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: Buddy Holly Odds and Ends
Hit: 3 Stars
This is a collection of home recordings, demos and outtakes by the late, great Buddy Holly, issued in time to capitalize on the 50th anniversary of the singer's tragic death. While Holly's die-hard fans will consider this an essential purchase, the more casual fan will do better to purchase one of several greatest hits packages available on CD.
Most of these tracks have been available before, but have not previously been issued on CD, except on bootlegs. Back in 1979, to take advantage of the renewed interest in Holly's music after the 1978 biopic, a boxed set of LPs was released in England that included every known recording, including the roughest of demos, live recordings, and outtakes. Hard core fans and collectors were overjoyed, but reportedly the Holley (yes, that's the original and correct spelling) family and Buddy's widow were less than thrilled by the poor quality of some of the tracks. Since that time, relatively little of Holly's early recordings and demos has been available. As a result, a small but lucrative industry developed for bootlegs of the unavailable material.
This set will serve to fill that gap, for most fans. The sound quality is much improved; presumably modern remastering and noise reduction have been utilized where possible. Some of the tracks have had instrumentation removed that was overdubbed in the 1960s to make them sound both more contemporary and commercial. As a result, one finally has the opportunity on these songs to hear the Crickets more clearly, including Holly's talents as a guitarist. Holly's final recordings, demos that were recorded in the kitchen of his Greenwich Village apartment shortly before he left on his final, fatal tour, are presented here without overdubs, and are probably the highlight of this package.
Free Music Review: Great Music, Lousy Packaging!
Hit: 3 Stars
For those of us who have mostly heard only Buddy's hits over the years, the music on this set is a revelation. It opens with a homemade recording from 1949 that sounds like...a homemade recording from 1949! This is followed by a 1953 recording and a series of 1954-55 recordings that are pretty much what you might expect from kids growing up in west Texas in those days--music by which to drive pickup trucks down Farm-to-Market roads. It's a miracle Buddy overcame those beginnings to create the great, innovative rock 'n' roll for which we remember him. He could more easily have become the next Hank Williams.
The "garage tapes" from late 1956, where Buddy and his buddies do their take on contemporary hits by Little Richard, Fats Domino, Carl Perkins, et. al. are, for me, more entertaining.
Disc two begins with outtakes from various sessions at Norman Petty's studio in Clovis. These are interesting when compared with the familiar versions we have heard for years. Lastly come the "apartment tapes" from just before the Winter Dance Party tour. Some of these tracks were "finished" (revised) after Buddy's death and released, others were not.
All in all, I enjoyed the music; I love Buddy's music more each time I listen to it. But the cheesy, crappy packaging is another matter. I am sure I will put these discs in a "real" CD jewel case and set this flimsy/clumsy cardboard container aside. If the record company had provided decent packaging I would give this set at least four stars, probably five. But my dislike for their choice of packaging is so strong it knocks my rating all the way down to three stars.
Buy it anyway; you'll love it!
Free Music Review: Buddy Holly: Down the Line: Rarities
Hit: 3 Stars
As a major Buddy Holly fan, any rare musical nugget is a treasure. However, in deciding whether Down the Line (2 discs) or the Memorial Collection (3 discs) is the better collection, the latter is the best investment for the bucks. It provides the more retropective look at Holly's catalog although the first disc in this collection can be difficult to enjoy due to the quality of the recordings. However, this collection contains the majority of the "apartment tapes" and these eight songs alone are worth the price of the collection. The quality here is superb and showcases Holly's talent...perfectly in tune guitar, pitch...voice!! The Down the Line collection also includes the apartment tapes plus one but also gives several alternate takes on songs...several of the same song and also includes a a non musical track...a conversation between Holly and Maria Elena in their apartment...a strange choice rather than including the interviews Buddy did with Dick Clark and others that appears on early vinyl. This collection is really only for the most discerning Holly fan. If you're undecided go with the Memorial Collection. 3 starsFree Music Review: Hard-core collectors only
Hit: 2 Stars
Mostly does not sound like this great artist, especially on disc 1, for folks who like home-recorded wire recordings and 78s recovered from swamps. Could be professionally edited into 1 disk without repetition to be mostly listenable.Free Music Review: Timeless music released in throwaway packaging.
Hit: 1 Stars
This is great music, that we've been awaiting the release of for years. So Universal packages it in throwaway cardboard sleeves. Mine were scratched right out of the package.