"...Lonesome Train (On A Railroad Track)..."
Forgotten hero and wild-cat
howler - a 22-year old Johnny Burnette saw his mercurial journey explode in the
autumn of 1956 with his self-titled 'Rock 'n' Roll Trio' debut LP - a slab of
no-nonsense bop that's entered both Rock 'n' Roll and Rockabilly legend.
Just prior to that - and
along with Chess artists The Moonglows, The Flamingos and especially Chuck
Berry - Burnette had also seen his "Lonesome Train (On A Lonesome
Track)" song featured in the Alan Freed movie "Rock, Rock,
Rock!" that was literally tearing up seats in late 1955 all over American
and then the rest of the World in the spring of 1956. But by 1964 - victim of a
tragic boating accident - the Memphis lad was already gone – a career that
promised much but was curtailed too soon (Hell they say him and his brother
Dorsey even attended Humes High School where a certain Elvis Presley had curled
his lips). And that's where this clever CD reissue comes in...
Burnette's stunning 1956
debut LP on Coral Records is paired with his more poppy Liberty Records 2nd
platter "Dreamin'" from 1960 on this value-for-money Hoodoo Records
CD reissue that even chucks in 8 bonus tracks for good measure (mostly non-album 7" single
sides in and around the albums). Most Hoodoo releases feature material outside
of the 50-year copyright law - but I've found that their CD reissues are done
with style (fan-pleasing booklets) and sport great audio into the bargain -
never mind making available again vinyl rarities that might cost you more than
a second mortgage. Here are the lonesome trains that you wish had kept on Rollin'...
UK released May 2012 -
"Johnny Burnette And The Rock 'n' Roll Trio + Dreamin': The Definitive
Edition" by JOHNNY BURNETTE AND THE ROCK 'N' ROLL TRIO on Hoodoo Records
263414 (Barcode 8436542010481) offers up his first 2LPs Remastered onto 1CD
with Eight Bonus Tracks and plays out as follows (72:56 minutes):
1. Honey Hush
2. Lonesome Train
3. Sweet Love On My Mind
4. Rock Billy Boogie
5. Lonesome Tears In My Eyes
6. All By Myself
7. The Train Kept A-Rollin'
[Side 2]
8. I Just Found Out
9. Your Baby Blue Eyes
10. Chains Of Love
11. I Love You So
12. Drinking Wine
(Spo-Dee-O-Dee)
Tracks 1 to 12 are his debut
album "Johnny Burnette and the Rock 'n' Roll Trio" – released October
1956 in the USA on Coral CRL 57080 in Mono.
13. Dreamin'
14. Lovesick Blues
15. Please Help Me, I'm
Falling
16. Haul Off And Love Me One
More Time
17. Love Me
18. Kaw-Liga
19. Settin' The Woods On
Fire
20. I Want To Be With You
Always
21. Cincinnati Fireball
22. My Special Angel
23. Finders Keepers
24. I Really Don't Want To
Know
Tracks 13 and 24 are his 2nd
studio album "Dreamin'" - released August 1960 in the USA on Liberty
LRP-3179 in Mono (credited to JOHNNY BURNETTE only)
BONUS TRACKS:
25. Tear It Up - non-album
A-side of a May 1956 US 7" single on Coral 9-61651
26. Rock Therapy - first
appeared on the 1993 CD reissue of the "Johnny Burnette And The Rock 'n'
Roll Trio"
27. Oh Baby Babe - non-album
A-side of a July 1956 US 7" single on Coral 9-61675
28. You're Sixteen -
non-album A-side of an October 1960 US 7" single on Liberty F-55285
29. Touch Me - non-album
B-side to "Eager Beaver Baby" - a May 1957 US 7" single on Coral
9-61829
30. Please Don't Leave Me -
Fats Domino cover that first appeared on the 1993 CD reissue of the
"Johnny Burnette And The Rock 'n' Roll Trio"
31. Little Boy Sad -
non-album A-side of a January 1961 US 7" single on Liberty F-55298
32. Sweet Baby Doll -
non-album B-side to "I'll Never Love Again" - a July 1959 US 7"
single on Freedom F-44017
The 16-page booklet features
February 2012 fact-filled liner notes from GARY BLAILOCK as well as six
jam-packed full-page memorabilia-spreads - Coral and Liberty 7" singles,
rare US and UK picture sleeves, Gold London Label Tri-Centers, rare EP covers
in colour, publicity photos for the three boys (Johnny and Dorsey Burnette with
guitarist Paul Burlison) – as well as original liner notes for both LPs and musician
credits at the rear for most tracks. It’s an impressive photo layout that
chronicles his transition from wild-man Bopper to a "You're Sixteen"
teenage lust-bucket idol getting his shirt ripped off by frantic ladies at
concerts. And though no mastering is mentioned anyway – the Audio is almost as
good as my "Johnny Burnette Rocks" CD on Bear Family (see separate
review).
The sheer Gene Vincent and
his blue Caps visceral power of the 'Trio' debut comes at you from the get go -
opening with his cover of Joe Turner's "Honey Hush" followed by Glen
Moore and Milton Subotsky's "Lonesome Train..." - a July 1956 song
that feels like it's spiritual home is Sun Records when the joint was jumping.
The Stray Cats practically based their entire retro sound on "Sweet Love
On My Mind" - Grady Martin providing that great Lead Guitar - Brian Setzer
channeling his great fretboard skill decades later. Buddy Holly would have
loved "Lonesome Tears In My Eyes" while Side 1 ends with one his best
vocal tear-it-ups "All By Myself" (Screaming End fans will love that
'Yeow!' roar).
Side 2 opens with a monster
- Grady Martin and Paul Burlison grungeing up those guitars for his early days
signature tune "The Train Kept A-Rollin'" - a wild song even now. Our
Johnny prays to God to send her love to him in "I Just Found Out" but
I'm afraid he sounds like a sucker whose been cheated by a heartbreaker.
"Your Baby Blue Eyes" is a fantastic Rockabilly bopper complete with
screams, slap upright bass and cool guitar picking. The Anita Kerr Singers
unfortunately grace the sappy "I Love You So" - but things are
rescued by a half-decent version of Sticks McGhee's Atlantic Records hit
"Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee".
After the sheer fun and
vitality of the 'Trio' LP - 1960's "Dreamin'" seems eons away - the
untamed yet cool Rocker replaced with a middle-of-the-road Pop crooner reaching
for the lucrative 'kids' market with strings and backing singers as his weapons
of choice. His Liberty Records debut LP is a different beast altogether - much of
which I can't listen to except moments like his excellent cover of Presley's
wonderful "Love Me". But stuff like the 'dress up in your yellow' and
'let’s hit the hops' pseudo teen bop of "Settin' The Woods On Fire"
is pap I find hard to stomach. But things are rescued by a slew of great Bonus
Tracks including the wicked "Tear It Up" and "Rock Therapy"
outtake where the pair could easily have had pride-of-place on the 'Trio' LP.
And even though its "Dreamin'" era mush - I'm partial to Burnette's
original of "You're Sixteen" which good old Ringo Starr from The
Beatles would chart again with a quality cover version of it on Apple Records
in 1974.
The first LP is a
masterpiece of the genre - but that follow-up four years later leaves me cold
and itchy for the fast-forward button.
File Under 'Rock 'n' Roll'
it says on the back on this excellent Hoodoo Records CD Reissue – well half of
it anyway…but man what a ride…
