Sunglasses After Dark - Dwight Pullen

Sunglasses After Dark - Dwight Pullen

2:08

single, 1958

Written by Jimmy Noble and Dwight Pullen

This is a terrific rockabilly single from Pullen, a guitarist for Gene Vincent who previously recorded under the name Whitey Pullen.  He changed it because he thought Dwight would sound better to the teenagers buying records.  The song, the spiritual grandfather to both "Sunglasses at Night" and "Cheap Sunglasses," extols the virtues of looking sharp when wearing sunglasses after dark.  It's tongue-in-cheek, describing a fight in which no one comes out on top because all the participants, in their cool shades, could barely see.

Justine - Don & Dewey

Justine - Don & Dewey

2:44

single, 1958

Written by Don Harris and Dewey Terry

Although R&B duo Don & Dewey did not have any hits of their own, many of their songs became hits for other artists.  This piano-driven boogie, a rocker very much in the style of Little Richard, is gloriously fuzzy, with buzzy horns and the duo screaming every line and alternating the titular girls' name.  The lyrics are the typical ribald-adjacent stuff of the era: "You just won't treat me right / You like to ball in the mornin' / Stay out late at night."  This cut is unusual also in that about the first 40 seconds is studio chatter about what instruments to use in the recording ("don't need no piano!").

Try Me - Bob Luman

Try Me - Bob Luman

2:12

single, 1958

Written by Charles Singleton

With a teasing, brash style horn line, a male chorus echoing the title and providing a wordless "ooh" backing behind him, Luman fires out this short but sweet rockabilly number.  It's a braggadocio firmly in the '50s era: "Try me, you'll see / That I know something other lovers don't know / If you had some other kisses, but you ain't satisfied / Baby, I got kisses you ain't never tried."  It's delivered with a wink and swinging hip, not a sneer; Luman doesn't sound dangerous, just sly and sincere.

Stormy Weather - The Spaniels

Stormy Weather - The Spaniels

2:30

single, 1958

Written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler, 1933

A standard from the Great American Songbook about lost love ("Life is bare / Gloom and misery everywhere / Stormy weather, stormy weather") gets refracted through the prism of doo-wop and early R&B. It’s very different from the torch-song lineage of Ethel Waters, Lena Horne, or Billie Holiday.  Here, the Spaniels turn a cabaret lament into a toe-tapping shrug. In recasting the tune as a peppy doo-wop, they replace the orchestral polish with with jumping sax lines and cheery echoing backing vocal.  Instead of a sad woman with a martini glass, you get a man who doesn't seem all that worried, honestly, as he recounts a recent breakup to his jovial pals.

Peaches And Cream - Larry Williams

Peaches And Cream - Larry Williams

2:01

single, 1958

Written by Larry Williams

More Chuck Berry than Little Richard, this Williams rocker is, of course, about a rather inappropriately young girl whom the narrator is crazy for.  Sigh; it's best to assume that all these '50s (and onward) boogies about minors are written for, and from the perspective of, teenage boys.  Anyway, this is an archetypical example of the genre, with references to drive-ins on Saturday night, parking in the dark, and comparing the girl to a movie star.  "Great balls of fire, honey, I wanna be your man / I′m not jivin', it's understood / You′re the cutest in the neighborhood."  Rapid-fire piano tinkling and wailing sax give this song its fire.

Hot And Cold - Marvin Rainwater

Hot And Cold - Marvin Rainwater
2:10
Marvin Rainwater Sings With a Heart – With a Beat, 1958
Written by Marvin Rainwater?

I've never heard of this early rock singer, who apparently wore Native dress on stage and claimed Cherokee ancestry.  With a nasal voice straight out of the most countrified of honky-tonks, he sings not the heartbreak ballad you expect but high-tempo rockabilly, calling out the lyrics like a square dancer caller on speed.  It's all about the rhythm and the rock and go go and don't stop.  "Rock and roll, rock and roll / I can't stand still, not to save my soul / Roll and rock, roll and rock / That kinda rhythm would stop the clock."

Beep Beep - The Playmates

Beep Beep - The Playmates

2:31

At Play With the Playmates, 1958

Written by Carl Cicchetti and Donald Claps

The Playmates were a novelty vocal group originally called the Nitwits, which tells you how seriously to take them, I guess.  It's a story song à la Chuck Berry, though with less panache, bravado, or electric guitar.  Starting out slowly and building to a frenetic pace (with their voices and the sound effects sounding like the tape was sped up) by the end, it tells of an inadvertent race between the narrator's Cadillac and a Nash Rambler.  The Rambler keeps tailing the Caddy no matter how fast he drives; I expected the other guy to be tied to the Caddy at the end, but the punchline is sillier than that.

