Dave’s Buddy Holly CD Picks

"On the basis of simply counting heads, rock music surpasses even film as the most influential art form of the twentieth century. By that reckoning, there is a case for calling Buddy Holly the century's most influential musician.

Elvis Presley and he are the two seminal figures of fifties rock n' roll, the place where modern rock culture began. Virtually everything we hear on recordings and see on video or the concert stage can be traced back to those two towering icons. Elvis with his drape jacket, sideburns, pout and swiveling hips; Buddy in big black glasses and buttoned-up Ivy League jacket brooding over the fretboard of his Fender Stratocaster.

But there is no question as to whom posterity owes the greater debt. Presley's place in rock n' roll is no more than that of a gorgeous transient: having unleashed it on the world, he soon forsook it for slow ballads and schlock movie musicals. Holly, by contrast, was a pioneer and a revolutionary, a multidimensional talent that arrived fully formed in a medium still largely defined by fumbling amateurs. In the few hectic months of his heyday between 1957 and 1959, he threw back the boundaries of rock n' roll, gave substance to its shivery shadow, transformed it from a chaotic cul-de-sac to a highway of infinite possibility and promise.

To call someone who died at age twenty-two "the father of rock" is not as incongruous as it might seem. What has always set his persona apart from others in the rock n' roll pantheon is its air of maturity, sympathy and understanding. To successive generations of fans he has seemed less like an idol than a teacher, guide and friend; a "buddy" in every sense of that unassuming yet so comforting word.

The songs he wrote and performed are classics of rock n' roll, two minute masterpieces that remain as fresh and potent today as they were recorded fifty years ago."

"Looking back over the last 20 years, I guess the guy I've admired most in Rock n' Roll is Buddy Holly"-Elvis Presley

As a Buddy Holly tribute artist, I have my sources of inspiration and I want to share some of them with you. This list is very incomplete as I have a dozen or so tapes and records not listed below. I also recommend Bill Griggs(Bill@rockinfifties.com) and John Goldrosen’s biography Buddy Holly: His Life and Times, among other fine written historical materials for research on Buddy Holly.

Issued in the U.K. in 1979-80, this can be had on e-bay. But check for condition. Prices vary. I paid $100 for mine from a record store owner's private collection.Incredible pictures and bios, newclippings. All the information you could ever want including all last recordings. Over 120 tunes covered. This record is the only way you'll hear Buddy's 1954-56 Elvis imitation years, his Buddy and Bob and a lot of incredible covers like "Ain't Got no Home", "Blue Monday", "Good Rockin' Tonite",

Issued in the U.S. in 1985. 20 of the greatest hits compiled and remastered by Steve Hoffman. Prices vary. I paid $14 for one in mint condition from a local used record store.This is the record version of CD pick #4 (MCAD-5540)

#3 - Rave On - UK release (Music for Pleasure - MFP 50176). (MFP is MCA in UK)

A dozen of the BEST obscure tunes are in this record. Sleeve intro by Roger St. Pierre. Prices vary. I paid $4 for one from a local used record store; the cover in fair condition (fortunately the record is in mint condition) from a local used record store. Songs include Take your Time, It's too Late, That makes it Tough, Now we're one, Dearest - This record appears to have been issued in the mid-seventies. Forgive Buddy for some of the cheesy posthumous organ tracks (Although this is nothing compared to the organ on "Valley of Tears"(Only on MCA-8000 - See #1 Record pick) which sounds like the roller rink organist in the opening scene from "The Buddy Holly Story"(1979 movie)

In just eighteen months, Buddy Holly recorded 9 top ten smash hits. Compiled by John Beecher. Prices vary. I paid $12 for a copy in good condition from a local used record store. Songs include all of the big hits and Wishing (a very Everly Brothers-type recording written with Bob Montgomery (like Heartbeat). This is the same recording as cassette pick #5

#1- The Millennium Collection (MCAD-11956) Released 1999 - Completely re-mastered greatest hits. The sound quality is absolutely the best I've ever heard. Digital re-mastering of the 12 greatest hits. Limited but the cleanest we’ve ever heard Buddy.

