VA - Rockin' Bones, 1950s Punk and Rockabilly [2006] (4 x CDs)

ROCKABILLY

VA - Rockin' Bones, 1950s Punk and Rockabilly [2006] (4 x CDs)

It's easy to look at Rhino's four-disc 2006 box Rockin' Bones: 1950s Punk and Rockabilly and confuse it with the label's 1999 four-disc box Loud, Fast & Out of Control: The Wild Sounds of '50s Rock. It has the same garish neo-pulp artwork, covers the same era, and even has several of the same songs, usually big hits like Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" or Jerry Lee Lewis' "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," or Ricky Nelson's "Believe What You Say," but it also has cult classics like Joe Clay's "Duck Tail" or the Phantom's "Love Me," or Vince Taylor's "Brand New Cadillac" -- plus, this builds on the speeches and dialogue that were interspersed throughout Loud, Fast & Out of Control by adding the audio from '50s and '60s exploitation movie trailers; a cool idea on mixtapes that is unbearable in the digital age because for some reason, Rhino did not index the trailers as individual tracks, so whenever you try to make your own mix or listen to it on your iPod it's a mess. So, Rockin' Bones is very similar in many respects to Loud, Fast & Out of Control except in one important way, this contains only rockabilly tunes, cutting out any of the R&B, jump blues, and straight-up rock & roll that made the 1999 box an excellent, essential portrait of the rock & roll revolution. In other words, with the exception of Big Al Downing, there are no black artists here -- no Chuck Berry, no Little Richard, no Bo Diddley, three artists who were as crucial to '50s rock & roll (not to mention greasers) as Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent and Buddy Holly. While the argument could be made that Berry, Little Richard and Diddley weren't rockabilly, their absence nevertheless casts a shadow over the set, as if the compilers were trying to rewrite history so they could shoehorn the beginning of rock & roll into the nebulous "1950s Punk" of the set's subtitle, since punk in its 2006 incarnation is pretty much devoid of black musicians (but, let's face it, a generation raised on Hot Topic punk-pop and emo is unlikely to buy 50-year-old recordings no matter if they're labeled punk or not). It's a decision that can be defended, but it still leaves a bad aftertaste.

It's not the only flaw on Rockin' Bones, either. The set is pitched halfway between a basic introduction to rockabilly and a collection of wild-cat rarities for collectors, with the big, big hits alternating with oddball selections, including several songs that have never been on a U.S. CD before this box. This gives the set a bit of an unbalanced feel, particularly for listeners who have "Baby Let's Play House," "Rumble," "Get Rhythm," and "Who Do You Love" on countless comps, but it also doesn't function as a good introduction for the curious since it provides little context for either the hits or rarities; it just plays like a very good rockabilly station on shuffle. Of course, there are some benefits to this -- it makes for good, consistent listening -- but it doesn't make this a definitive portrait of a style, the way that Rhino's first Nuggets set did, nor does this work as a worthy rarities roundup for the hardcore collector, the way that their girl group box One Kiss Can Lead to Another did. Instead, Rockin' Bones occupies a netherworld where it has too much familiar stuff for the hardcore fans and too many samey novelties for the less dedicated listener who would be better off getting Loud, Fast & Out of Control. But for those listeners who fall somewhere between those two extremes -- those who really like rockabilly, have a bunch in their collection, but want some good rarities and novelties -- this is worthwhile, since there are some great sides scattered throughout these 101 songs, including the tribal thump of Tommy Blake's "Lordy Hoody" or John & Jackie's "Little Girl," a truly bizarre single where the duo's perky vocals are overshadowed by a female backing vocalist who sounds as if she's writhing in orgasm for the song's entire two-minute running time. These, along with such other highlights as rockabilly singles by George Jones and Buck Owens (released under pseudonyms: Thumper Jones and Corky Jones, respectively), are the reason for serious rock & roll fans to get this set: cuts like these, and there a lot of them here, are enough to forgive the severe flaws on Rockin' Bones as a historical set and just enjoy it as 101 tracks of pure raw rock & roll. (AllMusic review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine)

