BUDDY HOLLY'S "CLASSIC COKE" ALBUM
Mark | Santa Monica, CA | 02/19/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This memorial album appeared within weeks of Holly's tragic death on February 3, 1959 and quickly shot up the charts into the Top Ten. It lingered in Billboard's Top 100 for several years, and through most of the 1960s you could find it in almost anyone's record collection. As something of a shared cultural experience these 12 tracks came to be seen -- rightly or wrongly -- as the essential summary of Holly's career.
ORIGINAL ALBUM
You might think an album of such enduring quality was compiled with great care, but actually it was done on the fly. Norman Petty said in interview that he and Dick Jacobs had to put this collection together rather quickly over the telephone, with Jacobs in New York and Petty in Clovis, New Mexico.
If true it would seem Jacobs had the final say. All but two of Holly's Brunswick/Coral singles had been produced by Petty. The two exceptions were by Jacobs, and although neither had charted, three of their four sides (25% of the album) are here: `Raining in My Heart', `Early in the Morning,' and `It Doesn't Matter Anymore'. Happily, the last of these became a huge hit in the aftermath of Holly's death, and Jacobs' tracks surely widened the album's appeal beyond teen rock fans.
My point is that with so many good things to choose from this album could easily have come together many different ways. But its impact has been such that today it is hard to imagine "The Buddy Holly Story" other than exactly as we have it.
THE FACSIMILE CD:
While grateful for this CD, I was disappointed that only the album's front cover is reproduced. The back cover liner notes by Ren Gravett were in striking oversized print with the same distinctive red lettering as the front title. Not only is that memorable backside omitted, but its liner notes are not here anywhere.
It would also have been nice to reproduce the original Coral LP's label on the CD itself.
SOUND QUALITY
This was an unexpected surprise; the CD sounds for the most part as if taken from the EQ master of the original album. (An EQ master is prepared by the engineer and reflects his personal preferences for bass/treble equalization.) "Buddy Holly Story's" EQ was unique in that it was not quite as bright as other released versions, and its deeper, richer sound made Holly not quite so young. Petty said this was his personal favorite EQ master of these songs, and always mentioning the engineer by name.
There are two departures from that original EQ:
`Peggy Sue' on this CD is actually a welcome improvement in that it opens with a nice burst of sound. On the original album it started a little too low, a significant drop in volume following `Early in the Morning', and had to build.
The other difference is that `It Doesn't Matter Anymore' is in true stereo. This is a bit startling after sitting through a mono album, and if they were going to do this one wishes `Raining in My Heart' was given similar treatment.
A CURIOUS STORY ABOUT THIS ALBUM:
Holly's "strings session" with Dick Jacobs was his last, and the only one in true stereo. The single `Raining in My Heart' /`It Doesn't Matter Anymore' was taken from it but mixed down to monaural for AM radio and juke boxes of the day.
"The Buddy Holly Story" album was originally a monaural release so the monaural mixes were also used there.
Shortly thereafter stereo became very big, and buyers with stereo players suddenly wanted only stereo albums. Record labels scrambled to issue some sort of "enhanced stereo" (aka phony stereo) versions of their monaural catalogue to meet this need.
Coral jumped on the trend with an enhanced stereo "Buddy Holly Story" but in doing so forgot they actually had true stereo versions of two of its songs.
Strange but true -- the "enhanced stereo" edition of this album featured phony stereo versions of monaural mix downs made from two true stereo tracks!
ENHANCED STEREO:
For the curious, here are some "enhanced stereo" methods I recall as a record buyer. (I'm not an engineer so these are my personal nicknames):
(1) "Vibrasonic": The same monaural track ran separately on each channel (speaker), but one track was fraction of a second behind the other. This produced a hollow echo effect that was either loved or despised.
(2) "Separate EQs": Again the same monaural track ran separately on each speaker. One track was heavily biased to bass and the other to treble. My memory is that this method was used on "The Buddy Holly Story".
(3) "Footprints": Studio musicians attempted to duplicate the original bass, drums or other instruments as closely as possible but on separated tracks for a stereo effect. This can be heard on the version of `Reminiscing' on GBO's "Reminiscing/Showcase" Holly CD
(4) Sometimes overdubbing was more extensive with added background vocals in an attempt at not just more dramatic stereo separation but also to make the recording sound more contemporary. Many tracks on Coral's 1967 "Buddy Holly's Greatest Hits" are given this treatment.
Bottom Line.
This is lovely classic Holly. No matter what else you own, do not hesitate to pick this one up. It will bring enjoyment to your life for many years to come.
"
At last on CD - Volume One from an incredible performer
Jacobus T. Boot | Perth, Western Australia | 10/16/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Please note this is NOT the soundtrack from the movie, this is the CD we have had to wait years and years for. In my opinion, this album now finally on CD is one of the main reasons Buddy Holly still sells 44 years after his death. The tracks on the CD are the originally released versions not the later overdubs. Every track transports us oldies back to our youth complete with the joy of hearing the tracks clearly and cleanly again so many years after having worn out the old vinyl record. A must buy for all fans and any person wondering about Buddy and his music. This is the Buddy of legend. Let us hope and pray that "The Buddy Holly Story" Volume II will also be available in the very near future."
If you are buying one Buddy Holly CD, make it this one
music lover | New York, NY, USA | 10/29/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I found this album on vinyl at a garage sale many years ago in perfect condition, but after a month I wore it out! It was that fine. Twelve of Buddy Holly's greatest recordings in one collection. Of course, there are other great tunes to discover, but why hurry a good thing.
Side One:
1. Raining in My Heart
2. Early in the Morning
3. Peggy Sue
4. Maybe Baby
5. Everyday
6. Rave On
Side Two:
1. That'll Be the Day
2. Heartbeat
3. Think It Over
4. Oh, Boy!
5. It's So Easy
6. It Doesn't Matter Anymore
Just enjoy this original album of twelve classics beautifully sequenced and mastered, and imagine it was the age of 33 1/3 vinyl records all over again.
Enjoy.
"
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1