off returning to his job.
In need of more product for the fall season, Capitol compiled the other more serious songs for a throwaway release. The result, The Beginning of the End, was highly successful among fans of more soulful teen music. This resulted in the track from the first album, “Shut Down”, being released as a single and becoming a huge hit. Thus, the first LP was rereleased to be named after that single. Due to the recent progress, the Wilsons, Love, and Marks reformed. At a celebration party, Brian proposed to his girlfriend. Despite this, he was taken aback by a girl he was interested in producing, Marilyn Rovell.
Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – The Beginning of the End (1962) – YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“The Beginning Of The End”
“Heads You Win, Tails I Lose”
“Barbie”
“What Is A Young Girl Made Of”
“Lonely Sea”
“Lana”
SIDE B
“Lavender”
“Cindy, Oh Cindy”
“Stoked”
“Little Girl (You’re My Miss America)”
“Cuckoo Clock”
“Visions”
“Happy Birthday Four Freshmen”
PERSONNEL
Brian Wilson – bass guitar, lead vocals, co-producer
Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
Mike Love – lead vocals
Al Jardine – guitar (occasional)
Friends
Nick Venet – co-producer
Hite Morgan – co-producer
Dorinda Morgan – co-producer
Murry Wilson – manager, producer (latter uncredited)
David Marks – guitar
To follow up on “Shut Down”, Brian reluctantly penned another song that he said “lacked substance”. “Surfin’ USA” was an even bigger success than Shut Down, which resulted in Capitol seizing work on Brian’s ballads. Not willing to give them up, Brian agreed to do one album of fun songs, then after another of serious songs. Capitol agreed. Following trends, and at the insistence of the group’s jam rock fans of David, Carl, and Dennis, the next record featured many surf instrumentals. Mike Love was annoyed at his lack of presence, but no one cared. His arguing got him a vocal cameo on “Stoked”, which ultimately ended up being an outtake. Jardine was almost completely absent from the group’s first three LPs. For the first two, he’s only represented by the short time he was in the group before leaving. For the third record, he was brought in to appear on the inconsequential “Boogie Woodie”, as he needed to be present in order to keep being credited. Surfin’ USA was released in May 1963 to reasonably positive reviews.
Judy considered the song “Marie” a declaration of Brian’s feelings towards Marilyn and “Mother May I” about the former’s mother. Judy then broke up with Brian in a semi-public place. Passerby purported hearing Brian cry and breakdown, insisting he couldn’t live without her. Despite this, later that day he announced to his friends and family he was in a relationship with Marilyn. Brian would never mention Judy again.
Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – Surfin’ USA(1963) – YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Surfin’ USA”
“Let’s Go Trippin’”
“Noble Surfer”
“Honky Tonk”
“Side Two”
“Marie”
“Misirlou”
SIDE B
“Farmer’s Daughter”
“Surf Jam”
“Punchline”
“Mother May I”
“Finders Keepers”
“Boogie Woodie”
PERSONNEL
Brian Wilson – lead vocals, keyboard, bass guitar, co-producer
Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
Mike Love – lead vocals
Al Jardine – bass guitar (occasional)
Friends
Nick Venet – co-producer
Murry Wilson – manager
David Marks – rhythm guitar
Frank DeVito – drums
The band were disappointed with the album’s cover being similar to the others. As such, Brian sought to take control over that and make them more artistic. He didn’t get full control, so things would generally be a back and forth process. He also saw the group’s real strength as vocalists, finding the many instrumentals boring. He thus decided to tour less and spend the time making more and more complex works. He was quoted as saying, “Our records are our legacy. That’s what history will remember us by.” The other band members found this pretentious, especially those that loved instrumental rock. Mike supported Brian, though it’s suspected only because he wrote much of the band’s lyrics and didn’t partake in the instrumentals. He also supposedly said the Beach Boys weren’t really the Beach Boys without him. “We should be called Mike Love & The Beach Boys”.
For the fourth record, Brian was always working in the studio. This included occasionally replacing members with session players. Jardine was brought in to help, enthused by his friends’ success. It was suspected that the reason he finally became a prominent member was because Brian wanted to move away from the more surfing style, which never strongly spoke to Jardine. Still, this upset the other members that didn’t want to be used less, especially now that they’re sharing the spotlight with Jardine. Dennis was the most positive about the change, wanting to support whatever will make the best art.
Carl and David both began working on material for the band, which the label rejected due to not having the commercial viability of Brian’s. Brian, not wanting to start conflict with anyone, didn’t challenge Capitol. He did want to push the boundaries of pop music and if he was going to he would need to play ball as often as he could afford. The Survivors was released in December to lesser commercial success, but increased critical acclaim. It followed with the single “Pamela Jean”/“Hawaii”. The former only featured one Beach Boy, Brian.
Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – The Survivors (1963) – YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Pamela Jean”
“Surfer Girl”
“In My Room”
“Ballad Of Ole’ Betsy”
“Spirit Of America”
“First Rock And Roll Dance”
“Little Surfer Girl”
SIDE B
“Back Home”
“A Young Man Is Gone”
“Hawaii”
“The Surfer Moon”
“Thank Him”
“Your Summer Dream”
PERSONNEL
Brian Wilson – lead vocals, keyboard, bass guitar, producer, guitar
Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
Mike Love – lead vocals
Al Jardine – bass guitar, vocals
Friends
Murry Wilson – manager
David Marks – rhythm guitar
Hal Blaine – timbales
Bob Norberg – guitar
Dave Nolan – possible guitar
Rich Peterson – possible percussion
During the then unnamed fifth album sessions, Marks began to feel more and more left out, not being an official member and being disliked by Murry. He especially hated having his guitar parts recorded by Carl or session men. Marks’ parents advocated for him and even wanted more involvement in managing the group, which Murry was unwilling to do. Pressures mounted with Capitol wanting the record done as fast as possible due to the recent comparative lack of success, with Brian fulfilling that by throwing out some filler. Still, he included more strong vocals and proficient playing, among other touches to give it the stamp his work was beginning to have. To his dismay, one instrumental track was renamed “Shut Down, Part II” and the album was promptly called “Shut Down Volume 2”, which was a title he hated. “At least people might know the record was junk. The best stuff was on the singles.” The album was another hit.
With Dennis penning new tunes, Carl felt them, Al, and David could start a new project focused more on rocking instrumentation. He was inspired by surf bands of the time. Due to the demands of constantly being on the road, this project did not take off. Carl in a 1991 interview expands on this:
“I of course love Brian, but I just needed to do something else, as well. Denny and I may not have been matching him, but we were doing numbers. It seemed all we ever got to do were a few little things like The Tri-Five and The Four Speeds. I was even tempted to quit the band, but I couldn’t do that to the family. Dad and Capitol wanted us to stick together as much as possible. We insisted on a vote between the band [on whether to form a spinoff group]. Dennis, David, and Brian were on my side, while Mike, Dad, and Al weren’t. I think Al was only against me because he would have been risking getting fired. Mike also probably did because he wouldn’t have been in our band and was mad. What a joke. That all also exacerbated tensions with David as his vote wasn’t counted and dad said he wins out in a tie. Thus, we mostly all stayed together, though you know what happened with Dave.”
Shut Down Volume 2’s cover was mostly the doing of the label, being in stark contrast with the more experimental previous cover. It was considered a necessity to never again blur the band’s face.
Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – Shut Down Volume 2 (1964) – YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Fun, Fun, Fun”
“Little Deuce Coupe”
“Catch A Wave”
“South Bay Surfer”
“Rocking Surfer”
“The Baker Man”
“Gonna Hustle You”
SIDE B
“Cherry, Cherry Coupe”
“Surfers Rule”
“Our Car Club”
“No-Go Showboat”
“Shut Down, Part II”
“Custom Machine”
“Be True To Your School”
PERSONNEL
Brian Wilson – lead vocals, keyboard, producer
Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
Mike Love – lead vocals
Al Jardine – bass guitar, vocals
Friends
Murry Wilson – manager
David Marks – rhythm guitar
Hal Blaine – tambourine, drums
Steve Douglas – tenor saxophones
Jay Migliori – baritone saxophones
Ray Pohlman – 6-string electric bass guitars
Maureen Love – harp
“Well then, the next album will have loads of our faces! LOADS!”
While still to have many commercial flairs, Brian was determined to include more lavish production and introspective lyrics. Introspective lyrics meant one thing, less Mike. Mike was bitter about barely being used or credited for songwriting, but Brian threatening to kick him out the studio one day was considered a veiled threat to have him fired from the band. Mike would cool off, though still declared to others he was just as talented as Brian.
In a move often criticized as one of Murry’s lowest moments, he began doing whatever he could to make David feel demoralized. He reduced his pay, made him sleep separately from the others in hotels, and encouraged them to record without him. This caused Marks to quit early in these sessions. While he soon wanted back in, Murry forced him to stick to his word, acting like it would be too problematic to reinclude him. Brian later said, “I felt bad for him. I wanted to do something, but my dad was so threatening to me I felt I couldn’t do it. On top of that, I began using the guys less for the instrumentals and turning to session players. David was never that good of a singer, so he basically would’ve had nothing to do even if he had not quit.”
While Murry had intended to exert more control, now with one opponent gone, this actually backfired for him. Brian was taking more and more control from Murry for himself. Seeing as he was getting older, he felt he needed and wanted less input from his dad and others respected him more, no longer interested in supporting or listening to Murry. Brian eventually told Murry to wait outside for some sessions, to which he said no. It was suspected their confrontation could have become physical, but Brian simply walked out the room. Brian initially worked in secret from his father. Soon enough, he grew tired of this and fired him. He had Marilyn do the deed of telling the bad news.
All Summer Long was very successful, but not as much as some other records. Murry blamed the lesser benefits on his absence, though Brian noted the critics still loved it. The symbol of the sun would become an icon in the Beach Boys fandom, coined by Mike as the “Love symbol”. He would go on to say the supposed reference to his last name was coincidental and that he was just thinking about “Peace and Mother Earth”.
Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – All Summer Long (1964) – YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Beryl Left Me” (Actually “Bobby Left Me”, title changed to be about a woman)
“I Do”
“The Warmth Of The Sun”
“Hushabye”
“Keep An Eye On Summer”
“We’ll Run Away”
SIDE B
“After The Game”
“Why Do Fools Fall In Love”
“Things We Did Last Summer”
“Girls On The Beach”
“Don’t Worry Baby”
“All Summer Long”
PERSONNEL
Brian Wilson – lead vocals, keyboard, producer, marimba
Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
Mike Love – lead vocals, drums (Calm down, it’s just one track.)
Al Jardine – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals
Friends
Murry Wilson – manager (uncredited)
Hal Blaine – drums, percussion, bell-tree
Glen Campbell – 6-string bass guitar
Ray Pohlman – 4 & 6-string bass guitar
David Marks – rhythm guitar
Steve Douglas – tenor saxophones
Jay Migliori – baritone saxophones, piccolo or fife
Leon Russell – piano
Bill Pitman – archtop acoustic guitar
Tommy Tedesco – electric guitar
Jimmy Bond – double bass
Frank Capp – glockenspiel, temple blocks, castanets
Al de Lory – piano
Plas Johnson – tenor saxophone
Bob Norberg – guitar
Dave Nolan – possible guitar
Rich Peterson – possible percussion
The due date for the next album was moved up, causing Brian to rush yet again. “Some visionary”, as quoted by a mysterious source. The result is considered one of the band’s weakest early albums. Among the most mixed reception are Carl and Dennis’ contributions. When asked why the resulting works were so middling, Carl said, “We were still holding out hope on our own project, so saved the best stuff for it.” This did them no favors, with the serious critics that had been consistently praising Brian feeling reinforced in saying he was the only talented member. Brian would refute this, though denied the idea of including more of his brothers’ material on the albums, saying The Beach Boys was simply “His thing”. This comment angered his bandmates, prompting Brian to spend less time around them. They also blamed him for the Brian-centered cover, arguing Brian could’ve stopped it if he cared.
Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – Brian’s Bag (1964) – YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Karen”
“Denny’s Drums”
“I Get Around”
“This Car Of Mine”
“In The Parkin’ Lot”
“Pom Pom Play Girl”
“Louie Louie”
SIDE B
“Little Honda”
“Carl’s Big Chance”
“Drive-In”
“Do You Remember”
“Don’t Back Down”
“Wendy”
“Denny’s Drums, Part II”
PERSONNEL
Brian Wilson – lead vocals, keyboard, bass guitar, producer
Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
Mike Love – lead vocals, saxophone
Al Jardine – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals
Friends
Hal Blaine – drums, timbales with brush, rim with thin stick
In preparation for the season, Brian released a Christmas record. The reviews were generally positive and the commercial results especially strong. Brian was on top of the world. As a show of good grace for his band, Brian is notably not clearly visible on the cover, which he had to fight to get. This did little to change their view, as Brian was in response prominent on the back. Regardless, while Carl, Al, and Mike were still upset by that and feeling increasingly like Brian’s backing singers, they couldn’t deny the money or musical quality (Well, maybe Mike could). Despite the massive success, Brian was up another enemy after Dennis told him he desperately wanted to write a “real song” for an album and was told no. Brian’s reasoning was that he would drop the “silly” songs and make something truly daring and personal. He continued he would try again to get a deal going for him, Carl, and Al, though when nothing came of this he was considered to have not actually done anything.
Helped on by Cero
Brian Wilson & The Beach Boys – The Lord’s Prayer (1964) – YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Auld Lang Syne”
“Christmas Eve”
“Little Saint Nick”
“The Man With All The Toys”
“Santa’s Beard”
“Jingle Bells”
“Christmas Day”
“Merry Christmas, Baby”
SIDE B
“Frosty The Snowman”
“We Three Kings Of Orient Are”
“Blue Christmas”
“Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town”
“White Christmas”
“I’ll Be Home For Christmas”
“The Lord’s Prayer”
“Denny’s Message (Auld Lang Syne)”
PERSONNEL
Brian Wilson – lead vocals, keyboard, bass guitar, producer
Carl Wilson – lead guitar, vocals
Dennis Wilson – drums, vocals
Mike Love – lead vocals
Al Jardine – bass guitar, rhythm guitar, vocals
Friends
Dick Reynolds – orchestra
Al Viola – guitar
Cliff Hils – double bass
Jimmy Rowles – grand piano
Jack Sperling – drums
Eddie Rosa – flute and/or alto saxophone and/or tenor saxophone
William Hinshaw, Richard Perissi, Arthur Briegleb – French horns
Henry Laubach, John Audino, Conrad Gozzo, Raymond Triscari – trumpets
Harry Betts, Francis Howard, George Roberts – trombones
George “Red” Callender – tuba
Edgar Lustgarten, Jesse Ehrlich, Nathan Gershman, Alfred Wohl, Margaret Aue – violins, violas, cellos, and/or double basses
Benjamin Barrett – orchestra master
Dick Reynolds – orchestra conductor
Later that day, Brian came home from the studio and crashed on his couch, falling asleep. He awoke to Marilyn exasperated by a love song he heard he was making about her sister Diane. He insisted he wrote it as a favor to Carl, who wanted his girlfriend named in a song. This would not initially quell Marilyn, though eventually she apologized.
