I wonder if there are any rockabilly bands that don't have a song by the Burnettes in their repertoire. This is proof of Johnny and Dorsey's importance in the development of rockabilly. Better yet, they really were at the forefront of the genre. Moreover, their sound was also recognizable. How often did it happen that when you heard a song, you suspected the magical hands of Johnny and Dorsey. The fact that countless artists originally recorded songs written by the duo says enough about their quality and importance. That is one of the reasons why it is fantastic that the Atomicat label has released this album. By the way, it is not only a nice tribute to the Burnette brothers, but it mainly points to their songwriting talent. 30 tracks convince you, including 4 on which the Burnettes can be heard under their own name, including ‘Me And The Bear’ where Johnny is joined by Eddie Cochran on guitar and Joe Maphis on guitar and banjo.
It is also admirable that the brothers could write songs for others, as if they could put themselves in the person of the performer. The fact that these songs have lost nothing of their strength more than half a century later, proves that ‘The Johnny and Dorsey Burnette Song Book’ can still be counted as groundbreaking in American music. Sublime album!

​Although the white artists brought rock-n-roll world fame and also benefited financially, it was their African-American brothers who were the founders of it with their rhythm & blues. Exceptionally, some of them managed to break through, while others had to settle for the piece they could get locally. The great success, however, remained the ultimate dream for most of these African Americans. It is therefore fantastic that this ‘Boss Black Rockers’ series finally does justice to them. With ‘Eeny Meeny Minie Moe’ we immediately arrive at the closing album of the series. When you own all 10 volumes, you have no less than 280 superior black rock songs in your collection.
A series that is more than worth buying.

​Let's be clear for once ……. This series is not intended for softies! The rebellion associated with the genre, especially in the early days of rock and roll, is also in the 30 formidable instrumental tracks that fill volume 2 of the ‘Whip Masters Instrumentals’ series. Fire-breathing guitars, all searing saxophones that hit you relentlessly in the face and the vocal primal screams, certainly contribute to this. Features that can all be found on this album.
With the creation of the Whip Masters Instrumentals, composer Mark Armstrong has tapped an area that offers an abundance of fantastic rock and roll, rockabilly, surf and western swing. Just like the previously published volume 1, this edition is also worth having in your collection. Curious what will follow!

​It is also moving very fast in the series ‘The Mojo Man Special’. The large number of high quality danceable rhythm & blues songs from the last century beg to be featured on a compilation. In this case, these are 24 ‘dance floor killers’ from the archives of labels like Sue, RCA Victor, Deluxe, King, Excello, Federal, Columbia, Okeh, Specialty and Chess. A great mix of rhythm & blues, blues, rock and roll and instrumental songs.
In other words, volume 4 has something for everyone too. The series may be billed as ‘dance floor killers’, but these songs are also extremely enjoyable when sitting in your chair, with a glass of wine or a cool beer.

​If you did not sin against the fourth commandment 'Show Affection, Come On And Love Me', then hopefully, possibly after rejections and pitfalls, you have found the great love and you are ready to take the fifth rock and roll commandment, to obey. That says ‘Form A Partnership, Glad All Over’. Time for romance! For those who don't immediately know how to go about it, these 30 rock and roll songs, brought together by master compiler Mark Armstrong, certainly offer a solution.
By the way we are halfway through ‘The Ten Commandments Of Rock ‘n’ Roll’. ‘Commandment Six, Be Faithful, Let's Jump The Broomstick’ is fortunately already announced. ‘The Ten Commandments Of Rock 'n' Roll’ is a series that must be in the record collection of every rock and roll follower.

​With ‘Doctor Velvet’, Mojo Man Little Victor launched the series ‘The Mojo Man Special’, a series of dance floor killers. Volumes 2 and 3 have already been released. We will first pay attention to volume 2, entitled ‘Voodoo Doll’. This volume contains 24 dance grooves registered under the ‘crème de la créme’. Doo-wop, rhythm & blues, blues, rock and roll or gospel, you will find it all on this compilation.
Already curious about volume 3? Soon you will read the review here.

​With volume 13 in the ‘Southern Bred’ series, we leave Texas behind and set our nose towards Louisiana & New Orleans. Time for Creole rhythms, steamy rhythm & blues, rock and roll and the piano blues typical of the region. Louisiana and New Orleans also produced a large number of well-known artists. But also the lesser known are highly successful. Discover them all at this album.
So, best is to get fast your copy of ‘Southern Bred, Louisiana & New Orleans R&B Rockers, Vol. 13 ‘ and convince yourself of 28 killer songs that Mark Armstrong filled this album with.

The fourth rock and roll commandment ‘Show Affection, Come On And Love Me’ is plain and simple. Put on your best clothes, step out into the world and meet your true love. The thirty flaming rock and roll tracks put you on the right track but also warn you of the pitfalls.
‘Commandment Four’, is without a doubt the perfect companion for a successful romance. And as always, the golden Atomicat rule ‘killers, no fillers’ applies to this release. Enjoy love!

