Gene Vincent

Gene Vincent's recording history, once almost completely out of print domestically -- especially the critical years with the Capitol label from 1956 through 1960 -- is now well documented. His fleeting stateside stardom aside, Vincent recorded prolifically from the time of his first hit in 1956 (the immortal "Be-Bop-a-Lula") up to his death in 1971 at the age of 36 (injured in the car crash that killed Eddie Cochran, Vincent's health suffered further as he became increasingly dependent on alcohol). While only a smidgen of his prolific output is as inspired as his early work, at least Vincent stayed on the rock & roll course to the end: He always favored black leather and the big beat. He wasn't as primitive as Link Wray, but he shared with Wray an unswerving commitment to keep on rocking when other stars of their generation were attempting to transform themselves into country or MOR singers.

Vincent never again equaled the chart success of "Be-Bop-a-Lula" (his only other Top 40 singles were "Lotta Lovin' " in late 1957, which peaked at #13, and "Dance to the Bop," a #23 pop single in early '58). But Vincent did cut some absolutely riveting, ferocious rock & roll, full of sneers, attitude, breathless passion, and blazing-hot instrumental work. The music is uniformly inspired, even when the band's lineup is fluid, and virtually the entire recorded output for Capitol can be heard now. A concise survey of the 1956–57 barn burners is available on the Razor & Tie compilation, aptly titled The Screaming End: The Best of Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps, and on Capitol's 21-track Collectors Series entry.

An interesting entry in the catalogue is Dragon Street's The Lost Dallas Sessions 1957–1958, which documents Vincent's first studio work with a new lineup of Blue Caps. For a deeper probing into Vincent's Capitol years and various Blue Caps incarnations, Collectables has reissued all six albums the artist released on Capitol from 1956 through 1960. These are all on twofer single-CD packages: from 1957, Bluejean Bop! and Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps showcase Vincent and Gallup at the outset of their journey, although neither album includes "Be-Bop-a-Lula" or "Woman Love." The twofer composed of Vincent's 1958 albums -- Gene Vincent Rocks! And the Blue Caps Roll and A Record Date with Gene Vincent -- does include "Be-Bop-a-Lula" as a bonus track, plus its followup, "Race With the Devil." In addition to the original material here, these albums also find Vincent and company dipping into their country bag for exemplary renditions of Hank Williams' "Your Cheatin' Heart," "Hey Good Lookin'," and "I Can't Help It If I'm Still in Love with You"; some classic pop by way of the Gershwins' "Summertime" and Rodgers and Hammerstein's inspirational "You'll Never Walk Alone" (yes, in a Gene Vincent rendition); and a little taste of honky-tonk in Mel Tillis' "Five Feet of Lovin'." The third Collectables twofer features 1959's Sounds Like Gene Vincent and 1960's Crazy Times and includes three nonalbum singles, "Lotta Lovin' " (his 1957 hit single), "Wear My Ring," and "Dance to the Bop," with Vincent and the Blue Caps rocking furiously. (DAVID MCGEE)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide