Buddy Holly - Down the Line: The Rarities (Dig) (Slip)
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Free Music Notes for Down the Line: The Rarities (Dig) (Slip)
Free Music Review: Not Fade Away
Hit: 5 Stars
I confess from the outset that I have been a true believer in all things Buddy for more than 3 decades, and can recite by heart the lyrics to even the more obscure Holly songs without a second thought.
That said, I approached this collection with some trepidation for, as you might assume, I have a rather extensive Buddy collection (mostly records please...CDs are for punks!) including the most impressive Box Set that was issued many years ago. However, even I was impressed by the songs on this collection, most especially the second CD--better known in Holly-land as the "Apartment Tapes' made in NYC only weeks before his tragic departure. Kudos to both the eternally lovely Marie Elena Holly and the rest of those in charge of Buddy's estate for putting out this wonderful collection of songs that again and again raise the eternal question of "what if..."
Listening to the, essentially, solo songs on the second CD the mind boggles when you remind yourself that he was but a child, really, at only 22. He'd already mastered songwriting to a level that few would ever come near...in fact, such was the pervasiveness of Buddy's influence, that a young Minnesotan named Robert Zimmerman was among those who saw one of the last Buddy shows in early 1959...the young lad, better known now as Bob Dylan, said that when he saw Buddy it looked as though "he had a halo around him.'
Indeed. Listening to the angelic voice on the second CD on songs such as Fool's Paradise, That's My Desire and one of the most heartbreaking of all, the beatific 'Dearest', it's not hard to picture the bespectacled young Texan with a guitar, a smile and a halo above him.
Perhaps that's why we lost him so young...God realized that even He didn't want to wait another 50 years to get a front row to a Holly concert.
There have been many other tragic losses of great musicians, but none more than the loss of Buddy Holly at 22. The fact that we are here, a half century later, extolling the virtues of songs he wrote before he reached his 23rd birthday speaks for itself.
Sadly, we are just left to wonder again and again what might have been...and, as the song says, "memories will follow him forever...and that makes it tough..."
Still, as this wonderful collection proves, with all due respect to Mr McLean, the music didn't die...and continues to rave on, year after year after year.
Free Music Review: Oh Boy does the music Rave On!
Hit: 5 Stars
The more I listen to Buddy Hollys music, the more I wish with all my heart that I could jump in a time machine, go back to 2 February 1959 and stop anyone from getting on that ill fated plane. Three young up and coming talents (Buddy Holly, aged 22, Jiles Perry "the Big Bopper" Richardson, aged 28 and Richie Valens, aged 17) and the 21 year old pilot, Roger Peterson, all so brutally taken from us far too soon.
Buddy Holly really was one of the most amazing music talents there's ever been. Let's face it, we're talking about a man who could clear his throat in the middle of a song and make it sound like it's part of the song (for anyone who's never noticed it, he does it once on Tell Me How and twice on Oh Boy!) and who was never frightened to experiement with his music - who else had thought of using a celesta, or getting the drummer to slap his thighs (on Everyday) or play the beat on a cardboard box (on Not Fade Away)? He was also such a huge influence on other artists, ask the likes of the Beatles and the Rolling Stones who their biggest influence was and they'll tell you it was Buddy.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of that tragic accident, this CD of rare recordings by Buddy Holly has been released and it's the one I've waited all my life to have. To hear what the songs on the tapes found in his apartment actually sounded like without all the overdubbing, just Buddy and his guitar, is wonderful. What these songs would have ended up like had he lived, sadly, we'll never know but, in my opinion, they could have been released just as they are here.
This CD is the best I've bought in a long long time and if, like me, you're a fanatical Buddy Holly fan, it's an absolute MUST HAVE. If you're not quite such a fanatical fan, then there are plenty of "best of" collections out there that you'd probably prefer, my recommendation being "the Buddy Holly Collection". My only complaint about this CD is that it wasn't released years ago.
Free Music Review: The real Buddy Holly
Hit: 5 Stars
This is the release that Buddy Holly fans have waited for ever since CDs replaced vinyl as the dominant medium for music.
The first disc is of less interest, since the bulk of it is comprised of early recordings in which both the music and the performances are fairly rudimentary. It's something completists will enjoy and those who want to hear where the genius that was Buddy began will listen to once or twice, but it's mainly just standard stuff played (literally) by a garage band.
The second disc, however, contains the Apartment Tapes, the songs written and played by Buddy in the last few weeks before his death. Up to now, these have only been available on vinyl or with overdubbed backings. Now we get them fully remastered and just as Buddy made them. Now it's possible to hear where Buddy was going with his music and why his death at age 22 robbed us of perhaps the most important artist of his generation. Who knows how much he would have achieved and how other artists such as The Beatles would have been influenced? In these songs there is a tantalising glimpse of what might have been. I've been playing them over and over and I'm sure others will, too.
One final note: unlike other reviewers, I like the packaging. I hate struggling to free CDs from those jewel boxes and have cracked more than one. This packaging is easy and convenient and I haven't had any problems with scratching or discs falling out.
This is a collection everyone who enjoys Buddy Holly and popular music of the 50s and 60s should get.
Free Music Review: For The First Time Anywhere...
Hit: 5 Stars
I am always a bit wary of material dredged up from the vaults, especially if it's from an artist like Buddy Holly, whose catalog has been picked over, debated, and studied for decades. For those of us in middle age who have been afflicted by this rock and roll bug for decades, our collections include more than a few albums of historical and critical note which were played once and gather dust.
This set is not one of them. Like the Beach Boys Singles Collection that came out not too long ago, this set shows just what the recording industry is capable of, when they take a little time and effort to do things right. It also is a set that will appeal to casual listeners AND hardcore fans.
In addition to the absolutely gorgeous sound quality, the recordings are simply wonderful. A lot of the contemporary and posthumous "enhancement" on these songs has been stripped away, and you can hear Buddy and the band as they intended these songs. "Peggy Sue", "Oh Boy", "Not Fade Away", and the others on disc 2 are the high points in this set. Gone are the saccharine backup vocals on most of these tracks, and you get to hear better than ever the too-infrequently noted high caliber of Holly's guitar playing in his downstroke-only style on his then-newfangled Stratocaster.
The liner notes and packaging could have been perhaps a bit more luxe, but that's nitpicking. This set is not only highly recommended from a historical standpoint, but also as one which you will listen to time and again.
Free Music Review: Nice Collection - But Where's the rest?
Hit: 5 Stars
I really enjoy this set, but am wondering why during this historic 50th anniversary we still do not have the excellent "Complete Buddy Holly" that was released back in the 70's. Another small complaint is they have also released "Memorial Collection" which is a 60 song hits collection that came out this week and is a nice companion set to this one, but have some of the same songs on each set, which doesn't make any sense to me.
(Another question about "Memorial" is that there is only about 120 minutes of music spread over three cd's - it would have easily fit on two CD's - but that's a different story.
The set is very nice though - I think the sound on the apartment demos is simply amazing - let alone the fact that they are 50 year old recording made in his apartment! I really enjoy hearing the undubbed stuff and that's why I give this five stars.
Two small complaints to finish off my review - The packaging is simply horrible, horrible, horrible! Universal - if you are listening please do better if another set is in the pipeline! I've always loved the song "That's What They Say" I was surprised to dind the lead in "fragment" but I think it would have been nice to have this separated from the "finished take".