Buddy Holly - Not Fade Away - Buddy Holly 1957 The Complete Recordings (review)
Buddy Holly - Not Fade Away - Buddy Holly 1957 The Complete Recordings (3 Discs; El Toro; ETCD 1016)
reviewed by Michael Macomber
El Toro’s new 3-disc collection of Buddy Holly’s 1957 recordings is truly a wonder to behold. There are so many priceless goodies here, it’s hard to know where to start. Even before you get to the tracks, there’s the Buddy Holly Discography booklet. The detailed entries, listing recording dates, locations, and musician credits, will make any Holly completist drool. Dave Penny’s liner notes in the main booklet are also fascinating, telling the tale of Holly’s rise from Decca reject to musical legend.
And the tracks — oh, the tracks! When El Toro says “complete,” they mean it. There are alternate takes, rare singles, radio and TV interviews, live performances, recordings by other artists with Holly and the Crickets on backup, and even a phone call from Holly to Paul Cohen of Decca Records. The phone call is particularly interesting, as it offers insight into the unjust practices of the music industry in 1957, and gives the listener a taste of Holly’s soft spoken approach to business matters. While some artists might get tough when denied permission to re-record their own songs at a new label, Holly just sighs and says, “That makes me feel a little bit bad,” and continues to gently prod Cohen on the issue. The warm, engaging personality present on all of Holly’s songs shines through in this conversation, despite the unpleasant circumstances.
Equally captivating are the various demos and alternate takes. While the sound quality on the “Words of Love,” “Send Me Some Lovin’,” and “It’s Too Late” demos is understandably low, hearing Holly performing these songs solo with his guitar is positively breathtaking. Undubbed original versions of “Last Night” and “Oh Boy” provide the opportunity to hear both Holly and the band more clearly, without the overdubs as a distraction. Listening to Holly’s fine guitar work on the “Oh Boy” bridge, sans the “dum-ditty-dum-dum” vocal fills, is a treat indeed.
Of course, the commercially released versions of all these songs are also included, along with 3 different radio promo renditions of “That’ll Be The Day,” each one tailored to a particular DJ and station. Holly’s clowning around on these promos is an absolute hoot. His bandmates have a great time too, whoopin’ and hollerin’ in the background.
The strength and talent of Buddy Holly and the Crickets as a musical unit is ably demonstrated on the various tracks where they served as a backing group for other artists. Jack Huddle’s “Starlight,” Gary Dale’s “Golden Rocket,” and Carolyn Hester’s “Wreck of the Old 97″ are just a handful of the tunes in this collection supported by the rockin’ rhythm of Holly and his Crickets.
Throw in certified Holly classics such as “Listen To Me,” “I’m Gonna Love You Too,” “You’ve Got Love,” “Look At Me,” and “Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues,” not to mention a fantastic alternate take of “Peggy Sue,” and you’ve still only scratched the surface of this fabulous collection. If you’re looking for the perfect gift for the Buddy Holly fan in your life, this is it.
June 4th, 2010 at 2:42 pm
what a wonderful collection!!!!!