The noted rockabilly mavens at Norton Records have been attempting to prove that there are still great rockin' sides from the 1950s left to be unearthed with their
Kicksville series, and there are 18 good-to-great vintage rockers awaiting inspection on the third edition in the serial. Compiled from studio acetates that were never released back in the day,
Kicksville, Vol. 3 includes unissued material from
Elvis-esque crooner
Ral Donner, rockabilly powerhouse
Benny Joy, and
Gary Usher, who would later go on to a distinguished career as a producer and songwriter. But most of the artists on this collection are thoroughly obscure, which makes the consistent quality of this disc all the more impressive. From the whacked-out guitar sound of Danny Dell's "Fun Lovin' Baby" and the hard-stompin' menace of "My Love Is Gone" by Ray Pate & the Rhythm Rockers to the frantic boogie of Kenny Parton & the Jones Boys' "Jump, Wiggle and Shake" and the R&B-accented stroll of "This Feeling Is Killing Me" by Eddie McCall & the Three Shades, this is a solid collection of first-era rock & roll, and while the audio quality is uneven (as you might expect given the age and format of the source materials), most of this sounds strong enough to qualify as a pleasant surprise, with plenty of dynamic range and minimal surface noise.
Kicksville, Vol. 3 isn't the place to learn about vintage rockabilly, but fanatics who think there are no stones waiting to be unturned will have lots of fun while they're proven wrong. ~ Mark Deming