Customer Reviews

Rebel Rouser

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Okay, so this is one of those Sony samplers you find in the bargain bin at the Record shops (no liner notes, illogical selection of cuts, bad cover photo, etc.) But you know what? For some reason, it REALLY works as an album!

The samples here are all from Duane's Jamie period and, while many hits are missing, the selection is actually pretty cool! You get REBEL ROUSER, of course, and PETER GUNN, plus rarities like STREETS OF LAREDO (you accoustic fans will love it!) and THE WALKER. Also, as far as I know, Duane's great rockabilly take on the southern anthem THEME FROM DIXIE can only be found in the US on this collection.

All in all, you better buy it. The price is ridiculously low and the sound is just fine! Take it on your next road trip to the desert!

Who would have thought that, after the 50s & 60s had come and gone, LPs which had served us well for for so many playings and now, alas, showing signs of ageing, would ever be available again (at least in the UK....)? This LP (CD) by Duane excited me when I was a teenager and it still does.
The guitar work does not need any comment other than "too much" but, the sax on numbers like Blueberry Hill and You are my sunshine is just mind blowing.

Even other offerings by Duane, which over the years have become a little "watered down" by occasional orchestral backing and - I think - with accompaniment from people such as Art of Noise (?), still leave me suffering from audio over-indulgence!!
Its truly amazing that forty one years after the first of his records was bought by me, that I still find him great, along, in a slightly different vein, with who I consider to be the absolute best guitarist ever - Chet Atkins: it is no coincidence that both artists have rated each other highly.

Les Reed (east London UK)

I admit that I am a late comer to the likes of Duane Eddy. And what a price I paid!! Duane travels over the fret board like few I have ever heard even some 40 years after this album came out. 'Rebel Rouser' is a pioneering album even by today's standards. The Peter Gunn theme is classic, Rebel Rouser even more so and on theme of Dixie what a job Duane does! What I like about Duane's music is his eagerness to use the lower frets so the solos are in a lower key. It is quite the contrast to today's high fret use where notes are so high they easily get garbled. What a nice change and what a great CD.

The reviews for this CD so far seem to indicate that it's a Sony Special Products release, whereas the blurb above simply says "import" without detailing the origin or tracks included. The copy I have with that same title - Duane Eddy Rebel Rouser and the sub-title Roots Of Rock n' Roll, is a 1997 product of Columbia River Entertainment Group with a photo of Duane from the shoulders up wearing what appears to be a grey turtle neck sweater and red jacket.

The reverse lists the contents as 1. Rebel Rouser; 2) Forty Miles Of Bad Road; 3) Shazam; 4) Some Kinda Earthquake; 5) Because They're Young; 6) Peter Gunn; 7) Theme From Dixie; 8) The Lonely One; 10) Cannonball.

When I saw it some time ago in a bargain bin, I grabbed it for the 1961 # 39 hit Theme From Dixie which, as one reviewer points out, is not that easy to find. But when I got home, opened it and placed it in the player, I saw that there were, in fact, 16 tracks, with Moovin' 'n' Groovin' at track 12), "Yep!" at track 14), Bonnie Came Back at track 15) and (Dance With The) Guitar Man at track 16) - the last with Darlene Love & The Blossoms billed as The Rebelettes. I'm unable to identify the tunes at tracks 11) and 13).

As others have said, there are no liner notes or discography to help you along, but the sound is very good. Even so, compared to other Duane Eddy compilations, such as Twang Thang, I couldn't go higher than 3 stars due to the guessing games involved.