Customer Reviews

Crickets & Their Buddies

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Having been one of the lucky few to catch the Crickets and their "Buddies" at the House Of Blues Sunset last night, I can tell you that these guys can still rock as hard as anyone. This is not so much a tribute album as it is a celebration of the career and influence of the Crickets, with and without Buddy Holly. The Crickets are not mere bystanders here, but are in the thick of each track, and there's nary a misfire in the bunch (Vince Neil?). Sonny Curtis, J.I. Allison, and Joe B. Mauldin..."The Crickets." Someday Buddy will get his band back, but right now, here on earth we're lucky enough to have them rocking the nights away. If they play a show anywhere near you, go see them - you won't regret it. Meanwhile, run to your nearest music store and pick up this wonderful recording!

Who knew the Crickets were still going strong, some 45 years after Buddy Holly died so tragically young? This CD is a revelation for me and a real joy. The musicianship and sound quality are flawless, and the guest list is impressive and eclectic: Eric Clapton, Nanci Griffith, Rodney Crowell, Graham Nash, John Prine, Bobby Vee (!), Vince Neil, Johnny Rivers and more. The song list is a revelation as well: the old Buddy Holly chestnuts are there ("That'll Be the Day", "Not Fade Away", "Well All Right", "Oh Boy"...) but so are some other songs that were big hits for others, like "I Fought the Law" (Bobby Fuller Four) and "More Than I Can Say" (Leo Sayer). This is great celebration of a venerable band, and virtually everyone collaborating does a splendid job. It's one of the best country-rock recordings I've heard in quite a while.

The Crickets' new album ceases to amaze me. They hold their musicianship so well. On tracks like "Oh Boy" (John Prine) to That'll Be The Day (Rodney Crowell) to an old rare "Someone Someone" (Eric Clapton), this band takes it to the limit. Seeing them at House of Blues in LA on 8/4 was a magical treat. They were simply amazing!

here's a band that inspired The Beatles AND The Rolling Stones. True rock n' roll givin it as it is style - no bs overdubbing. Just good ole rock and roll with some stellar guest stars.

Even without Buddy Holly singing for them I still love The Crickets. J.I. Allison on drums, Joe B. Mauldin on bass, and on vocals for The Crickets now is Sonny Curtis, but he only sings lead on two songs on this cd because of all the great guest singers they got for this album. One of the highlights though is Sonny Curtis singing "The Real Buddy Holly Story". The other standout tracks for me are "Learning The Game" by Albert Lee who also played lead guitar on most of the tracks and I also enjoyed "Blue Days, Black Nights" with Bobby Vee. There are some other huge guest singers on here - John Prine, Eric Clapton, Waylon Jennings, and Rodney Crowell to name a few. The only puzzling singer is Vince Neil of Motley Crue singing "I Fought The Law" written by Sonny Curtis. I love Motley Crue and Vince's version has grown on me after I didn't like it much at first. No one on here though even came close to doing Buddy's songs as well as he did back in the 50's, but overall a nice addition to my cd collection and it is great that The Crickets are still rockin'. I will say that "Learning The Game" by Buddy Holly is one of my favorite songs of his and Albert Lee truly did that song justice with a great version of his own. Buddy would be proud.