#2 - The Buddy Holly Collection (2 CDs)- 1993 MCA (CMCAD2 10883) - 50 Classic Recordings. This has some of the rare early stuff that really gets to me. It’s Swing, Rockabilly, Rock n’ Roll, great raw guitar riffs, polished drums, double bass & A1 vocals. Energizing. Great CD (A MUST for Buddy fans new or old).

#3 - The Unforgettable Buddy Holly and The Crickets (3 CDs) - 69 Classic Recordings. This was a fluke find in a hock shop. It has Buddy doing everything 1) Their Greatest Hits 2) The Love Songs 3) The Rock n' Roll Classics 4) All-Time Favorites 5) The Crickets - After Buddy (The Hits and Favorites) and 6) Rock n' Roll Showcase which includes Blue Monday, Rockin Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu, Willie and the Hand Jive, Great Balls of Fire, After it's over - If you've heard it all, this is the CD to get - some very rare stuff on this CD Set. Released in 2000 by Reader's Digest Music(3426)/ Universal

#4 - The Crickets with Buddy Holly (Cover to Cover) (MCCD 177 released in 1994)- 20 uncommon tunes. Not redundant to most CDs. You'll get a bunch on here you won't get anywhere else including "I fought the law", "When you ask about Love", "Mailman, bring me no more blues". Some lead vocals on the CD are post-Buddy recordings with Jerry Allison on vocals.

#5 - Buddy Holly (from the original master tapes) (in CD and record format)- MCAD-5540 (20 tunes from original tapes - all best tunes - like an expanded Millenium Collection with ALL of the Classics as done on original masters) - This is a CD of an original greatest hits record (released 1985).

#6 - Buddy Holly & The Picks PEGGY SUE - 18 tunes - a mix of the known and the uncommon - done with background vocals by the Picks. Some work (What to do), some don't (Peggy Sue) Includes That's what they say, Love is Strange, Come Back Baby, Learnin' the Game, Rock a Bye Rock, What to do. Overdubs done in 1984 (Delta Music CD 6247 - Neil Kellas - 2001)released in 2001.

#7 - The Great Buddy Holly - 10 obscure but QUALITY tunes such as Midnight Shift, You are my one Desire, Don't come back knockin',Modern Don Juan. (MCAD-31037)released in 1982.

#8 - BUDDY HOLLY Oh Boy- 10 smooth tunes such as Oh Boy, That's my Desire, Early in the morning, I'm gonna Love you too, Blue Days, Black Nights. (MCBBD-20425) released in 1994.

#1 - BUDDY HOLLY - a Rock n' Roll Collection- 24 of the best known hits including some hard to get ones such as What to do, Love's made a fool of you, Peggy Sue got Married (best version), Lonesome Tears, Tell me How. (MCAD-31037) Formerly released as DECCA 73-7207. Re-released as MCAC2-4009.

#2 - BUDDY HOLLY - For the First Time Anywhere- 10 previously unreleased versions including the first version of Maybe Baby, I'm gonna set my foor down, Baby won't you come out tonite, It's not my fault, Rock-a-Bye Rock. Thank Steve Hoffman for this one. A 1982 Mca release (MCAC-27059). For a short tape - This one delivers a punch. Very rockabilly.

#3 - The BEST of BUDDY HOLLY- 16 Well chosen hits such as Raining in my Heart, It's so easy, That'll be the Day, It doesn't Matter anymore, Send me some lovin', Everyday, Heartbeat, Peggy sue. 1985 Quality records. A canadian release (QRSPC-1004 courtesy of MCA)previously unreleased versions including the first version of Maybe Baby, Because I love you, I'm gonna set my foot down, Baby won't you come out tonite, It's not my fault. Thanks to Steve Hoffman for this one. A 1982 MCA release (MCAC-27059). This is a good greatest hits tape with a soft tone overall. Very rockabilly.

