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[MUSIC] THE SAVAGE ANIMAL
"First Impression of Buddy Holly" |
07.25.12 |
BY MIKEY MIGO
Once again I’m diving deep into music I’m not familiar with. Once a month or so I take a “first listen” to a select band’s discography. I go for bands I’ve not encountered for some reason or another, bands I’ve avoided, and some bands where I only know one or two songs. The reason I do this is because I like listening to a lot of music. It’s easy to hear a song or judge a band by its genre, time frame, or even one single. We all do it. Of course Nickelback sucks, right? We don’t NEED to listen to every song from their discography to prove this. So yeah, this is a gamble. I don’t know if it’s just a band I’ve not given a fair chance to or they just really suck. If anything, I get to know what I’m hating and after the one torturous listen I can wash my hands of them knowing 100% that I don’t like them. Thankfully, every band isn’t Nickelback. I’ve encountered some awesome bands in this journey. Who would have thought Simon and Garfunkel, Arcade Fire, The Black Keys, Regina Specktor, and others would rock? I wouldn’t have, but I listened to their albums and my mind was blown. That’s right; I’m in it for the mind blowing…
Why Buddy Holly?
Why not Buddy Holly? I typically go after bands and artists who have around five albums in their discography, but I couldn’t neglect this any longer. Buddy Holly is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Many of the all-time greats will not hesitate to cite Buddy Holly as one of their influences. I don’t know all that much about Buddy Holly. I can think of two songs of his off the top of my head and I know how he died. Other than that I’ve seen plenty of “cool kids” wear his glasses.
The "Chirping" Crickets
(1957 – 29 minutes) - The first album starts off with "Oh, Boy!". I instantly know the opening of it, but had no clue that it was a Buddy Holly song. I know that it’s obvious to some, but it just never registered with me. It’s a great song for now. I can only imagine minds being blown in 57. I really like the guitar breakdowns in "Not Fade Away", the second track on this. "You've Got Love” is a slow swinging ballad. There is nothing super amazing to it, but it’s passable for sure. The buildup on “Maybe Baby" is fun. It goes into a love sick foot tapper. "It's Too Late" is a sad crooning ballad. It’s a really good example of a 50’s soul-rock track. It has the sock-hop feel to it, but the vocals have plenty of emotive inflections. Things pick up with "Tell Me How" a danceable love song. One song I knew off the top of my head was "That'll Be the Day". This is one of Buddy Holly’s biggest hits. It’s one of the best rock and roll songs of all time. The guitar work, the vocals, the attitude, the grove, and the melody… you can’t get any better than this. About twenty seconds before it ends, there is a killer drum break down. This is honestly my first time as an adult really listening to this and taking it in. Wow. There is a lot of the same awesomeness in "I'm Looking for Someone to Love". The honky-tonk vocals and the dirty swank of the guitar playing are awesome. This should have been a single. "An Empty Cup (And a Broken Date)" is an interesting track. It’s a slow burning ballad complaining about love problems. It had those echo-y barbershop backup vocals you’d expect from music from the 50’s. I "Send Me Some Lovin'". It’s a slower song, but it has a really unique composition. The thudding drum, the harmonious backing vocals, and drifting soul are a delight. Yes, dammit… a delight! "Last Night" is next. I think it’s my least favorite track on the album mainly because of the weird group vocals at the end. The final song on this album is "Rock Me My Baby". It’s an up swinging rock and roll tune. It’s more in vein of the big two singles on this album. The difference is the spectacular little guitar solo in the middle of it. Right there it should have been apparent that this group was miles ahead of the rest.
