Good Rockin' Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records

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Free Music Notes for Good Rockin' Tonight: The Legacy of Sun Records

Free Music Review: A Very Difficult Project Pulled Off Successfully
Hit: 5 Stars

By now I'm familiar with almost all of these songs. I can honestly say there aren't any "mailed in" performances to get on the album. Many of these songs are deceivingly simple, especially by today's standards, but to attack them with such sincerity is part of what makes this a great album.

Scotty Moore (Rock & Roll HOF inductee, Sun Records Elvis Presley guitarist) appears on "That's All Right" and "Don't Be Cruel" with D. J. Fontana (Elvis Presley drummer). In all honesty, Scotty deserves as much credit for the Rock and Roll stylings on those two songs as Elvis Presley. I'm glad he could be on the album with Paul McCartney no less.

Paul McCartney (no slouch in the legend department) does a bang up job on vocals with "That's all Right". He's very sincere. I don't see how you could sing this song without curling your lip. Perhaps he was.

I wish Scotty Moore could have played on "Mystery Train" (he took the Elvis version a much different direction from the Little Junior version), but Jeff Beck goes way beyond what Scotty did and rocks it out. Very Nice (show off)! Chrissie Hynde is her interesting self on vocals.

Jimmy Page & Robert Plant send up the sloppy "My Buckets Got A Hole In It" in true rock fashion.

Elton John pumps the piano in true Jerry Lee form on "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On". Who has done more for the piano in Rock and Roll than Jerry Lee Lewis and Elton John? It just has to be on here.

It's great to have Carl Perkins on "Sittin' On Top Of The World". His distinctive voice sets up the even more distinctive Van Morrison to cut right into the song. Van Morrison, the producer, does himself a favor here, but it works really well.

Bob Dylan's "Red Cadillac And A Black Moustache" is a pull back in energy from the original Warren Smith version. I guess if you're Bob Dylan you can do whatever you want. His thinner, nasalier voice drips with the emotion of his later works.

"Lonely Weekend" by Matchbox 20 and "I Walk the Line" by Live are the more experimental tracks.

Chrlie Rich's (yes, the Silver Fox) "Lonely Weekend" was a well written, over produced song that he chose to sing in Elvis Presley vocal style. Matchbox 20 showed more originality than Charlie Rich in this regard.

Live decided to play with dynamics to create a dark and brooding "I Walk The Line". How can someone complain about a dark and brooding version of a Johnny Cash song? (When I play it I use lots of distortion too.)

My biggest disappointment is the Chris Isaak "It wouldn't be the same without you". Chris does a good job here, but his vocal abilities to channel the spirit of Elvis are not put to use. What were you thinking?! He has previously recorded "Blue Moon" for an Elvis tribute album with Scotty Moore, and I swear it sounded better than Elvis.

Finally, what can I say about Kid Rock? He belongs on here. Rap was as cutting edge as this music in its time. Bawdy and brash. I know Elvis would have rapped had he lived into the Nineteen Eighties. Great Album!

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