“I’ll change the name in the song, how about Rhonda?”
The Beach Boys in 1964
This is a passion of mine and if one person likes what I do, I’ll feel honored. I like suggestions on what artist to cover next, so if you know of one you’d like me to look at, feel free to suggest ‘em!
For those not in the know, fan albums/album edits are the attempts of me and many others to take songs and put them on an album, typically they’re made to improve upon something, such as an existing album or to take non-album tracks and put them on an album.
The recent release of the “final” Beatles single got me wondering how long of a Beatles “reunion” album you could make and if that could become a fan album. Considering that the John Lennon demos come from the late 70s or early 80s, ideally the other tracks would come from that same time period. That didn’t get very far, so I decided to include cases after the band’s breakup where there’s just three members together and extend the timeframe out more. This created two issues. The album is still too short and there’s a severe lack of Paul. Paul and George almost never seemed to collaborate after the breakup. Thus, I turned to some sources that might be too strange.
The best is an edit of “Grow Old With Me” by “Rarebeatles” that surprisingly effectively mixes John’s vocal, George Martin’s orchestration, and the backing track of the Ringo cover that featured Paul on bass. An edit like this may have been an ideal “b-side” to “Now and Then”. Another source was the mid-90s jam between everyone but John, for obvious reasons. These may be too informal, but I like them. Note that tracks that don’t feature all three Beatles or were originally from released albums are excluded, to not have duplication. Finally there are two tracks from the “Everyday Chemistry” edit, which takes stems from different solo Beatles songs. They were mainly included to give more length and I simply like them.
This edit is not very fluid, due to the different sources, but I found it an interesting listen. Other similar concepts for this lower the number of Beatles needed to just two or stay in one time frame. Those are indeed more cohesive, so this should be looked at as an experiment to be more Beatley in numbers than style. This is pretty much the closest we’ll ever get to a “true” reunion we can actually make. I also worked on this project months ago and only now got around to finishing and releasing it. For those that want a little narrative for this album, here is what I thought of:
After John Lennon returned to music in 1980, he decided to get the other Beatles together to record an album. After some resistance, he barely managed this. The band began recording, often not together, before John tragically died. The others were not terribly keen on continuing the project, so took a break before realizing John would want them to finish it. Thus, they decided to play by their own rules and do some informal jams, as they were prioritizing having fun, before the daunting task of adding overdubs to some unused John recordings. Due to knowing that he wouldn’t be on every track, and being more interested in their solo projects, the remaining three figured why bother being on every track if it was already fine by their standards? A 1973 outtake called “I’m The Greatest” that happened to feature everyone but Paul was dug up and included as “the imagined single that carried us to this point”. Its mocking lyrics of Paul were favored by George and Ringo due to him not wanting to contribute his own songs to the LP. The album was then named 40 in reference to John. The cover was a then-recent picture of the band. The record received negative reviews, with critics noting the severe lack of cohesion. There was more praise for the tracks that used all the band members and didn’t draw from many or informal sources. Some considered just releasing the singles, “Free As A Bird/Grow Old With Me” and “Now And Then/Real Love”. The remaining members were not new to such criticism and didn’t much care, having solo careers waiting for them.
Mia Barcia-Colombo, Giovanna Clayton, Hillary Smith – cello (track 1)
Mike Valerio – double bass (track 1)
Linda McCartney – backing vocals (track 2)
Denny Laine – backing vocals (track 2)
Al Kooper – electric piano (track 2)
Herbie Flowers – bass (track 2)
Ray Cooper – tambourine (track 2)
Jeff Lynne – backing vocals, guitar, producer (tracks 3, 9)
Joe Walsh – guitar (track 5)
Jim Cox – piano (track 5)
Allison Lovejoy – accordion (track 5)
Rhea Fowler – violin (track 5)
Bianca McClure – violin (track 5)
Lauren Baba – violin (track 5)
Isaiah Cage – cello (track 5)
Billy Preston – organ, piano (track 7)
Klaus Voormann – bass (track 7)
Jérôme Leroy – conductor (track 1)
Paul McCartney, Giles Martin, Ben Foster – string arrangement (track 1)
Jack Douglas – string arrangement (track 5)
George Martin – orchestral arrangement (track 5)
This is a passion of mine and if one person likes what I do, I’ll feel honored. I like suggestions on what artist to cover next, so if you know of one you’d like me to look at, feel free to suggest ‘em!
That’s how I would describe the Zombies in one word, complimenting the cool and atmospheric expression of the fall season. Any slow guitar or keyboard solo amplifies this. Such texture is very present on the recordings discussed below. After crunching the numbers, there’s forty-two non-album tracks by the Zombies if you include their BBC sessions output that a) doesn’t overlap with the studio songs and b) is high enough quality to pass as a studio track. Thus, it seemed fun to sort them into three groups of fourteen for my reviews, which is the same number of songs on the band’s first album, Begin Here. The tracks covered here are the first fourteen unique works not on the first album. Despite many of these being from the same sessions as Begin Here, they push the bar with more fusion and complex production, possibly because someone may have wanted some of the more unique tracks as singles or unreleased.
One point of comparison for the first album are the covers. Due to the fact the covers were probably essentially rehearsed through constant touring, they are effective due to how tight they are. The ones discussed below sound a little unique to the band’s other works due to less focus on rock. The group also mostly stopped doing covers. The originals show some mindfulness to the trends of the time, but are very wise to not be essentially copies. That mid-60s Beatles sound is classic and just begging to be tinkered with by different sounds, like with Hugh Grundy’s driving drums, as opposed to Ringo’s being more in the back. Rod Argent on keyboards give a dramatically different sound to other guitar-led groups, with Paul Atkinson on guitar innocently relegated to rhythm, only to burst out into a genius solo that’s often more jagged, moody, and understated than Rod’s solos, providing a new direction for the song. Chris White applies nice thick basslines to tracks, though his main role is clearly in writing quirky songs and using his backing vocals to amplify any feeling of anxiety or ecstasy sung by lead vocalist Colin Blunstone. Blunstone, and specifics about these songs will be covered below. The tracks are listed in the order I listened to them.
“Kind of Girl” has a great spiteful attitude. Colin’s singing has an amusing smirk to it. “For You My Love” is a really tight jazz number. The departure from rock shows just how good this group is at jazz. Everyone is perfectly in pocket, though we still get some attention grabbing and snappy moments like the drum solo. “Leave Me Be” is perfectly fine, though not exceptional. Colin’s voice is usually not this depressing, so that angle gives this track something distinct in the band’s catalog. “Rip It Up” is another excellent jazz track, ignoring the more rocking versions of it, like Buddy Holly’s. Colin’s singing is comparatively weaker, not seeming in time with the others. As is typical, it’s strong enough to not be bad or unpleasurable. “Soulville” is another excellent jazz track. Most of the band, other than Blunstone and White, would jam together for years before the others joined, so perhaps these songs reflect them doing these more “adult” works and showing such a strong understanding of the mood of these through slick playing.
