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Various Artists - That'll Flat Git It, Vol.03 - Capitol (1959)

Track listing:
  1. You Ought A See Grandma Rock Skeets Mcdonald 2:04
  2. My Little Baby Rose Maddox 1:57
  3. Sebbin Come Elebbin Jimmy Heap 2:46
  4. Try Me Bob Luman 2:13
  5. Cash On Barrelhead Louvin Bros 2:42
  6. The Worryin Kind Tommy Sands 2:30
  7. My Girl Gertie Dub Dickerson 2:14
  8. When I Found You Jerry Reed 2:28
  9. Mr. Big Feet Charlie Bop Trio 2:20
  10. Cool Down Manme Farmer Boys 2:36
  11. Party Kiss Johnny Fallin 2:08
  12. There Gonna Be A Ball Rudy Grayzell 2:43
  13. Bop Cat Bop Simon Crum 2:25
  14. Jeopardy Jean Shepard 2:05
  15. Alone With You Faron Young 1:59
  16. Heart Breaking Mama Skeets Mcdonald 2:25
  17. Black Cat Tommy Collins 2:13
  18. Go Ahead On Jimmy Heap 1:57
  19. I Chickened Out Kenny Loran 1:55
  20. Red Hen Hop Louvin Bros 2:40
  21. Playin' The Field Tommy Sands 2:07
  22. I've Had Enough Jerry Reed 2:15
  23. He's My Baby Jean Shepard 2:08
  24. My Baby Done Left Me Farmer Boys 2:38
  25. Party Line Johnny Fallin 2:23
  26. Slow Down Brother Ferlin Husky 2:20
  27. I Went Rockin Bobby Norris 2:15
  28. I Can't Dance Faron Young 2:22
  29. Mexicali Baby Rio Rockers 2:16
  30. You Mostest Girl Bobby Lee Trammel 1:58

Notes

More raw rockabilly and country bop, this time from the vaults of Capitol Records. While the label had Gene Vincent and Esquerita, a quick listen to these will reveal rockabilly sounds with the accent on the 'billy. Skeets McDonald's "You Oughta See Grandma Rock" goes a long way toward defining the compilation's strengths, and Tommy Sands, long thought of as a teen idol singing pop mush, stokes the fires here with "The Worryin' Kind" and "Playin' the Field." While Ferlin Husky masquerading as Simon Crum on "Bop Cat Bop," The Rio Rockers' "Mexicali Baby" and Bobby Lee Trammell's "You Mostest Girl" show the length and breadth of the genre, perhaps the most fascinating earful of all is The Louvin Brothers testing the waters of rockabilly with "Red Hen Hop" and "Cash on the Barrelhead."

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.