Rockabilly Dynamite-1000 Explosive Hits

I cannot say enough good things about this set!!! I am absolutely THRILLED with it & I doubt there is a better box set compilation of classic rockabilly to be found anywhere! Like other reviewers have said, I have not found even one track that I haven't liked! And I have no complaints about the sound quality either - happily, it is quite good - the levels are quite consistent & it certainly sounds great in my car for my daily commutes! :) A few numbers of interest: 653 DIFFERENT ARTISTS ON THIS SET; Max # of songs by an artist = 15 (Elvis); TOTAL OF 40 DISCS, with 25 songs on each disc. I tried to post the entire track listing for all 40 discs in my review for those interested, but the list was too long to fit within amazon’s max # of characters(!), so instead I’m including an alphabetical list of all the artists on the set, with the # of songs by each artist. You can find the complete track listing for reference at: http://www.propermusic.com/product-details/Various-Artists-Rock-A-Billy-Dynamite-1000-Explosive-Hits-40CD-148769 Al Casey - 4 Al Dean - 1 Al Epp & The Pharoahs - 1 Al Ferrier - 4 Al Hendrix - 1 Al Oster - 1 Al Runyon - 1 Al Urban - 2 Alden Holloway - 1 Allen Page & The Crowns - 2 Alton & Jimmy - 1 Alvis Wayne - 3 Amos Como & His Tune Toppers - 1 Andy Anderson - 2 Andy Dio - 1 Andy Starr - 3 Andy Starr & The Casinos - 1 Ann Castle - 1 Art Adams - 2 Art Adams & The Rhythm Knights - 1 Art Buchanan - 1 Art Wood - 1 Arthur Osborne - 1 Arthur Smith feat. Carol Honeycutt - 1 Aubrey Cagle - 6 Barbara Allen - 1 Barbara Pittman - 1 Barry Darwell - 1 Ben Hall - 1 Benny Banta - 1 Benny Barnes - 1 Benny Cliff - 1 Benny Ingram - 1 Benny Joy - 4 Bernie Early - 2 Big Al Downing - 1 Big T Tyler - 1 Bill Allen - 1 Bill Bell & The 4 Unknowns - 1 Bill Browning - 3 Bill Carter - 1 Bill Craddock - 1 Bill Flagg - 1 Bill Lawrence - 1 Bill Mack - 5 Bill Morrison - 1 Bill Parsons - 1 Bill Pinky - 1 Bill Sherill - 1 Bill Sherrill - 2 Bill Sherrill & The Dell Tones - 1 Bill Thomas - 1 Bill Woods - 1 Billy & Don Hart - 1 Billy Adams - 2 Billy Barnett - 1 Billy Brown - 3 Billy Carroll - 1 Billy Cee - 1 Billy Crash Craddock - 2 Billy Curley Barrix - 1 Billy Eldridge & The Fire Balls - 1 Billy Guitar - 1 Billy Harlan - 1 Billy Lamont - 1 Billy Lee Riley - 5 Billy Prager & His Caravans - 2 Bob Davis - 1 Bob Denton - 1 Bob Dewitt - 1 Bob Doss - 1 Bob Hicks & The Fenders - 2 Bob Hicks & The Youngsters - 1 Bob King - 2 Bob Luman - 2 Bobby & Terry Caraway - 1 Bobby Boston - 1 Bobby Brant - 1 Bobby Brown - 1 Bobby Crown & The Kapers - 1 Bobby Darin - 1 Bobby Freeman - 3 Bobby Gay - 1 Bobby Jackson - 1 Bobby Lawson - 1 Bobby Lee Trammel - 2 Bobby Lee Trammell - 4 Bobby Lonero - 1 Bobby Lord - 1 Bobby Louis - 1 Bobby Martin - 1 Bobby Norris - 1 Bobby Poe & The Poe-Cats - 1 Bobby Roberts - 2 Bobby Swanson & His Sonics - 1 Bobby Wayne & The Warriors - 1 Boyd Bennett - 2 Bozo Ratcliff - 1 Bozo Ratliff - 1 Brad Suggs - 1 Brenda Lee - 3 Bubba Ford - 1 Buck Griffin - 1 Buck Trail - 1 Buddy Burke & The Canadian Meteors - 1 Buddy Covelle - 1 Buddy Holly - 7 