​The musical career of Ray Vernon, Link Wray's eldest brother, the guitarist who gained fame through the use of power chords and distortion, was also far from wrong. The success of Links records can certainly be linked to Ray. After all, Ray was not only a gifted singer, who in the 1950s made a bid for the status of teen idol via recordings on the Cameo label, as a producer he was linked to Link's most successful instrumentals. He also successfully performed this task for rockabilly star Marvin Rainwater, The Dial Tones, The British Walkers, The Moon Men, The Wray Brothers, The Ray Men and rhythm & blues artist Bunker Hill, later also known as gospel artist David Walker. You can enjoy all this here.
The title of this album ‘All Wrays Lead To Rock’ couldn't have been better chosen. This is what rock and roll should sound like. Fair, raw and mean! Super disc!

Volume 9 ‘Crackerjack’ is already on the penultimate part of the ‘Boss Black Rockers’ series. A series that sheds light on the black rockers. That they knew the clapping of the rock and roll whip, that's what we learned from the previous releases. Long story short, ‘Crackerjack’ effortlessly continues the quality of the previously released volumes, resulting in 28 impressive danceable songs. Can not be missed!

​Cliffie Stone made a career in the country, was one of the founders of rockabilly, was a talented songwriter, in-demand session musician and respected A&R man at Capitol Records. In the latter capacity he was the discoverer of Hank Thompson and Tennessee Ernie Ford. Cliffie also made recordings under his own name for the same label.
On this compilation released by Bear Family you get 31 tracks, all recorded between 1947 and 1955. In addition to songs he recorded with Bob Roubian, Tennessee Ernie Ford, Les Gotcher and Jeanne Gayle, this album contains a lot of songs that Cliffie recorded under his own name. Expect Western Swing, hillbilly boogie and rock and roll at the highest level. Naturally, an extensive booklet with information about the artist and the recordings is included.

​In their early recordings in the 1960s, both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones often reverted to hits from others. The club of hitmakers who supplied them was small, but this Larry Williams was invariably one of them. For example, The Beatles covered ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzy’ and ‘Bad Boy’, while The Rolling Stones recorded the B side of ‘Bad Boy’, ‘She Said ‘Yeah’’. The Animals also recorded this last-mentioned number.
‘Rock, Soul and Roll’ that brings together Larry Williams’ songs that he recorded for both Specialty and Chess during the period 1957 and 1961, is therefore a wonderful release. A publication that also shows that American artists and their repertoires were hugely important to the development of British rock and pop.

​No fewer than 14 songs written by the band and one cover show you all corners of the dance floor. Imagine yourself in a classy club in the middle of the last century, where gentlemen, dressed in three-piece suits and dent hats, try to flirt with the ladies who are thriftily sipping champagne and dressed in glittery dresses. The smoke is there to be cut, because smoking was still possible in those days. On the small stage, a five-piece band gives the best of themselves. Their suits are drenched in sweat, but the music they play is heavenly. The repertoire shows talent and craftsmanship.
If you want to enjoy Haney's Big House just like the clubbers, then be sure to purchase  ‘Hiding To Nothing’. However, don't forget to make some space for a dance floor. The chance that the infectious rhythm & blues and swing will leave you untouched is small ……… and actually nonexistent.

​For Bobby Vee, born in 1943 as Robert Thomas Velline, his musical career started in a strange way. Sadly, on February 3, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper were killed. The then only 15 year old Bobby Vee was brought in to replace them on the Moorhead show. Probably the youngest but extreme successful producer Snuff Garnett, who had a soft spot for Buddy Holly's sound, saw potential in the young Vee, who had something in common with the Lubbock star. Garnett's belief in Vee was justified, as it turned out, as he catapulted Bobby to teenage stardom. This Bear Family collector focuses on Vee's rock and roll years, from 1959 to 1962.
In the ‘The Drugstore’s Rockin’ ‘series, this album by Bobby Vee is a wonderful anthology of his work. Hits, compelling ballads or heavy rockers, Bobby Vee knew how to bring them all with dedication and the necessary empathy. Highly recommended!

​On her debut album "You Ain't Unlucky", on the Blue Heart Records label, Veronica presents six originals and two cover versions. Lewis' piano structure has a swinging groove and the title track has immediately a fifties feel. In the exciting piano caput "Ode To Jerry Lee", Veronica also sets her ivory keyboard on fire. A comparison with Jerry Lee Lewis is never far away. But the talented Veronica Lewis, from New Hampshire, has developed her own and unique style in a very short period of time. Blues, roots, rock and roll or R&B, nothing is foreign to her.

​When releasing a single, a record company naturally chooses to put that song on the A side that contains the most hit potential and will therefore generate generous income. Usually that is the case and the B side is filled with a discard. And yet, if you listen to this compilation, there are quite a few singles with hits on both sides.
The Jasmine label bundles on this compilation 32 of those B sides of hit singles that came out from the mid-1950s to the early 1960s. As it concerns hit singles, this album contains only well-known artists, who stormed the charts with pop, rock and roll and instrumental songs. Nice compilation!