“I Must Move” is another ballad. The ethereal production launches the track, with the singing soaring off the rest. This one sounds a bit inspired by the wall of sound, with the drumming especially having this wonderfully big and consuming feeling. “Sometimes” and “Tell Her No” are similarly razor sharp performances that sound so exciting. One highlight is the guitar, whose sharp licks poke out from the back of the song. That riff creates a relaxing vibe with Atkinson’s energy producing that sound. What sounds like a clap at the end is an especially nice touch. “I Want You Back Again” is similarly solid. “You Make Me Feel Good” benefits from the incredible simplicity of its content, making a statement with its sincerity and lyrics, without the sense of trying too hard, not that the other tracks are. “It’s Alright With Me” is like that, but as a rocker instead of a ballad. “I’m Going Home” has qualities of both. The reason these tracks work better than most other bands is the playing and songwriter, both inspired by arguably more “highbrow” sources then many others. The light touches of the guitar and bass on tracks, who do occasional more aggressive licks are one commonality for the Zombies.
“She’s Coming Home” intensifies the wall of sound approach, giving another layer to the love the singer feels. The drum intro sets that stage perfectly with how grand it is. “Walking In The Sun” is the best of this lot, with sharp piano interplaying gracefully with the drums, emphasizing the love the singer feels. Said singing is full and breathy, taking advantage of Colin Blunstone’s unique traits. The different sections of the song capture different feelings of love, providing a heartbeat and passion, while demonstrating the group’s ability to change time signatures and styles mid-song. The rich vocals is probably the primary reason this track is a fan favorite. As such, all of this comes together to make one of the Zombies’ best efforts.
OVERVIEW
This would’ve made a great follow-up to Begin Here, which beats it at its own game with more interesting and complex covers, which is funny as these were mainly recorded around the same time as the original LP and on the BBC, where it might have been expected they would never be heard again. Yet it’s remarkable those are among the weaker here, as the singles have lots of great touches of fusion and showcases for the players, especially drummer Hugh Grundy. Due to the blending of different genres, arguably the Zombies could have kept making quality music for a very long time. If one genre gets a little old, they’ll go to the next. It’s worth noting that R&B, which was prominent on the previous recordings, is mostly absent now, showcasing the group’s evolution and desire to not fall back on old ideas.
The Zombies, known for making one of the most famous psychedelic albums of all time, had a surprisingly varied career. Despite only having released two original lineup albums, one in 1964 and another in 1968, there’s enough studio or studio-passing tracks that there could have been an album a year from ‘64 to ‘68, and we could get even more if you count the solo eras of the two main members. Despite the consistent quality of music, one issue that would be hard to avoid with those hypothetical albums also afflicts Begin Here. There is a lack of cohesion. Some of these songs prioritize romantic singing and an environment-filling organ. Other tracks are beefy rockers with strangely less focus on the famous Colin Blunstone’s vocals and Rod Argent’s keyboard. The consequence of this is not a bad album, but an unfocused one. As such, treating this as a compilation helps the experience.
The opening track is “Road Runner”, which has a beautifully fiery lead guitar. Blunstone, like other singers like Roger Daltrey, can’t quite capture the elegance of original performer Bo Diddley, but is still good. That guitar and interplay with the drums really makes the song. “Summertime” plays to the band’s natural strengths. It’s a warm ballad with breathy vocals and nice harmonies. The keyboard has clear jazz influences. The bass and drums add a perfect backing to amplify the intended tone. While the group isn’t known for their covers, they’ve managed some extremely cohesive ones that add in the jazz and R&B leanings of the five living dead, a sound all their own.
“I Can’t Make Up My Mind” has similar positives, with more intense playing and singing. The organ, especially its solo, provides some class and texture. Without it, you’d basically have a different band, as it contrasts the hard hitting guitar and drums. “The Way I Feel Inside” showcases how strong Colin’s voice and Rod’s playing are, though compositionally and lyrically the track is too simplistic, so the intended effect of “less is more” isn’t reached. The full band demo adds some much needed energy. “Work ‘n’ Play” follows and is pretty jarring. It’s a nice reminder of the R&B, but is similarly dull and notably lacking any vocal work. Rod Argent plays harmonica and not very well, though the whole track coasts on being upbeat and fun, though it would have more value on a rarities compilation where this would be more of a curio than album filler.
“You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me/Bring It On Home to Me” is the third track to not have the magnetic and razor sharp playing of the band, but the vocal harmonies help make up for that. This shows how even though the band has a wonderful sound, they should have put more work into making their covers feel distinct. Colin’s vocals seem flat when compared to the originals, most notable in the section of the song that’s close to spoken word, where you’d expect Smokey Robinson to be aching his heart out. “She’s Not There” rightfully is one of the group’s most famous songs. It has all the previous positives. One favorite is the clean and prominent bassline thumping in the back. Every member gets at least a little section to show off, though the piece feels cohesive due to how tight they fit together and how infectious their spirit is.
“Sticks and Stones” is another rocker and cover. The electric drumming and amusing singing made this a personal favorite on the album, though it lacks the sophistication or exceptionally thoughtful playing of the best of the group. The rocking covers might work better in a live setting. The band is playing like they want to show off, but there’s obviously no audience to do that to. This is also a strange opener to a side. Why not pick something like the more exciting “She’s Not There”? “Can’t Nobody Love You” is another great one, due to Colin’s smooth voice gliding effortlessly off the organ and drums in this ballad. The name checking of other R&B singers is a favorite part, as if cementing this song into history.
Next are four originals in a row. “Woman” seems like a cover, but isn’t. Colin’s rocking voice feels more natural here, with his scream and the organ solo showcasing playfulness and more familiarity with the track, as if it was well rehearsed. There’s an added level of excitement, especially in the backing vocals. It’s like they really wanted to give their take on this type of song. “I Don’t Want to Know” and “I Remember When I Loved Her” are also derivative of the band’s influences, but the personal touches make it special. The vocal harmonies and on point playing are two of the biggest keys to success, which is something that propels any track they’re featured on. Loved Her has especially haunting keyboard, though also especially vapid lyrics. “What More Can I Do” is the best of these four. The singing and playing have a sense of tension, like the singer is pained by the conflict going on. There’s expectedly many little touches, like the drumming at the very end.
“I Got My Mojo Working” can be best defined as chaotic. The singing is dirty, notably less refined than what came before it. The instruments blast out, with the drums particularly blaring. A harmonica solo is the most telling example of this, seeming to defy a time signature. The track as a whole resembles an early punk band and as such is a little magical in its own right, but demonstrates the less mindful side of the Zombies and is frankly their weakest cut. It doesn’t at all fit with the other songs on this album, which seem to have a clear focus and intent. This one is by comparison an informal jam. It being the end of the album and having Argent singing lead makes it feel tacked on, as if to be a surprise. That might work in other circumstances, but here wastes the tension and pathos built up by the previous “romantic” tracks.
OVERVIEW
Begin Here isn’t just a strong debut, it’s many strong debuts. As was common at the time, the Zombies followed trends and here seemed to be trying to follow several trends. You could argue they were setting the groundwork. If the jazzy stuff was successful, they could build off that here. If the R&B material won, then they’d pursue that direction. To compare them to an influence of theirs, basically all Beach Boys songs have complex harmonies, which gives them a definable sound. The Zombies sometimes have complex harmonies, others more basic ones, and sometimes not any at all. The group may have been successful if they stuck in a lane, but it’s hard to deny the quality of what’s available. Even the weaker tracks have solid playing and Blunstone to love. Criticisms of either of those mainly come down to those elements just being serviceable, as opposed to exceptional.
Skip to links if you don’t care about the reading.
For those not in the know, fan albums are the attempts of me and many others to take songs and put them on an album, typically they’re made to improve upon something, such as an existing album or to take non-album tracks and put them on an album.
