This comp embodies a lot of different sounds and bands - thats why I love it! Its got 3 of my top rated bands on it - The Untamed Youth, Boss Martians, Tiki Tones and shows off a variety of stomp-worthy tracks. I think they could have picked a better track for the Tones but oh well - this disc has been in rotation on the home hi-fi for quite some time. I highly reccommend it ladies and germs! - surfin tomtrax:
1. The Fathoms - Overboard 2. The Insect Surfers - Psychotronic 3. The Tiki Tones - Island Uprising 4. Sir Bald Diddley - Nitrous Peroxide 5. The Omega Men - Sack O' Woe 6. The Bent Scepters - Shalako 7. Jon & The Nightriders - Thunder Over Rincon 8. The Space Cossacks - Solaris Stomp 9. The Untamed Youth - F.U.J.I.M.O. 10. The Huntington Cads - Lunar Luau 11. Rocky Velvet - Lou Siffer 12. The Boss Martians - More Booze, Less Ice 13. The Ripsnorts - Betrayal 14. Satan's Pilgrims - Devil's Punchbowl 15. Los Straitjackets - Branded 16. The Halibuts - Thar She Blows
...In contrast to many other Buffalo Bop releases, there aren't many overt imitators here -- mostly it's just guys trying for a sound of their own. "Happy Jack" by Sammy Spencer is typical: a piece of hillbilly rock & roll that was probably a little too backwoods to get much of a hearing outside of his immediate environment. Tommy "Jim" Beam's unissued "Bay Rum Rock" is one of the most raucous numbers here and probably would've made enough of a noise to get some radio play if it had made it out the door. "Till I Waltz with You Again" and "But in a Million Years" by Bill Reeder (who had surprisingly long hair, to judge from the photo included) and George Ritchie, respectively, show off the relatively lyrical and not too derivative sounds here, tuneful hard rock & roll with a country flavor -- indeed, Reeder isn't too far from Buddy Holly's sound. Bobby Kent's "Don't Go 'way" pounds away a little bit like Jerry Lee Lewis, but that's as derivative as it gets, and he sings with more class. Angie and the Monoco's "Sad as I Can Be" is one of the better pieces of sax-driven rock & roll in the whole Buffalo Bop line, with some pretty powerful drumming driving the song as well and a piano coming in for some real variety after the break -- they're among the artists here who definitely deserved a better hearing than they got. This also includes "Snaggle Tooth Ann" by Gene Norman (one assumes, not the jazz entrepreneur and founder of GNP-Crescendo Records). One piece of Holly-related material here is David Box's cut of the Roy Orbison-Joe Melson "I've Had My Moment" for Candix Records -- Box (1943-1964) was one of Sonny Curtis' successors in the Crickets, and the lead singer on that group's version of "Peggy Sue Got Married." He's also one of the more mature and sophisticated singers here -- still a rocker, but closer to the Orbison of that era than to Orbison's Sun period. The Keytones are, similarly, an utterly professional outfit with a healthy mix of loud guitars, smooth vocals, and a great beat of "La-Do-Da-Da." The Daarts are a little jokier, with their deliberately nasal-lead vocals fronting some decent harmony singing and some surf-style guitar on the break of "Cut Me Up." The Jiv a Tones' "Fire Engine Baby" is a pretty cool account of teen lust, mixing a doo-wop style background with some virtually unamplified guitars, and one guy doing (yep) fire engine siren impressions.(Bruce Eder, Allmusic)
...After nearly two hundred LP releases (!) he switched to compact disc in 1991 reissuing some of the previously reissued material as well as a whole heap of newly unearthed material. In addition to reissuing rare 45s he has tracked down artists, record labels and recording studios resulting in releases which include alternate takes, unissued songs, demos and home recordings. Some of the releases have a regional or thematic slant but most are just miscellaneous collections. Sound quality is good considering the origin of some of the material and the packaging is pleasing in a down home way with slim booklets with photos and label shots and occasional notes. Almost every release has some really excellent material and the real enthusiast will want 'em all.(Roots & Rhythm)
About two hours from Seattle, in the seaside town of Bellingham, WA, the Mono Men pursued their campy retreat to '60s rock revivalism via the Sonics, the Wailers, and loads of teen exploitation flicks, but don't be fooled -- their music is loud, fast, and aggressive.