Buddy Holly
(1958 – 25 minutes) - Buddy Holly’s second album came out about a year after the first. The LP goes right into "I'm Gonna Love You Too". It’s a really bouncy foot tapper. Next up is a big one. Going into this I would have said the biggest hit of the man’s career would be "Peggy Sue". It’s the first song that came to mind when the name Buddy Holly was brought up. It’s a really good song with an unconventional (for then AND now) approach. It’s simple, but there is just something real and raw about it. It’s almost a passive aggressive taunt. During this listen/research I came across a new fact. It’s said that song was originally “Cindy Lou”, but the band’s drummer was having an argument with his girlfriend. The name was switched to “Peggy Sue”, they made up, and they’d later get married. That’s a pretty cool story on top of one of the catchiest tunes I’ve heard in recent memory. "Look at Me" kicks off with a fun piano melody. I’m a fan of this one. It’s really catchy. "Listen to Me" is awesome. The layered sound of the vocals is a really cool effect. This is as good as any of the bigger singles. The strummed melody and weird spoken word lines feel way ahead of the game. "Valley of Tears" is a cover. It’s an old school love sick crooner, but with a really cool approach. The faint wails in the background as Buddy pours himself out. The old organ kicks in at the right moment. Songs like this makes me want to get drunk in a sweater. "Ready Teddy" bursts out nowhere. Holy shit. It’s a really uptempo rock tune. It’s exactly what you’d expect a Jerry Lee Lewis to burn his piano to. There is a crazy amount of soul here. He literally howls out. Whoa! I seriously had no idea that "Everyday" was a Buddy Holly song. I’ve heard this song a million times and had no clue. It’s a simple “ditty”, but it’s catchy and sweet. It’s hard not to sway to. I’d have to say this is one of the best songs of the album for sure. "Mailman, Bring Me No More Blues" brings us back to the rockabilly grit. It’s a slow groove with a steady wall of addicting melody. That sounded great. "Words of Love" has a really interesting song structure. It’s almost as if Holly is pulling back and is singing into a fan. It almost drones in that area, but musically it’s danceable. I like what they did here. The opening drums of "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" are cool, but are hard to get past. The song has some interesting things going on, but the thuds of the drum almost become distracting. Maybe it’s just my mix? Weird. "Rave On!" is an uptempo tune. Apparently “Rave On!” is how the kids talked back in the day. I’m pretty sure it has something to do with WiFi internet. We finish up this album with "Little Baby", a soulful asskicker. The dirty piano plays as Buddy Holly throws indiscretion out the window and just lets it loose. C.W. Kendall Jr. attacks those keys like it’s the last poetry we’ll ever hear. Sadly, it fades out before you can get too caught up in it. I really enjoyed this album.
That'll Be the Day
(1958 – 25 minutes) - The third and final Buddy Holly studio record was basically a B-side album. His first record label put out a collection of songs from different sessions in order to make some cash off Holly’s rise to fame. This starts with "You Are My One Desire". It’s a slow stutter of a ballad. "Blue Days, Black Nights" has a mid-tempo beat. It’s not as aggressive as some of the stuff we heard on the last album, but it’s catchy enough to dance to. A sad horn opens up "Modern Don Juan" and keeps sneaking in there as the band supplies a really sharp sounding ballad. Almost too sharp. "Rock Around With Ollie Vee" is a full on rockabilly jam. I dig this one. The music alone is cool, but the almost frantic vocals of Holly are cool. "Ting A Ling" isn’t bad or anything, but it’s just a little too hokey for my tastes. "Girl On My Mind" is another love sick ballad. It slowly strums along and doesn’t really do much for me. They snuck "That'll Be the Day" on here. It has a different sound to it. The vocals have a weird echo to them and the tune is a bit muddier. In its flaws, I like it even more. It’s way more emotive and embellished. "Love Me" blasts off next. It’s an up tempo love-lusting rock song. Even in the late hours of the night, I find myself dancing along to the addictive melody. The album closes out with three tracks. There are rockabilly elements, classic rock and roll, and some flat out soulful croons. The final studio tracks on this collection is "I’m Changing All Those Changes", "Don’t Come Back Knockin’", and "Midnight Shift". Nothing too remarkable, but nothing too bad. This album really feels like it’s thrown together. It really DOES feel like a B-Side album. There are still some gems on here.
THE VERDICT
(1957 – 1959) - I’m not going to lie. I had this vibe going in that the songs would be really clean cut rock songs. They do have that old school rock-a-billy/doo-wop swing to it, but there is more edge than I imagined. Buddy’s vocal delivery has a distinct attitude and swagger to it. I’m not going to lie. This album holds up. I expected a nostalgia act, but I enjoyed this stuff more than I would have thought. I appreciate the fact that you can absolutely hear the ingredients of some of the greatest rock and roll groups of all time just sprinkled in here throughout. Buddy Holly kicked some ass.
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