I’ve decided to make a few revisions to my earlier fan albuming of the great Buddy Holly. 50s LPs’ common track sequencing is better than I’ve given it credit for, so I’ve decided to respect that. Thus, all these albums have twelve or thirteen tracks. I’ve also left alone the two official albums, so they can be slotted in. Conveniently, the amount of tracks recorded before those albums and the ones after fit the twelve or thirteen track rule nicely, so I won’t have to have pre and post “the main two” album tracks on the same LP. I’m unsure of what to do with the later official albums by the Crickets without Holly. Maybe I’ll do a stray track version and also a version that fixes the weak sequences?
As I like to do, I want to define what counts as a band track or a solo track. Based on the nature of these recordings, every track without Bob Montgomery is more or less solo Buddy, seeing as he was clearly the intended star of the show and most recordings credit him as a solo artist. However, seeing as there were band names and bandmates that have been unfortunately understated historically, “The Two Tones” name will be utilized for the period where the backing band was reasonably in flux, such as when Bob, Sonny, Jerry, and the various bass players were sometimes there and sometimes not. The members were mostly just Buddy’s friends and not session players. When Jerry and Joe are present, that’s what counts as “The Crickets”. Originally, I was going to utilize the fact that every Crickets track has Jerry and say he was the only necessary player to make something the Crickets, but defining a band by one person drives me crazy.
This next idea might be a little controversial. Seeing as Holly’s fellow musicians had identities and musical statements, I’ve decided to include recordings where Holly is backing another vocalist, specifically one of his bandmates. I will not be including every track to ever feature Holly, just the ones where someone was really in his circle. If Buddy and the Crickets formed in the 70s, they might’ve taken this approach, with someone else occasionally getting vocals for the sake of it. Finally, let’s have a little fun and build some alt history around this! There is certainly a lot of untrue information below, so be warned!
The History of Buddy Holly, as it pertains to his LPs
A young boy named Buddy Holley became interested in music in the late 40s. After recording a twelve-track album at home in 1949, he submitted it to Columbia Records to be released, but they responded back saying, “This sound quality is worse than a Charley Patton record.” Upon asking for the tracks back, Columbia admitted that confusing it for their own material, they junked it. Fortunately, one track was preserved on what Holley had intended to be a single for the album, “My Two-Timin’ Woman”. While future historians were hopeful there’d be a b-side, on the other end was merely “Chattanooga Choo Choo” by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, albeit falsely credited to Buddy. As his interest in music grew, Holley began performing with artists. The first notable one was Bob Montgomery. While initially only doing informal jams, in mid 1952 they decided to become an official group. The two credited themselves, “Buddy and Bob” and at points under both of their full names. For the sake of symmetry, an “e” was added to the first letter of their names. Due to another artist being named “Buddey Folley and Bobe Montgomeery”, this was changed the other way, with both “e”s being removed. The two failed to obtain a recording contract, though continued to tape informal performances. Frequently during Montgomery’s hyena howling, the tape recorded burst, rendering the material lost. In a later interview, he went on to say, “I wish I wasn’t too cowardly to simply destroy all our recordings upfront, instead of being sneaky about it.”
Interested in other projects, Montgomery would occasionally leave the group. After a particularly thoughtless incident of him not showing up to a performance, Holly fired him. He was replaced by Jack Neal. During a recording session where the two cut two tracks, Montgomery returned to announce that he had a car now. Back in the fold, Buddy and Bob would continue to record and busk. Deciding to expand their group, the duo searched for more players. They only got as far as up the street, as Bob’s car broke down. Through the window they saw high school associates Sonny Curtis, Larry Welborn, and Don Guess, allegedly under the name, “The Beatles”. After a sprint under the name “Buddy & Bob & The Pidles”, Holly decided the name was too long and Montgomery’s name should be removed. After a disagreement and a power struggle, Montgomery left and took Welborn with him. When asked why, Welborn said, “I won’t be on some of these recordings, so I gotta go for this story to make sense.” After offering some wine and chocolates, Buddy won back the two, though not consistently. Curtis and Guess also were inconstant, with different people being available at any given time.
By the time thirteen tracks were finished, the group signed with Sun Records, who would distribute, after Buddy Holly strummed his guitar for three hours to get the record deal while Bob Montgomery and Sonny Curtis whistled “Sweet Adeline”. They were surprised this worked as they needed the talent scout to fill in on fourth. In trying to think of a name for the group, Buddy Holly came up with “Buddy Holly and his Holy Buddies”. Montgomery wanted it to go “Bob Montgomery is the most important member of this band.” Curtis reached a compromise between the two with “The Two Tones”. Holly thought his name would be included, which the others disagreed with doing. The encounter went as follows: “But there’s three of us, that name suggests there’s two. “Okay, then it refers to guitar tones.” “What’s that to do with anything?” “I don’t know, but we’ll kick you out if you keep at it.”
BUDDY HOLLY & THE TWO TONES – FOR THE LOVE OF TEXAS (Cover and title of re-release. Original omitted Holly’s name and was in a white sleeve.)
While the record didn’t make great waves commercially, it was considered strong enough for a follow-up to be put into motion, though the boys would have to record their own way as before. Holly tired of the folk sound and was determined to move on. Deciding to embrace more of the new genre of rock upon hearing Elvis Costello, Holly recruited drummer Jerry Allison. “He was so small, but could bang so loud,” he later said. Montgomery and Welborn soon left the group due to not wanting to leave folk. Holly, Curtis, Guess, and Allison proceeded to complete the album, with one folk side and one rock side.
BUDDY HOLLY & THE TWO TONES – BABY, WON’T YOU COME OUT TONIGHT? (Cover and title of re-release. Original omitted Holly’s name and was in a white sleeve.)
Decca, impressed with Holly’s singing ability, offered him a contract. It was agreed between him and Decca that he should be the sole singer and namesake. Curtis and Guess promptly left for this reason. “I’ve finally done it, I’m a star!” Due to poor rehearsals, Holly and Allison were fired and Curtis and Guess were brought in as a new act. When they didn’t gel as a duo, Holly was brought back in to stabilize them. Curtis’ country leanings proved problematic for what Decca wanted, so in Holly’s willingness to be the lead, accepted the poppier sound, as that meant he could sing lead. After a stint with percussionist Doug Kirkham, Allison was brought back as to quote Guess in an interview, “He was able to hit the drum.” The single “Blue Days, Black Nights” proved a success and more material was produced. Guess was considered to be an ill fit and flexing his clout, Holly had him briefly fired. As Curtis began to exert dominance, he had Guess come back. Holly then fired him again, to which Curtis again rehired him. After being rererefired and rererehired, Curtis proceeded to quit along with Guess.
Holly, not wanting to be pigeonholed to being considered part of a band, recorded some material with session men. Unbeknownst to him, Guess was among them, having been since hired by Decca for such recordings. It’s suspected by Holly historians that he had not noticed him due to having grown out a Walrus mustache. To the horror of the singer, the record was credited as “Buddy Holly & The Two Tones”. WIth the record done, Holly took two takeaways from his experience, he is sick of the Two Tones name and the material without Allison is simply too lacking for that reason. And thus, Jerry would be affixed to the fold, rendering Holly a member of a band.
Wanting to leave the band name behind him, Holly left Decca. Working on ideas for songs, Allison and Holly jammed out a series of covers over one night. Looking for a reliable bassist, they then got Larry Welborn. When asked why he rejoined due to originally leaving over a disagreement with the musical direction, Welborn simply said, “Money.” Despite these recordings not being intended for release, Sun Records obtained them through a bootlegger whose name, while not identified, used the pseudonym, “Todd From Germany”. For a quick buck due to his success at Decca, the material was released. While Holly was horrified, finally something was credited to “Buddy Holly”. The release just credited to “Buddy Holly” was a misprint that Holly himself witnessed. Afterwards, the name was changed to “Buddy Holly & The Two Tones”.
