AVID Rock N Roll continues with its Five Classic Albums series with a re-mastered 2CD release from The Champs, Johnny and the Hurricanes, Duane Eddy, Bill Haley & His Comets and Sandy Nelson plus five Bonus tracks, complete with original artwork, liner notes and personnel details.
“The Champs: Go Champs Go!”; “Johnny and the Hurricanes: Johnny and the Hurricanes”; “Duane Eddy: $1,000,000 Dollars Worth of Twang”; “Bill Haley & His Comets: Strictly Instrumental” and “Sandy Nelson: Drums Are My Beat!”.
Born out of a recording session for the million selling smash hit “Tequila”, The Champs were so hot they got to make their own album of all instrumental numbers, this time without the vocals…and voila a hit album. Oh and by the way we just have to tell you that they were named after record label boss and famous screen cowboy Gene Autry’s horse Champion! We bet you didn’t know that. Born out of popularising famous or classic old songs in an instrumental format featuring primarily sax and organ, Johnny and the Hurricanes had a worldwide million selling top ten smash in the US and across the Atlantic in the UK in1961 with “Red River Rock”. Perhaps their main claim to fame for a slightly younger audience was that The Beatles opened for them when they played Hamburg in 1962. Born out of Mr. Eddy’s use of his lead guitars bass strings to achieve the famous “Twanging” sound, Duane Eddy was the real deal who went on to sell 12 million records by 1963 alone! Legendary session musicians who played with his band include Steve Douglas, Jim Horn and Larry Knechtel who themselves would go on to play with Phil Spector and his Wall of Sound, as well as with Bob Dylan. The Stones and Bread to name just a few. He was arguably even more popular in the UK where he won World Musical Personality of the Year in 1960 knocking the mighty Elvis from his perch. Duane Eddy is still out there today playing, recording and touring at age 81….the Twang really is the Thang! Born out of an instrumental “Joey’s Song” bought back from a tour of Argentina, The Comets went on to produce an entirely instrumental album…… and here it is! The big question we want answered is, what did the kiss curled crooning Casanova do while all this was going on? Born out of his passion for famed fireball drummer Gene Krupa and requesting a drum kit from Santa one Christmas, and getting one, Sandy Nelson went on to become one of the best-known drummers in the world. You would have to include his name alongside the likes of Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa, Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts and hmmm, Dave Clark in the pantheon of classic popular drummers. A High School chum of Jan & Dean and Kim Fowley he also played with The Teddy Bears and Gene Vincent amongst a host of other session work. With over thirty albums to his name, Sandy Nelson, like Duane Eddy, at 81, is still out there playing, recording and touring. Must be all that thrashing about on the skins!
Check out:- Bill Haley & His Comets (AMSC1338), Buddy Holly (AMSC1217), Roy Orbison (AMSC1232), Jerry Lee Lewis (AMSC1235); Elvis Presley (AMSC 931, AMSC1257 & AMSC1299), Chuck Berry (AMSC1238), Fats Domino (AMSC1272), Little Richard (AMSC1286), Gene Vincent (AMSC1314), The Ventures (AMSC1350), The Shadows (AMSC1358).
CD1
1-13: ‘The Champs: Go Champs Go!’
1. Go Champ Go
2. El Rancho Rock
3. I'll Be There
4. Sky High
5. What's Up, Buttercup
6. Lollipop
7. Tequila
8. Train To Nowhere
9. Midnighter
10. Robot Walk
11. Just Walking In The Rain
12. Night Beat
13. Chariot Rock (Bonus Track)
14-26: ‘Johnny And The Hurricanes: Johnny And The Hurricanes’
14. Red River Rock
15. Happy Time
16. Buckeye
17. Cut Out
18. Lazy
19. Walkin'
20. Crossfire
21. Storm Warning
22. Bam-Boo
23. Thunderbolt
24. Joy Ride
25. Rock-Cha
26. Reveille Rock (Bonus Track)
27-32: ‘Duane Eddy: $1,000,000 Dollars Worth Of Twang’
27. Rebel Rouser
28. Cannonball
29. The Quiet Three
30. Bonnie Came Back
31. Because They're Young
32. Theme For Moon Children
CD2
1-7: ‘Duane Eddy: $1,000,000 Dollars Worth Of Twang’
1. Moovin' 'N' Groovin'
2. The Lonely One
3. Forty Miles Of Bad Road
4. Some Kinda Earthquake
5. First Love, First Tears
6. Kommotion
7. Theme From Dixie (Bonus Track)
8-20: ‘Bill Haley And His Comets: Strictly Instrumental’
8. Joey's Song
9. (Put Another Nickel In) Music! Music! Music!
10. Mack The Knife
11. In A Little Spanish Town
12. Two Shadows
13. Shaky
14. Strictly Instrumental
15. Skokiaan
16. Puerto Rican Peddler
17. Drowsy Waters
18. Chiquita Linda
19. The Catwalk
20. Rudy's Rock (Bonus Track)
21-32: ‘Sandy Nelson: Drums Are My Beat!’
21. Drum Roll
22. My Blue Heaven
23. Hawaiian War Chant
24. Twisted
25. Caravan
26. Drums Are My Beat
27. Day Drumming
28. Drum Stomp
29. Hum Drum
30. Topsy
31. The City
32.Teen Beat (Bonus Track)
