Big Blast From Boston: The Best of Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon

Freddy Cannon | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 21, 1995)
• Original Release Date: November 21, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B0000033ON
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #280,172 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Cha Cha Doo

2. Tallahassee Lassie

3. You Know

4. Okefenokee

5. Way Down Yonder in New Orleans

6. Chattanoogie Shoe Shine Boy

7. Boston My Home Town

8. Jump Over

9. Humdinger

10. Muskrat Ramble

11. Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It

12. Transistor Sister

13. Teen Queen of the Week

14. Palisades Park

15. If You Were a Rock & Roll Record

16. Patty Baby

17. Abigail Beecher

18. Action [From TV Production Where the Action Is]

19. Beachwood City

20. The Dedication Song

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cream of the rock crop!, June 16, 2002

By 

Lee Hartsfeld (Central Ohio, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Big Blast From Boston: The Best of Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon (Audio CD)

These are extraordinarily good singles, though the effect of hearing them in one sitting can be monotonous, even overwhelming. For this reason, it may be best to savor these gems a few at a time. Anyway, Cannon lays waste to the longstanding myth that Nothing Was Happening Just Before the Beatles. In fact, the Invasion bands owe more than a slight debt to these loud and high-energy rock classics. So does Brian Wilson. In their early days, the Beach Boys drew heavily upon the influence of Cannon, Eddie Cochran, and, of course, Chuck Berry.

The sound quality is first-rate, though I almost think some of these sounded better on vinyl--in particular, the magnificent "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans." But this is hardly the fault of the Rhino label, which should be praised for giving us one great compilation. The liner notes by the late Cub Koda are most excellent.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The last rock and roller, October 21, 2001

By 

mike simms "H K Mike" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Blast From Boston: The Best of Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon (Audio CD)

Freddy Cannon was unique in the late 50s and early 60s -- the period between the dumbing-down of rock and roll and its final destruction by the Beatles -- as the only new performer who really rocked. On the hit list of 1959, we find `Everybody's Somebody's Fool' by Connie Francis, `Heartaches by the Number' by Guy Mitchell, `I Guess Things Happen that Way' by Johnny Cash, `It Doesn't Matter Anymore' by Buddy Holly (what a shame such pap is the last song we were given to remember this great rocker, who didn't live to see it climb the charts), `Forty Miles of Bad Road' by Duane Eddy (not bad but you only have to compare it with with his first hit, `Rebel Rouser' to see what was happening), `There'll Never be Anyone Else but You' by Ricky Nelson and, Ladies and Gentlemen, `Tallahassee Lassie' by Freddy Cannon. Not only was it fast and noisy, but it had the goofy, lascivious lyrics (``She comes from Tallahassee, she's got a hi-fi chassis'') that have always characterised a good rock and roll number. I remember being surprised that this song was actually allowed onto the airwaves in those Days of Blandness and even more surprised -- as well as delighted -- when he followed it up with jumpers like `Way Down Yonder in New Orleans' and `Palisades Park'. He might have changed the course of musical history had his success inspired others but sadly it did not, and even he vanished under the British onslaught of 1964. Nevertheless, he deserves more recognition than he has received to date. The four-star rating is awarded because a couple of the songs don't quite fit in -- even Freddy didn't like `Jump Over'.

4.0 out of 5 stars Rhino Loses Out To Varese - But Not By Much, September 3, 2007

By 

AvidOldiesCollector (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Big Blast From Boston: The Best of Freddy "Boom-Boom" Cannon (Audio CD)

The Varese CD "Palisades Park: The Very Best Of Freddy Cannon 1959-1963" is, in my opinion, a better compilation in that it delivers ALL 19 Swan hit singles scored in that period.

And while I agree with everything the reviewer from Hong Kong says about Freddy and his career, I did not deduct one star because of the inclusion of Jump Over. Neither he nor Freddy may not have liked it but, after all, it made it to # 28 Billboard Pop Hot 100 in the early summer of 1960 and stayed on the charts for ten solid weeks. Something like Patsy Cline when she first heard the demo of Crazy by Willie Nelson. She didn't like that either.

Where Rhino slipped, in my opinion, was in not going to 25 selections and including the flip of Jump Over - The Urge - which charted as well at # 60, For Me And My Gal [# 71 in 1961], Twistin' All Night Long [# 68 in 1962 with Danny & The Juniors], What's Gonna Happen When Summer's Done [# 45 in 1962], and Everybody Monkey [# 52 in 1963]. All are in the Varese CD.

I did, on the other hand, enjoy the eleven pages of comprehensive liner notes by Cub Koda of Goldmine Magazine, and was pleased to see a discography of the contents as well as his first record - Cha Cha Doo - which he did as part of The Spindrifts for ABC-Paramount in 1958. And, as usual with Rhino, the sound quality is excellent.