Upon release of Rip It Up, Holly shamefully announced it was a failure and he feared the worst for his career. Welborn promptly quit, but Allison later claimed to have had enough faith in Holly to think things would work out. Despite this, he auditioned to appear in other bands, though he was only accepted by vocal groups, who promptly fired him after hearing him sing. While Holly stayed home and practiced music, Allison was more sociable, often trying to meet new people. Through this he met Niki Sullivan. When Holly discovered Sullivan shortly thereafter, he was impressed. Allison later confessed that he thought Sullivan was Holly due to their similar appearance, and when he learned of his mistake, he pretended he knew all along. A recording of the “That’ll Be The Day” track was overdubbed with Sullivan’s vocals before being sent to producer Norman Petty. Petty liked the song so much that the group was recruited to record more. Needing a new bassist, Buddy Holly searched, ultimately finding the teenage Joe B. Mauldin. Upon Sonny Curtis turning down the offer, Niki Sullivan was christened as the group’s rhythm guitar player.
Before committing to the band, Petty had them back other artists, often without Niki, who was often not interested. These recordings were later released on an album. During the sessions for the group’s first LP, Norman Petty made a deal. Allison discussed it in a 2001 interview, “Norman knew that as just one act, our airplay was limited, so tracks were credited to different names: ‘Buddy Holly’, ‘The Crickets’, ‘Buddy Holly & The Crickets’, ‘B. Holley’, ‘Buddy, Jerry, n’ Joe’, ‘Buddy & The Hollies’, etc.” “That’ll Be The Day” was released as “The Crickets”, to distinguish it from the recent tarnish to Holly’s name and became a huge hit. Fans often confused Buddy for Niki, which frustrated Buddy as Niki was apparently absent from many tracks and thus didn’t deserve to be considered the star of the show. Niki in turn was sick of being pelted with flowers on the street. Still, the group was rejuvenated. They kept working and ultimately finished…
BUDDY HOLLY & THE CRICKETS – THE “CHIRPING” CRICKETS (Same as official version) (Cover and title of re-release. Original omitted Holly’s name.)
The success of the record caused the band to hit the road and begin touring extensively. While some feared this would cause Holly to become irritated, the opposite happened. He was so happy to be winning that he was reported as always having a smile, saving kittens from trees, and fixing Niki Sullivan’s glasses. Still, the touring and lack of obscurity caused the others to become exhausted. This got to the point of everyone wanting to take a break. To aid in stress, outtakes from the first album were used to fill some slots on the second Crickets album. Notably, the material was incomplete to the point of lacking much guitar. Speaking of guitar, Niki Sullivan while on break fell in love with a pretty fair maiden, whose name he did not know. He thus quit the group. Holly, Allison, and Mauldin then cut a few tracks from scratch and Holly overdubbed guitar lines on the outtakes.
BUDDY HOLLY & THE CRICKETS – BUDDY HOLLY (Same as official version) (Cover and title of re-release. Original omitted The Cricket’s name.)
Buddy Holly was praised for its distinct and innovative playing and more emotional and ballad-driven tracks, which had been considered not commercial enough for The “Chirping” Crickets. In the views of some, it was considered Holly’s magnum opus. Holly finally felt like he had made it. When Joe asked how he felt about an LP being credited to just his name, Buddy was said to act like he didn’t care, then was later heard cheering on the toilet. He licensed his image to commercials and merchandise and received increasing respect from his bandmates. He had essentially made two teenagers celebrities. Thus, Jerry and Joe had begun to show interest in recording their own music or backing other artists. They had to put a pause on this for the time being, as the next Buddy Holly & The Crickets record was due soon. In exchange for more money, they had to get the album out as soon as possible. The result focused on more lighthearted songs, even featuring two novelty numbers with lead vocals by Jerry Allison. Holly was lukewarm on them, but wanted to keep the peace, especially as that meant there were two fewer songs to come up with. This also meant he had more pull for a controversial decision.
Holly became interested in session players or otherwise new talent he hadn’t worked with. He felt limited by mostly having worked with teenagers with often different interests to him. To dip the toe in this new sound, he had three lead guitar parts played by Tommy Allsup, who was recruited as the band’s new guitar player, replacing Niki. Sonny Curtis had asked to rejoin, but was turned down. Joe was frustrated at not being featured on “Heartbeat”, which instead included George Atwood on bass. Buddy said Joe’s performance wasn’t up to his liking.
After listening to what had been finished, The Crickets felt they could do better. Unsure of where to go, the group focused on a second album of backing other people. Buddy was not particularly interested, but put his name to it, anyways. In looking for options for the next proper LP, Joe and Jerry felt they should reconnect with their past and start out by jamming with people they used to play with or see where trends were going with teenagers (which they of course were in tune with, being teenagers themselves). Buddy was interested in pop, especially that didn’t originate from Texas and thus he became interested in the New York music scene. Hoping to get a fresh start, Buddy formed a new band in secret consisting of Allsup, George Atwood, and Bo Clarke on drums, all of whom had appeared on the last Crickets record. This lineup cut two tracks before Holly felt it wasn’t working and fired them. Due to contracting reasons, Allsup remained a Cricket.
Holly was given a reminder his album of backing other artists was late. He then formed a new band with Sanford Bloch on bass, Ernest Hayes on piano, and Panama Francis on drums. After some recording, Francis proved an issue and was replaced with Phillip Kraus. After some recording, Kraus proved an issue and was replaced with Clifford Leeman. Holly returned to The Crickets and powered through to the end. The tracks without The Crickets would be saved for a solo project.
Niki Sullivan is not on this record.
BUDDY HOLLY & THE CRICKETS – THE SOUND OF THE CENTURY
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Well… All Right” (3-31)
“Take Your Time” (4-5)
“Fool’s Paradise” (4-6)
“Think It Over” (4-7)
“Real Wild Child”
“Mona” (3-28)
SIDE B
“Lonesome Tears” (4-8)
“It’s So Easy” (4-9)
“Oh, You Beautiful Doll”
“Heartbeat” (4-10)
“Come Back Baby” (4-15)
“Reminiscing” (4-16)
“That’s My Desire” (From Buddy Holly (1958) bonus tracks)
Norman Petty – organ (tracks 2-4), percussion (track 9), piano (track 13)
Vi Petty – piano (tracks 3-4)
The Roses (Robert Linville, Ray Rush, David Bigham) – backing vocals (tracks 3-5, 7-9)
Glen “Bob” Clarke – drums (tracks 5, 9)
Tommy Allsup – lead guitar (tracks 7-8, 10)
George Atwood – bass (track 10)
King Curtis – tenor saxophone (tracks 11-12)
Al Caiola – guitar (track 13)
Donald Amone – rhythm guitar (track 13)
William Marihe – backing vocals (track 13)
Robert Bollinger – backing vocals (track 13)
Robert Harter – backing vocals (track 13)
Merrill Ostrus – backing vocals (track 13)
Abby Hoffer – backing vocals (track 13)
The Sound Of The Century was finished late, but still received massive acclaim, which put the pressure on for the group to best themselves. Holly, still determined to try a new style, went to his band, saying he wanted to go to New York and embrace more trends. Tommy felt Buddy had a stronger musical vision and thus wanted to go with him. The group, unable to meet in the middle, said they’d split for now. Jerry and Joe could continue as the Crickets, while Buddy would finally go solo. He was said to have missed them and that it’d be strange not having their names or the band listed on his future records. Buddy returned to work. After some recording, now with strings, asked to be included by executives, Bloch, Hayes, and Leeman proved to be an issue and were fired. With neither the backing other artists album or his solo album done, Holly felt desperate. He considered calling Joe, Jerry, and maybe Niki or Sonny, to finish his records, but he wasn’t willing to give up so easily and would try something slightly less desperate.