Buddy Knox - 2 Buddy Miller - 1 Buddy Shaw - 1 Carl Mann - 2 Carl McVoy - 2 Carl Perkins - 12 Carl Phillips - 2 Carole King - 2 Cecil Campbell - 1 Cecil McNabb Jr. - 2 Chan Romero - 3 Charles Senns - 1 Charlie Bop Trio - 1 Charlie Feathers - 3 Charlie Rich - 1 Charlie Stewart & The Gem Tones - 1 Cheeko Vass - 1 Chuck Comer - 1 Chuck Howard - 1 Chuck Mills & The Monarchs - 2 Chuck Tharpe & The Fireballs - 2 Chuck Wiley - 1 Cliff Benny - 1 Cliff Blakley - 2 Cliff Gleaves - 2 Cliff Richard & The Shadows - 1 Cliffie Stone - 1 Clyde Owens & The Moonlight Ramblers - 1 Clyde Stacey - 1 Clyde Stacey & The Night Caps - 1 Conny & The Bellhops - 2 Curley Griffin - 1 Curt Jensen - 1 Curtis Gordon - 2 Curtis Hoback - 1 Curtis Johnson & The Windjammers - 2 Curtis Long - 1 Curtis Long & The Rhythm Rockers - 1 Dale Davis & His Tomcats - 2 Dale Hawkins - 1 Dale Thomas - 1 Dale Vaughn & The Starnotes - 2 Dale Wayne - 1 Danny Dell - 1 Danny Dill - 1 Danny Reeves - 1 Danny Wolfe - 1 Darrell Rhodes - 1 David Ray - 1 Deacon & The Rock'n Rollers - 1 Dean Beard & The Crew Cats - 1 Debbie Stevens - 1 Dee & Patty - 1 Deke Wade - 1 Del Reeves - 2 Dennis Herrold - 2 Dennis Volk - 1 Derrell Felts - 1 Dick Fagan & The Scores - 1 Dick Lory - 1 Dick Robinson - 1 Dick Seaton - 1 Dickey Lee - 2 Dickie Damron - 1 Dinky Harris & The Spades - 1 Don Cole - 1 Don Duncan - 1 Don Feger & The Embers - 3 Don Gibson - 1 Don Phillips & Bill Dorton - 1 Don Rader - 1 Don Ray & The Rodeo Ramblers - 1 Don Red Roberts - 1 Don Wade - 2 Don Willis - 2 Don Woody - 2 Donald Simpson & The Rockenettes - 1 Dorsey Burnette - 1 Doug Amerson & Peck Gregory & His Dude Cowboys - 1 Doug Bragg - 1 Dwain Bell - 1 Dwayne Hickman - 1 Dwight Whitey Pullen - 5 Earl Henry - 1 Eddie Bond - 6 Eddie Bush - 1 Eddie Cash - 1 Eddie Cochran - 8 Eddie Fontaine - 2 Eddie Gaines & The Rockin'Five - 1 Eddie Quinteros - 3 Eddie Skelton - 1 Eddie Smalling & His Rhythm Aces - 1 Elaine Gay - 1 Elroy Dietzel - 1 Elroy Dietzel & The Rhythm Bandits - 1 Elvis Presley - 15 Emery Blades - 1 Ernie Barton - 1 Ersel Hickey - 1 Evelyn Harlene - 1 Everett Carpenter - 2 F. D. Johnson - 1 Farris Wilder - 1 Fat Daddy Holmes - 1 Frank Deaton & The Mad Lads - 1 Frank Starr & His Rock-Away Boys - 1 Frankie Dee - 1 Franklin Stewart - 1 Fred Crawford - 1 Freddie Bell & The Bell Boys - 1 Freddie Caddell - 2 Freddie Hart - 2 G. L. Davy Crockett - 1 Gene Brown - 1 Gene La Marr - 2 Gene La Marr & His Blue Flames - 1 Gene Lewis - 1 Gene Maltais - 3 Gene McKown & TheTune Twisters - 1 Gene Morris - 1 Gene Norman - 1 Gene Simmons - 1 Gene Sisco - 1 Gene Summers - 4 Gene Vincent - 13 Gene Wyatt - 3 George Fleming - 2 George Hamilton IV - 1 George Thumper Jones - 3 Gerry Middleton - 1 Glen Garrison - 1 Glen Glenn - 3 Glen Honeycutt - 1 Glenn Barber - 2 Glenn Bond - 1 Glenn Reeves - 2 Gordon Terry - 1 Grady Lewis & The Starlighters - 1 Grant Greeves - 1 Groovy Joe Poovey - 2 Guido D'Amico - 1 Guy Mitchell - 1 Hal Goodson & The Raiders - 1 Hal Willis - 2 Hank Mizell - 1 Hank Swatley - 1 Hank Thompson - 1 Harmon Boazeman - 1 Harry Carter - 2 Harry Lee - 1 Hasil Adkins - 1 Hayden