LOS D-56 - REGRESO AL INSTITUTO

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1. 56 hamburguesas   2. Lobos Negros en el valle de Los Despiadados   3. Perdí Casablanca   4. Para pasarlo bien   5. Un quinceañero enamorado   6. ¿Por qué me tratas así?   7. Last Kiss   8. Sesenta y nueve   9. Tres días de su amor   10. Nena, no me toques más el tupé   11. Corazón de piedra (y alma de R&R)   12. ¿Y qué?   13. Runaway   14. En la Autopista 56

Son Records / M-28486-2017

This is going to be a very short review. Not because this is a bad record, as a matter of fact it is a very good one, but because I believe that it is mostly interesting for Spanish fans of Rockabilly and they can go to the extended Spanish version of my review at elrockandrollyyo.blogspot.com.

A really interesting record is this one by Los D-56, recovering the style that was called "Spanish Rockabilly", the kind of Rockabilly that was played by a whole lot of Spanish bands back in the 1980's and 1990's. In this cd, "Regreso al instituto" ("Back To Highschool" in English) Los D-56 play songs that were first recorded by Los Despiadados and 56 Hamburguesas, two well remembered bands for the fans of Spanish Rockabilly (and yours truly is, for sure, one of them).

A very good record, no doubt about that, that I'm absolutely enjoying.

ROCKIN' HELLFIRE - FOLLOW US TO THE FIERY DEPTHS OF HELL

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Side A = 1. Hellfire Rock & Roll   2. Broken Heart   3. Blood On My Drape   4. Love You Baby   5. Kill My Baby   6. Try Me

Side B = 7. How Could I Help But Love You   8. Shivers   9. Evedently   10. Boom, Boom, Boom   11. Cool Cat Style   12. I'll Never Get Over You   13. Restless

Rebel Music / RM12008

I bought this record some time ago (as a matter of fact it was released back in 2016) but I haven't found the time to review it yet... till now.

A good record in my very own oppinion in which Rockin' Hellfire offer much more than just Teddy Boy Rock'n'Roll, as they show they feel at ease playing other Rock'n'Roll friendly styles. Perhaps on the slows the level goes a little bit down, but on the fast Rockin' numbers and on the mid-tempo ones they leave no doubt they are a good band indeed.

For me, the highlights of this LP are "Hellfire Rock & Roll", that opens the record in fine Teddy Boy style, the mid-tempo "Cool Cat Style" and "Boom, Boom, Boom".

By the way, if my info is correct, the record has been released in vinyl and cd, with different picture sleeves for each format (the picture you see at the beginning of this review comes from the vinyl edition).

Brief, a good record by Rockin' Hellfire that worths the money.

GENE VINCENT - TEMPTATION BABY

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Side A = 1. Temptation Baby   2. Where Have You Been All My Life   3. Humpity Dumpity   4. La-Den-Da-Den-Da-Da

Side B = 5. Love'em and Leave'em Kinda Guy   6. The Beginning Of The End   7. Private Detective   8. You're My Sunshine 9. Temptation Baby

Sleazy Records / SR10-25 (picture-disc = SR10-26)

Sleazy Records keeps all Gene Vincent fans well supplied for sure. This time, the Spanish label has released a 10" record including the songs that were first issued on the four singles that Gene Vincent got published on the British Columbia label beween 1964 and 1965, a time in which Gene seemed to be forgotten in the USA, but in which he was a top Rock'n'Roll act in Europe.

It's good Rock'n'Roll what we get in this record. Maybe the songs aren't at the same top level than the ones the Prince of Rock'n'Roll recorded for Capitol previously (to reach that quality seems impossible to me), but as a matter of fact the eight songs are quite close to that level. By the way, "Temptation Baby", the song that gives name to this record, is included twice, in two different versions.

"Temptation Baby" and "Private Detective" are my favourite songs in those years of Gene's career, plus the interesting version of the Hillbilly classic "You're My Sunshine", to which the Screamin' End gives a nice Rockin' treatment.

Good record that will please all Gene Vincent fans for sure and that comes, as uses to be with Sleazy Record's releases, along with informative sleeve notes.

Note that two different versions of the record have been published simultaneously: one in classic black vinyl with cardboard sleeve and other one as a beautiful picture-disc (see pictures of both sides below). Did I say "beautiful"? Well, "stunning" will be much more accurate.

If you are a fan of Gene Vincent, you'll probably need this record... and it's up to you to choose which version do you prefer... Or maybe you'll need both?

The picture-disc version of this record looks stunning.

ROCK'N'BORDES - ES LA VIDA

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Side A = 1. Hey princesa!   2. La soledad   3. Extraños en la caverna   4. Sin ti

Side B = 5. Es la vida   6. Mi reina no llores   7. Traición fatal   8. La ciudad de noche

Sleazy Records / SR10-17 (picture disc = SR10-18)

Back in February 2016 I wrote in this very same blog about Sleazy Records' re-release of Rock'n'Bordes' first record... and here we have a new release from the Spanish label dedicated to one of the most influential bands in the history of Spanish Rockabilly.

This 10" record, under the title of "Es la vida", offers us the demo songs that Rock'n'Bordes recorded as starting point previous to the recording sessions for their third LP, "Al mal tiempo... buena cara". Eight songs have made their way into this brand new release and they are really interesting as they enable us, in some way, to see the evolution of the songs from their origin to the definitive version included in the record that was published in 1991. The demo cuts sound more rough and wilder that in the "official" release.

