Search - Bill Haley and His Comets;Bill Haley & The Saddlemen :: Rock the Joint!

History In The Making

01/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Haley's pre-Decca material has never been easy to find, which makes this British import historic, in that it collects most of his work on Essex Records and does an absolutely terrific job compiling it, explaining it and documenting it with a full discography, in-depth liner notes featuring archival and relevant quotes from Haley and others, good pics, even a retro-styled cover.Two of the songs found here - "Rock The Joint" and "Crazy Man Crazy", the latter being the first ever white written and performed rock 'n' roll hit of any kind - are the vital work from this time, and they, along with 8 others of note, can be found on the Canadian import "Celebration", which is a worthy substitute for the budget conscious, though that has no notes at all. But with "Rock The Joint" you get 23 songs which span their entire early transformation from obscure renegade country & western band to the world's foremost rock 'n' rollers.The dichotomy between those two styles, especially in the first 6 tracks, is really interesting. His cover of "Rocket 88" is the first true rockabilly recording, a black R&B tune done with a white C&W influenced band, and is a true rarity on CD. The flip side of that single was the pure C&W "Tearstains On My Heart", showing he and the record company weren't sure which avenue to persue. He'd haggle over that dilemma for awhile, with the uptempo rocker "Sundown Boogie" followed immediately by the Hank Williams like "Icy Heart". When "Rock The Joint", a 1949 R&B hit for Jimmy Preston which Haley effectively re-wrote, became his biggest seller to date, the debate was settled and they recorded nothing but pure rock 'n' roll from then on. Even with his direction established though, nobody was really sure who exactly the audience was for this style. They knew it was "kids" but this was before "teenagers" were considered a seperate entity from younger pre-pubescent tykes and so some of his early writing efforts simply took a nursery rhyme and rocked it up ("Buffalo Gals" became "Stop Beating Around The Mulberry Bush" for instance). It wasn't until Haley and the newly coined Comets (they'd been the Saddlemen for the earlier cuts) began playing high school dances in an effort to see what went over well that those types of songs were worked out of their repitiore and the basic rock 'n' roll blueprint became established.Because of these occasional early missteps, plus the fact he was already 30 when he broke through to a widespread audience in the mid-50's, was slightly balding, moon faced and had no sex-appeal, he's been relegated to a second tier rock icon by many, and even called a white cover artist (despite writing most of his own material) and an opportunist by others. This disc shows however that he was rockin' & rollin' when most 50's legends to be were still in junior high, and a time when no more than one or two black R&B songs a year were widely heard by white American youth. It also proves what never should've been in doubt, that the Comets were a first rate rock 'n' roll band with dynamic lead guitar, chunky rhythm guitar (by Bill himself), a honking wild sax, and a rhythm section that introduced the pounding bass and drum backbeat that would become a rock 'n' roll staple, which it remains today.The early 50's era of prehistoric rock, whether Bill Haley or Ruth Brown, the Clovers and the Dominoes, constantly gets overlooked, ignored or shoved into the dustbin of history. Yet this was where rock 'n' roll came from and this album is like Chapter One in its history book. Even if a few of the efforts were misfires, they were working without a net back then, in an era that was not exactly hospitable to their presence, and their successes in this field are what allowed the Presley's, Berry's, Beatles and Stones to walk onto a stage already well lit and with a willing and enthusiastic audience waiting.This is a flat out great album and well worth the history lesson it contains within."

Crazy Man Crazy!

Carl Savich | Detroit, MI, USA | 04/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"ROCK THE JOINT! THE ORIGINAL ESSEX RECORDINGS 1951-1954 by Bill Haley and the Comets is one of the greatest rock and roll collections ever assembled. These recordings chronicle the early development and evolution of rock and roll. This is where rock and roll originated. This is where rock and roll comes from. The first rock and roll hit record is on this album, the revolutionary "Crazy Man Crazy" which in April, 1953 reached no. 15 on the national Billboard pop chart. "Crazy Man Crazy" was the first ever real rock and roll record. Elvis Presley stated that it was one of his favorite records and he was reported to have performed the song during the Louisiana Hayride period. The record contained all the rock and roll ingredients which later became the template for all rock and roll and the blueprint for the rock and roll musical genre. The song opened with a drum solo, featured a prominent bass line by Marshall Lytle, a driving rhythm guitar by Bill Haley, piano by Johnny Grande, steel guitar by Billy Williamson, and a revolutionary and innovative lead guitar by Art Ryerson. The drum beat and the rhythm are infectious. The song features the refrain: "Go GO GO Everybody" and talks about a "rockin' beat". The word "rockin'" appears twice in the song. This was where rock and roll began. To be sure, there were precursors to what we now know as rock and roll. But "Crazy Man Crazy" was the first genuine rock and roll record that became a national chart hit. No other recording can can claim this title. Moreover, Haley had a planned and conscious attempt to create a new and novel musical idiom or genre, which was later called "rock and roll" by Alan Freed. Freed always admitted that he got the term "rock and roll" from Bill Haley. To be sure, the term was around for decades as a slang term for sex. But Haley meant a new musical idion when he used the term. From lewd sex the term now signified a new musical form, combining Country and Western, Rhythm and Blues, and pop. Bill Haley was completely responsible for this development.
The collection contains almost all of the Essex/Holiday releases by Haley and the Comets/Saddlemen. All the important groundbreaking records are on this album: "Rock the Joint", "Sundown Boogie", "Real Rock Drive", "Rocket 88", "What'cha Gonna Do", "Fractured", "Live it Up", "Ten Little Indians", "Rockin' Chair on the Moon", "Pat-A-Cake". The evolution of the rock and roll format had some twists and turns. Haley experimented with nursery rhymes, country and western ballads, instrumentals. The musicianship is remarkable. Tow Dowd is reported to be the engineer on these recordings. The sound is excellent. The lead guitar solos are amazing by Danny Cedrone and Art Ryerson. Here is a sample of some of the lyrics: "Takes a rockin' chair to rock,
Takes a rubber ball to roll" (Sundown Boogie)"One, two, One for the money,
two for the show,three to get ready,
and here we go" (What'cha Gonna Do)"It's a real rock drive,
and they play it in a real gone way. "(Real Rock Drive)"I take my chick and we dance about
when they start rockin' boy we start to shout
'Crazy Man Crazy!'"This CD contains over 60 minutes of music. There are 24 selections. Photographs of the band are enclosed when Danny Cedrone was with the band and there is a discography and liner notes. This collection is worth every penny. I highly recommend this album. No rock and roll fan should be without this album. Not only is it important historically. But this album rocks! The Essex single "Crazy Man Crazy/What'cha Gonna Do" is one of the greatest rock and roll records ever made. And the record still rocks in 2003, fifty years after it was released in April, 1953. This record changed the world. The reverberations went around the world. This is where rock and roll actually came from. It all began with the records contained on this record."