Following a lead, Holly went to Clear Lake, Iowa to the “Surf Ballroom”. He went to see up and coming country artist Waylon Jennings. He knew he had teamed up with Atwood and Clarke. During their performance, Buddy fell in love with Waylon’s style. Despite allegedly having intended to take the others and leave Jennings, Holly instead decided to have the three of them and Allsup back him. When asked why Buddy was asking for the others back, he said he wanted to do what was most comfortable for Waylon. Thus, the quintet did two tracks Waylon was working on. Buddy liked them so much he wanted them on his solo album, instead of the secondary release. Waylon then became sick and was unable to play, which caused the others to finish both records without him. Holly & His Buddies Volume 2 was released to decent rates, though not being considered as interesting or desirable. Holly was at least proud to have released it before 1958 and to have received a letter of congratulations from Jerry and Joe, who sent him a copy of their new single credited to “Sonny Curtis & The Crickets”.
BUDDY HOLLY – TRUE LOVE WAYS
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Love’s Made A Fool Of You” (4-11)
“Wishing” (6-20)
“Early In The Morning” (4-12)
“Now We’re One” (4-14)
“When Sin Stops”
“That’s What They Say” (5-28)
SIDE B
“True Love Ways” (4-17)
“It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” (4-19)
“Raining In My Heart” (4-21)
“Moondreams” (4-23)
“Jole Blon”
“What To Do” (5-24)
PERSONNEL
Buddy Holly – lead vocals (tracks 1-4, 6-10, 12), rhythm guitar (tracks 1-2), lead guitar (tracks 5-6, 11-12)
Tommy Allsup – lead guitar (tracks 1-2), guitar (tracks 5, 11)
George Atwood – bass (tracks 1-2, 5, 11)
Bo Clarke – drums (tracks 1-2, 5, 11)
Unknown – rhythm guitar (track 2)
Al Chernet – guitar (tracks 3-4)
George Barnes – lead guitar (tracks 3-4)
Sanford Bloch – bass (tracks 3-4, 7-10)
Ernest Hayes – piano (tracks 3-4, 7-10)
David “Panama” Francis – drums (tracks 3-4)
Phillip Kraus – drums (tracks 3-4)
Sam Taylor – alto saxophone (tracks 3-4)
Helen Way – backing vocals (tracks 3-4)
Harriet Young – backing vocals (tracks 3-4)
Maeretha Stewart – backing vocals (tracks 3-4)
Theresa Merritt – backing vocals (tracks 3-4)
Waylon Jennings – lead vocals (tracks 5, 11)
King Curtis – saxophone (tracks 5, 11)
The Roses (Robert Linville, Ray Rush, David Bigham) – backing vocals (tracks 5, 11)
George Tomsco – guitar (tracks 6, 12)
Stan Lark – bass (tracks 6, 12)
Doug Roberts or Eric Budd – drums (tracks 6, 12)
Al Caiola – guitar (tracks 7-10)
Doris Johnson – harp (tracks 7-10)
Clifford Leeman – drums (tracks 7-10)
Abraham Richman – tenor saxophone (tracks 7-10)
Sylvan Shulman, Leo Kruczek, Leonard Posner, Irving Spice, Ray Free, Herbert Bourne, Julius Held, Paul Winter – violins (tracks 7-10)
David Schwartz, Howard Kay – violas (tracks 7-10)
Maurice Brown, Maurice Bialkin – cellos (tracks 7-10)
True Love Ways was another hit. Holly had already gotten started on recording demos in his apartment for his next record. Due to slimy deals that resulted in him making very little money, he had to start touring as soon as possible. Holly then bought a bus from 1927 and hit the road. They were stressful and cramped and resulted in Clarke and Atwood quitting. Jennings, feeling indebted to Holly, said he wouldn’t leave. The group soon found the young and spirited Carl Bunch, who Holly called “Jerry 2”. Unable to find a bassist as soon as anyone would like, Jennings was recruited. Touring continued to be a stressful endeavor, with everyone missing the ease of flying. As much could be said for Carl, who got frostbite. Possibly due to a reported disliking of Carl, Holly then chartered a flight for only him, Jennings, and Allsup. Ultimately and infamously, through contrivances, Waylon and Tommy were replaced by popular artists Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. The plane soon crashed after takeoff. Holly’s body wasn’t found.
Those that knew Holly, and even those that didn’t, were shattered. Norman Petty, not to turn down an opportunity to make money, licensed several old recordings of Buddy Holly, mainly from the Two Tones era, and overdubbed them with a band called The Fireballs. These were considered shoddy and like cash-ins, with people really wanting new material. Petty then found the apartment tapes and overdubbed them. Jennings insisted on being an advisor for the sake of accuracy and managed to convince Petty to not overdub certain tracks, as he had heard Buddy say he wanted things “As they had been – stripped back.” He only got Petty to go along with this when he said it would cost less.
Giant was considered a fitting tribute to Holly, feeling like a culmination of his different styles. His past band members and friends were reported to have liked the record. After Holly, Waylon Jennings and Tommy Allsup started solo careers. Niki Sullivan tried continuing his career, but soon essentially retired. Most of the minor players became session men and were always eager to do interviews and shows that focused on Holly. Jerry Allison, Joe B. Mauldin, Sonny Curtis, and to a lesser extent Norman Petty weren’t so inclined to remain in the shadow of their friend and mentor, and their story continues…
BUDDY HOLLY & THE CRICKETS – HOLLY & HIS BUDDIES VOLUME 1
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
Jim Robinson – “A Whole Lot Of Lovin’”
Jim Robinson – “It’s A Wonderful Feeling”
Jack Huddle – “Starlight”
Jack Huddle – “Believe Me”
Sherry Davis – “Broken Promises”
Sherry Davis – “Humble Heart”
Fred Crawford – “By The Mission Wall”
SIDE B
Buddy Knox – “Swingin’ Daddy”
Buddy Knox – “Whenever I’m Lonely”
Gary Dale Tollett – “Go Boy Go”
Gary Dale Tollett – “Gone”
Gary Dale Tollett – “The Golden Rocket”
Gary Dale Tollett – “I Overlooked An Orchid”
Gary Dale Tollett – “Look To The Future”
Gary Dale Tollett – “Honey Honey”
PERSONNEL
Jim Robinson – lead vocals (tracks 1-2)
Buddy Holly – guitar (tracks 1-15)
Jerry Allison – cardboard box (tracks 1-2), drums (tracks 2-15)
Vi Petty – piano (tracks 2, 4)
Joe B. Mauldin – bass (tracks 1-4, 7-9, 14-15)
The Roses – backing vocals (track 1)
The Bowman Brothers – backing vocals (tracks 2, 4, 7)
Jack Huddle – lead vocals (tracks 3-4)
Sherry Davis – lead vocals (5-6)
Jack Vaughn – rhythm guitar (tracks 5-6)
Unknown – bass (tracks 5-6)
The Picks – backing vocals (tracks 5-6, 14-15)
Gene Medley – backing vocals (track 6)
Fred Crawford – lead vocals (track 7)
Norman Petty – organ (track 7)
Buddy Knox – lead vocals (tracks 8-9)
Gary Dale Tollett – lead vocals (tracks 10-15), guitar (track 14)
This is a passion of mine and if one person likes what I do, I’ll feel honored. I like suggestions on what artist to cover next, so if you know of one you’d like me to look at, feel free to suggest ‘em!