Among the 8 songs included in this brand new 10" record we get some masterpieces in Spanish Rockabilly history, such as the wonderful, almost perfect, "Es la vida", a song that has reached a kind of "hymn" status... But all of them are really good... The frantic Rockabilly of "Hey princesa!", the great mid-tempo of "Mi reina no llores", the close-to-Psychobilly "Extraños en la caverna", the Country & Western feeling of "Traición fatal", the wistfulness of "La soledad", "Sin ti" or "La ciudad de noche"... A very good collection of songs, yes indeed.

Brief, an absolutely amazing and interesting record that is completed with sleeve notes signed by Be Bop Nando, 50% of Rock'n'Bordes (Rockin' Pauly was the other 50%). Nobody better than him to tell us the history behind the recording. A must have record in any Spanish Rockabilly records collection.

By the way, Sleazy Records has published two different versions of the record: one in classic black vinyl (see picture at the beginning of this review) and one as a stunning "picture disc" vinyl (see pictures of both sides at the end of the review).

Rock'n'Bordes were so good!!!

The stunning picture-disc version of this record.

MISS LAVELLE - STOLEN LOVE

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Side A = 1. Teen-Age Love   2. If I Could Be With You   3. Stop These Teardrops   4. Yes, I've Been Crying   5. Stolen Love   6. You're The Most

Side B = 7. Just Look At You   8. Tide Of Love   9. Run To You   10. Why Young Men Go Wild   11. Everybody's Got Somebody   12. The Best Part Of Me

Sleazy Records / SR10-20

A few months ago Sleazy Records released this compilation in 10" pink vinyl format in their "Ten X Ten Series" including the 6 singles Miss LaVelle got released between 1958 and 1965 for the Duke label.

I have to admit that I bought the record knowing just about nothing about this singer... but supposing that if Sleazy Records found it good enough to release it in their "Ten X Ten Series", it might worth the money... And after listening to it for the first time I saw I was right. By the way, "Stop These Teardrops" was the only song I recognised during that first listening. Of course, I've played the record many more times since that first time... and many more will come in the future because Miss LaVelle's powerful voice is just astonishing and the songs included, with styles going from Rhythm'n'Blues to Soul, including Blues and, in a certain way, Doo Wop, are just great.

I prefer Miss LaVelle in her Rhythm'n'Blues songs and for that reason her first 2 singles, so the first 4 songs of this record, are my favourites: "Teen-Age Love", "If I Could Be With You", "Stop These Teardrops" and "Yes I've Been Crying". Anyway, "Why Young Men Go Wild" is close behind in my preferences...

Good compilation work by Leo Castro, great sleeve notes by Aisha Khan and nice artwork by Berto Martínez... I mean, is good to see such a work dedicated to a singer, Miss LaVelle, that for whatever reasons didn't get the success she probably merited in the second half of the 1950's and the first half of the 1960's, even though the quality of her recordings was above average, as this record proves.

Pink vinyl for Miss LaVelle's 10" in

Sleazy Record's "Ten X Ten Series".

DARREL HIGHAM - HELL'S HOTEL

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1. Hell's Hotel   2. Turn Around And Go   3. When You Smile   4. In Summer   5. Hank Williams And Me   6. Nearer To A Love   7. My Old Friend   8. And The Angels Cried   9. Save Me With Your Kisses   10. I Found A Smile   11. The Blues Is The Blues   12. Please Give Me Something

Ambassador Records / 6046341802

Darrel Higham left his solo career for much too long in order to focus in his lead guitar role in Imelda May's band... But here we have him back for good again in front of the microphone, sure also playing his guitar as he is probably one of the best guitar players we can listen to currently.

A dozen songs have been included in this "Hell's Hotel" cd (if I'm not wrong, it is also available in vinyl LP format) and in them we get what we can expect in a record from this great artist: good Rock'n'Roll and Rockabilly. As a matter of fact, very good Rock'n'Roll and Rockabilly, going from the rhythmic "I Found A Smile" to the more relaxed "Nearer To A Love". Ten out of the twelve songs are penned by Higham himself, being the remaining two "In Summer" and a version of the classic "Please Give Me Something", in which the singer is Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant).

My favourite songs in this album are, by the way, "When You Smile" and "My Old Friend".

Further than the above-mentioned Robert Plant, the remaining guest stars are first level ones, with Imelda May doing chorus in three songs, The Roomates' Steve Webb doing the same also in three songs, Jools Holland adding piano again in three cuts and so on...

Just a few more lines to say that this is a good record, much more than recommended to be listened (and bought, of course!) as I believe that it is one of Darrel Higham's best records to date. 

GEORGE JONES - ALONG CAME YOU / FEELING SINGLE, SEEING DOUBLE

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Side A = Along Came You

Side B = Feeling Single, Seeing Double

Sleazy Records / SR125

Sleazy Records keeps on offering treat after treat to all of us, lovers of the good old Rock'n'Roll friendly rhythms, and here we have a brand new one in 7" vinyl format in their Original Rockin' Series. This time the honour goes to a Country superstar such as George Jones, with two songs of really good Country & Western with an obvious Rock'n'Roll coating: "Along Came You" on side A and "Feeling Single, Seeing Double" on side B. Note that on the brief but informative sleeve notes written by Pooly Record Hop, the orden is given the other way round... although it's not really important in a single.

Both songs were first released on George Jones' second long play for the Musicor label back in 1965, shinning on both cuts the lead guitar.

Another good 7" for any decent record collection.