Eddie Cochran – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

Head Cat – Fool’s Paradise… album review

I don’t do many album reviews, but this one, I had to write something. I spent this weekend totally locked in on this 2006 album, having it on my computer and phone. It’s a fun rockabilly album well done, and the song selection is terrific. I was going to review another artist, but I got stuck on this one, so I’ll post him next weekend. After the Motörhead post on Friday, CB brought up a rockabilly band that Lemmy was in. I was surprised, to say the least, because I didn’t remember this from the documentary but it’s been a while. I love what I heard.

I don’t skip tracks because one is as good as the other. There is a bounciness to this album…if that is a word. I could have written a one-word review… FUN.

Let’s get with the members of this band. On drums, you have Slim Jim Phantom from the Stray Cats. This man pops up everywhere by the way. On Guitar and piano, you have a rockabilly guitarist named Danny B. Harvey. On bass you have Lemmy Kilmister taking a break from Motörhead to play some rockabilly. His voice fits this music well.

The origins of The Head Cat trace back to a casual collaboration. Lemmy Kilmister, Slim Jim Phantom, and Danny B. Harvey teamed up in 1999 to record a tribute album to Elvis Presley, titled Swing Cats: A Special Tribute to Elvis. The band’s name? Can you guess? Combining Motörhead and The Stray Cats. They released 6 studio and live albums combined.

They didn’t always pick the most popular rockabilly songs which I love. You have Buddy Holly, Eddie Cochran, Jimmy Reed, and The Crickets songs on this album. Rather than covering Peggy Sue, they cover Peggy Sue Got Married instead which personally I like more. You have a Buddy Holly title cut Fool’s Paradise. You also have Crying, Waiting, Hoping, Not Fade Away, and one of my favorite Holly songs in Well…All Right.

The reason this and other similar rockabilly albums work is because 1: The musicians love this type of music and…that damn word again…FUN. 2: The songs are simple and that is not a put-down but they don’t have 12 chords and studio tricks. The songs sound good on backyard porches and would sound great in the Royal Albert Hall or Ryman Auditorium. I think music has moved too far away from this style. 3: When I said these songs were simple I was NOT implying they are easy to play right…on the contrary because you have no distortion box or tricks to hide behind. It takes pure musicians and a love for this music to play it right. These guys grew up with this music so they pour their heart into it.

I’ll get off my soapbox now but how I wish I would have had this music growing up. I didn’t grow up in this era when the songs were real time but I see why all of the great artists I like… cling to this music. Everyone from The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Stones, Springsteen, Dylan, and The Kinks spent their career trying to recapture the spirit in these wonderful songs. The Head Cat did a great job!

Here is the tracklist:

1 Fool’s Paradise
2 Tell Me How
3 You Got Me Dizzy
4 Not Fade Away
5 Cut Across Shorty
6 Lawdy Miss Clawdy
7 Take Your Time
8 Well…All Right
9 Trying To Get To You
10 Learning The Game
11 Peggy Sue Got Married
12 Crying, Waiting, Hoping
13 Love’s Made A Fool To You
14 Big River
15 Matchbox

If you want the complete album on YouTube…here is the link

Well…All Right

Well, alright, so I’m being foolish
Well, alright, let people know
About the dreams I know that you wish
In the night when lights are low

Well, alright, well, alright
We’ll live and love with all our might
Well, alright, well, alright
Our lifetime love will be alright

Well, alright, so I’m going steady
It’s alright, let people say
That those foolish kids can’t be ready
For the love that comes their way

Well, alright, well, alright
We’ll live and love with all our might
Well, alright, well, alright
Our lifetime love will be alright

Well, alright, well, alright
You know we’ll live and love with all our might
Well, alright, well, alright
You know our lifetime love will be alright

….

Eddie Cochran – Summertime Blues

In my love for the Who, I never posted this version of this great song. I found out about Eddie Cochran through the movie The Buddy Holly Story where he was played by Jerry Zaremba. I then remember him in La Bamba when Brian Setzer played him to a tee.

