Customer Reviews

Whistle Bait: 25 Rockabilly Rave-Ups

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

It's as I've said time and time again: Punk was to the eighties what rockabilly was to the fifties, and this compilation proves it. True, punk was more politically fueled and the social mores of the two decades are in stark contrast to one another, but rebellion is rebellion no matter what label you put on it.

In actuality "Whistle Bait" covers the 50's through the 60's and in so doing represents some of the finest artists in this genre as well as encompassing the changing attitudes from one generation to the next. In the course of one CD you hear from such household names as Carl Perkins, and Ronnie Self to slightly lesser knows like Larry Collins. Crossover artists such as country legends Johnny Cash, Joe Maphis, and Werly Fairburn are also fairly represented here.

In total "Whistle Bait" is the most comprehensive collection of Rockabilly tracks on one CD. There's something here for everybody, from the edgy and rebellious to poppy and upbeat. This CD is so complete in its focus I almost thought Rhino Records was responsible for it.

If you love, or even like, 50's rock you absolutely must buy this CD. Also make a note to check out the companion piece, "Ain't I'm a Dog".

This is a classic collection of fierce rockabilly tunes from the vaults of Columbia records that were recorded between 1955 and 1959 . Well known names like Carl Perkins , Johnny Cash , and Link Wray ( whose sound was years ahead of its time ) sit side by side with lesser known artists but the quality of the music remains consistently high .

This may have been the new music that rebellious teenagers were listening to at the time but you can still smell the country in all of these performers . This collection of songs would not have sounded out of place in the honkytonks let alone on the billboard charts in the late fifties . If you have any interest in this type of music this compilation is a must !

Here's a set that delivers what it promises! Wild guitars, hootin' and hollerin' vocals, rumbling bass, thumping drums. Though the names on this set may not seem all that familiar (except for Johnny Cash and Carl Perkins) to most (except die-hard rockabilly fans), it still scores top marks for sheer fun and rockin'& rollin'! And, as an added bonus, you get a big slice o'history as well. It's cool to hear country legends like Lefty Frizzell, Johnny Horton and "Little" Jimmy Dickens belt out scorchin' rockers! Even Rose Maddox turns in a raunchy "Ugly And Slouchy", proving that the ladies could outbelt the guys when they wanted (just ask Wanda Jackson as well!). 25 tracks, no ballads, all dynamite. From a time when Elvis ruled, "Blue Suede Shoes" were cool and The Coasters were king! File this one proudly next to Rhino's "The Sun Story" and Fantasy's "The Specialty Story" box set. A winner (and so is Volume 2 titled "Ain't I'm A Dog").

Whew, this baby rocks. Sony does a Rhino like job here cleaning out their vaults with 25 vintage cuts from the 50's. What's amazing is the production was so good, possibly due to being a major label. Mostly unknown musicians, but very good nonetheless. The handful of known artists include Lefty Frizzell, "my man" Link Wray, Johnny Horton, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins.

Yes! Raw and greasy rock and roll from back in the day when music could be considered dangerous...A MENACE that only snot-nosed delinquent punks listened to when they engaged in sinful activities like pre-marital sex and hanging around root beer stands. Today's music sure as hell isn't considered dangerous. Sure, we can load it with four letter words, down tuned guitars, clown makeup, piercings, halloween masks, tons of tattoos, simulated sex with rubber sex toys and what have ya. Odd thing is, nobody's really all that shocked by it these days, and it's certainly not seen as the threat rockabilly was regardless of how many F Bombs are dropped. But in building this musical freak show, we seem to have forgotten....the music.
Sorry about that rant, lets get down to business. Whistle Bait is a great collection of rockabilly tunes from more obscure artists, some don't even qualify as one-hit-wonders. But just because fame eluded them doesn't mean they couldn't rock with the best of them. Getting a good intro to the rockabilly sound certainly doesn't require you to purchase a Carl Perkins or Gene Vincent(though they are both worth getting) album to make it legit. Carl Perkins and Johny Cash do make appearances here. This cd and it's companion, Ain't I'm A Dog(which you'd might as well purchase along with this cd since both are so reasonably priced) are prime examples of the pure rockabilly sound. Some of it is very early rockabilly, western swing even. And many of these artists were country singers before becoming full blown rockabilly(or doubled as both), so there is a heavy duty country vibe here that may have you thinking as much about cowboy hats and hillbilly bars as hot rods and greased hair. Don't let that scare you if you're not a country fan. This isn't Barf Brooks here, this is gritty, swingin' raw country with a groove.
There are many great rockabilly and neo-rockabilly compilations out there, as well as many great albums by many great artists. You'll find out alot if you search, but if you want a real good introduction to the real rockabilly sound, and you don't want to invest a bunch of money right off the bat, you can't do much better than this cd and Ain't I'm A Dog.
So, don't be a wimp, listen to something dangerous for a change.

