Rockabilly Napcast

Hello Music Lovers Everywhere! This post will take you back… back to the early rock ‘n roll days when rockabilly first bloomed. This week I really looked at the genre with an historical eye and consulted allmusic.com and found out quite a bit, and even cleared up a few mysteries and made a few long-missed connections.

Rockabilly started in the early 50s with Bill Haley. He brought together a type of country and a type of blues and that produced a jumpy beat that, dare I say, was fun. From what I hear, the 50s were boring, and so America became a hotbed of people looking for something interesting and fun. Rock ‘n roll was it.

The early pure rockabilly sounds started with Bill Haley and Elvis Presley. Right after Bill Haley broke rockabilly open to the public, Elvis Presley came around and crystallized the sound and ‘captured that manic, primal energy that would become a rockabilly staple.’ (From allmusic.com) As he became a superstar not just a couple of years later, that made a bunch of people really take to the genre. I’m not sure its fair to say they were copycats, or just others who thought the sound was just as awesome. So out comes Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Buddy Holly, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran and Johnny Burnette. Johnny Cash and Charlie Rich did a fair amount of rockabilly, too, though they were really country musicians.

First of all, I can’t believe how alike Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley sound. Now, I tried to find songs that weren’t completely popular, so we might have a chance to listen to them more than once, which is why when I heard Blue Suede Shoes, I was like man, I know its good, but that one is so popular and I already have an Elvis song. Putting two of the same artist would be dumb. But no. I was so smart, I outsmarted myself. That is Carl Perkins singing, not Elvis. Man, what else has he sung that I always thought was Elvis and now I need to go look up Perkins to find?

Because I do love rockabilly. It was probably my first love, actually. If there was any band I saw regularly, it was usually a rockabilly band. And, I did, indeed, kiss the TV set when Elvis came on once. Plus, my Dad is a cowboy and grew up on a farm. He really liked Rock ‘n Roll. My Mom really liked it too. I grew up in America… in Texas. There wasn’t any way I wasn’t going to like rockabilly, really. But also, what a perfect podcast for the Fourth of July.

Being such a fan, I’m surprised that I didn’t realize that it spurred the sounds of The Cramps. I mean, I knew they were similar. I had only known of Reverend Horton Heat being in the psychobilly genre. This sub-genre of rockabilly is my personal favorite. I’d actually really like it if someone could do something more in this category, that’s not stupid.

Mojo Nixon is in this category, for example. My problem is that the periods between the actual music is way too long and therefore his music is unlistenable. However, searching, again on allmusic.com, I found a whole bunch of other artists I didn’t know besides him and my favorite group, so far, is Gun Club. The music speed, punctuation, production, and voice are all so awesome. That sound is the reason flames were painted on cars. Interesting that the refrain is what makes it sound like the 80s its from.

So when they devised their sound, they took it between original rockabilly, like Duane Eddy, and The Cramps. The Storey Sisters did a hybrid between 50s gumball/pop and rockabilly. I don’t think those two ever existed before.

However, I think if you concentrate on the bass sounds and pull from different bands and time periods, you might have a winner, if you wanted to make a rockabilly band these days. I’d stick with a smooth, southern twang in the singing voice, if possible, use a drummer as well as a bassist, I think you’ll do well. Oh, and mrshl will be pleased to note quite a few saxophone uses in rockabilly as well, so you may want to look at that potentially.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion has a really nice rockabilly sound in some of its songs, though, in comparison, it is so slick. I didn’t realize the Pussy Galore, Royal Truxx and JSBE connection before yesterday. Awesome.

As much as I love the Reverend, its hard to listen to him all of the time. His music is just not for that. It is so energetic that I feel I must dance, or have a martini, or both. As much of my life is spent not doing either of those, I just can’t listen. But… if there was every going to be a hot band, dancing was expected, martinis were served (or any alkyhal really) and I had a babysitter, that would be one of the top things I would be doing. I love to dance, and I don’t know why, but that type of dancing is one of my favorites for the intensity.

Moving on… so that is the story. Rockabilly was so awesome it immediately produced new forms of rock and evolved quickly after only being in existence for maybe four years. But four years and 5 decades later, we’re still talking about it.

1 – See You Later Alligator – Billy Haley & The Bill Haley Comets – stacey
2 – Lawdy, Miss Clawdy – Elvis Presley – stacey
3 – Blue Suede Shoes (Live) – Carl Perkins – stacey
4 – Dixie Fried – Carl Perkins – mrshl
5 – Broken Hearted – The Moonlighters – stacey (This song has been nameless and artist-less for many years in my library until today.)
6 – Rebel Rouser – Duane Eddy – stacey (This song was also nameless until today. Its so cool to find out what they both are after so long.)
7 – Bo Diddley – Buddy Holly – stacey
8 – Say Mama – Gene Vincent – stacey
9 – Fujiyama Mama – Wanda Jackson – Ghost
10 – Chicken Hearted – Roy Orbison – stacey
11 – Bad Motorcycle – Storey Sisters – Kilian
12 – Crazy Arms – Jerry Lee Lewis – stacey
13 – Hey Porter – Johnny Cash – stacey
14 – I’m Happy – Hasil Adkins – stacey
15 – For the Love of Ivy – The Gun Club – stacey
16 – Trouble of the World – Dexter Romweber & the New Romans – Roberto (winner of finding the band with the longest and most ridiculous name)
17 – Goo Goo Muck – The Cramps – stacey
18 – Cockroach – Tav Falco – stacey
19 – Brokedown Engine – The Gibson Bros. – stacey
20 – It’s Martini Time – Reverend Horton Heat – stacey
21 – Kawasaki Z117 50 Rock N Roll – The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – stacey
22 – Tongue Tied – Betty McQuaid – Kilian
23 – Tragic Tractor Disaster – Crazy Hearse – Roberto

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