After that, I heard The Who’s version of this song and our band played it that way. I then heard Cochran’s version and loved it just as well. The song that really made me connect to Cochran was Twenty Flight Rock when I heard the Stones do it.

Eddie Cochran was a huge influence on the up-and-coming British guitar players of the sixties. Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, John Lennon, and Pete Townshend. He was huge in the UK. He was one of the big 50s guitar heroes. He broke through with this song Summertime Blues in 1958 peaked at #8 on the Billboard 100, #10 in Canada, and #18 in the UK. He also did well with C’mon Everybody. He was never really big in America… he was a bigger star in Europe.

He didn’t use his guitar as a prop like some did…he played it and played it well. He also worked as a session musician. He helped bring rock guitar along in more ways than just his playing. He was one of the first to modify his pickups and he did away with the wound G string on the guitar. He replaced it with an unwound string which made it easier to bend. Many future musicians were paying attention, sitting on the front row of his British tour.

In 1960, Cochran and Gene Vincent were in a hired car and it hit a lamp post and Eddie was thrown from the car and suffered a head injury and died in a hospital. He was only 21 years old. Gene Vincent received injuries to his already bad leg and walked with a limp after the crash. Eddie was the only one to die.

Eddie’s girlfriend Sharon Sheeley was a songwriter. She wrote Ricky Nelson’s first hit “Poor Little Fool” and a couple of songs (Love Again and Cherished Memories) for Cochran. She also got injured in the crash.

Summertime Blues

I’m a-gonna raise a fuss
I’m a-gonna raise a holler
About a-workin’ all summer
Just to try to earn a dollar

Every time I call my baby
Try to get a date
My boss says, “No dice, son
You gotta work late”

Sometimes I wonder
What I’m a-gonna do
But there ain’t no cure
For the summertime blues

Oh, well, my mom and papa told me
“Son, you gotta make some money
And if you wanna use the car
To go a-ridin’ next Sunday”

Well, I didn’t go to work
Told the boss I was sick
“Well, you can’t use the car
‘Cause you didn’t work a lick”

Sometimes I wonder
What I’m a-gonna do
But there ain’t no cure
For the summertime blues

I’m gonna take two weeks
Gonna have a fine vacation
I’m gonna take my problem
To the United Nations

Well, I called my congressman
And he said, quote
“I’d like to help you, son
But you’re too young to vote”

Sometimes I wonder
What I’m a-gonna do
But there ain’t no cure
For the summertime blues

Eddie Cochran – C’mon Everybody

Don’t be a square man… listen to Eddie Cochran and play backseat bingo. Well, I thought I would try some of the fifties phrases.

Eddie Cochran was one of the first rock star guitar players…he was ahead of his time. He didn’t use his guitar as a prop like some did (cough cough Elvis)…he played it and played it well. He also worked as a session musician. He helped bring rock guitar along in more ways than just his playing. He was one of the first to modify his pickups and he did away with the wound G string on the guitar. He replaced it with an unwound string which made it easier to bend. Many future musicians were paying attention, sitting on the front row of his British tour.

His influence can be heard throughout rock and roll…It was because Paul McCartney knew the chords and words to “Twenty Flight Rock” that impressed John Lennon enough to ask Paul to become a member of the Quarrymen.

Eddie was popular, especially in the UK where they never forgot the 50s stars that started it all. C’mon Everybody peaked at #6 in the UK and #35 on the Billboard 100 in 1958.

During a British tour in 1960, Eddie Cochran, Gene Vincent, Sharon Sheeley (Eddie’s fiancé), and tour manager Pat Thompkins were in a taxi. They were leaving a show in Bristol, England to go to the London Airport…the taxi hit a lamp post and Eddie was thrown from the car and suffered a head injury and died in a hospital. He was only 21 years old. Gene Vincent received injuries to his already bad leg and walked with a limp after the crash. Eddie was the only one to die.

