Customer Reviews

Rock 'n' Roll at 50: A Galaxy of Hits from Rock's First Decade

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What's not to like? This sixty-song companion to the PBS documentary is an astonishing testament to rock 'n' roll's golden era. Nearly half of the artists represented here (26 by my count) have been inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. Beginning with Bill Haley's 1954 hit "Shake Rattle and Roll," these three CDs provide a crash course in everything from doo wop to soul to the British Invasion.

While many of these songs are frequently anthologized, there are a number of surprises. Instead of "My Boyfriend's Back," the Angels are represented by their debut hit from 1961, "'Til." Also, instead of hearing "It's My Party" for the umpteenth time, you get "You Don't Own Me." Lou Christie, who is best remembered for "Two Faces Have I" and "Lighting Strikes," is represented by "The Gypsy Cried." And Jack Scott (who I unfortunately NEVER hear on oldies radio) is represented by his million-selling 1958 hit "My True Love."

I do, however, have a couple issues with this box set. First of all is the sequencing. The songs are not chronological, so on disc-1 you get "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" (1964) following "Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On" (1957), and later on the same disc "Lady Willpower" (1968) follows "When You Dance" (1956). And how does "Lady Willpower" fit the box set title (A GALAXY OF HITS FROM ROCK'S FIRST DECADE)? If the oldest song is from 1954, shouldn't the set end with 1963--or 1964 at the latest? Moreover, 1964 is represented by 14 songs (almost a fourth of the total) and 1965 has the second-most songs with seven. [Also, 1966 has three and 1967, 1968 and 1969 each have one.] I'm not really upset with the emphasis on the mid- to late-sixties selections--as an aging Baby Boomer I think these are great songs--I'm just pointing out that there are twice times as many sixties songs (41), as there are fifties songs (19).

One final concern, with each disc averaging just over fifty minutes in length, the price is a bit steep. But when you look at the quality of music in this collection and the terrific 40-page booklet, this is an amazing collection. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

A little Rock History: Classic Rock 'n' Roll only lasted 8 years from 1954-1962, and was accompanied by a romantic slow-dancin' style called Teen Pop. In 1962 The Beatles hit #1 in the US record charts with "Love Me Do", and within a year the US charts were awash with an invasion of British groups, an increase in R&B and a resurgance of Folk. People called it Rock & Roll, but most of it had very little resemblance to "Rock Around The Clock" and "Blue Suede Shoes".

This compilation gives you a little bit of everything mentioned in the above History, though perhaps a a bit light on Teen Pop and a bit heavy on the British Invasion tunes. If that's what you're looking for, by all means buy it. Audio quality is excellent!

This compilation does provide an excellent opportunity to see how much US music changed from 1961 to 1963!

it had alot of old songs but not the ones i was looking for .