British Rock n Roll Anthology (2009)

CD1:
01. Tommy Steele & The Steelmen - Rock With The Caveman
02. Lonnie Donegan - Cumberland Gap
03. Jim Dale - Be My Girl
04. Lord Rockingham's XI - Hoots Mon!
05. Marty Wilde - A Teenager In Love
06. Johnny Kidd & The Pirates - Shakin' All Over
07. Adam Faith - Poor Me									play
08. Joe Brown & The Bruvvers - A Picture Of You
09. The Viscounts - Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp Bomp Bomp)
10. Jet Harris - Man With The Golden Arm
11. Tommy Bruce & The Bruisers - Ain't Misbehavin'
12. Eden Kane - Well I Ask You
13. Billy Fury - Wondrous Place
14. The Tornados - Telstar
15. Chris Farlowe - Air Travel
16. Tom Jones - Chills And Fever
17. The High Numbers - I'm The Face
18. Joe Cocker - I'll Cry Instead
19. The Beatles - Ain't She Sweet

CD2:
01. Lonnie Donegan - Rock Island Line
02. Marion Ryan - Why Do Fools Fall In Love
03. Terry Dene - Start Movin' (In My Direction)
04. Colin Hicks - Wild Eyes And Tender Lips
05. Tommy Steele & the Steelmen - Tallahassee Lassie
06. Marty Wilde - Bad Boy
07. Joe Brown & the Bruvvers - Darktown Strutters Ball
08. Jet Harris - Besame Mucho (Kiss Me)
09. The Brook Brothers - Warpaint
10. Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers - You've Got What I Like		play
11. Davy Jones - Amapola
12. Helen Shapiro - Don't Treat Me Like A Child
13. The Shadows - Wonderful Land
14. Bern Elliot & The Fenmen - Money
15. Dave Berry - My Baby Left Me
16. Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders - Hello Josephine
17. The Animals - Baby Let Me Take You Home

CD3:
01. Frankie Vaughan - Green Door
02. Lonnie Donegan - Don't You Rock Me Daddy-O
03. Anthony Newley - Idle On Parade
04. Terry Dene - Pretty Little Pearly
05. Marty Wilde - Endless Sleep
06. Craig Douglas - Nothin' Shakin'
07 Billy Fury - Maybe Tomorrow
08. Mort Shuman - Turn Me Loose
09. The Jetstreams - Bongo Rock									play
10. Eden Kane - Get Lost (In My Arms)
11. Lyn Cornell - I Sold My Heart To The Junkman
12. Nero & The Gladiators - Entry Of The Gladiators
13. Jimmy Powell - Sugar Babe [Part 2]
14. Cyril Davies - Country Line Special
15. Georgie Fame - Do The Dog
16. Jimmy Justice - Bloodshot Eyes
17. The Marauders - That's What I Want
18. The Mojos - Everything's Alright
19. The Spencer Davis Group – Dimples

CD4:
01. Tony Crombie & The Rockets - Teach You To Rock
02. Four Jones Boys - Tutti Frutti
03. Frankie Vaughan - These Dangerous Years
04. The Southlanders - The Mole In The Hole
05 Joey Castell - I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone
06. Wee Willie Harris - Love Bug Crawl
07. Ted Heath & His Music - Tequila
08. Vince Eager & The Vagabonds - Yea Yea
09. Tommy Steele & The Steelmen - Come On, Let's Go
10. Sally Kelly - Little Cutie
11. The Viscounts - Shortnin' Bread								play
12. Rhet Stoller - Chariot
13. Louise Cordet - I'm Just A Baby
14. Lee Diamond & The Cherokees - I'll Step Down
15. Jet Harris & Tony Meehan - Diamonds
16. Steve Marriott - Give Her My Regards
17. The Dennisons - Walking The Dog
18. The Undertakers - Just A Little Bit
19. Rod Stewart - Good Morning Little Schoolgirl

CD5:
01. Tommy Steele & The Steelmen - Singing The Blues
02. Frankie Vaughan - Seventeen
03. The Goons - Bloodnok's Rock 'n' Roll Call
04. Petula Clark - Baby Lover
05. Lord Rockingham's XI - Wee Tom
06. Marty Wilde - Honeycomb
07. Most Brothers - Whole Lotta Woman
08. Wee Willie Harris - Rockin' At The Two I's
09. Terry Dene - Baby She's Gone
10. Vince Taylor & The Playboys - Brand New Cadillac
11. The Viscounts - Rockin' Little Angel
12. Lonnie Donegan - Have A Drink On Me
13. Joe Brown & The Bruvvers - I'm Henry The Eighth I Am
14. Billy Fury & The Four Jays - That's Love (Alt. Take)				play
15. Peter Jay & The Jaywalkers - Can Can 62
16. Casey Howie & The Seniors - True Fine Mama
17. The Big Three - Some Other Guy
18. Lulu & The Luvvers – Shout

As much as anything, this box set charting the development of British pop from 1956 to 1964 confirms that the medium is indeed the message.