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A great 18-song surf compilation from Eddie Angel's Spinout Records, featuring 2 tracks from THE MULCHMEN (exclusive to this CD release only), along with a host of great material from such stellar acts as LOS STRAITJACKETS, THE EXOTICS, LAIKA AND THE COSMONAUTS, SIMON AND THE BAR SINISTERS and many more!
Klik was a short-lived New Haven, Ct label that never really had much in the way of hits but nonetheless cranked out a small batch of absolutely great doo wop sides before the payola scandal of 1959 closed its doors. This voluminous 30-track compilation brings together obscure gems from the Nobles, the Dreamtones, the Rajahs (early Nutmegs), the Passionettes, the Syncopates, the Berets, the Avalons, the Pyramids, and Five Satins lead singer Fred Parris in various group configurations. No big hits aboard, but a chunk of great vocalizing, all well worth the price of admission.(Cub Koda, Allmusic)
Nice collection on Spinout Records put together by Los Straitjackets' Eddie Angel. Most of the groups are not well-known although a few, such as Laika and the Cosmonauts, have a sizeable cult following. The songs are excellent for the most part, although any collection of all-instrumental/surf music is going to have a sameness quality. But you know that going in. If you like the Ventures, Duane Eddy, etc. but haven't listened to some of their modern disciples, then give this a try. You won't be disappointed. - By D.C. Hanoy (Athens, Georgia)
...Includes sides by Barry Etris (an alternate take of his fine I've Met My One And Only), Billy Adkinson & The Fab Echoes (the crazed I Got Your Lovin'), Jim Murphy & The Satellites (an excellent version of That's Alright Mama), The Clefs (the fine instrumental Dream Train Special), Warren Robbe, Mike Cushman & The Interludes, Jimmy Moore & The Play Toys (the great Playtoy), Don & Tony & The Nighthawks (the tough instrumental Lightning), Kenny Picard, Buddy Larrison, The Royal Knights, Tommy Sena & The Valmonts, Jimmy Moore & The Play Toys (the excellent Dive That Jive-O with groovy guitar and effective handclaps), Freddie V & The Playmates (the bluesy country flavored I Can Tell) and more. (Frank Scott, Allmusic) 
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Here's the early story of R&B reissue label Relic Records as told by collectors Donn Fileti and original founder Eddie Gries, from their humble beginnings hustling old, forgotten doo wop masters from a store in Hackensack, NJ to the releases of those very first singles on their fledgling label. There are some pretty raw sides here by obscure, one-off groups like the Unique Teens, the Levees, the Zircons, the Academics, and the Four Most. The story of a very important reissue label -- one of the very best at doing what they specialize in -- begins right here. (Cub Koda, Allmusic)
...And that influence continues to the present time -- in approach, attitude and tone -- in just about every guitar player who puts a slide on his finger and wails the blues. As a guitarist, he wrote the book, his slide style influencing the likes of Hound Dog Taylor, Joe Carter, his cousin Homesick James and J.B. Hutto, while his seldom-heard single-string work had an equally profound effect on B.B. King and Chuck Berry. His signature lick -- an electric updating of Robert Johnson's "I Believe I'll Dust My Broom" and one that Elmore recorded in infinite variations from day one to his last session -- is so much a part of the essential blues fabric of guitar licks that no one attempting to play slide guitar can do it without being compared to Elmore James. Others may have had more technique -- Robert Nighthawk and Earl Hooker immediately come to mind -- but Elmore had the sound and all the feeling... ~ Cub Koda
'94 German compilation of surf bands from all over the world. Most are vault tracks for these bands, but many are so rare, it doesn't matter. 26 tracks not imported. This is one totally killer CD. There are few dogs in the set. A must buy!
