EDDIE COCHRAN - TEENAGE HEAVEN

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RECORD 1 = SIDE A = 1. Tired & Sleepy   2. Fool's Paradise  SIDE B = 3. Rockin' & Flyin'   4. Skinny Jim

RECORD 2 = SIDE A = 1. Twenty Flight Rock   2. Completely Sweet   SIDE B = 3. Pink-peg Slack   4. Sweetie Pie

RECORD 3 = SIDE A = 1. Summertime Blues   2. Little Lou   SIDE B = 3. C'mon Everybody   4. Pretty Girl

RECORD 4 = SIDE A = 1. Nervous Breakdown   2. Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie   SIDE B = 3. Teenage Heaven   4. Somethin' Else

RECORD 5 = SIDE A = 1. Guybo   2. Jam Sand-witch   SIDE B = 3. Fast Jivin'   4. Shotgun Wedding Theme

RECORD 6 = SIDE A = 1. Hallelujah! I Love Her So   2. Ah! Pretty Girl   SIDE B = 3. My Way   4. I Remember

Sleazy Records / SR-110

And when after two EP's box-sets of Gene Vincent released by Sleazy Records, we believed that they couldn't surprise us again, here we have the Spanish label releasing an astonishing box-set of 6 Eddie Cochran EP's. Yeah, of course... after Gene, here comes Eddie.

I've said astonishing and yes, it is so for sure, as were so the two Gene Vincent box-sets (reviwed in this blog in June and November 2015).

We got 6 EP's with songs by the Cochran Brothers, Eddie by his own, Eddie as studio musician, Eddie experimenting with different recording techniques... I guess it has been a hard work to pick the 24 songs to be included. It is important to highlight that the songs included are not always from the take we are used to, as many of them come from alternate takes, the "official" take minus the overdubs and so on. All that, of course, with the so good sound quality that the label usually offers.

The team that has put together this great release is the same  that did it possible for the two Gene Vincent's box-sets: Guillermo Jiménez as producer, "Francho" Angas for the artwork and, again, "Francho" Angas, along with Rocio Cañas, for the sleeve notes.

All that said, with the good sound quality and the brilliant selection of songs, it has to be also highlighted the beautiful artwork, both for the sleeves and for the box itself, and the great, informative, sleeve notes providing info about session dates, musicians, where and when were the songs first published, etc.

Very good sound, stunning artwork, informative sleeve notes, great songs selection, it's Eddie Cochran... No doubt this box-set is somethin' else.

Six EP's, so a total of 24 songs by

Eddie Cochran,in this box-set

released by Sleazy Records.

BERT BLACKMONT & THE BUCKS - HIGH LIFE

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1. Wake Up, Wake Up!   2. I Wanna Be (Bert Blackmont)   3. Losing My Faith (On You)   4. Buck's Train   5. High Life   6. Automatic Joe   7. Nena Peligrosa   8. Rockabilly Music   9. Russian Love   10. Solo Tengo Un Corazón (No Heart To Spare)   11. No Good Lover

Sleazy Records / SRCD27-41

First "long play" from this group and a good disc it is. The band members are Bert Blackmont (voice and maracas), Carlos Jiménez (guitar), Antonio "Smiley" (double bass) and J. Bucks (drums). People with quite a lot of experience playing Rockabilly and with previous experience in other well known bands in the Spanish Rockabilly scene such us The Beerbellys, Mike Hillman & The Latin Hillbillies and so on.

Rockabilly, yes indeed: that's what we have in the 11 cuts of this "High Life", with 8 of them written by band members and the other 3 coming from outside ("Rockabilly Music", "Solo Tengo Un Corazón" and "No Good Lover"). 8 of them are sung in English, 2 in Spanish, plus 1 instro.

I've liked a lot this CD and I find difficult to highlight a single song. Probably, of the songs penned by the own band, my favourites are "Nena Peligrosa" (which start reminds me of "Brand New Cadillac", by the way), "Losing My Faith (On You)" and the instro "Buck's Train" (great harmonica).

Among the covers, they do a very good job with Mickey And Sylvia's "No Good Lover", for which they get the help of Carmen Robles for the second voice and to which they give a Rockabilly beat. I've also liked "Solo Tengo Un Corazón", that is a version in Spanish of the Go Getters' "No Heart To Spare".

It is written at the beginning of this review: a good record. Thumbs up for Bert Blackmont & The Bucks.