Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits: 1959

Billboard Top Rock'N'Roll Hits (Series) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Original Release Date: June 28, 1988
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino / Wea
• ASIN: B0000032IS
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,622 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Mack the Knife

2. Venus

3. Lonely Boy

4. Stagger Lee

5. Kansas City

6. A Big Hunk O' Love

7. The Happy Organ

8. Charlie Brown

9. 16 Candles

10. Sleepwalk

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cool sounds of some early rock and roll hits, January 31, 2008

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits: 1959 (Audio CD)

Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1959 is a budget priced CD that still manages to give us ten great rock and roll hits from 1959. The quality of the sound is excellent and I like the diversity of the artists.

Bobby Darin's "Mack The Knife" starts the album with a bang; this elegant tune has everything you could want--great vocals by the masterful Bobby Darin coupled with a big band style arrangement. The musical arrangement has just a touch of rock and roll flavoring to it and it all works very well. Bobby never sounded better; and his excellent diction bolsters his performance very nicely.

Listen also for "Venus" by the great Frankie Avalon. Frankie sings "Venus" with all his heart and soul; and the backup vocalists harmonize to perfection. The theme for "Venus" is very beautiful and even catchy; it makes great use of the percussion and brass. "Stagger Lee" by Lloyd Price has a strong rock and roll hit with a fine musical interlude; Lloyd Price sings this passionately and he never misses a beat. Great!

Elvis comes on with his VERY rockin' tune, "A Big Hunk O'Love;" Elvis sings this brilliantly and the backup vocalists do well, too. The musical arrangement makes good use of the piano, percussion and more to turn in a walloping performance. "A Big Hunk O'Love" is easily a major highlight of this album.

"Happy Organ" by Dave 'Baby' Cortez is an excellent tune that just may make you want to jump and dance wherever you are; that's some music on "Happy Organ!" There's also The Crests doing their beautiful and unforgettable hit, "16 Candles." "16 Candles" remains one of my very favorite numbers from this era of rock and roll; I could never forget the magnificent lyrics and the sensitive way The Crests handle this tune.

Overall, Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1959 gives us ten great hits and you're bound to love at least most of them if not all of them. The CD has very high quality control indeed! I highly recommend this for fans of early rock and roll; and people who are just finding out about early rock and roll would do well to consider buying this CD.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eclectic Selections, June 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits: 1959 (Audio CD)

At times more "pop" than "rock and roll" (note the CD's title), this CD faithfully captures the essence of the Billboard pop charts in 1959. The swinging "Mack the Knife" stands next to a gritty Presley rocker, "A Big Hunk O' Love," and with some hard-to-find gems rounding things out, this CD is worth investigating. All original versions.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars cool daddy-o, December 3, 2001

By 

DVD Steve "video gadgets" (Connecticut USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits: 1959 (Audio CD)

these songs are the originals but they're all in stereo?
i think they were first recorded in mono and rhino remixed them.

i can remember hearing all these songs on a big old zenith radio in the kitchen even in the mid '60's they still played 'em in between the 'beatles'.
the reviewer 'eric' has a good short history of them all so it's accurate.
cool sounds of early rock n'roll times