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After a decade of gospel music, soul diva Candi Staton returned to secular music in the ’90s and recent albums have met with acclaim. 2009 inductee into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Bobby Womack sang with Gorillaz at Glastonbury this year. Gospel Celebrities & Celestial Lights offers an opportunity to hear them both singing the music that launched their careers. Vocalists like Sam Cooke, Joe Hinton and Judy Clay (born Judy Guions) are well known to collectors of vintage soul, but all of them were equally adept at gospel. The same is true of R&B singers Marie Knight, LaVern Baker and Ann Cole, bluesmen Jesse Fuller and Nappy Brown, and all-rounder Lou Rawls. Even wild man of rock ‘n’ roll Little Richard turned to gospel on occasion.
Like that old Mono Men stuff, or any of the trashy garage types associated with Memphis' Shangri-La Records, the Forty-Fives carry their influences in a beer cozy holster. But on cuts like "Who Do You Think You Are?," "Bad Reputation," and "Junkfood Heaven," the Atlanta quartet put enough of themselves in there to make it a whole new drink. Bryan Malone's vocals are as gritty as ever, and Trey Tidwell's keys are a constant highlight. The band gets all soulful and broken mannish with the Stones-style "Too Many Miles" (nice horn section!), and tosses out a great, loosey-goosey instrumental with the sax and keys-flavored "Backstage at Juanita's." Recording High Life with Jim Diamond in Detroit gave them access to the city's rockers, with Dirtbomb Mick Collins contributing some harmonica and Siren Deanne Iovan in a brassy duet with Malone on "Daddy Rolling Stone." "C'mon Now Love Me" is your standard bottle-shattering-against-chicken-wire rave-up, and "Bicycle Thief" is a mildly country slide guitar workout. High Life High Volume won't change the world, but it'll get you through the week til the next Saturday night. It's a well-done, sonically varied album in a genre that too often sticks to what's drunk or unimaginative. Recommended. - by Johnny Loftus (All Music Guide)
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...A few names will be familiar, such as Roy Moss, but most of these players seem to have toiled in relative obscurity beyond their immediate bases of operations -- although to judge from the photo included, Danny Zella seems to have sung at least once in front of a few hundred, or maybe a thousand, high school kids somewhere. The Blue Echoes may never have deserved to get their music heard very far beyond their immediate circle, if the evidence here is any indication, but the Royal Drifters could've become legends with "S' Why Hard," and Jerry Arnold has an exciting record (with a drummer really riding that bass) on "Race for Time." Some of the stuff here isn't much more than exploitation songs playing off the rock & roll boom. The Vivatones' "The Viva Tones Are Rockin'" is a pretty fair piece of self-promotion by the band, who evidently came from Chattanooga but cut their music out of Nashville, working in lots of places that they probably wanted to play -- whether they did or not, only they (and their management) know. Despite their name, the Zircons sound like the real article on "Crazy Crazy," a hard-driving outfit with a good rhythm section, a powerful, expressive singer, and lots of tension in their playing -- along with the Roy Moss sides, they're the best material on this collection, although there's obviously other good stuff. Near the end comes "Fade Away," a piece of melodic rock & roll by Frank Hudson that sounds like first-rate Elvis circa 1958 with some fairly ballsy guitar and drums -- it's totally out of place amid the less mature rock & roll stylings all over this CD, but it is pretty, and pretty bracing too.(Bruce Eder, Allmusic)
Some are fond of saying that THE DAMNED did everything "first and worst". Well they did everything first: first single ("New Rose"), first album ("Damned, Damned, Damned"), but not worst. They were just too punk for the punk rock. Searching desperately to top their magnum opus, they got a second guitarist in the band, which gave THE DAMNED a whole new sound - something darker, more ominous - a sound that many of their fans weren't ready for in late '77! Did "Music For Pleasure" top "Damned Damned Damned"? Did the Romans ever built a better Coliseum. - from: http://www.soundflat.de/shop/shop.cfm?artnr=06713
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It was released in several formats, with the 10" and 12" versions featuring different mixes of "The Shadow of Love", as well as a bonus track, "Would You". Limited numbers of the 7" single included a bonus record, featuring Rat Scabies' solo single "Let There Be Rats", previously only available via mail order. The song was promoted with the help of a video directed by Peter Cornish, and reached No. 25 in the UK charts. MCA also issued the single in Germany, with the German 7" featuring a slightly different mix of "The Shadow of Love".
