Customer Reviews

Decca Years 1956 - 1963

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Tommy's place in British rock history has been largely ignored, possibly because he was always more interested in being an all-round family entertainer, something at which he became hugely successful in the sixties and beyond. As a singer-actor, he appeared in several successful West end plays and also appeared in several movies, including Finian's rainbow alongside Fred Astaire and Petula Clark.

Nevertheless, Tommy's earliest successes were as a singer - he was Britain's first indigenous rock'n'roll star. Although some of his hits were covers of American songs (the prevailing fashion in fifties Britain), he did not rely entirely on those. Indeed, he wrote some of his own songs.

His first British chart success was with Rock with the caveman, a typical slice of rock'n'roll. His biggest success (and only number one hit) was with a cover of Singing the blues. Curiously, Tommy's version and Guy Mitchell's version both reached number one in Britain - they swapped places at the top of the charts. Many people think that Guy's version was the original, but actually both were covers - Marty Robbins recorded the original version. Both Guy and Tommy also covered another Marty original, Knee deep in the blues.

As time went by, Tommy's desire to be an all-round entertainer was reflected in the diversity of material that he recorded. Among his other British hits were Butterfly (but it was Andy Williams who topped the charts with it), Handful of songs, Water water, Shiralee, Nairobi, Happy guitar and the children's song Little white bull.

This compilation shows the full range of Tommy's talents as a singer, including covers of folk songs (Where have all the flowers gone, Lonesome traveller), country songs (Kaw-liga) as well as more rock'n'roll songs, stage and screen songs and the Christmas song Must be Santa.

It is difficult to assess the true significance of Tommy's contribution to British rock history, but it is certainly far greater than he is given credit for.

Hello! I first heard Tommy Steele back in 1973, I was about 13years old. I was sick and stood home from school, KTLA used to have movies at 9am, I think? And "Rock around the World" came on. It was Tommy's autobiography, it was pretty cooool!!! He was a sickly kid and Sister of a Church gave him a guitar and he learned to play it, you have to watch this to get the rest. I fell in love with him and he's been my Idol since, the favorite tracks are "Two Eyes" and "Elevator Rock"!

Years later, my high school english teacher, was surprised that someone my age ever heard of him. I still remember his facial expression. But, Tommy's been around, being cool is giving homage to the artists that started it all, and of course, to the Beatles!!! Great Movie, Great Tracks, and one of the Greatest Artist of all time. Buy the Tommy Steele's Decca Years and enjoy! For those of you who claim to be collectors of British Rock, put this one in your Library...Jesus Saves...Lizz

Tommy Steele was the big name in British popular music when I was a young boy. He was the first British rock star, but more than that, he was the first one with whom British teenagers identified as a social class. Before him, teenagers were simply pre-adults, but he turned them into a group that identified themselves as separate from everyone else. Later on, Cliff Richard and then The Beatles turned teenagers into one of the most active and influential groups in society, but it was Tommy who started it all in Britain.

He moved from rock into the theatre (with 'Half A Sixpence', a musical based on H.G. Wells story 'Kipps') and then into movies, most notably with 'Tommy The Toreador' and later, the movie version of 'Half A Sixpence'. Roger Ebert compared him to Gene Kelly, perhaps a little flattering to Tommy, but nevertheless showing how talented he was. Although he continued to be a presence on the English entertainment scene, he never really broke through to become a superstar. I've always felt it was a great pity that he wasn't cast as Bert the chimney sweep in 'Mary Poppins'; he would have been ideal for the role and it might have propelled his career to the heights he deserved. Instead, the studio cast, or rather miscast, Dick Van Dyke in the role, and we've had to listen to his appalling attempt at a cockney accent ever since. Tommy, a natural cockney, would have been so much better.

This is a very comprehensive collection of the material he recorded in his most successful years as a singer. It does sound somewhat dated now, but his infectious enthusiasm is still there and it's possible to see what those British teenagers found so appealing, all those years ago.

Without getting into the merits of Tommy Steele and his place in the history of British pop / rock music, which is well covered in previous reviews, I just wanted to point out that this otherwise fine collection, representing a good chronological overview of Tommy's early years, is marred by a defective track 32 on disc 1. The song, "Tallahassie Lassie", Tommy's version of which clocks at 2:03, is chopped off on this disc at a length of 1:06, and then completes as the beginning of track 33. Fine if you're listening to the disc straight through, but not so good if you're listening to individual tracks or putting it into iTunes. I realize it's just a misplaced track marker and it's only one track of the 68 that make up this collection, and maybe it shouldn't deter one from purchasing anyway, but it is typical of the lack of care with which the corporate giants (in this case, Universal Music Group) treat the catalogs they've acquired. The booklet, which includes a reasonable essay and original release numbers and dates, even lists the song as having a length of 1:06, as if it were supposed to be. A responsible company run by music people would have caught the error, withdrawn these discs, and reissued a proper master. Shame on you UMG beancounters for leaving a shoddy product out in the marketplace! They sit in their office buildings wondering why music fans treat them with such disdain, and they don't even know their own product.