​In the 1950's, Ricky Nelson was the most famous teenager in the U.S.A.. Not surprising when you know that both his parents were TV personalities. They had the program ‘The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet’, which also featured Ricky. The in 1961 recorded ‘Hello Mary Lou’ made him a million seller. It was actually a single with two A sides, as ‘Travellin’ Man’ was also very successful. This Jasmine compilation contains all the hits Ricky scored in the period from 1957 to 1962. It not only gives a nice picture of his career, but is also a nice tribute to the then prevailing music. In addition, the album contains the song ‘Someday’ which was a top 10 hit in the UK but was never released as a single in America.

​With ‘Racketeer's Wildest Winding!’ we enter the world of ‘Hoodlums, Rockers and Racketeers’ for one last time. This volume also contains rock and roll and rockabilly where sitting still is not an option. ‘Racketeer's Wildest Wingding!’ features 27 tracks from the heyday of rockabilly and rock 'n' roll by known, lesser known and sometimes obscure artists. However, they all had one thing in common, namely making honest music, which has no expiration date.

​Often cover versions were more successful than their original. In the series ‘Cherries On The Lose’, the Atomicat label pays attention to the originals and also mentions who covered them. On volume 3 we again get 28 songs that sometimes did better as a cover than the original. Every song on this album has its own story.
‘Cherries On The Lose’ is a series that ‘gives credit to where credit is due’, namely the original songs and the artists who performed them.

​With ‘Rock And Roll Vixens, Vol. 1', the Koko-Mojo label focuses on the recordings of African-American female singers from the early 1950s to the mid 1960s. These were the heyday of the blues, rhythm & blues and early soul, but also recordings by women's groups that guaranteed harmony vocals were very popular.
Keeping in mind the Koko-Mojo slogan ‘No Fillers, Just Killers’, we can only conclude that this has once again been 100% successful.

​Volume 2 in the series' Hoodlums, Rockers and Racketeers Wildest Wingding!’ namely 'Rockers Wildest Wingding!' catapults you with a sledgehammer back to the decade of ‘wild rock & roll and rockabilly’, with 27 tracks all recorded in the fifties. A decade that produced a multiple of well-known and lesser-known groundbreaking songs. ‘Rocker's Wildest Wingding!’ is herefore your perfect guide.

​‘Chicksville U.S.A.!’ unleash no less than 33 erotic and naughty songs on you. Nowadays these topics are no longer taboo, however it was in the 50s and 60s when these songs were recorded. Exciting rock and roll, sultry seductive songs, both vocal and instrumental, will not leave you indifferent.
Also informative you will never be hungry at Bear Family. Not even now, because in the 15-page booklet, illustrated with numerous photos, Marc Mittelacher guides you through all the tracks. Used at the right time, ‘Destination Lust - Chicksville, U.S.A.!’ might be ………… the rest you can fill in yourself!!!!!!!

​The next artist to be featured in the ‘Rock’ series is Frank Virtue. Frank could only score once, namely with the song ‘Guitar Boogie Shuffle’, which allowed him to reach the Top 10. On this compilation you get two extra 'guitar boogies', namely an early version of the Esquire Boys from 1953 and 'Guitar Boogie Twist' from 1960. More important and more interesting is that this collector gives a nice picture of the musical evolution that Frank went through in various settings. From rhyhtm & blues to rock and roll he eventually became a master of instrumental guitar songs.
Well-known, less well-known and obscure recordings that Frank recorded in various settings for both small and budget labels put his virtuoso guitar work in the spotlight. Extensive information about Frank's career, his chronological discography, supplemented with illustrations and rare photo material can be found in the 36-page colorful booklet written by Chicago music journalist Bill Dahl. Recommended!

For volume 35 in the ‘That'll Flat ... Git It!’ Series, the Bear Family label is browsing the archives of Mercury and Limelight Records. The Mercury label was founded in 1945 and was the first major label after World War II. The label focused on blues, rhythm & blues, country, jazz and pop. Limelight Records was also part of Mercury and mainly focused on jazz. In addition, their mid and late 50’s recordings also included a number of rockabilly and rock ‘n’ roll artists. 35 of those recordings adorn this compilation. Recordings of a number of lesser known artists, but also the very early recordings of those who would later become resounding names in music.
When a compilation, such as this one from the series ‘That'll Flat ... Git It!’ has been compiled with expertise and knowledge, you can discover a large number of unknown, but especially valuable songs in addition to well-known ones. Volume 35 scores 100% here. Recommended!

​With ‘Pass The Gin’, already the eleventh volume in the ‘Southern Bred’ series, we continue our search for Texan R&B Rockers. And there are a lot of famous and lesser known artists and their songs to discover. We are immediately treated to a heavy R & B rock song by H.B. Barnum with ‘Don't Cha Know’. Barnum was part of The Dootones in the late 1950's.
We close with a classic undertone. The instrumental ‘Nut Rocker’ of Jack B Nimble and The Quicks is based on Tchaikovsky's ‘Nutcracker Suite’. The song is also known in the version of B. Bumble and The Stingers.
Beyond all this beauty, volume 11 of the stunning ‘Southern Bred’ series hides a host of other gems. Like all previous volumes, number 11 is an absolute must.