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...Like many trailblazing groups, the 5 Royales made music that wasn't fully appreciated at the time and is pigeonholed into the influential but not heard category. This makes their list of accomplishments seem academic -- they pushed through gospel and doo wop, incorporating jump and urban blues and, eventually, rock & roll, paving the way toward the soul of the '60s. Led by guitarist/songwriter Lowman Pauling, the group was remarkably versatile, stretching the accepted limits of what a vocal group could do, particularly because Pauling's guitar and earthy, soulful songwriting ignored boundaries and let the group follow suit. Listen to "Think," their second best-known song ("Dedicated to the One I Love" ranks as their first, with covers by the Shirelles and the Mamas & the Papas). Later covered by James Brown in a rampaging, unhinged fashion, this has the basic stuttering, stop-start rhythm of that version, surrounded by gospel-influenced harmonies and great bluesy guitar - touching on nearly everything the group fused together to create their own sound, one that uncannily suggested the sound of soul in the '60s. This approach gelled a little later in their career, toward the end of the '50s, during the recordings chronicled on the second disc of Monkey Hips and Rice, Rhino's impeccable career-spanning 1994 collection. On the first disc, the group is still quite innovative, even if the seams show, as the group blends together harmony groups, gospel, blues and R&B in a lively fashion. They take off toward the end of the first disc, stretching through the second disc, with a stretch of invigorating music that is among the greatest R&B ever recorded. Perhaps two discs may seem like a lot for those that haven't heard the 5 Royales before, but this is not just the most comprehensive set of 5 Royales material yet assembled, it's also the best, illustrating not just their importance, but making that history lesson fun. (Stephen Thomas Erlewine , Allmusic) 
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Los Angeles disc jockey Hunter Hancock was the Alan Freed of the West Coast scene, so it was logical that he would eventually start his own label and Swingin' Records was the result. This 20-track collection spotlights the doo wop side of the label's output, centering on Rochell and the Candles, the Hollywood Saxons, the Calendars, the Williams Brothers, Art Wheeler, and Buddy Gibson and the Vanguards. It's all solid West Coast doo-wop, sporting strong harmonies and sometimes crude production methods.(Cub Koda, Allmusic)
...Certain groups dominate – the Shirelles appear 14 times, for example – but such success stories are the exception rather than the rule. Most of the groups here only managed one or two hits, then found themselves changing their names, personnel or style in an attempt to repeat that initial success before eventually calling it quits. Still, it's those one-hit wonders who are responsible for the really strange, aurally fascinating gems here. Miss Toni Fisher's The Big Hurt stands out, with its haunting arrangement and phasing effects, as do the Paris Sisters' Phil Spector-produced odes to heartbreak and the Bobbettes I Shot Mr Lee (a followup to their 1956 hit Mr Lee), which is a murder ballad masquerading as a pop smash. Bigger names including Little Eva, Etta James and the Supremes also appear, adding some recognisable bulk to a well-curated look at this important period in pop history. (The Guardian)
When Pearl Harbour & the Explosions' tepid skinny-tie pop didn't stoke the public's fancy, their singer's future seemed uncertain: Who could have predicted that she'd pull off such a rowdy, confident solo album? However, that's what happened when she moved to London -- note her stage name's British spelling -- and fell into the Clash's orbit. Where the Explosions were stilted and restrained, Harbour's voice is loud and freewheeling on the rockabilly driven rumble of "Out With the Girls," "Fujiyama Mama," and "Alone in the Dark." There's not a trace of hesitation in Harbour's hiccups, whoops, and yelps; she sounds comfortable in a way that listeners simply hadn't heard before. Harbour's breezy self-assurance also extends to the campy girl group flippance of "Everybody's Boring but My Baby," reflective pop/rock of "Heaven Is Gonna Be Empty," token country