Rock Around the Clock [Expanded]

• Artist: Bill Haley
• Rating:
• Release Date: April 02, 2004
• Genre: Rock

Review

If this reissue doesn't confirm precisely how cool Bill Haley was -- yes, Bill Haley, checkered jacket, spit curl, and all -- then nothing will. The first great LP of the rock & roll era, Rock Around the Clock never got the recognition it deserved from historians, mostly owing to the neglect that attached itself to Bill Haley in the decades after his heyday, and the fact that its biggest hits were parceled out to various compilations. Now it's back, a little more than 48 years after its first appearance, and it never sounded better; indeed, the only time it sounded fresher was in late 1955 and early 1956, when its music was all new to most listeners. On the 2004 remastered edition, even the triangle on "A.B.C. Boogie" comes out in sharp relief, and Danny Cedrone's guitar solo is almost in the room with you, and that's practically the least of the songs here. Frannie Beecher handled most of the guitar action on the album, and he soars on "Happy Baby" and "Birth of the Boogie," among other cuts here -- even people who aren't sold on Haley have to class this as one of the first great white guitar records ever released, and Billy Gussack's drumming is also worth the price of admission. The three bonus cuts, "R-O-C-K," "The Saints Rock & Roll," and "See You Later, Alligator," are an excellent match for the original dozen songs and just extend the driving, exciting beat of the LP by another eight minutes, which makes it all the more valuable. The sound matches the quality of the Bear Family box covering this period in Haley's career. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
(We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock	Jimmy DeKnight, Max Freedman	Bill Haley	(2:11)
Shake, Rattle and Roll	Charles E. Calhoun	Bill Haley	(2:31)
ABC Boogie	Max Spickel, Al Russell	Bill Haley	(2:29)
Thirteen Women (And Only One Man in Town)	Dicky Thompson	Bill Haley	(2:53)
Razzle-Dazzle	Charles E. Calhoun	Bill Haley	(2:43)
Two Hound Dogs	Bill Haley, Frank Pingatore	Bill Haley	(2:59)
Dim, Dim the Lights (I Want Some Atmosphere)	Beverly "Ruby" Ross, Julius Edward Dixon	Bill Haley	(2:31)
Happy Baby	Frank Pingatore	Bill Haley	(2:36)
Birth of the Boogie	Bill Haley, Johnny Grande, Billy Williamson	Bill Haley	(2:15)
Mambo Rock	M. Phillips, Jimmy Ayre, Bix Reichner	Bill Haley	(2:38)
Burn That Candle	Winfield Scott	Bill Haley	(2:46)
Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie	Bill Haley	Bill Haley	(2:21)
R-O-C-K [*]	Bill Haley, Rusty Keefer	Bill Haley	(2:21)
The Saints Rock & Roll [*]	Bill Haley, Milt Gabler	Bill Haley	(3:29)
See You Later, Alligator [*]	Robert Guidry	Bill Haley	(2:44)

Credits

Bill Haley (Guitar), Bill Haley (Arranger), Bill Haley (Vocals), Frances "Franny" Beecher (Guitar), Mike Fink (Design), Panama Francis (Drums), Milt Gabler (Arranger), Milt Gabler (Producer), Cliff Leeman (Drums), Andy McKaie (Reissue Producer), Al Rex (Bass), Danny Cedrone (Guitar), Joey d'Ambrosio (Sax (Tenor)), Johnny Grande (Piano), Marshall Lytle (Bass), Rudy Pompilli (Sax (Tenor)), Billy Williamson (Guitar (Steel)), Bill Dahl (Liner Notes), Bill Dahl (Research), Vartan (Art Direction), Erick Labson (Digital Remastering), Beth Stempel (Production Coordination), Ryan Null (Photo Research), Ralph Jones Band (Drums)