Customer Reviews

The Screaming End: The Best Of Gene Vincent

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Its a shame that Gene Vincent isn't often mentioned in the same sentence as Elvis or Buddy Holly. He has been criminally overlooked for too long. This is probably due to the fact he only had a few hits, and never had any weak wimpy ballad crap. This is nothing but pure 100% rockabilly rebel music, a perfect example of why the music was so feared by conservative America, and with perfect reason. It was so much of a change from the Perry Como / Bing Crosby pop drivel that had ruled the charts for so long. Even more terrifying than Elvis the Pelvis was definatly Gene Vincent. Only Jerry Lee Lewis and Eddie Cochran challenge him for pure rockabilly rebellion. His influence can be found in many artist's afterwards - notably Jeff Beck, who acknowledges Gene as his primary inspiration for picking up the guitar. I can imagine The Beatles and Brian Setzer also being major fans as this is rock 'n' roll in its purest form. Three chords, catchy, rebellious, dangerous, sexy, dancable, teen angst - rock 'n' roll personified. You must buy this compilation, there is so much more to the man than just "Be-Bop-A-Lula". Also pick up his first two studio albums - two of the best records to come out of the first wave of rock. Let's rock again now!

I agree with the fundamentalists: rock `n' roll is the devil's music ... but only when it's done correctly. Gene Vincent did it correctly, by God, and nowhere is that more evident than on his seminal Capitol recordings of 1956 (17 songs of which are featured here). Vincent's singing was carnal, lusty, subversive; his lyrics suggestive, particularly the way he delivered them, as if to purposefully torment the fathers of teen girls everywhere. He was blessed with a stunning voice and delivery, and used it to celebrate the "rock `n' roll" in all its original fury and rebellion.

But the exceptional singing is only half the story in this vivid musical picture. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Vincent had a working band - The Blue Caps - who not only toured, but recorded with him (as opposed to studio musicians). Nearly fifty years and a million rock bands later, the Blue Caps stand out as one of the very, very best. Guitarist Cliff Gallup displays a level of virtuosity in these recordings - from his ridiculously imaginative note selection, speed of light picking, and jazzy rhythmic fills - that was virtually unheard of in rock till a decade later.

This is real rock `n' roll, son. Before greasers were replaced by teen idols. Before "Happy Days" and "Grease" and Sha na na tricked a nation into believing that the devil did not exist in 1950's America.

This is the sound of 1950s greaser cool, the sound of rockabilly at its wildest and its very finest. Rockabilly, as played by the legendary Gene Vincent (and other contemporaries of his) combined the late 40s/early 50s R&B of the likes of Louis Jordan, country blues, bluegrass, and hillbilly boogie. It featured a slapping bass driven primal rhythm, as well as lots and lots of echo. The end result was a youth oriented sound, a music for dancing, for driving fast, for living fast, dying young, and leaving a good looking corpse, as the saying suggested.

On this wonderful compilation, we get the essence of Gene Vincent in all his 1950s rockabilly glory. He sings here about some of life's basics - like Pink Thunderbirds, meant to be driven fast, of course, or like how great pretty girls look in tight blue jeans.

And the lyrics. Wow they are great, going right to the point. For example:

"Well I wanna-wanna lotta-lotta lovin'
Well I wanna-wanna lotta-lotta huggin'
So baby can't you see that you were meant for me
I want your lovin', yes-a-ree."

"Well I wanna-wanna lotta-lotta huggin'
Well I wanna-wanna lotta-lotta kissin'
So baby please proceed to get the love I need
I want your lovin' yes indeed."

This, my fellow listeners, is practically sheer poetry. As is this:

"Well I've led an evil life, so they say
But I'll hide from the devil on judgement day"

Great stuff, indeed. A must for any serious student of rock and roll's magnificent history.

Every cut a classic. Every note beautiful. Everything Gene Vincent put out rocks and rolls with a fiery passion that has been unmatched since. Even when the man switched to country tinged rock in the 70's the songs were gut-wrenchingly filled with pain and passion. Elvis was King but Gene Vincent was a God!

gene vincent was,IS Rockabilly. anybody looking to buy a 50's
rock and roll album need look no further than Gene Vincent.
He is the un-inhibited,wild punk that inspired countless
bands after him in one way or another,from rockin' drunkin'
wild stage shows to tearin' up hotel rooms. Aside from Be-Bop-alula he never had any major "hits", mainly because his music
was a little to raw and wild for radio. Gene Vincent
is the REAL KING. Buy any of his recordings from the 50's and you will see for yourself.

There is no doubt that Gene Vincent is one of the rock and roll pioneers. Just imagine hearing "Hold Me, Hug Me, Rock Me" waaaay back in 1956. It must have scared some people out of their wits! Gene Vincent's tunes still hold their own against anything produced today. It's a real shame that more people are not familiar with these classic songs.

I have little to add to the other reviewers. Gene Vincent was the true bad boy of rock & roll. His songs inspired the next generation of rockers - see John Lennon cover "Be Bop a Lula" on his "Rock & Roll" album. Love "Race with the Devil," "Pink Thunderbird," and the others. The guitars soar, the beat is basic, but listen for the screams. They are ripping loose in the studio, pedal to the metal, closing their eyes and taking their hands off the wheels. Not for nothin' - they died on the same road as Marc Bolan in T. Rex. A dead man's turn for rockstars past and future. To not own Gene Vincent in your collection is to have big, gaping hole. All his best in one place. Buy now. You won't regret it.

There's been more than one occassion socially, when speaking of music of the late 50's and early 60's, if I mention the name Gene Vincent, people go "Who?" And then I start to sing "Be Bop A Lula" and they say, "Oh yeah!.....So THAT'S who sang that?!" Well, duh! It irritates me to no end!

I agree with Timothy in that it's a shame Gene Vincent isn't mentioned in the same sentence with Elvis or Buddy Holly. He was as good as if not superior.

I discovered Gene Vincent in the 90's and was hooked immediately. This guy could rock! His audio recordings are so full of life that one can only imagine how it was to see him perform live.

I loved these songs when I was in grade school and I've been afraid to listen to them as an adult, not wanting to confront any bad taste in my past, and wanting to hold onto the pleasant memory. But I was right! Gene Vincent is anarchy, sex, class consciousness, and abstract expressionism, all put to a manic rockabilly beat. Dark, edgy, compelling --at his best GV made Elvis sound like Dean Martin. This is rock-noir at its noir-est.

And he was more consistent than most. Whatever. I'm not an accountant, so I really don't care how these songs charted.

The Blue Caps were four of the best sidemen (in all configurations) ever assembled in in rock and roll. Especially notable was the first lead guitarist, the incomparable Cliff Gallup. Of all the rockabilly guitarists, Cliff was the jazziest, sophisticated without sacrificing any excitement.

The songs were consistently good -- not particularly deep, but good dance songs with a touch of menace, that celebrate, well, dancing, and teenage excess.

My only quibble is that this collection doesen't include one of my favorites, "Gonna Back Up, Baby". On the other hand, it has the other one, "Red Blue Jeans and a Pony Tail". If you are into roots music, rockabilly, or jitterbugging, this CD is essential.