weepers "Losing to You," and a tough, but affectionate cover of Ian Dury's "Rough Kids." Harbour's co-conspirators include a motley assortment from Britain's punk and neo-rockabilly scenes. Former Rich Kids guitarist Steve New plays gutsily throughout; so do late Whirlwind singer/guitarist Nigel Dixon, pianist Otis Watkins, bassist Barry Payne, and drummer Nick Simonon (younger brother of Clash bassist Paul Simonon). Their presence provides a dynamism sorely missing from the Explosions' album. Only the mixing prevents this coming-out party from being a perfect affair, leaving New's guitar to fight for breath on "Fujiyama Mama" and "At the Dentist." However, those are minor complaints for such an inspiring effort: there's nothing heavy or depressing about it. However, the public found Harbour's newly rough-hewn image as off-putting as its slicker counterpart, so the album flopped: miss out at your own peril. ~ Ralph Heibutzki, All Music Guide
Pearl Harbor & The Explosions:
...The two-CD, two-hour-and-20-minute set has everything they released on 45 or LP between 1967-1970, including unedited full-length versions of seven of their singles, no less than 13 previously unissued tracks, and even some radio station promos. It could be that less intense funk/Dyke fans might wish for a more succinct single-disc comp concentrating on the official singles, especially as, like many single-artist funk anthologies, the grooves get a little similar-sounding over the course of two-plus hours. Then again, if you like the group enough to get a Dyke & the Blazers collection in the first place, you might well be the type who thrives on such lengthy dwellings on the primeval funk groove. And as such grooves went, few were better (and very few artists, if any other than James Brown, did them earlier) or earthier than Dyke & the Blazers, even if it turns out that session musicians (including members of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band) often played the parts of the Blazers in the studio. The anthology is conveniently divided into one disc of their 1966-1967 sessions (all held in Phoenix, where the band was based at the time) and a second of their 1968-1970 sessions (which all took place in Hollywood), though the quality remains consistent throughout. That counts the many unreleased tracks, which are generally up to the standard of what the band officially released, including some (like the ultra-kinetic -- if marred by some out-of-tune horns -- &"She Knows It," the upbeat "Let's Do It Together," and the untypical serious ballad "Why Am I Treated So Funky Bad?") that would have ranked among their more interesting efforts had they been issued at the time. Alec Palao's magnificent liner notes are the most thorough history of the band yet put to print, including a detailed sessionography.(Richie Unterberger, Allmusic)
Before Bobby Robinson had Fury Records (and its offshoot, Fire), he was the proud co-founder (with Jubilee Records owner Jerry Blaine) of Whirlin' Disc Records, which cut some of the best doo wop music to come out of New York City during the mid-1950s. Beginning with the Channels' "The Closer You Are," which charted locally and ended up getting covered by acts associated with major labels, the company showed a lot of promise. The acts that Robinson signed and produced all demonstrated highly sophisticated, polished sounds, and as late as 1957 the company was competitive in the burgeoning rock & roll field. The Channels were the best act on Whirlin' Disc, but the Continentals and the Whirlers all treated their songs memorably -- only the Empires, who seem somewhat crude and unsophisticated, break this pattern, and they only lasted on the label for one single. Robinson folded Whirlin' Disc in early 1957 over his disillusionment with the accounting practices of his partner, Jerry Blaine, and moved his newest discovery, Lewis Lymon and the Teenchords, from their intended birth at the old label into a new venture, Fury Records, which was to prove the most successful recording venture of Robinson's career in music. This collection of 26 songs (including outtakes -- Whirlin' Disc only issued 20 total sides) is beautifully mastered from what sound like first-generation tapes, and the annotation is all anyone could want on a lot of these acts. And the music is among the finest doo wop material that one can buy.
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This is a hot CD consisting of 30 songs by female rock & rollers, only one of whom -- Jackie DeShannon -- is going to leap out in terms of name recognition. Strangely enough, this disc is more consistent musically than a lot of Buffalo Bop's other releases. They held back on this until the label had 30 consistently solid songs to put together, and the result is a good-time, fast-paced rock & roll collection by the fairer -- but not a bit less lusty -- sex. Sheree Scott does a convincing and intimidating job on "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On," and Linda Glover's slightly cracking voice sparks a lively rendition of "Counting Sheep Over You," fronting a good rockabilly band whose only flaw is an ever-so-slightly, too-classy chorus behind her raspy enthusiasm. Mona Lunsford is a bluesy, slurring singer whose dissolute demeanor on "I'm Getting Restless" makes it one the most delightfully decadent pieces of hard-country style rockabilly ever heard from a woman. Judy Tolbert's "I'm Wise to You Now" is hard White country-blues, sung in a heavily accented rural style, while "Rockin' the Blues" by Peggi Griffin is high-energy distaff rockabilly. By contrast, Dixie Ann Barnes' "Whispering Wind" is sweetly melodic, with a lean, lively band backing a woman who could've been a female Ricky Nelson, to judge from the evidence here. Betty Johnson ("Honky Tonk Rock") and Debbie Stevens ("If You Can't Rock Me"), however, sing of a rough world of honky tonks and road-houses. The Jackie DeShannon cut ("Trouble" written by Leiber and Stoller) is an early one where she seems bent on trying to be the female Chuck Berry -- and it just about works, especially backed by a loud, rough road-house type band with some mean guitar and sax soloists. Anita Veal's "Daddy Let Me Go" sounds like a lost Brenda Lee cut -- loud almost pre-teen rock & roll with a startling sexual undertone and some smooth piano and electric guitar. Judy Harriet's "Goliath (Big Man)" is proof from back when that size did, indeed, matter -- the way she sings "Big Man," with a built-in Mae West-type leer, there's no doubt that she's got more than height in mind.(Bruce Eder, Allmusic)
The Miller Brothers were one of the top rated and best Western Swing/Hillbilly Bands ever assembled - as good as Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys but unfortunately not given the recognition they deserve. The record label they recorded for (4 Star) hasn't been around for a long time, so to find a reissue is very welcome. (Roots & Rhythm)
...The Mono Men have always played up their adherence to '60s garage-rock, but quite often the group showcases a much heavier blues-rock sound. Perhaps it's the covers of the Sonics' "The Witch" and Billy Childish's "Catalina" and "Lie Detector" that lead to such an assertion, but even originals like "Daylight" and "Right Now" exhibit a rawer energy that was buried deep in the mix of Mono Men studio albums. The covers, however, are the central aspect of the album, and The Wipers' "Over The Edge" is the most blistering. - by Matt Carlson
…A collection of Peruvian instrumental / garage bands from many days gone by. As fate would have it, there are two bands here that I've heard of - Traffic Sound [who has at least three - or four lp's out] and Same People who have at least one full CD out there. Some of this CD's obscure artists who look to have a mere song (or two) out include Golden Stars, Los Stevios and Los Drags. I liked the three songs you get here by the Los Holy's. Basically, if you dig '60's British and American garage instrumental bands - you should like this title. - By Mike Reed
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Now this is a collection with staying power, and not just for doo wop enthusiasts. Bobby Robinson, who cut Elmore James and a lot of other top veteran blues and R&B talent for his Fury Records label, also tried his hand at doo wop music. In fact, it was R&B vocal acts like Lewis Lymon & the Teenchords that occupied his time far more than bluesmen such as James and Lightnin' Hopkins, even though the latter two -- thanks to recent reissue boxes -- are now more closely associated with Robinson and Fury. Located on 125th Street in Harlem, right in the heart of an ocean of musical talent, Fury Records ended up with an extraordinary roster. The acts represented here, including the Brooklyn-based Du Mauriers ("All Night Long," "Baby I Love You"), the Newark-based Kodaks ("Runaround Baby"), Lewis Lymon & the Teenchords, Jackie & the Starlites ("Valerie"), the Federals ("While Our Hearts Are Young"), and the Scarlets ("Truly Yours"), not to mention the early hit sides of Gladys Knight & the Pips ("Every Beat of My Heart"), all have a degree of professionalism in their presentation and production that stands them ahead of most of the rival doo wop outfits of the era. Indeed, listening to the material on this collection, one appreciates that Fury was one of the biggest and best rivals to George Goldner's legendary End and Gone labels, with its nationally known acts like the Teenagers and the Flamingos. (Bruce Eder, Allmusic)
