Growing up, my parents were into music, I think my mom more than dad due to a rough life and playing 45s seemed to be a way of out things. Certainly Elvis figured into there although the majority of records came from the teen idols of that time. Ricky Nelson for one, Paul Anka the other, night and day, the angel and the antichrist so to speak. Growing up as a kid whose never strayed far from the Woolworth's record section back in 63 (or never left) buying 45s came from word association or labels. Mostly ABC Paramount to which that logo seemed to hypnotize me into buying just about everything that came out of the label (and explains why the Ginny Come Lately 45 came home with me a few weeks ago, never underestimate the power of the ABC Paramount Logo. Don't believe me let it hypnotize you then.
Which is probably the reason why Paul Anka figured into this. I'm sure the logo got Mom or her sister to buy about 5 copies of his hits. I've seen his 15 big hits that ABC put out years ago and while Anka isn't rock and roll, he was more lounge, I did like Something Has Changed Me (B side to It's Time To Cry) and the urgency of Lonely Boy which I consider his high point. I'm guessing my mom also bought his 1963 RCA revisit of the hits 21 Golden Hits to which Anka runs through his hits in Ramones like fashion, most are around 2 minutes and Lonely Boy sounds more assured than the ABC version and The Longest Day was a nice ending, but the rest of the album hasn't held up over time. Since I have the CD perhaps I'll return it to my mom, I think she'll enjoy it more than me. Or maybe not.
Anka recorded for a while for RCA and wrote My Way to which became a big staple for Frank Sinatra but he also wrote It Doesn't Matter Anymore for Buddy Holly to which 21 Golden Hits actually is more rocking than Buddy's if you can believe that. For me, his 1973 Buddah single Jubilation to which I'm guessing was a gospel song managed to pop in the KCRG super 30 for a couple weeks and the first three and half minutes or part one really cooked till Anka entended it to a overbearing 6 and half minutes of strings and a bizarre wah wah throughout the song. I found the LP for 2 bucks and bought it and although his cover of Let Me Be The One is tolerable the rest of the album sucked. And then the next year Anka may have penned the all time worst song ever in You're Having My Baby for United Artists and he lost all credibility after that. He had a couple of top 20 hits after that (I Don't Like To Sleep Alone, Times Of Your Life come to mind) but the only thing I remember was his Rock Swings CD a few years ago to which he takes Smells Like Teen Spirit and turns it into a big Vegas showstopper number. Rhino Records collected the best and worst of Anka into 30th Anniversary Collection which has the ABC singles rather than the RCA remakes, plus Jubilation and of course, You're Having My Baby. The cream of the crop and the chaff.
One of the more interesting albums that in my folks collection was Johnny Tillotson It Keeps Right On A Hurtin for Cadence. (Available on ACE as an import) to which Johnny sang country songs and had some of the finest Nashville session players backing him up (Floyd Cramer comes to mind). This is where I discover songs like Fool number 1, Lonely Street, Send Me The Pillow That You Dream On and even Willie Nelson's Hello Walls. In my opinion, one of the best teen idols doing Nashville albums ever made. Tillotson had a big hit with Poetry In Motion but later bargain hunts found Without You, his 1961 top 40 single that is before It Keeps Right On A Hurtin and A Worried Man for MGM in 1964. Varese issued 25 All Time Greatest Hits which combines the Cadence/MGM years.
Bobby Rydell, another dude that isn't exactly rock and roll. I think Mom had this album of Bobby's Biggest Hits and I'm surprised Dad never broke that album like he did with the Johnny Mathis albums. But for pure camp, Kissing Time was later covered by KISS if you can believe that. The B Side You'll Never Tame Me was wicked cool genius but the folks at ABKCO didn't think it was worthy of a spot on the best of that they put out. Wild One gets some airplay on the radio and it does bring a smile to my face when I hear it but I'm sure Bobby's version of Volare is remembered as the scene that Robert Wahl's character on Hollywood Knights is that he farts when he hears it. I'll never heard any of the Capitol singles.
For the other idols of note, Frankie Avalon was too cheesy most of the time and Fabian was even more cheese but one of my earliest singles that I ever got from word association was De De Dinah or Ginger Bread but the rest was too corny for me to partake even at 5 years old (Boy Without A Girl, Bobby Sox To Blue Jeans) Fabian, the Asphalt Elvis from Philadelphia as one mag called him had Hound Dog Man to which if you sped it up to 78 RPM it sounded like Hot Dog Man and probably the inspiration for Hot Dog Hell by Old Skull. I did buy Got The Feeling for 10 cents at some place years ago and didn't care much for it but in the end the best song he ever did was Tiger, a fun song and the only time I ever want to hear Fabian. Collectibles put out a best of years ago that pretty much captures all his highlights if you can find it. Varese Sandabande rumoured to put out a 10 song best of but I have yet to see it. This Is Fabian! (Ace UK) has all the hits and b sides for the curious.
Which leaves us the best for the last. The Everly Brothers. Four singles and the 15 Biggest Hits that came out Cadence remains the best of the teen idols that I grew up listening to. Four more singles came from Ricky Nelson to which It's Late was one of the first 45's that I ever bought. Rhino has kept the Everly's All Time Greatest Hits in print and EMI has always had a best of Ricky Nelson as well, but I tend to favor the Ace Rockin' With Ricky which with James Burton in tow, Nelson made some real rocking records and prove the be the best of teen idols right up to Elvis. But for perfect harmonies, none were better than the heavenly sound of the Everlys. Nuff said.
Records Of Note: (45's only)
Johnny Tollitson-It Keeps Right On A Hurtin, Without You, Talk Back Trembling Lips
Frankie Avalon-Ginger Bread, De De Dinah, Just Ask Your Heart, Boy Without A Girl
Tommy Roe-Carol, Everybody
Fabian-Hound Dog Man, Got The Feeling, Tiger
Ricky Nelson-Poor Little Fool, It's Late, Believe What You Said, Hello Mary Lou
Everly Brothers: Wake Up Little Susie, Problems, Since You Broke My Heart, Poor Jenny
Bobby Rydell: Kissin' Time/You'll Never Tame Me, Wild One
Chubby Checker: Popeye The Hitchhiker, The Twist
Paul Anka-Dinah, Lonely Boy, It's Time To Cry/Something Has Changed Me, Don't Gamble With Love
Elvis Presley: A Big Hunk O Love, Teddy Bear, Anytime You Want Me/Love Me Tender
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