No Mail Today - Gene Terry and His Down Beats

No Mail Today - Gene Terry and His Down Beats

2:36

single, 1958

Written by Eddie Shuler and Terry DeRouen

I read that this song took Terry (real name Terry De Rouen) five minutes to write.  Terry was known as the king of Swamp Pop.  And what is Swamp Pop?  According to Terry himself, it's "white boys playing black music damned good." This one is a rockabilly number with saxophone and an obvious New Orleans boogie influence to it.  In it, Terry uses the common disappointment of having no mail to build a "come back to me, baby" song.

Adelita - Nat King Cole

Adelita - Nat King Cole

2:09

Cole Espanol, 1958

traditional

This is a traditional Mexican corrido, originally about a woman who does to fight in the Mexican revolution because of her love for a man.  In Cole's version, the going to war part is left out, and it's a declaration of a soldier of his love for Adelita, declaring that he'd follow her anywhere, even in a military car or train, and would love to buy her a silk dress.  Over a guitar and bright horn lines, Cole sings in Spanish, which sounds fairly decent to my untrained ears, albeit his delivery is somewhat halting.  When the male chorus comes in, it's a fuller sound and a smoother, more fluid Spanish.  

It's All in the Game - Tommy Edwards

It's All in the Game - Tommy Edwards 

2:40

single, 1958

Written by Charles G. Dawes and Carl Sigman

This song has the distinction of being the only number one song written by a U.S. Vice-President or a Nobel Peace Prize winner (Dawes).  It's been recorded by everyone from Louis Armstrong to Dinah Shore to Cliff Richards to Van Morrison, but Tommy Edwards recorded it first, in 1951, in the Ink Spots-like vocal style of the time.  This particular version is a re-recording he made with a slightly more uptempo, doo-wop ballad style.  The lyrics reassure us of the eternal nature of love that you can rely on: "You have words with him / And your future's looking dim / But these things your hearts can rise above."

Walkin' with Mr. Lee – Lee Allen

Walkin' with Mr. Lee – Lee Allen

2:26

single, 1958
Written by Lee Allen

This song was frequently played on the television program "American Bandstand."  Allen has been praised as a pioneer of the rock and roll sound: indeed, he played sax on "Tutti Frutti."  This song isn't as fiery, but it's an instrumental that's full of personality.  Allen's tenor sax doesn't just solo; it talks, struts, teases, and even sighs. The groove is relaxed but confident, built on that unmistakable New Orleans second-line swing. You can practically see the sidewalk swagger in the phrasing: this isn't background music, it’s a stroll with commentary.  His tone is big and rounded, expressive without being showy, and he knows exactly when to lean into a phrase and when to let the marching band rhythm section carry him forward.  

I Got a Rocket In My Pocket - Jimmy Lloyd

I Got a Rocket In My Pocket - Jimmy Lloyd

2:22

single, 1958

Written by Jimmy Lloyd (as James Logsdon) and VicMcAlpin

This is pure rockabilly.  Look up rockabilly in the dictionary and this song starts playing.  "I got a rocket in my pocket and a roll in my walk / So, baby don't fuss me with that North Forty talk."  Boogie-woogie piano, a guitar twanging, and a yodeling, jittering hillbilly at the microphone.  You can practically hear the sly winking with all the innuendo in the lyrics ("I got a rocket in my pocket and a roll in my jeans").  This guy's fuse is lit.  Personally I would keep a safe distance.

The Disguise - Ornette Coleman

The Disguise - Ornette Coleman
2:50
Something Else!!! The Music Of Ornette Coleman, 1958

Written by Ornette Coleman

Despite the title, this is not a late compilation, but Coleman's debut album, one of the only ones to feature piano in the combo.  It's free jazz with blues influences, and apparently made quite an impact when it came out.  I do not have an educated ear for jazz; what's most apparent for me is Coleman's sax duetting with the cornet and the rattling percussion.  I read elsewhere that for some listeners, the piano isn't really gelling with the rest of the band, playing in an older bebop style; maybe that's why Coleman got rid of it afterwards.

Endless Sleep - Jody Reynolds

Endless Sleep - Jody Reynolds

2:23

single, 1958

Written by Jody Reynolds and Dolores Nance

This was a top-ten hit in 1958.  I had never heard of Jody Reynolds and was, I guess, not very surprised to find out he is a dude!  He's mostly a rockabilly artist, I gather, but this song is a slow dirge with echo-flooded vocals, accompanied by a desultory guitar strum.  The narrator had an argument with his lady, and she ran to the sea.  It's not clear if she meant to kill herself.  "Why did we quarrel, why did we fight? / Why did I leave her alone tonight? / That's why her footsteps ran into the sea / That's why my baby has gone from me."  Bleak.  But the record company made him tack on a happy ending.  Sellout!

Poor Little Fool - Ricky Nelson

Poor Little Fool - Ricky Nelson

2:33

Ricky Nelson, 1958

Written by Sharon Sheely

This song was reportedly based on Sheely's disappointment following a short-lived relationship with Don Everly.  "Well, I'd played this game with other hearts / But I never thought I'd see / The day when someone else would play / Love's foolish game with me."  She got Nelson's attention by pretending that her car was broken down and when he came to help, she played the song for him!  She had a lot of grit to be so assertive in that era.  I think Elvis might have given this song a little more heart and oomph, but Nelson's very pleasant voice does a fine job with it.

Jump For Joy - Peggy Lee

Jump For Joy - Peggy Lee

2:05

Jump For Joy, 1958

Written by Duke Ellington, Sid Kuller, and Paul Francis Webster

Title trax!

This is a hard-swinging pop-jazz track, carried along by bright brass, Nelson Riddle's exuberant arrangements, and Lee's own joyful, confident, smooth vocals.  In Lee's hands, the song is a playful yet sophisticated celebration of happiness and resilience. The arrangement is light and breezy, with a laid-back rhythm that complements her effortless phrasing.  It feels celebratory, upbeat, and absolutely timeless.

Dizzy, Miss Lizzy - Larry Williams

Dizzy, Miss Lizzy - Larry Williams

2:12

single, 1958

Written by Larry Williams

It's Larry Williams week!

The Beatles covered this track, but they removed the comma, which is present in the original single.  Larry gives this one a more subdued vocal than on a lot of other hits (except a couple of roaring "woo's" like the one before the guitar solo), so if you've only heard the Beatles' screaming version this can seem like a letdown.  But it's a great song on its own, minus any comparisons, and a fine companion to Little Richard's more flamboyant "Good Golly Miss Molly."

She Said "Yeah" - Larry Williams

She Said "Yeah" - Larry Williams

1:51

single, 1958

Written by Don Christy and Roddy Jackson

It's Larry Williams week!

I know this song from McCartney's version on his excellent 1999 album Run Devil Run.  It's a declaration of intent about a pretty girl that caught the narrator's eye, as was the rock 'n' roll style of the time.  "Dum deedle dee dum dum / Little girl, where did you come from?"  Great horn sound, an up-tempo rocker very much in the style of Little Richard.  There's a reason both the Stones and the Beatles covered Williams; he knew how to infuse vinyl with the spirit of rhythm and blues.

Bad Boy - Larry Williams

Bad Boy - Larry Williams

2:17

single, 1958

Written by Larry Williams

It's Larry Williams week!

The tale of a juvenile delinquent, classic early rock 'n' roll sounding like a subdued Little Richard with spoken echoes like in "Bird Dog."  The bad behavior starts off rather tame, as befits the era, and then devolves into actual crimes.  He plays rock 'n' roll all night, he teases the girls, he has long hair, he feeds a pet canary to a cat, a puts the dog in a washing machine.  Hmm, I'm usually pretty anti-authoritarian, but maybe this particular bad boy should be sent to military school.

Willie And the Hand Jive - The Johnny Otis Show

Willie And the Hand Jive - The Johnny Otis Show

2:35

single, 1958

Written by Johnny Otis

I had only ever heard the Eric Clapton version before; this is the original.  Otis is an interesting guy; born Ioannis Alexandres Veliotes to Greek parents, as a youth he decided to identify as a black man.  The song is about a man named Rockin' Willie who became famous doing a mysterious dance with his hands which is never described.  (However, according to Wikipedia, "The dance consisted of clapping two fists together one on top of the other, followed by rolling the arms around each other.")  I personally always wondered if the song was a double entendre about masturbation.  I mean, it seems like it is, but that doesn't fit the lyrics that well.  Sure, there's the hand jive being disapproved of by his father.  But then why would Willie do it on TV?  Why would the grandmother give the sister a dime to do it again?  What would that mean??  But the music.  It's a jump blues shuffle, a Bo Diddley beat, it's got handclaps.  Great stuff.