...Amid the Elvis Presley tribute records and the reconstituted Presley catalog coming from RCA/BMG, this collection of authentic 1956+ records built on the arrival of the King in popular culture still manages to stand out and then some. Sonny Cole provides the title track, a superb country-cum-rockabilly salute to the Hillbilly Cat's impact that's both good humored and well played. Almost as impressive is Phil Gray's "Bluest Boy in Town," which uses "That's All Right" as the jumping-off point for a fine piece of rockabilly in its own right -- it's unclear if his band called the Go Boys are the same people (Russell Williford, Tommy Junkersfield, et al.) who cut music with Dudley Callicutt for Lillian Claiborne's DC label, but they were good, whoever they were. Johnny Fuller's "First Stage of the Blues" has a guitar solo that's worth the price of the CD, even if his delightfully slurred diction seems a little arch. Jerry Dyke is better at doing the Elvis bit vocally, nailing "Mean Woman Blues" in front of a band that features one hot lead guitar player who needed just a little more wattage. Not everything comes up to that standard -- the Road Runners limit themselves to emulating Elvis' softer rock-ballad style, Buddy Love's frantic-paced version of "Heartbreak Hotel" is an acquired taste at best, and Billy Devroe's "Buttercup" and Joe Hughes' "Make Me Dance Little Ant" seem to be here just to fill some space, the former bearing no resemblance to Elvis' work whatsoever. And Ronnie Speeks bears more resemblance to Jerry Lee Lewis than to Elvis. On the other hand, Tracey Pendarvis' "It Don't Pay," Mackey Hargett's "So Glad You're Mine," Rick Bounty's "It Will Be Me," and Jimmy Reagan's "Lonely, Lonely Heart" are fine tributes to Elvis' style, done in the time when that style was selling millions of records, without being slavish imitations. The only drawback is, of course, that like all Buffalo Bop releases, there is little more than some old publicity photos and pictures of original 1950s 45-rpm record labels -- in a fairer reality, there would be some information about the singers and the musicians involved in these records. But it's still difficult to complain about 75 minutes of music that mostly emulates the best of Elvis Presley's Sun Records singles and his early RCA sides.(Bruce Eder, Allmusic)
...While working as a radio repairman in the early '50s, James spent hours rewiring speakers and amplifiers so that they would deliver the kind of harsh and distorted sound he favored when he played electric guitar through them, and that act of rebuilding amps alone would have made him an unsung hero to rock guitarists everywhere a decade or so later, but James also happened to be a pretty damn good player himself, and there may well not be a more powerful and exciting sound on Earth than James' trademark "Dust My Broom" slide guitar riff, which bottled megawatts of power, energy, and passion into one swooping rush. No matter how many times James recycled the riff, and producers and label owners insisted on it constantly, it still generated electric chills. This set collects James' final two sessions from February 1963 in New York City, and even though he would be dead within three months of a heart attack, the emotion and power James puts on display during these sessions is every bit as strong as any other he did in his career, which should come as no surprise, since he never brought less than everything he had when he picked up a guitar or stepped to a microphone. James had been recording sides for Bobby Robinson's Fire, Fury, and Enjoy imprints since 1959, and this material has been released countless times in various configurations over the years, so there really is nothing new here, but it hardly matters. Elmore James was one monster guitar player and he was never less than that, and as these two sessions prove, he delivered on that promise right to the end. - AllMusic Review by Steve Leggett
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...In 1949, as the US magazine Billboard published an article by Jerry Wexler, the 'Race Music' hit list became the Rhythm and Blues hit list. The expression aligns the word 'Rhythm' for a fast tempo and the word 'Blues' for the 12-Bar rule. This genre was black bands' thing. At a certain point young blacks and whites were increasingly listening to the same music, but they didn't know it yet. 
