Track Listing

1. Ain t It A Shame (Fats Domino)
2. Blue Jean Bop (Gene Vincent)
3. Blue Suede Shoes (Elvis Presley)
4. Church Bells May Ring (The Willows)
5. Eddie My Love (The Teen Queens)
6. Good Rockin Daddy (Etta James)
7. Heartbreak Hotel (Elvis Presley)
8. Honky Tonk (Bill Doggett)
9. I ve Got A Woman (Ray Charles)
10. Jim Dandy (LaVern Baker)
11. Little Girl Of Mine (The Cleftones)
12. Mess Around (Ray Charles)
13. Ooby Dooby (Roy Orbison & The Teen Kings)
14. Pledging My Love (Johnny Ace)
15. Rock Around The Clock (Bill Haley & His Comets)
16. Seventeen (Boyd Bennett & His Rockets)
17. Sh-Boom (The Crew Cuts)
18. Speedoo (The Cadillacs)
19. The Fool (The Gallahads)
20. Tick Tock (Marvin & Johnny)
21. Tutti Frutti (Little Richard)
22. Why Don t You Write Me (The Jacks)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8954 in Music
• Released on: 2007-06-11
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds

CD Description
Billboard launched their Hot 100 chart in 1955 and heralded in the rock and roll era, for almost as soon as the chart launched, acts such as Bill Haley & His Comets, The Platters, Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley made their debut appearances. After decades of crooners such as Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, a new style was evident - the music was vibrant, the audience much younger and fashion became an integral part of the scene. This album features 22 of the most compelling hits of the time - the songs that marked the transition from pop to rock and roll. Many of the songs on this album remain relevent today, with many being covered by contemporary artists, even retaining the original rock and roll stylings.

Customer Reviews

Keep a-rockin' with this one...
Volume 2 in this series is again a very good selection of original recordings featuring some of the better-known rockers along with some whose names may not be so familiar. So we have tracks by Elvis, Gene Vincent, Ray Charles, Little Richard and Fats Domino whose Ain't That A Shame kicks things off. There's also the Teen Queens' Eddie My Love (great mellow sax sound), Roy Orbison's first chart hit Ooby-Dooby, and Johnny Ace's Pledging My Love, a posthumous hit following his unfortunate Russian Roulette encounter.

One small point, the Gallahads' version of The Fool is the same song recorded by Sanford Clark and Johnny Burnette, among others. The composer is shown as 'unknown', though it was one of Lee Hazlewood's early songs, which he credited to his wife at the time, Naomi Ford.

Again, there are tracks here which are difficult to find elsewhere on CD. For a rock 'n' roll anorak like me, 3 or 4 or so good tracks I don't currently have is reason enough to buy. Roll on the next collection.

Excellent as this selection is though, it would really be more accurate to refer to what is included as 'early' rather than the 'roots of' rock 'n' roll, but no matter, this is another very worthwhile release.

What is sadly lacking is any information other than the song credits, but for the tragics among us, that can be found elsewhere with a bit of digging around.