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Track list

CD1

01 Ronnie Dawson - Rockin' Bones 1:55

02 Billy Eldridge,  The Fireballs - Let's Go Baby 2:49

03 Elvis Presley - Baby Let's Play House 2:17

04 John & Jackie - Little Girl 2:12

05 Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps - Cat Man 2:18

06 Jackie Gotroe - Lobo Jones 1:56

07 Ronnie Allen - Juvenile Delinquent 2:21

08 Danny Dell - Froggy Went a Courting 2:40

09 Joe D. Johnson - Rattlesnake Daddy 1:45

10 Al Downing - Down on the Farm 1:33

11 Jackie Morningstar - Rockin' in the Graveyard 2:39

12 Art Adams - Dancing Doll 1:55

13 Johnny Powers, Stan Getz - Long Blond Hair, Red Rose Lips 2:10

14 Johnny Dollar - Action Packed 2:57

15 Don Willis - Boppin' High School Baby 2:30

16 Rick Nelson - Believe What You Say 2:03

17 Dwight Pullen - Sunglasses After Dark 2:09

18 Link Wray - Rumble 2:24

19 Buddy Holly & Bob Montgomery - Down the Line 2:02

20 Larry Dowd - Pink Cadillac 1:54

21 Joyce Green - Black Cadillac 2:27

22 Commonwealth Jones - Who's Been Here 3:33

23 Barbara Pittman - I Need a Man 3:14

24 Bill Allen & The Back Beats - Please Give Me Somthing 2:15

25 Freddie & the Hitch-Hikers - Sinners 2:36

CD2

01 Buddy Holly - Rock Around with Ollie Vee 2:12

02 Darrell Rhodes - Lou Lou 2:50

03 Art Adams - Rock Crazy Baby 2:16

04 Jimmy Edwards - Love Bug Crawl 2:01

05 Pat Ferguson - Fool I Am 2:03

06 Bob Luman - Red Hot 2:02

07 Phantom - Love Me 1:27

08 Kip Tyler - She's My Witch 2:19

09 Tommy Blake - Lordy Hoody 2:26

10 String Kings - Bloodshot 2:50

11 Jackie DeShannon - Trouble 2:28

12 Ronnie Person - Hot Shot 2:20

13 Pat Cupp - Long Gone Daddy 2:28

14 Steve Carl - Curfew 2:24

15 Carl Perkins - Put Your Cat Clothes On 2:49

16 Sonny Fisher - Pink and Black 1:58

17 Roy Orbison - Domino 2:43

18 Hank Mizell - Jungle Rock 2:44

19 Warren Smith - Ubangi Stomp 1:59

20 Hasil Adkins - Chicken Walk 1:53

21 Fat Daddy Holems - Chicken Rock 1:57

22 Bob & Lucille - Eeny-Meeny-Miney-Moe 2:09

23 Bobby Lee Trammell - Shirley Lee 1:46

24 Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps - Woman Love 2:32

25 Elvis Presley - One Night of Sin 2:35

CD3

01 Carl Perkins - Blue Suede Shoes 2:17

02 Joe Clay - Duck Tail 2:28

03 Tom Tall - Stack-A-Records 2:44

04 Jeff Daniels - Daddy-O-Rock 2:17

05 Boyd Bennett - Move 2:22

06 Vince Taylor - Brand New Cadillac 2:35

07 Kip Tyler - Rumble Rock 2:15

08 Larry Terry - Hep Cat 2:10

09 Peanuts Wilson - Cast Iron Arm 2:24

10 Jeff Daniels - Switch Blade Sam 2:10

11 Bobby & Terry Caraway - Ballin' Keen 1:53

12 Sonny West - Sweet Rockin' Baby 2:19

13 Johnny Cash & the Tennessee Two - Get Rhythm 2:15

14 Johnny Burnette - Rock Billy Boogie 2:33

15 Rockin' R's - Crazy Baby 2:31

16 Dale Hawkins - Susie-Q 2:16

17 Maylon Humphries - Worried 'Bout You Baby 2:47

18 The Phaetons - I Love My Baby 2:51

19 Ray Harris - Come on Little Mama 2:17

20 Larry & Lorrie Collins - Whistle Bait 1:34

21 Benny Joy - Spin the Bottle 2:32

22 Dorsey Burnette - Bertha Lou 2:34

23 Jim Flaherty's Caravan - Real Gone Daddy 1:50

24 Hal Willis - My Pink Cadillac 2:06

25 Curtis Gordon - Draggin' 1:46

CD4

01 Ronnie Dee - Action Packed 2:14

02 Johnny Kidd & the Pirates - Shakin' All Over 2:23

03 Ronnie Hawkins - Who Do You Love 2:40

04 Eddie Cochran - Summertime Blues 1:59

05 Jack Scott, The Chantones - The Way I Walk 2:42

06 Johnny Carroll - Wild Wild Women 2:01

07 Rick Cartey - Oooh-Eeee 2:17

08 John Kerby - Get Hot or Go Home 1:46

09 Tommy Bell - Swamp Gal 2:10

10 Jimmy Wages - Miss Pearl 3:03

11 Larry & Lorrie Collins - Mercy 2:02

12 Ed Bruce - Rock Boppin' Baby 2:17

13 Eddie Bond - Rockin' Daddy 2:00

14 George Jones - Rock It 2:13

15 Corky Jones - Rhythm and Booze 2:11

16 Ray Scott - Flyin' Saucers Rock 'N' Roll 2:03

17 Benny Cliff Trio - Shake Um Up Rock 2:16

18 Jesse James - Red Hot Rockin Blues 2:19

19 Janis & Her Boyfriends - Bang Bang 1:57

20 Charlie Feathers - One Hand Loose 2:21

21 Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On 2:53

22 Wanda Jackson - Fujiyama Mama 2:13

23 Jim Lloyd - I Got a Rocket in My Pocket 3:18

24 Don Wade - Oh Love 1:49

25 Gene Summers - School of Rock 'N Roll 2:04

26 Elroy Dietzel - Rock-N-Bones 1:57

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