Ricky Sings Agai
Rick Nelson
Johnny Burnette
Capitol/EMI Records, 2001
1 CD
Catalogue #: 32451
EAN: 0724353245122
UPC: 724353245122
You save: 20%
2 LPs on 1 CD: RICKY SINGS AGAIN (1959)/SONGS BY RICKY (1959).
Personnel includes: Rick Nelson (vocals, guitar); James Burton, Howard Roberts, Billy Strange (guitar); Gene Garf (piano); James Kirkland, George "Bud" DeNaut (bass); Richie Frost, Earl Palmer (drums); Johnny Burnette (percussion); Jordanaires (background vocals).
Producers: Rick Nelson, Ozzie Nelson, Jimmie Haskell.
Compilation producers: Bob Hyde, James Ritz.
Includes liner notes by James Ritz.
Digitally remastered by Bob Fisher (2001).
A companion piece to the twofer that features Ricky Nelson's first two albums, RICKY SINGS AGAIN/SONGS BY RICKY pairs his third and fourth full-length releases on one disc. Nelson was maturing as a performer by 1959 (the year both records were originally released), and excellent songs like "Lonesome Town" show him hitting his stride as a dreamy, sensitive crooner. As a rock-&-roller, Nelson had a sound that was a bit too glossy to be credible, but vocal help from the Jordanaires and lead guitar work from famed Sun Studios ace James Burton bump up Nelson's status by association.
Moreover, one can already hear hints of the country direction Nelson would pursue later in his career. Covers of Johnny Cash's "Restless Kid" and Hank Williams's "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You)" have some solid twang, and even songs like "It's Late" have a rootsy sort of shuffle to them. Both albums saw considerable commercial success, and they still sound pretty good all these decades later.
Tracklist
Rick Nelson
Rick Nelson was a teen idol in the 1950s, thanks to his role in TV's OZZY & HARRIET, his numerous pop hits, and his cover-boy looks, but in fact he was a serious musician who was in on the ground floor of the rockabilly revolution. In the '60s, when his pop-star phase had passed, he made some credible country and folk-rock albums. In the early '70s he formed an early country-rock group, the STONE CANYON BAND, and made some of the finest records of his career. Tragically, he died in a plane accident in 1985, but his progeny achieved fame after his death--his sons Gunnar and Matthew in the pop group Nelson, and his daughter Tracy as an actress.