Sharon Sheeley was a songwriter. She wrote Ricky Nelson’s first hit “Poor Little Fool” and a couple of songs (Love Again and Cherished Memories) for Cochran.

I love the set of this video!

C’mon Everybody

Oh, well, c’mon everybody and let’s get together tonightI got some money in my jeans, and I’m really gonna spend it rightWell, I’ve been a doin’ my homework all the week longAnd now, the house is empty and the folks are goneOoh, c’mon everybody

Oh well, my baby’s number one, but I’m gonna dance with three or fourAnd then the house’ll be shakin’ from the bare feet a-slappin’ the floorWell, when you hear that music, you can’t sit stillIf your brother won’t rock, then your sister willOoh, c’mon everybody

Oh well, we’ll really have a party, but we gotta put a guard outsideIf the folks come home, I’m afraid they’re gonna have my hideThere’ll be no more movies for a week or twoNo more runnin’ ’round with the usual crewWho cares, c’mon everybody

…

Who – Summertime Blues

I wrote this for Dave’s site when he asked a group of bloggers to pick a song that signifies “summer” to you. Now summer is starting to wind down…I thought I would post this one.

I first heard this song by The Who. The Who’s version is a good one for bar bands to play but it’s hard to keep it under control in a bar setting. It must be loud before it works…although it’s fun to see some patrons with their hands over their ears…it’s best to limit that.

Eddie Cochran wrote Summertime Blues with his friend Jerry Capehart and released it in 1958. Capehart helped Cochran get a record deal. Capehart said: “There had been a lot of songs about summer, but none about the hardships of summer.” With that idea and a guitar lick from Cochran, they wrote the song in 45 minutes.”

The song was going to be a B side of the Cochran single “Love Again” written by Sharon Sheeley. The record company wisely made the decision to make Summertime Blues the A side. In 1960 Sheeley was his girlfriend and was in the car that crashed killing Cochran. She died in 2002 five days after having a cerebral hemorrhage.

I like the Cochran version…and the Who version…and they are completely different. I’ve always loved the way The Who covered Summertime Blues. If I had a time machine… The Who would be a stop to see them live at this time. The version they released in 1970 was on their album Live At Leeds…a great rock live album. The song peaked at #27 on the Billboard 100, #8 in Canada, and #38 in the UK in 1970.

Live at Leeds would be my pick for the best rock live album ever. The album peaked at #4 on the Billboard 100, #2 in Canada, and #3 in the UK. It’s raw, raucous, and in your face…in other words, a great rock song!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GAM1k9vEVqg

Summertime Blues

Well, I’m a gonna raise a fuss, I’m a gonna raise a holler
I’ve been working all summer just to try and earn a dollar
Well, I went to the boss, said I got a date
The boss said “No Dice, son, you gotta work late”

Sometimes I wonder, what am I gonna do
There ain’t no cure for the summertime blues

Well, my mom and poppa told me, “Son you gotta earn some money
If you want to use the car to go out next Sunday”
Well, I didn’t go to work, I told the boss I was sick
He said “You can’t use the car cause you didn’t work a lick”

Sometimes I wonder, what am I gonna do
There ain’t no cure for the summertime blues

Gonna take two weeks, gonna have a fine vacation
Gonna take my problems to the United Nations
Well, I went to my congressman, he said, quote
“I’d like to help you son but you’re too young to vote”

Sometimes I wonder, what am I gonna do
There ain’t no cure for the summertime blues

Eddie Cochran – Twenty Flight Rock

Many of us don’t learn about artists first-hand during the artist’s lifetime. We take a journey down a river that twists and turns and we find some artists that we would ordinarily never hear about. I got to know Eddie Cochran’s music through The Who. The Who covered Summertime Blues and I wanted to know where that song came from…after reading and finally finding his music I learned about Mr. Cochran. From Eddie Cochran I learned some about Gene Vincent and the story goes on and on.

