Search - Buzz Clifford :: Complete Recordings 1958-1967: More Than Just Babysitting

Better Than You Could Ever Imagine!

David A Vargo | Lighthouse Point, FL United States | 10/18/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Buzz Clifford's hit "Baby Sittin' Boogie" was a hit in 1961. That made me four years old when my mother bought the 45 single because the baby sounds on the album reminded her of sounds I made as an infant and she got such a kick out of the song. I grew up with that 45 single and still have it in my possession. Growing up as an only child my best friend was my record player. My favorite song from then to now is "Driftwood" which is on the flip side. I always wondered why such a talented singer like Buzz never achieved the celebrity he should have. This performer is absolutely BRILLIANT! And if you don't believe me BUY THIS ALBUM!!! I was thrilled to discover a compilation of his work on CD and even more thrilled to discover the full scope of his talent. You WILL NOT BELIEVE what you are hearing! If you love the soft rock sound of the late 50's early 60's this is GOLDEN AGE stuff! How the world missed out on this guy is a wonder to me. This is money WELL SPENT!!!"

Long time coming compilation

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 06/02/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Born Reese Francis Clifford III, Buzz Clifford recorded for several decades on many labels in both the early rock, and later country arenas, but with only limited success. However, his fifteen minutes of pop-chart fame came in 1961 when his "Baby Sittin' Boogie", a novelty tune originally written as "Baby Sitter Boogie" made the top ten. Unfortunately, no commercially successful follow-up was achieved and Clifford has been relegated to "one-hit wonder" in spite of his songwriting and performing abilities.



This pigeon-holing may explain why it has taken 25 years of CD reissue activity before a compilation of Clifford's work has come to market. Though not from one of the more well-respected reissue houses (Rhino, Ace, Varese, Bear Family), this 28-track collection does serve the purpose in the interim. The tracks included here cover his earliest recordings from the late 50's on through the later 60's and is anchored by his hit "Baby Sittin' Boogie" and other Columbia label-era output.



The packaging claims this has been "remastered" but most likely this refers merely to the fact that this is now in digital format. While the sound quality varies from fair to fairly good, it does not appear that these tracks were taken from original masters out of the vaults as no licensing credits are given. Tracks 5-16 appear in stereo with the remainder in mono of mostly listenable audio with the exception of a noisy track 28. The insert includes a few pics plus a skeletal history of Clifford's recording career up to about 1970.



While not top-of-the-line, this piece does fill the void for the collector looking for more from Clifford than just his hit "Baby Sittin' Boogie" ubiquitously available on compilation CD's."