Johnny Burnette Trio - "The Train Kept A-Rollin'"

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Is there anything rawer or more unhinged in rock music than this recording? It devours and shits out most anything else that's labeled "hard" or "heavy." And when was it made? 1956? '57? Cripes. The moment I heard it for the first time, I had one of those, "Okay, so this is how it's supposed to be done..." moments. How can something so old seem so new and exhilirating?

― PB, Wednesday, 21 December 2005 20:51 (twenty years ago)

OTM. The Paul Burlison octave guitar solo, achieved by fretting the notes on the two E strings, is one of the coolest moments in rock and roll.

― Brooker Buckingham (Brooker B), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 21:04 (twenty years ago)

Not to mention the screams/shrieks/howls......whatever you want to call them.....just unreal.

― PB, Wednesday, 21 December 2005 21:37 (twenty years ago)

The rest of the R&R Trio's catalog is no slouch, either

― ZR (teenagequiet), Wednesday, 21 December 2005 22:27 (twenty years ago)

Yeah. Also see "B-I Bickey-Bi Bo Bo Go" by Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Thursday, 22 December 2005 01:55 (twenty years ago)

The only 50's track I know that competes is Muddy Water's "Still a Fool," but that's a slow burn.

― bendy (bendy), Thursday, 22 December 2005 11:42 (twenty years ago)

Gene Vincent is a little streamlined for me, but I love his records...."Lotta Lovin'" is great.

Also, Link Wray's "Ain't that Lovin' You Babe" may compete in the unhinged department....ditto for pretty much everything in Dick Dale's early career and the version of "Down the Line" that Buddy Holly did early in his recording career. But "Train Kept A-Rollin'" definitely stands out above the rest....

― PB, Thursday, 22 December 2005 20:38 (twenty years ago)

Just pulled out an album with "Still a Fool" -- forgot that Leonard Chess helps hold the tempo together on this and "She Moves Me" by banging on a bass drum.

― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Friday, 23 December 2005 11:44 (twenty years ago)

one year passes...

If you guys haven't heard them yet, you ought to seek out the two volumes of Johnny Burnette demos that Norton put out--"Crazy Date" and "Wampis Cat." All demos 57-60, some featuring Dorsey Burnette as well. I'd guess it's about 60% acoustic and about 40% electric/with band.

TONS of killers.

― be home by 11 (orion), Friday, 5 January 2007 17:10 (nineteen years ago)

I only know a couple of songs by Johnny Burnette including the one in the thread title which kicks so much ass it's unbelievable. I'll definitely have a look for those demos!

― Colonel Poo (Colonel Poo), Friday, 5 January 2007 17:31 (nineteen years ago)

four years pass...

Just picked up "Johnny Rocks" from Bear Family and it's THE best compilation of Burnette's pure rockabilly work. It just totally smokes, that fuzz guitar sound and that fabulous double-bass. Damn, talk about overlooked! Such a tragic death as well. And I didn't know his son Rocky had a hit in 1980!

― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 15 July 2011 22:22 (fourteen years ago)

what's up with bear family fitting 90 minutes of music on their CDs? do they know something the rest of us don't? anyway, yeah this band fucking smokes.

― by another name (amateurist), Saturday, 16 July 2011 00:21 (fourteen years ago)

Damn, looks interesting. I have an old comp on Official Records, just called "Johnny Burnette and the Rock'n'Roll Trio", which has 26 songs...maybe 9 of which aren't on the Bear Family package. Looks like the last 20 on that Bear Family set are not on mine...do they make it worth grabbing the set, or is it the first 16 here that are the real good ones?

― pauls00, Saturday, 16 July 2011 00:33 (fourteen years ago)

There's a Snapper Rock'n'Roll mid price set that's pretty good. Think it's about an hour long. Came out last year or the one before. Was a reissue of an earlier set on Charly.
Anyway there are several tracks by the R'N'R Trio that I love too. Blues Stay Away From Me & I Just Found Out to name 2. Chunky r'n'r before Burnette took off into much poppier territory.

Bear Family probably have the best sound though. But I wonder to what degree that's important on 50s r'n'r. Would think that once you got to a certain quality improvement could only be superficial? The Snapper rock'n'roll set sounds pretty great to me.

That Charly/Snapper series is pretty good grounding for r'n'r/rockabilly would also recommend Warren Smith & Sonny Burgess sets from it plus the Jerry Lee Lewis, Gene Vincent, Carl Perkins etc etc sets are good but possibly available elsewhere. But they are all cheap.

― Stevolende, Saturday, 16 July 2011 12:18 (fourteen years ago)

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