Such a stranglehold did the BBC wield on radio back then that alongside some genuinely innovative and exciting moments – from "Rock Island Line" to "Telstar", "Shakin' All Over" to "Shout" – these five discs are littered with the establishment-sanctioned, sanitised pap that the Beeb deemed appropriate for the nation's youth. It seems absurd that Fifties teens were expected to groove to housewives' favourite Frankie Vaughan, big-band holdover Ted Heath, or the novelty songs with which the airwaves were stuffed (significantly, the first rock'n'roll hit was not Tommy Steele's "Rock With The Caveman", as often assumed, but "Bloodnok's Rock'n'Roll Call" by The Goons). But creativity burst out regardless amongst the young, well represented by sparkling contributions from Lonnie Donegan, Joe Brown, Billy Fury, Tom Jones, Joe Meek and of course The Beatles, captured in the first flush of "Ain't She Sweet". The beat-boom's origins in R&B are illustrated via the likes of Joe Cocker, Cyril Davies, Georgie Fame, The Animals and Rod Stewart; but it's hard to ignore the absence of anything by Cliff Richard or the Stones. --- Andy Gill, independent.co.uk

If you are looking for a collection which includes, in the sleevenote writer's words "almost every area in British rock music's rise ... from Big Bands to the Beatles" then this may well be it.

Admittedly, not every single track on this 5 CD set of homegrown rock'n'roll will make the liver quiver, the knees freeze and the bladder splatter (Little Richard's infallible tripartite test for the real thing), but for the average listener - and especially at such a bargain price - this collection provides an excellent overview of the pre-Beatles British rock era, illuminating that time, from the mid fifties onwards, when the likes of Lionel Bart, penning ersatz rock'n'roll hits for the likes of Tommy Steele and Anthony Newley, started the ball rolling for the Fabs.

There are key hits from almost all the major figures, and the emphasis is firmly on rockin': Newley's Idle on Parade is selected, for example, rather than a ballad. Those who came to fame via the 2 I's coffee bar are well represented, of course - Wee Willie Harris's tribute to the place, Rockin' at the 2 I's is present and correct.

Given the number of public domain fifties compilations out there, it's worth noting that this is issued by a major company, Universal, and sound quality is very good. It also comes with a booklet giving a picture of the music scene of that period.

And to entice those who may have bought much of this before there are a few comparative rarities and non-hits now of historical importance including early Tom Jones (Chills and Fever), pre-Who (the High Numbers' I'm the Face), a Joe Cocker Beatles cover which never made it (and isn't all that good: I'll Cry Instead), songwriter Mort Shuman's version of Turn Me Loose and young Rod Stewart's take on Good Morning Little Schoolgirl.

Also of particular note in among the covers of American material is an authentic British rock classic, Shakin' All Over, by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, not to mention Vince Taylor's Brand New Cadillac. Even the Goons' Bloodnok's Rock'n'Roll Call is included, which suggests a degree of wit on the compiler's part (and unlike the Ying Tong Song it swings).

Among the inevitable covers, the Ted Heath Orchestra's take on the Champs' Tequila is not the equal of the original, but it is enjoyable. And in addition to a few inferior copies, you get the odd intriguing version of an American original, such as Marion Ryan's swinging take on Why Do Fools Fall in Love? Lord Rockingham's 11 were a group of jazzers sending up this new rock'n'roll fad - although such is the exhuberance of Hoots Mon! who really cares? I notice, too, that Joe Brown is well represented, which is as it should be - he held his own when the Beatles were on the bill - and in fact the only major omission that I can think of is Sir Cliff's Move It, but that is easily available elsewhere.

To sum up: in terms of price and range of music covered, a very good introduction for the non-specialist. If you are only interested in a particular genre or label, there are other compilations which will do the trick; the aim of this set, as sleevewriter Dave McAleer says, is to "include almost every area in British rock music's rise" even if that includes novelty numbers and "a few somewhat dated or carefully cloned covers" in among "outstanding original rock songs, instrumentals, teen beat/pop rock, early British R&B and Merseybeat."

Please be clear, therefore, that I am awarding the collection five stars on that basis, not because I cherish each and every track.

For those who want to explore the background further, Andrew Ings' Rockin' at the 2i's Coffee Bar, recently issued in paperback, has testimony from stars and fans, and Spencer Leigh's Halfway to Paradise draws on many hours of interviews with peformers and managers of the period. --- Pismotality, amazon.com

download (mp3 @320 kbs):

yandex mediafire uloz.to cloudmailru

back