Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2023 i Vintage Rock

At the forefront of our minds in each issue of this magazine we create is the desire to keep the icons of rock’n’roll in the hearts and minds of readers. It’s also vitally important, of course, to ensure that future generations are introduced to the classic artists we write about here in these pages. So we were delighted to hear about the upcoming big screen documentary planned to celebrate the life of Eddie Cochran by filmmaker Kirsty Bell. Taking its title from the now poignant postscript Eddie would add to his autographs, Don’t Forget Me will no doubt introduce one of the most influential trailblazers in rock’n’roll to a brand new audience. And for those fans already well aware of Cochran’s genius, there’s the exciting prospect of a whole host…

Tell us about the genesis story behind The McCartney Songbook – how did the show come about? A few years ago, I was chosen to play the role of Paul McCartney in the West End show Let It Be. Prior to this I hadn’t been involved in any Paul McCartney or Beatles associated work, but quickly noticed an uncanny similarity between Paul’s and my singing voice. After homing in on the McCartney sound I realised there was so much more to Paul than just Beatles. I decided to put together a show that is dedicated entirely to the man himself, making it the one and only unique and entertaining show for all fans. What can audiences expect in terms of its production and staging? The McCartney Songbook is quite unique…

First, let’s set the scene… ‘Barnstorming’ was originally used as a term to describe the experience of flying circuses coming to town, before being adopted as a catch-all word for lively stage performances from music to baseball, preachers to politicians. According to music academic Mark Duffett, author of Counting Down Elvis: “Biplane pilots would use a farm as a landing strip, a base from which to entertain a local town with looping acrobatics in the sky. By the 1930s, the term had been adopted by self-contained country music acts keen to find ways to promote themselves before coming to town to play live. Rather than attempt chart dominance with record sales, smaller bands would send a single to a local radio station, play live on air, or do an interview…

If you wanted to give someone an example of rockabilly in its purest form you wouldn’t be far off the money if you played them Mac Curtis’ earliest sides for King, recorded in Dallas in 1956. If I Had Me A Woman, Grandaddy’s Rockin’ and Half Hearted Love are three of the genre’s earliest masterpieces. Even on Just So You Call Me, paired with If I Had Me A Woman, and more of a bluesy lope, the Texan teenager gave it the stammering delivery of a true rockabilly. The simplicity of these tracks is so antique that they don’t even contain echo. But they show how the early country boy proponents of ‘cat music’ could create maximum excitement while appearing to exert relatively little energy themselves. Curtis has a good…

A lthoughJerry Lee Lewis’ title track has remained a bona fide rock’n’roll classic over the years, the movie High School Confidential! has not enjoyed the same longevity. However, as it reaches its 65th anniversary, this film still inhabits a warm place in the hearts of some rock’n’rollers and its kooky blend of genres is well worthy of reappraisal. High School Confidential! was a relatively low budget affair with a total cost of just over $500,000. However, it took in nearly four times that amount at the box office. Given that most movies today languish in a modern hell known as ‘post production’, the turnaround on this creation was relatively quick. Shooting began in February 1958 and the film was in American cinemas by 13 June that year. “Teenage rebels... too…

★★★★★ EXCELLENT ★★★★ VERY GOOD ★★★ GOOD ★★ PATCHY ★ POOR Thee Kavaliers CONGREGATION FOR ANTI-FLIRTS INC HYPERLOOP ★★★☆ Hyperloop continue to avoid going down the repro route and issue this fine portion of primitive garage rock’n’roll officially – and in a remastered form. Stripped of the pops, crackles and groove grime, Congregation For Anti-Flirts Inc now sounds loud, rowdy and remarkably fresh despite the fact that it was first released on Texas label Pharaoh way back in 1967. Bypassing the original B-side, this features Pride, a folkier effort released in 1965 (when they were The Cavaliers), but it’s the title track that deserves all the plaudits. The Sleazoids VHS DEATH SPINOUT NUGGETS ★★★ Five years after debut album Insane Escapades!, this trashy trio from Sheffield are back on wax…

Wee Willie Harris, a pioneer and one of the leading lights amongst the first generation of UK rock’n’rollers has died aged 90. Arguably the most underrated of the homegrown performers in the original rockin’ wave, Bermondsey-born Harris got his earliest experience of the music industry playing at Soho’s 2i’s Coffee Bar alongside the likes of Tommy Steele, Adam Faith and Screaming Lord Sutch. With a stage name derived from his diminutive stature, Harris was noted for his wild live performances and unusual outfits. His tongue-in-cheek material and outré look that often included dyed hair of pink, green or orange hues, endeared him to generations of fans – Ian Dury even famously included a reference to Harris in his 1979 hit Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3. Such was Harris’ notoriety…

For an artist inextricably associated with traditional country music, Marty Stuart is a stylistic chameleon. He started his career as a teenager playing mandolin with bluegrass star Lester Flatt, joined Johnny Cash’s band in the 80s, before going solo. In 2001 he formed His Fabulous Superlatives, featuring guitarist Kenny Vaughan, drummer Harry Stinson, and bassist Chris Scruggs. 2017’s Way Out West saw them explore the Bakersfield Sound of the 1960s. Tellingly, Stuart plays the customised Telecaster built for The Byrd’s Clarence White. His latest LP, Altitude, released on 19 May, continues Stuart’s sonic alchemy, mixing both classic and cosmic country to thrilling effect. Guitarist Mike Campbell – formerly of Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers – was the producer for Way Out West, did you bring someone in for Altitude? We…

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. If you’re a long-time reader of this magazine, then you’ll have seen countless references to it within these pages. Rarely does an issue of Vintage Rock go to press without some mention of the music industry’s most star-studded night of the year. A fair chunk of the artists we cover are members and it’s considered the greatest badge of honour in the world of rock’n’roll. Of course, most of those original pioneers have already been inducted. Artists automatically become eligible 25 years after the release of their first record, and many of the nominees for 2023’s RRHOF ceremony are children of the 60s and 70s, born well after rock’n’roll’s first wave exploded onto the scene. In the 50s, rock’n’roll was, of course, seen…

Italian trio The Glad Rags seem to have been attracting a real buzz recently despite only getting together in the summer of 2021. Their classic, drum-free, rockabilly line-up features Pete Bridges on lead guitar, Francesca (Li’l T) Zanotti on lead vocals and acoustic guitar alongside Silvia Consonni on double bass and additional vocals. Located close to each other between Milan, Como and Bergamo, they’ve created an intimate, stripped-down brand of rockin’ that is rich in harmonies and gathering attention across Europe and the UK. With a five-track demo and 7" single on Retro Recording Services (My Poor Little Heart b/w Route Stone) already available, their CD mini-album, Rockin’ Duets, has just been released featuring a septet of covers alongside a single original composition and a live radio recording. For The…

Eddie Cochran Eddie Cochran will be forever remembered as one of the brightest stars to shine on planet rock. His premature passing in 1960 deprived rock’n’roll of one of its leading lights and his influence remains immeasurable. Now, 63 years after his tragic death, his story is going to be told in a feature-length documentary, poignantly titled Don’t Forget Me. Director Kirsty Bell, and her production team at Goldfinch Entertainment, have worked closely with Cochran’s family to compile the first official examination of the life and music of this much-missed trailblazing talent. “We’re expecting to complete making the feature towards the end of the year or sometime in the first quarter of 2024,” Bell tells Vintage Rock. “We find ourselves in a situation where so many people want to speak…

There’s something timeless about Vince Taylor’s Brand New Cadillac. When this writer first heard it as a young rockabilly fan he would have readily believed it was a neo-rockabilly track cut in the 80s, and was surprised to learn it actually dated from 1959. Maybe it’s the slurred, snarly vocal that gives it a post-punk feel, and perhaps it was that quality that resonated with The Clash when they covered it on their London Calling album in 1979. One reason why it’s not immediately associated with the 50s, however, is that it was never a hit in that era – or at any other time, in the case of Taylor’s version. Released as the B-side of a single that made no ripples, it crept gradually into the collective consciousness of…

Covering a proven hit has always been a good bet, especially if the original is largely forgotten or was never big in your country. It was common in the 50s for British artists to record simultaneous covers of US singles. In some cases, the two versions fought it out on the charts at the same time. Later, in the 70s, British rock’n’roll revivalists revisited many songs from the past. Some were bigger hits than the originals – in the UK at least – and in some cases can be considered to be the definitive version, proving that a second recording of a song doesn’t have to be second best. 20 ROCKY SHARPE & THE REPLAYS Rama Lama Ding Dong 1978 (Chiswick) The Edsels’ self-penned Rama Lama Ding Dong came out…

★★★★★ EXCELLENT ★★★★ VERY GOOD ★★★ GOOD ★★ PATCHY ★ POOR The Chantays A DAWNING SUN SUNDAZED ★★★ Despite being the creators of Pipeline, one of surf’s most recognisable anthems, The Chantays’ catalogue was limited to two albums in the 60s and a brief resurgence in the mid-90s. Now the band do their best to address their minimal discography with this collection of previously unreleased songs, mostly recorded in 1966 and pressed on seaglass blue vinyl. A Dawning Sun includes a mix of vocal and instrumental tracks and, typical of the period, this is a mellow, sunshine-soaked affair but twangy efforts such as Sentimental Guitar contain a flash of their early fury. Lonnie Mack STRIKE LIKE LIGHTNING ALLIGATOR ★★★ This vinyl reissue of Mack’s 1985 album marked something of a…

★★★★★ EXCELLENT ★★★★ VERY GOOD ★★★ GOOD ★★ PATCHY ★ POOR Jack Rabbit Slim HARD TO FORGET WESTERN STAR ★★★★ Bearing in mind the mixed fortunes of Jack Rabbit Slim’s frontman Bob Butfoy over the past few years, Hard To Forget is a comeback album of the highest order. As it finally makes an appearance, the tenacity, faith and determination that appears to have gone into its making marks it out as a rather special homegrown rockabilly album. Even more impressive is JRS’s refusal to fall back on cover versions to bulk things out – all 14 tracks here are originals with a further surprise lurking mischievously at the end. With a revitalised line-up, including the scorching guitar of The Bullets’ Brett Waters, this almost has the energy of a…

Gene Vincent heads to Nashville to record his debut single Be-Bop-A-Lula. The inspiration for the track came when Vincent was recuperating at a US Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia, following a motorcycle accident. However, its creative beginnings still remain rather foggy with a friend that Gene met while at the hospital, Donald Graves, reportedly coming up with the lyrics before his rights to the song were bought out by the singer’s manager Bill Davis for a mere $50 (various sources disagree on this fee). In later interviews, Vincent, who wrote the song’s melody, has also claimed credit for its lyrics himself and noted that it was inspired by reading the comic strip Little Lulu by Marjorie Henderson Buell. The track’s genesis may still be shrouded in a little mystery, but…