For those not in the know, fan albums are the attempts of me and many others to take songs and put them on an album, typically they’re made to improve upon something, such as an existing album or to take non-album tracks and put them on an album.
Obviously I’m stepping away from some of the more obscure artists I cover to one of the most famous of them all, George Harrison. I’ve been intrigued by him, especially the material from around 1965 onward, which can feel more like a solo George song in a sea of Lennon and McCartney, than part of the same artist. Thus, I decided to make playlists of songs that either have George’s lead vocals or are instrumentals that are basically dominated by him to overall make an alternate history where George was a solo artist from square one. This version of mine is less radical than some others I’ve seen. A common thing is to either cut out songs that don’t seem to fit the mold, sort tracks by essentially when they were written, and things of that sort. I wanted to keep things in recording order and separate the Beatles era from the early solo era, as they feel distinct.
The most radical thing I’ve done is take the All Things Must Pass album and non-album tracks from around that time to make four single disc albums, instead of one triple album. Generally, the earlier the song was written that was recorded in that time period, the earlier it shows up. I think that my version flows much better than the original album. Starting with 1973’s Living In The Material World, Harrison’s albums were single discs and had barely any stray tracks, so they’re left alone. I may do a sequel to this that covers what few strays there were for the last twenty-eight years of George’s career. Immediately below is a brief narrative that also explains some of the strange stuff here. Lots of information here is made up.
The History of George Harrison from 1961-1973
Liverpool bar band The Silver Beetles toured around trying to hit it big, mostly playing covers. The two clear leaders, bassist Paul McCartney and rhythm guitarist John Lennon, had begun to write songs together and develop a distinct style to lead guitarist George Harrison and drummer Pete Best. Wanting to fit in, George would write a little, but felt it was out of his depth. Soon enough, the differences became too much and the band split. The group remained friends. Paul and John continued to work together, mostly writing songs for others. When they got a record deal with EMI in 1962, then later a hit single, they asked the label to consider George. They agreed, though gave him little creative freedom, which frustrated George. George cut four successful singles, with ample help from John and Paul.
Two of the recent single tracks, “Don’t Bother Me” and “Roll Over Beethoven”, were successful enough to warrant George an LP. At the insistence of EMI, half that LP would consist of live recordings and most of the album would be covers. The live tracks were recorded with John, Paul, and session drummer Ringo Starr. The three made minor appearances on the studio material, with it mostly being filled out with session men. The Burning Hot George Harrison (1964) was released to little attention and George would decide to stop recording for the time being and try to find something that he identified with stronger.
Touring around and trying new styles, George became more confident and wrote many songs. In 1967, he returned to EMI, destined to record an LP of entirely originals. Seeing as this had become more trendy, and with the support of John and Paul, he got his wish. This new project, which George called his first “real” album, still was backed with a mix of John, Paul, Ringo, and session players. It’s All Too Much was a big hit and allowed George more creative freedom for the future. His upcoming albums were the bizarre soundtrack album, Wonderwall Music, which divided him between those that loved Indian music and psychedelia, and those that wanted more conventional music; The Inner Light, which was more conventional and acclaimed than his previous work; and the even more bizarre Electronic Sound. Electronic Sound would be Harrison’s first album to feature no John, Paul, or Ringo and also to receive mostly negative reviews. George endeared himself to some, and garnered hatred from others by saying he just wants to do what he wants while he can and that no matter what he does, he will one day fall off the map.
Harrison had felt he had grown beyond John and Paul, so decided to not use them on his next project. While his close friends, namely Eric Clapton, had appeared on his songs before, here they would be used a lot more. All Things Must Pass garnered mixed reviews, with some saying it came off as incomplete. As much could be said for the side release, Apple Jam. However, 1971’s The Concert For Bangladesh and 1972’s Beware Of Darkness were considered returns to form. Some theorized Harrison was making a point to essentially swap between a “mainstream” release and a polarizing release. This was continued with the extremely stripped-back Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine and the “conventional” Living In The Material World, both from 1973. Both had a more positive reception than his worst regarded material, though less than his best as those that weren’t willing to put up with his weirder tendencies had already gone.
Starting with 1974’s Dark Horse, some would claim Harrison was either trying to make bad, alienating music, or was going commercial. Harrison would often give contradictory answers. The first clue was when he took a break from recording and rereleased some of his early albums with differences. Both Pass and Gang Of Mine featured overdubs to some tracks to make them feel more complete and the latter included a non-album single and b-side. Regardless of Harrison’s intentions, all of his music, especially the 1961-1973 era, has in time become more consistently loved and acclaimed, detailing an artist that didn’t want to follow the rules and was willing to be daring. Some have noted the reason the works might be liked better now is the lesser releases, as well as the proper ones, can be obtained for cheap, instead of being the expensive new releases they once were.
TRACKLIST & LINKS
1963 singles + The Burning Hot George Harrison (1964) – Spotify, YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SINGLES
“Don’t Ever Change (Pop Go the Beatles, 27 August 1963)”
“Chains”
“Do You Want To Know A Secret”
“Devil In Her Heart”
“Cry For A Shadow”
“You Know What To Do”
SIDE A
“Don’t Bother Me”
“I Forgot To Remember To Forget (From Us to You, 28 May 1964)”
“Roll Over Beethoven”
“Three Cool Cats”
“Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby”
“Crying, Waiting, Hoping (Pop Go the Beatles, 6 August 1963)”
SIDE B
“The Sheik Of Araby”
“Nothin’ Shakin’ (Pop Go the Beatles, 23 July 1963)”
“Glad All Over (Pop Go the Beatles, 20 August 1963)”
“So How Come (No One Loves Me) (Pop Go the Beatles, 23 July 1963)”
Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine (1973) – Spotify, YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“Almost 12 Bar Honky Tonk (Take 1)”
“Cosmic Empire (Day 2 Demo; Take 1)”
“Get Back (Take 1)”
“Going Down To Golders Green (Day 1 Demo; Take 1)”
“Mother Divine (Day 2 Demo; Take 1)”
SIDE B
“Om Hare Om (Gopala Krishna) (Day 1 Demo; Take 1)”
“Tell Me What Has Happened To You (Day 2 Demo; Take 1)”
“Wedding Bells (Are Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine) (Take 1)”
“Bangla Desh”
“Deep Blue”
“Miss O’Dell”
Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine (1973) alt version – YouTube
TRACKLISTING
SIDE A
“It Don’t Come Easy”
“I’ll Still Love You”
“Almost 12 Bar Honky Tonk (Take 1)”
“Cosmic Empire (Day 2 Demo; Take 1)”
“Get Back (Take 1)”
“Going Down To Golders Green (Day 1 Demo; Take 1)”
SIDE B
“Mother Divine (Day 2 Demo; Take 1)”
“Om Hare Om (Gopala Krishna) (Day 1 Demo; Take 1)”
“Tell Me What Has Happened To You (Day 2 Demo; Take 1)”
“Wedding Bells (Are Breaking Up That Old Gang Of Mine) (Take 1)”
“Bangla Desh”
“Deep Blue”
“Miss O’Dell”
Living In The Material World (1973) comes here, unaltered – Spotify, YouTube
This is a passion of mine and if one person likes what I do, I’ll feel honored. I like suggestions on what artist to cover next, so if you know of one you’d like me to look at, feel free to suggest ‘em!
The Filme Diary 