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Bryan Malone's slightly gruff, angry vocals are perfectly suited to this raucous style, though it is the brawling guitars that are the clear star of a 45's record. Drawing from everyone from the Zombies and Link Wray to the Sun Records catalog and the Sonics, the 45's have all the right moves, though the songs occasionally seem to get too wrapped up in solos and posturing to really carry the sort of gut-level emotional impact that groups like the Reigning Sound accomplish so effortlessly. Imagine Chuck Berry in a late-night showdown with the mop-topped pushers of the British Invasion and you're getting warm. Throw in a bit of Clear Channel-bred disillusionment regarding the grotesque state of modern rock and you're even warmer. Tracks like "My Kind of Girl" and "Hanging by a Thread" offer up the sort of frantic rock hooks that had parents up in arms against rock & roll in the '60s, and while this could easily turn into a soul-less nostalgia revue, it doesn't. The 45's avoid the traps of irony, and have enough passion to keep from sounding hollow. "The Devil Beats His Wife" and "Great Escape" sound surprisingly like the Supersuckers as Malone's vocals take an endearingly ragged Eddie Spaghetti-esque turn, perhaps indicating that the boys have actually heard a few records recorded after 1968. Sure to be embraced by fans of groups like Satan's Satellites, American Deathray, Compulsive Gamblers, and so on, the 45's offer a respectable brand of guitar rock from a genre that has long been underrated by both critics and fans. - Review by Karen E. Graves (All Music Guide)
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...No real standouts but lots of good no nonsense rockin' - Jackie Dunham, Gene Morris, Johnny Kay, Jake Doell, The Carnations, Bill Webb & The Twisters, Charles Beckham & The Knight Riders, George Fonner (a nice cover of Bo Diddley's Road Runner), Red McCoy With The Sons Of The Soil, Ronnie Summers and many more. Excellent sound and booklet with rare photos and label shots. (Roots & Rhythm)
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Zdrenka also started a similar CD album series with interesting cover pictures after he re-named the label from Bison Bop to Buffalo Bop. The sound on these records and CDs is mostly rough tough Rockabilly stuff, the steamhammer way, originally recorded in some primitive garage or cellar. They are all dubbed from original old vinyl discs and freshly remastert to maintain the original sound – and what can we say: It rocks from A to Z!
...The Georgia-born Reynolds recognized that there was a vast array of talent in the neighborhood who had the potential for success but no chance to be recorded, and he changed that in June of 1955 when he cut his first three singles, by Sidney Maiden, B. Brown and the McVouts, and Haskell Sadler -- none of their blues sides (none of which are on this collection) ever came close to charting, but they didn't have to. Reynolds had set up his operation so that he could make back his costs with only a few hundred sales, and as he had confidence in the product and could recommend it, he did that over his own counter. His entry into R&B harmony vocals came with signing the Jayhawks -- he later added the Poets and Emanon 4 to his stable, and the Cubans. All of these acts, although they emphasized vocals, had a fairly hard rock sound by doo wop standards, and they gave Flash a tougher sound than a lot of the usual releases in this field.(Bruce Eder, Allmusic)
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