Customer Reviews

Palisades Park: Very Best of 1959-63

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Freddie "Boom Boom" Cannon was one of the many rock'n roll singers of the late fifties and early 60's that changed the course of American Pop Music. His chain of SWAN records helped to make the teenage experience of the era more exciting. All the cuts on this CD are original. All are as clear and clean technically as have ever been re-issued. If you are a collector of American Pop music from the late 50's and early 60's, I highly recommend this Freddie Cannon CD. You will not find the quality any better and it has many of his SWAN and WARNER BROS. hits.

Not as dangerous as Little Richard or Jerry Lee Lewis, but not as safe as Pat Boone, Freddy Cannon struck a middle ground and from 1959 to 1965 placed several songs in the Top Ten, "Tallahassie Lassie," "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" and "Palisades Park," the latter written by Chuck "Gong Show" Barris.

This collection also includes his minor Swan hits like "Jump Over," "Transister Sister" and "Chattanooga Shoe Shine Boy," the latter has Cannon treading on Bobby Darin territory by trying to update old standards with a rock 'n' roll beat.

And even album tracks like "Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It" and "If You Were a Rock and Roll Record" can at least boil water. The only disappointment is that his final two Top 40 hits on Warners ("Abigail Beecher" and "Action"--the theme from "Where the Action Is") are not included. However, if you know and love Cannon's hits, you'll find much to like on this CD. RECOMMENDED

In terms of hit singles Freddy Cannon had 23 for three different labels, counting his last in 1981 with The Belmonts when, together, they had a # 81 Billboard Pop Hot 100 hit with Let's Put The Fun Back In Rock N Roll for the MiaSound label.

It was an appropriate title because, if there was one common factor when it came to Freddy Cannon songs, that was "fun" - in spades. His best years, of course, were with Swan where he racked up 19 Hot 100 hits, AND THEY'RE ALL HERE, augmented by excellent sound quality, five pages of liner notes written by Cub Koda, editor of All Music Guide To The Blues and author of Blues For Dummies, mixed with vintage photos and poster reproductions, and a complete discography of the contents on the reverse

Tallahassee Lassie, his first and written by his mother, not only reached # 6 Hot 100 in the sumer of 1959, but also # 13 R&B. His two other cross-over hits also happen to be his two highest charters - Way Down Yonder In New Orleans [# 3 Hot 100/# 14 R&B in late 1959] and Palisades Park [# 3 Hot 100/# 15 R&B in 1962]. He also had a double-sided hit in 1960 with Jump Over [# 28 Hot 100] and The Urge [# 60 Hot 100], and came close again in 1961 with Buzz Buzz A-Diddle-It [# 51 Hot 100] and Opportunity [which "bubbled under" at # 114] on Swan 4071.

Contrary to one reviewer's observation, the latter WAS a single release, as was If You Were A Rock And Roll Record which, b/w The Truth Ruth (not here), reached # 67 Hot 100 in December 1962 on Swan 4122.

After leaving Swan, where his last hit was Everybody Monkey [# 52 in September 1963], Freddy had three more with Warner, including two Top 40 hits in Abigail Beecher [# 16 in March 1964] and Action [# 13 in September 1965]. The third, The Dedication Song, just missed, reaching # 41 in March 1966. Not too shabby when you consider all this was in the midst of the biggest waves of the British Invasion.

Freddy Cannon - born Frederick Picariello on December 4, 1939 - is another from that era of R&R innocence who is totally ignored when it comes to consideration for the R&R Hall Of Fame. Which is a real shame because, since ANY objective review of an artist's contribution can ONLY be assessed in terms of the time it was offered, NO ONE can deny that he was one of the big favourites from 1959 to 1966.

I sincerely doubt that even the most cynical among the R&R Hall Of Fame Foundation or the ranks of Rolling Stone Magazine could put this CD on and NOT begin to feel "the urge" to "put the fun back in rock and roll." Go, go go, Boom Boom!

My review will be short and to the point. This is a very good cd. Along with the cd of his Warner Bros. recordings you have all his hits, plus more. I would like "Palisades Park" more if it included "Cuernavaca Choo Choo"; less successful, though one of his best songs (Bo Diddley fans know); and a personal fave of mine "Oh, Gloria" (b-side of "Everybody Monkey"). Maybe someday....still a great, long overdue cd. Anyone know why he was left out of the Cameo-Parkway box set?
Bill A.

Personally, I like Feddy "Boom Boom" Cannon, most of his music really gets the heart pumping. This CD really has a lot of his better works on it. A lot of the tracks on this CD are relatively dangerous to listen to if your on the freeway without cruise control. One song that he sang that I wish was on the CD was "Action". Cannon has a different unique quality of singing. It is hard to compare it to different artists because of that, but his music is still a blast to listen to.

Freddy Cannon brings a lot of intense yet innocent fun to a seemingly lost era of rock n' roll in which the music is held to its most endearing and true form, that of runaway, charming and excitable fun. He sings his shiny soul loud, roaringly and smooth, without traces of societal concern.

When I go to my grandma and great uncle's house, they listen to singers like Dean Martin and other seductive, handsome-sounding vocalists, who, for them, represent a memory of what used to be contemporary pleasure and has been exchanged for memorable bliss.

This music is a little bit like that for me because, though it never was a contemporary listen for me, it had been so long since I had last heard it, it's like a time warp has occurred, and that's just the appropriate place for some serious memory-making.

When I hear Freddy's voice lifting out of my car cd player as I'm going down the highway at night, I think I see him on the side of the road, and when 'Happy Shades of Blue' comes on, he's got a lasso in one hand and a martini glass in the other.

Some say this music was a bit dangerous for the times; I think it's still dangerous for the times (and the fact that it would be at any time is unfortunate) in that there is a purity to this kind of romp so that it stands out quite a lot.

If you threw Teenage Queen of the Week onto the playlists of most classic rock stations, I wonder if they would know what to do with it and if the general manager would think it's safe enough to suit the tastes of their demographic and advertisers.

What's Going to Happen when the Summer's Done is really insightful and when Freddy asks if it will 'still be the same old you,' he's pretty sure it won't be, indicating a literar-ily true take on things, and the buzz of the number is such a party, and the Beach Boys were probably listening.

Listen to Palidades Park alongside anything recorded by a lot of well known rock bands like Aerosmith, Steve Miller or U2, and it won't come close to this heart-based sizzle.

The cd sounds great except for one thing they left out one of his biggest hits Where The Action Is.I would defiately go get another hots package that has everything

Freddy is the tops. He's been around a while now and still tours and makes records. His records have inspied mny, many artists and can still send a shiver down the spine.