Handy Man: The Otis Blackwell Songbook on CD
Handy Man: The Otis Blackwell Songbook
Conventional CD, playable with all CD players and computer drives, but also with most SACD or multiplayers.
- Label:
- Ace
- Item number:
- 2922458
- UPC/EAN:
- 0029667052122
- Release date:
- 27.8.2012
Eine der ersten Komposition von Otis Blackwell war zusammen mit Eddie Cooley der Weltstandard ‘Fever’, im Original von Little Willie John. Zum Hit wurde das Stück erst in der jazzigen Version von Peggy Lee, und auch Elvis Presley griff ‘Fever‘ fingerschnippend auf. Insgesamt existieren um die 72 Versionen des Songs.
Jerry Lee Lewis nutzte die Dienste Blackwells bei ‘Great Balls Of Fire’ aus. Der in Kooperation mit dem Session-Pianisten Jack Hammer entstandene Song verkaufte sich 5 Millionen Mal, wodurch Lewis - ehemaliger Label-Kollege von Elvis bei Sun Records - für Presley zur ernsthaften Konkurrenz wurde. Der Hit war der größte Umsatzerfolg von Sun-Records. Auch Bobby Darin konnte mit ‘All The Way Home’, nicht verzichten. Elvis Presley (‘All Shook Up’, ‘Don’t Be Cruel’), Gene Pitney (I’ll Find You’), Solomon Burke (‘Home In Your Heart’), Cliff Richard & The Shadows (‘Nine Times Out Of Ten’) wussten alle um die Qualitäten des versierten Song-Schmieds Otis Blackwell, von dem 24 Tracks auf diesem Sampler zu finden sind. Eine Bereicherung in der hervorragenden Songwriter-Serie von Ace.
Product Information
Arguments over who the greatest rock’n’roll songwriter is will abound long after those reading this have gone to meet their maker. But surely near the top of everyone’s list of contenders would have to be Otis Blackwell, a one-man hit factory whose catalogue includes more classic rock’n’roll songs than any other single songwriter of his time. His compositions for Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis alone would guarantee his entry into every music Hall Of Fame.
“Handy Man”, named after the song that brought worldwide chart fame to Jimmy Jones in 1959, is a worthy tribute to a man who, if he’d only written ‘Fever’, would still be regarded as one of the foremost composers of the rock’n’roll era.
Compiled in the spirit of previous entries in our songwriter series, it’s much more than merely a collection of Otis’ 24 greatest hits, sung by those who recorded them first. We like to mix it up a bit, so the title track is heard in Del Shannon’s stomping 1964 version, while Jimmy Jones is represented with another fine Otis Blackwell song. Those interested enough to purchase will have more than a passing familiarity with Elvis’ version of ‘All Shook Up’, so rather than reissue that for the gazillionth time, we instead bring the song to you by David Hill, whose rare original makes its first legitimate CD appearance here. Likewise ‘Don’t Be Cruel’: rather than Elvis we bring you Jerry Lee Lewis’ uproarious take, in preference to any of the Otis Blackwell compositions generally associated with him. As for Elvis, being spoilt for choice made us opt for his first, and one of his very best, post-Army recordings; ‘Make Me Know It’ reignited his recording career and was deemed potent enough to kick off his “Elvis Is Back” album.
The songs featured in “Handy Man” cover roughly from around 1953 to 1963. Later offerings by Solomon Burke and Sam Butera show that, unlike some of his peers, Otis easily adapted to the changes in music as the 1960s unfolded. How durable his compositions were are demonstrated by Derek Martin’s classic 1962 cut of ‘Daddy Rollin’ Stone’, which Otis had recorded as a menacing blues almost a decade earlier. Via Martin, the song became a boastful declaration of intent for a new generation of sharp boys, and of English mods in particular.
Brace yourself for a masterclass in rock’n’roll songwriting by a man who was much more than merely handy with a pen and paper.
By Tony Rounce
(acerecords. co. uk)
Rezensionen
,,Er wollte lieber Komponist sein, und das gelang ihm – speziell in den Fifties – derart gut, dass kein Geringerer als Little Richard ihn für den Besten jenes Jahrzehnts hält. Was der Wahrheit zumindest sehr nahe kommt, wofür Handy Man massenhaft Beweise liefert." (Good Times, Dezember / Januar 2012)
Disk 1 von 1 (CD)
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1 Elvis Presley: Make Me Know It
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2 Clyde McPhatter: I told myself a lie
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3 Jerry Lee Lewis: Don't be cruel
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4 The Five Keys: My pigeon's gone
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5 Charlie Gracie: Cool baby
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6 Little Willie John: Fever (String Overdubs)
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7 Wade Flemons: Slow motion
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8 Johnny Restivo: The shape I'm in
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9 Priscilla
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10 Ben E. King: Brace Yourself
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11 David Hill: All shook up
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12 Nine times out of ten
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13 Gene Pitney: I'll Find You
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14 Mahalia Jackson: For my good fortune
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15 Thurston Harris: Hey little girl
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16 The Queen: Honky tonky
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17 Roy Clark: Please, Mister Mayor
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18 Dee Clark: Just Keep It Up (And See What Happens)
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19 Jimmy Jones (Rock'n'Roll): Too long will be too late
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20 One broken heart for sale (1962 Demo)
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21 Derek Martin: Daddy rollin' stone
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22 Sam Butera: I feel good all over
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23 Solomon Burke: Home in your heart
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24 Del Shannon: Handy Man
