« Back to Top Level | Various Artists

Various Artists - That'll Flat Git It, Vol.15 - Lin & Kliff (1959)

Track listing:
  1. Rockin' Rollin' Stone Andy Starr 2:49
  2. Lonesome Baby Blues David Ray 2:04
  3. If You Can't Rock Me The Strikes 2:37
  4. Stutterin' Papa Buck Griffin 3:00
  5. Mother Goose At The Bandstand Jerry Fuller 1:57
  6. The Fickle Chicken The Atmospheres 2:03
  7. She's A Going Jessie Andy Starr 1:55
  8. Where The Rio De Rosa Flows Ken Copeland 2:37
  9. Saccharin Sally The Tu-Tones 2:29
  10. Watchin' The 7 Buck Griffin 2:36
  11. Come Back To Me The Strikes 2:57
  12. Lonesome Feeling David Ray 2:06
  13. Round And Round Andy Starr 2:10
  14. I Found A New Love Jerry Fuller 1:54
  15. Telegraph The Atmospheres 2:14
  16. Jessie Lee Buck Griffin 2:22
  17. Knee Shakin' Don Terry 2:21
  18. My Poor Heart The Strikes 2:34
  19. One More Time Andy Starr 2:08
  20. Dogfight The Jokers 1:45
  21. Fanny Brown Ken Copeland 2:08
  22. Bow My Back Buck Griffin 2:21
  23. Wild, Wild Woman Steve Wright 2:03
  24. Guitar Smoke J.B. Brinkley 2:16
  25. Rough Tough Man Don Curtis 2:10
  26. Jitterbugging Baby David Ray 1:50

Notes

Joe Leonard, Jr. ran the Lin and Kliff labels out of Texas in the early '50s, being one of the first to see the commercial potential of Elvis and rockabilly music. He countered by signing up local talent, sometimes leasing the masters to MGM or Imperial when the sides started to show promise on his own imprints. This sparkling 26-song compilation spotlights the cream of Leonard's output on those two labels. From the boppin' country sounds of Buck Griffin ("Stutterin' Papa") to the hard edged rockabilly of Andy Starr ("Round and Round," "She's a Going Jessie") to the raucous performances of the Strikes (their three missing tracks that aren't on the Imperial version of this series including an alternate take of "If You Can't Rock Me"), these are some of the music's shining ground floor moments. Televangelist Kenneth Copeland makes with the shake on "Fanny Brown" and "Where the Rio De Rosa Flows" while more rock & roll oriented sides from the Atmospheres, the Tu-Tones, David Ray, Don Terry, the Jokers, Steve Wright, J.B. Brinkley and Don Curtis complete this top notch package. If you can't spring for Bear Family's four disc run of the Lin/Kliff story, here's a great chance to grab all the hot rockers on one disc.

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.