This album is mostly those B-side, second-play 1950's R&B tracks - the ones that don't make it onto any of the "Best Of" or "Hits From" collections. That's both good and bad news: Good, because these are hard-to-find and new-to-you tracks, and bad, because they are (no offense intended) just not as good as the classic stuff. It is high-energy and really fun - strongly recommended if you like 50's R&B/Rock'n'Roll classics, but you've listened to all of yours already.
Note: This isn't really 'rockabilly' music - the songs on this album were written before that term was even thought up. This is R&B and early, country-influenced rock-and-roll; a very 1950's sound.

This cd is mixed with gems and a couple forgettable tracks, but it's still a classic set of rocabilly, as long as you've got a dance partner to jitterbug with and one free hand to hold the martini, you'll be set. A perfect cd for dancing, drinking wine, brandy, martinis, and for parties... what a fun cd by a lot of forgotten artists(and there's a reason for taht). Good music, and good times are what you can expect if you invest in thsi delightful cd...

Rockabilly was a mix of country and rock when that sort of thing was still honest. (Today country is neither country nor rock, and rock is something else too.) If you want an idea of what respectability can do to a recording star, listen to Ernie Ford. Today we think of him as a groaner of drippy gospel albums, but he started in rockabilly, and some of his earlier tunes may have had some churchgoers' hair stand on end. "Sixteen Tons" did to him what "The Christmas Song" did to his label-mate King Cole -- it turned a great artist "respectable", and with both, that meant turning into a Karo dispenser.

Any album that starts with the title tune here will not be respectable. One of my fellow reviewers likens this music to punk rock. Indeed it is not difficult to think of some hip producer tweaking this song for today -- meaning pureeing the singers through a vocoder, and having a ten-minute riff -- the usual overproducing garbage. (You have to listen carefully to realize the first of the vocals -- I gather that's Larry Collins -- seems to have recorded at a lower speed, a la The Chipmunks.) In 2005 it would be dishonest. In 1958 it could be sexy, and rebellious in a better sense, before that term became the province of brilliant talents like the well-developed wizened bicep of Madonna, and her sister in annoying PR Britney. Indeed by modern standards the Collinses -- a sensational teen brother-sister act -- would probably be considered immoral. Never mind their heirs would could fit together in the palms of their hands. Any album with this kind of honest, unpretentious, fun music plainly cannot be respectable -- which makes it that much better.

One last note: Who ran Columbia Records in 1958, the year of "Whistle Bait"? Goddard Lieberson, producer of Candide among many, many other albums. I don't know if he knew of the Collinses and the other acts here, but he knew to keep well enough alone.

lots of great up-beat rockbilly numbers here, and not ones you've already heard eight million times already. Carl Perkins really rocks, as well as a lot of others. Interesting to hear both Joe Maphis and Larry Collins on seperate cuts. Larry was a young guitar prodigy in the 50's. I think Joe Maphis had a televison show on at the time, and he had Larry Collins on, was a kind of a mentor to him, they played some duets. but that was more country than what you'll hear on this CD. And I also remember reading somewhere that Larry, in turn, was influential to a very young Dick Dale! (Somebody please correct me if I'm wrong, inquiring minds want to know)

I Like Most Of The Songs, But Some Of Them Are More Of A Country Sound. Still A Good Party Mix.