The Golden Age Of American Rock 'N' Roll 1954-63 Volume 2 @ 320



In his notes for the initial volume of the “Golden Age” series, Rob Finnis points out that the arrival of the Beatles drew a distinct line under the era of American pop music that gave us so many memorable records, many of which fuelled the British Invasion of the US charts. The period of 1954-1963 gave us pure rock’n’roll hits, doo wop, country, exciting instrumentals and the evolution of R&B music into soul; all of these riches underscore the development of the series.

With “Volume 2” the series begins to dig a little deeper to reveal a smorgasbord of harder-to-find gems. Lonnie Mack’s ‘Memphis’ immediately puts you in a receptive frame of mind for what is to follow: the raw Blue belles’ hit ‘I Sold My Heart To The Junkman’, the ultra-smooth Duprees’ ‘You Belong To Me’ and the less polished but exciting ‘Rockin’ In The Jungle’ from the Eternals. Classic 50s doo wop comes from the Silhouettes’ chart-topper ‘Get A Job’, the Willows and the Five Satins. The early 60s saw the Paradons with ‘Diamonds And Pearls’ delivered in the classic 50s style, while neo-doo woppers include the Capris, the Videls and the wonderful ‘Nag’ from the Halos, who maintained the Coasters-styled humour tradition. (Ace founder Ted Carroll had a box of mint UK London label issues of ‘Nag’ at hisGolborne Roadstall which he would delight in offering to customers he deemed likely to be appreciative.) Barbara George’s ‘I Know’ was a track on the famed “Sue Story” LP so beloved of early clubbers in the UK, making it another evocative and key sound from our collective past. And then there were solo acts Kenny Dino, Jimmy Charles, Harold Dorman and Bobby Comstock, and rare groups such as the Aquatones, the Bell Notes and the quaint Gabriel & the Angels. Not sure what their hits were? This is the place to hear them and find out their background stories in the booklet.

Of the 30 tracks, the majority were issued in the UK. Due to the our lack of adventurous radio at the time, only five became hits here, with Sandy Nelson, Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs and Billy Bland making it into the Top 20 and the Hollywood Argyles coming close with ‘Alley-Oop’. One that did get played here was theRivieras’ infectious ‘CaliforniaSun’ which somehow encapsulates the worth of the series.







Track List



Memphis - Lonnie Mack

I Sold My Heart To The Junkman - Patti Labelle & The Bluebelles

You Belong To Me - The Duprees

Your Ma Said You Cried In Your Sleep Last Night - Kenny Dino

A Million To One - Jimmy Charles

Rockin' In The Jungle - The Eternals

Wild Weekend - The Rockin' Rebels

Stay - Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs

Down The Aisle Of Love - The Quintones

Mountain Of Love - Harold Dorman

Nag - The Halos

Let The Little Girl Dance - Billy Bland

There's A Moon Out Tonight - The Capris

Get A Job - The Silhouettes

You - The Aquatones

Buzz, Buzz, Buzz - The Hollywood Flames

I've Had It - The Bell Notes

I Know - Barbara George

Mister Lonely - The Videls

In The Still Of The Night - The Five Satins

Church Bells May Ring - The Willows

That's Life (That's Tough) - Gabriel And The Angels

Rumble - Link Wray

Let's Stomp - Bobby Comstock

Oh Julie - The Crescendos

Little Darlin' - The Gladiolas

Teen Beat - Sandy Nelson

Diamonds And Pearls - The Paradons

Alley-Oop - The Hollywood Argyles

California Sun - The Rivieras



This highly acclaimed series annotating the history of early rock has set industry standards. Each volume contains a scintillating mix of major and minor hits from the American Hot 100 in the years 1954-1963, which are regarded as the Golden Age of American rock'n'roll. Prior to inclusion each hit has to pass muster on a number of counts and only the finest tape sources are used. The lavish booklets are crammed with mouth-watering photos and ephemera which bring to life the stories behind the songs and no expense is spare in attaining the visual and sonic standards the tens of thousands of purchases have come to expect