The cover art may be out of the movie of the title, but the sound is pure
Wanda Jackson
, and anyone who's kind of fond of
Wanda
is going to love
"OK Doll, It's a Deal"
by
Joannie King
-- she's a little throatier than the legendary
Jackson
, but she rocks. There are some familiar names here, too --
Patsy Cline
(
"Love Me Love Me Honey Do"
), most obviously, and
Dodie Stevens
"Pink Shoe Laces"
), but the rest is rarer than hen's teeth.
Fonda Wallace
ought to have been a legend for the raucous
"Lou Lou Knows,"
and
Barbara Tennant
's
"Rock Baby Rock"
is one of those bracing rock & roll anthems that just moves, honking saxes, sub-
Jordanaires
, chorus and all (dig her scream of ecstasy before the sax break).
Joyce Poynter
"Chilli Dippin' Baby"
) is a hybrid country rocker, but
Orella Myers
has a lot more of a country twang in
"Give a Little, Take a Little,"
and the song wouldn't have been out of place on a
Grand Ole Opry
program, but someone sure knew how to strum a hot guitar and coax some loud notes from an amplified axe. A few ballads (
"I'll Never Love Again"
Betty Nickel
, etc.) break up the mood, and not everything is up to the standard of the best rockers --
Penny Candy
"The Rockin' Lady"
) is predictably programmatic, although
Virginia Lowe
"I'm in Love with Elvis"
gets by on her soaring vocals;
Myers
'
"Ask Lucille"
is strictly backwoods;
Dottie Mae
"Sugar Doll"
isn't too much harder. But this is still a solid collection, if a bit more countrified (without a rockabilly beat to compensate) than most rock & roll fans necessarily want. On the other hand,
"Go Get the Shotgun, Grand'Pa"
Ann Castle
is a rural subject rendered in a solid rock & roll form, with a rhythm section that sounds like it was pulled from the nearest strip-joint band on a good night and a fiercely sexual performance from
Castle
. The real finds here are
"Gonna Be Loved"
Linda & the Epics
, which sounds like a sure bet for
the A-Bones
to cover if they ever hear it, with superb guitar and sax work, and
"Money Honey"
Janece Morgan
, who sounds like
Gene Vincent
reincarnated as a girl, with a band that deserved better than anonymity backing her up. ~ Bruce Eder