I first heard 20 Flight Rock by Paul McCartney and then I heard The Rolling Stones cover it. Again I wanted to know the original and I was not disappointed. No offense to Paul or Mick but it’s hard to beat the original by Eddie Cochran. I can’t imagine being in the audience watching the movie “The Girl Can’t Help It” in the 1950s. Fats Domino, Little Richard, and then up comes this fair-haired man playing this fantastic song…not to mention seeing Jayne Mansfield parade around.

He was a guitar hero before the term was ever used. The song was released in 1957 and was written by Eddie Cochran and Ned Fairchild. It didn’t chart but was appreciated more in the UK at the time.

A couple of stories to come out about one of Eddie’s guitars

A 13-year-old Marc Feld met Cochran outside the Hackney Empire, a theater in the London borough of Hackney, where Cochran had just played a concert. Cochran allowed the boy to carry his guitar out to his limousine. Later Marc Feld would be known as… Marc Bolan of T Rex.

After the crash the guitar was impounded at a London police station…a young policeman used it to teach himself how to play. That policeman’s name was David Harman, but he would soon change his name to Dave Dee and help start a band called Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich…One of the soon to be British Invasion bands.

20 Flight Rock

Ooh, well I got a girl with a record machineWhen it comes to rockin’ she’s the queenWe love to dance on a Saturday nightAll alone where I can hold her tightBut she lives on the twentieth floor uptownThe elevator’s broken down

So I’ll walk one, two flight, three flight, fourFive, six, seven flight, eight flight, moreUp on the twelfth I’m startin’ to dragFifteenth floor I’m a-ready to sagGet to the top, I’m too tired to rock

When she calls me up on the telephoneSay, come on over honey, I’m all aloneI said, baby you’re mighty sweetBut I’m in bed with the achin’ feetThis went on for a couple of daysBut I couldn’t stay away

Well, they sent to Chicago for repairsTill it’s a-fixed I’m a-usin’ the stairsHope they hurry up before it’s too lateWant my baby too much to waitAll this climbin’ is a-gettin’ me downThey’ll find my corpse draped over a rail

But I’ll climb one, two flight, three flight, fourFive, six, seven flight, eight flight, moreUp on the twelfth I’m startin’ to dragFifteenth floor I’m a-ready to sagGet to the top, I’m too tired to rock

Ricky Nelson – Poor Little Fool

I just had a Ricky Nelson song not long ago…sue me…I’ve been listening to him a lot lately.

“Poor Little Fool” was written by 17-year-old Sharon Sheeley when she was still attending high school in Newport Beach, California. Female songwriters were rare at the time, and when the song climbed to #1 in the US, she became the first woman to compose an American chart-topper on her own.

Sharon Sheeley was engaged to Eddie Cochran and was involved in the car wreck that killed Cochran and injured Gene Vincent. Sheeley suffered a broken pelvis, Vincent broke his ribs and collarbone and added further damage to his already weak leg.

Sheeley later collaborated with Jackie DeShannon on hits for artists like Brenda Lee, and Irma Thomas. Sheeley and DeShannon were the first female writing team to have significant success in the pop realm. She died in 2002 at the age of 62 of complications following a cerebral hemorrhage.

Ricky Nelson didn’t hear hit potential in this song, but his father, the popular bandleader Ozzie Nelson, did. Ozzie convinced Ricky’s label, Imperial Records, to issue it as a single, but Ricky refused to approve a photo for the cover and wouldn’t perform it on the family TV show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Ozzie’s instincts were correct. Father knew best in this instance.

Poor Little Fool featured The Jordanaires, who were Elvis Presley’s backing singers. This song peaked at #1 in the Billboard Charts in 1958. This was Ricky’s first number one hit.

Poor Little Fool

I used to play around with hearts that hastened at my call
But when I met that little girl I knew that I would fall
Poor little fool oh yeah I was a fool uh huh
(Uh huh poor little fool I was your fool oh yeah)

She played around and teased me with her carefree devil eyes
She’d hold me close and kiss me but her heart was full of lies
Poor little fool
She told me how she cared for me and that we’d never part

And so for the very first time I gave away my heart
Poor little fool
The next day she was gone and I knew she’d lied to me
She left me with a broken heart and won her victory

Poor little fool
Well I’d played this game with other hearts but I never thought I’d see
The day that someone else would play love’s foolish game with me
Poor little fool

Eddie Cochran – Somethin’ Else

The first thing I noticed are the huge drums that start this song off. Eddie was one of the great rock and roll guitar players in the 50s. His guitar playing influenced bands such as The Clash, The Ramones, and The Sex Pistols.

Cochran wrote this with the help of Sharon Sheeley, who became Eddie’s girlfriend. There weren’t many female songwriters at the time, but Sheeley’s first effort, “Poor Little Fool,” became a #1 hit for Ricky Nelson.

She met Eddie when she asked him to record one of her songs.

On April 17, 1960, Cochran was killed in a car accident at age 21. Sheeley and Gene Vincent were also in the car and injured in the crash, but Cochran went through the windshield.

Sheeley continued to write songs for artists like Brenda Lee and Irma Thomas. She died in 2002 at age 62.

Somethin’ Else

A look a-there, here she comes
There comes that girl again
Wanted to date her since I don’t know when
But she don’t notice me when I pass
She goes with all the guys from outta my class
But that can’t stop me from a-thinkin’ to myself
She’s sure fine lookin’ man, she’s something else

Hey, look a-there, across the street
There’s a car made just for me
To own that car would be a luxery
But right now I can’t afford the gas
A brand new convertible is outta my class
But that can’t stop me from athinkin’ to myself
That car’s fine lookin’ man, it’s something else

Hey, look a-here, just wait and see
Worked hard and saved my dough
I’ll buy that car that I been wanting so
Get me that girl and we’ll go ridin’ around
We’ll look real sharp with the flight top down
I keep right on a-dreamin’ and a-thinkin’ to myself
When it all comes true man, wow, that’s something else

Look a-there, what’s all this
Never thought I’d do this before
But here I am a-knockin’ on her door
My car’s out front and it’s all mine
Just a forty-one ford, not a fifty-nine
I got that girl an’ I’m a-thinkin’ to myself
She’s sure fine lookin’ man, wow, she’s something else

Eddie Cochran 50s Guitar Hero

I got to know Eddie Cochran’s music through The Who. The Who covered Summertime Blues and I wanted to know where that came from…I read about his influence on the Beatles but never heard anything from him until the mid-eighties when I bought one of his compilation albums.

Eddie Cochran was a huge influence for the up and coming British guitar players of the sixties. Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, John Lennon, and Pete Townshend. He was huge in the UK. He was one of the big 50s guitar heroes. He broke through with the song “Summertime Blues” in 1958 that peaked at #8 in the Billboard 100 and he also did well with C’mon Everybody. He was never really big in America… he was a bigger star in Europe.

His influence can be heard throughout rock and roll…It was because Paul McCartney knew the chords and words to “Twenty Flight Rock” that impressed John Lennon to asked Paul to become a member of the Quarrymen.

Sharon Sheeley was a songwriter. She wrote Ricky Nelson’s first hit “Poor Little Fool” and a couple of songs (Love Again and Cherished Memories) for Cochran.

There are a couple of stories about Eddie’s Gretch guitar. A 13-year-old Marc Feld met Cochran outside the Hackney Empire, a theater in the London borough of Hackney, where Cochran had just played a concert. Cochran allowed the boy to carry his guitar out to his limousine. Later Marc Feld would be known as… Marc Bolan of T Rex.