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Various Artists - That'll Flat Git It, Vol.13 - ABC (1959)

Track listing:
  1. Black Slacks Bennett, Joe And The Sparkletones 2:06
  2. All I Can Do Is Cry Wayne Walker 2:06
  3. Bertha Lou Clint Miller 2:32
  4. I'm Hungry for Your Lovin' Danny Dill 2:10
  5. Don't You Hear Me Calling, Baby Ronnie Haig 2:51
  6. Everybody's Body George Hamilton IV 2:26
  7. Pretty Bad Blues Ronnie Self 2:11
  8. Rhonda Lee Hendrix, Al 1:56
  9. I Want You Jackie Lee Cochran 1:54
  10. Baby She's Gone Scott, Jack 2:49
  11. Rockateen Satellites 1:34
  12. Baby, Let's Play House Vince Everett 2:13
  13. You're Just My Kind Loyd, Jay B. 2:25
  14. Later Baby Johnny Janis 2:07
  15. Boogie Woogie Country Girl Jo Ann Campbell 2:18
  16. Cotton Pickin' Rocker Bennett, Joe And The Sparkletones 1:52
  17. Baby, Baby, Baby Newton, Jerry / Wayne Newton 2:26
  18. Doggone It Baby, I'm in Love Clint Miller 1:44
  19. Miss Lazy Toth, Ronnie 2:06
  20. If You Can't Rock Me Stevens, Debbie 1:40
  21. If You Don't Know, I Ain't Gonna Tell George Hamilton IV 2:24
  22. Bop Boy Bill Hayes 1:50
  23. Go Daddy Rock Hendrix, Al 1:37
  24. Buy a Car Jackie Lee Cochran 2:02
  25. Two Timin' Woman Scott, Jack 1:56
  26. Linda Jean Satellites 1:59
  27. I Ain't Gonna Be Your Lowdown Dog No More Vince Everett 1:50
  28. Cross My Heart Loyd, Jay B. 2:12
  29. Come Back a Little Mama Du'Ambra, Joey 2:23
  30. Pretty Girl Dusters 2:06

Notes

Vol. 13 in Bear Family's excellent That'll Flat Git It! series chronicles ABC's attempts to cash in on the rock & roll craze. The 30 tracks were recorded between 1956 and 1962 and contain a very high ratio of hot rocking tunes. Most of the artists never made the big time, but that doesn't mean they weren't good. Some of the highlights of the set are Joe Bennett & the Sparkletones' romping "Black Slacks," Jackie Lee Cochran's wild "I Want You," the Satellites' primitive "Rockateen," Jo Ann Campbell's rip-roaring "Boogie Woogie Country Girl," Vince Everett's "I Ain't Gonna Be Your Lowdown Dog No More," and the Dusters' lo-fi rockabilly-doo wop rocker "Pretty Girl." Among the obscure artists are a couple of folks who made a name for themselves further down the road: George Hamilton IV delivers two songs from the mid-'50s when he was just beginning his career, and a very young Wayne Newton rocks out with his brother Jerry on the very cool "Baby, Baby, Baby." He isn't exactly Elvis but Wayne rocks surprisingly hard for a goofy-looking kid. There are also a couple of solid tracks from rockabilly royalty; Ronnie Self's tough as nails "Pretty Bad Blues" and Jack Scott's pounding rockers "Baby She's Gone" and "Two Timin' Woman" give ample proof as to why they were royalty. Their tracks stand head and shoulders above the rest of the disc. This is one of the strongest volumes in the series and is highly recommended to rockabilly fanatics and anyone who wants to hear an exciting bunch of wild early rockers.

Rockabilly collectors are a hearty, fanatical breed with little compunction about seeking out rare, rarely heard singles based on legend or label. Not everybody has the time or patience to find original pressings, even if they love the music, so for the average collector, Bear Family's multi-volume That'll Flat Git It! series is the way to dig deep into the rockabilly arcana. The series is divided by label, spotlighting the forgotten sides and smaller hits for labels as well-known as Decca and RCA, along with lesser-known regional labels. This is not everything that was released on a label, of course, but it is a fairly thorough overview of what kinds of rockabilly the label released, and it hits almost all of the high points, at least as far as rockabilly collectors are concerned (and when the label can't fit everything on one disc, it breaks it up in two parts). Like many multi-part series, this is strongest on the earlier volumes, but if you're a dyed-in-the-wool collector, any of these volumes are worthwhile. Some of them are loaded with generic mediocrities, but they all have a couple of dynamite gems, plus they're presented lovingly, with wonderful sound and detailed, well-researched liner notes. This is essentially a collector's series, but it's a collector's series in the best sense — filled with rare gems worth seeking out and presented in a luxurious fashion.