#4 - BUDDY HOLLY - Words of Love- 8 carefully selected tunes including previously unreleased versions of Moondreams, Rock-a-Bye Rock, Well... All Right. Thanks again Steve Hoffman for this 1985 MCA release (MCAC-20260). For a short tape - This one delivers a punch. Very rockabilly.

#5 - BUDDY HOLLY & The Crickets - 20 Golden Greats- Also exists in record album format. Contains the big hits and other notable songs like Listen to Me, Words of Love, Not Fade Away. Hard to get tunes include Wishing and Bo Diddley. The version of Peggy Sue Got Married on this recording is not the best version(MCAC-37244).

Starring Gary Busey, with Don Stroud and Charles Martin Smith. Good for what it was, but an inaccurate but loosely correct representation (lyrics were sung incorrectly, Joe B and Jerry were referred to as Jesse and Ray Bob). He used a Fender Telecaster instead of a Stratocaster. His singing wasn't even attempting to sound like Buddy. Yet, it was entertaining and worth seeing. Busey is powerful and I give him credit for a great interpretation. But historically, there was little in the picture that mirrored Holly’s real life.

by Paul McCartney (owner of Buddy's music for the most part) is a good documentary with actual footage, interviews with Joe B, Mauldin, Sonny Curtis, Jerry Allison, Vi Petty, Larry and Travis Holley (his brothers) and all of the real people in Buddy's Life. This is a wonderful film

"This is the comprehensive book all Buddy Holly fans have been waiting for. It brings Buddy into hard focus with in-depth interviews with family friends. Oh Boy!" - Don MacLean, singer/songwriter of "American Pie". Distributed by MacLelland-Stewart Inc. in Canada. Published by St. Martin's Griffin 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010. Less forensic and more based upon numerous (some 200) interviews with the Crickets (Jerry and Joe B) and Sonny Curtis, Larry, Travis, Maria Elena, Bill Griggs and the many people who knew Buddy. This biography dispels the myth of sainthood bestowed upon this rock icon. "In illuminating the scope of Holly's influence...this book shines." - Entertainment Weekly

MacMillan (PAN BOOKS)25 Eccleston Place, London SW1SW9NF and Basingstoke. This is the best single biography I have read. Finally the full story, well researched, superbly written. This book lacks the detail of Goldrosen, but is perhaps more insightful in that it takes you into the era with many references to relevant happenings at the time Buddy's history was being made. Did you know that guitar sales skyrocketted in England after his March 1958 tour? Lots of great references and context. A must read for any Buddy.

THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY John Goldrosen (1979) ISBN #0-8256-3936-0 This is a revised version of John Goldrosen's 1975 "Buddy Holly: His Life and Music". This may be the best book besides the one from which it came if you want to know the real sequential history of events in Buddy 's life. It explains a lot about Bobby Darin and how Buddy came to record "Early in the Morning" and "Now we're one". It explains about the Everly Brothers and Wesley Rose (Acuff-Rose music (eg Roy Orbison)) and why Buddy played their stuff but not vice versa. Did you know the Bryant's (Boudleau and Felice) wrote "Wake up Little Susie" and "Bye Bye Love" before "Raining in my Heart". Many excellent facts and done in a very readable, well-researched manner that gives us insight into such odd topics as how did Buddy write (solo car drives after dinner) and the like. I had to get this at th library and photocopy all 255 pages. It is out of print but a beauty if you come across it.

Rockin’ 50s, P.O. Box 6123, Lubbock, Texas 79493 (6 book set @$14.95 eachlast time I checked). Perhaps the most complete factual compendium of information on Buddy Holly’s life. Letters, interviews, trivia, thousands of dated entries. Information galore.

Aurum Press 25 Bedford Avenue, London WC1B 3AT. Paul McCartney calls this one a "must for all die-hard fans".

Songs - Photos - Stories - originally $12.95 US). Music and lyrics to 28 classic tunes. Includes a complete discography of singles, EPs, albums and CDs. Anyone who wants to learn to play some Buddy Holly on guitar needs this book. As of 2001 it is still in print and selling.