Thompson - 1 Henry Henry - 1 Henry Wilson & The Bluenotes - 1 Herbie Smith - 1 Hoyt Johnson - 1 Hoyt Scoggins - 1 Ivan - 2 J. C. Sawyer - 1 J. D. Orr & His Lonesome Valley Boys - 1 J. Mikel - 2 Jack Bailey - 1 Jack Earls - 1 Jack Hammer - 1 Jack Lane - 1 Jack Scott - 3 Jack Winston - 1 Jackie Cray - 1 Jackie Dee (Jackie DeShannon) - 1 Jackie Gotroe - 1 Jackie Johnson - 1 Jackie Lee Cochran - 5 Jackie Morningstar - 1 Jackie Walker - 1 Jamie Coe - 1 Janis Martin - 5 Jay B. Lloyd - 2 Jay Blue - 1 Jay Gallegher - 1 Jay Hadley - 1 Jaycee Hill - 2 Jeff Daniels - 2 Jeff Stone - 1 Jerry Arnold & The Rhythm Captains - 1 Jerry Byrne - 2 Jerry Engler - 1 Jerry Irby - 1 Jerry Kennedy - 1 Jerry McGill & The Topcats - 1 Jesse James - 1 Jesse Lee Turner - 1 Jim & Rod - 1 Jim Flaherty's Caravan - 1 Jim Foley - 1 Jim McDonald - 2 Jim Morrison - 1 Jim Murphy - 1 Jim Wilson & The Flares - 1 Jimmie Martin Combo - 1 Jimmy & Johnny - 1 Jimmy Bowen - 1 Jimmy C. Newman - 1 Jimmy Carroll - 1 Jimmy Dane - 2 Jimmy Dee - 4 Jimmy Dell - 3 Jimmy Edwards - 1 Jimmy Evans - 1 Jimmy Ford - 2 Jimmy Gray - 2 Jimmy Grubbs - 1 Jimmy Isle - 2 Jimmy Johnson - 1 Jimmy Kelly - 1 Jimmy Lee Prow - 1 Jimmy Lloyd - 3 Jimmy Patton - 2 Jimmy Pritchett - 1 Jimmy Selph - 1 Jimmy Spellman - 1 Jimmy Williams - 2 Jimmy Witter - 1 Jimmy Wolford - 1 Jo Ann Campbell - 1 Joannie King - 1 Jody Reynolds - 3 Joe Bennett & The Sparkletones - 4 Joe Clay - 3 Joe D. Johnson - 1 Joe Gradie & The Western Gents - 1 Joe Maphis - 1 Joe Montgomery - 1 Joe Penny - 1 Joe Tate & The Hi-Five - 1 Joe Therrien Jr. & His Rockets - 1 Joel Hill - 1 Joey Castle - 1 Joey Michaels - 1 John D. Loudermilk - 1 John Hampton - 1 John Worthan - 2 Johnny & Dorsey Burnette - 2 Johnny Amelio & Bill Paradis - 2 Johnny Bell - 1 Johnny Bond - 1 Johnny Burnette - 2 Johnny Burnette Rock & Roll Trio - 11 Johnny Carroll - 5 Johnny Cavalier & The Key Notes - 1 Johnny Chester - 1 Johnny Edwards & The White Caps - 1 Johnny Elmore & The Silver-Tones - 1 Johnny Faire - 2 Johnny Fallin - 2 Johnny Garner - 1 Johnny Horton - 3 Johnny O'Keefe - 1 Johnny Powers - 1 Johnny Powers & His Rockets - 1 Johnny Scat Brown - 1 Johnny Strickland - 2 Johnny Talley - 1 Joyce Green - 1 Judy & Joyce - 2 Judy Faye - 1 Junior Gravley - 1 Junior Thompson - 1 Keith Corvalle - 1 Ken Copeland - 1 Ken Davis - 1 Ken Hammock & The Tennessee Valley Gang - 1 Kenneth (Kenny) Rogers - 1 Kenny Loran - 1 Kenny Owen - 1 Kenny Parchman - 3 Kimball Coburn - 1 Lafayette Yarborough - 2 Larry & Dixie Davis - 1 Larry Collins - 1 Larry Donn - 2 Larry Dowd - 2 Larry Terry - 1 Lattie Moore - 1 Laura Lee Perkins - 5 Lee Cole - 1 Lee Denson - 1 Lee Mitchell - 2 Lelan Rogers & His Friends - 1 Lenny Dean & The Rockin' Chairs - 1 Leroy Wilkerson - 1 Les Cole & The Echoes - 1 Lew Williams - 4 Link Davis - 3 Link Wray - 1 Little Jimmy Dickens - 1 Lloyd Arnold - 2 Lloyd Copas - 1 Lloyd McCollough - 1 Lonnie Barron - 1 Lorelei Lynn - 1 Lou Millet - 1 Lou Walker - 1 Loy Clingman - 1 Lynn Pratt - 2 Mack Self - 1 Mack Vickery - 2 Macy Skipper - 1 Mad Man Taylor - 1 Malcolm Yelvington - 1 Mark Robinson (Lee Hazlewood) - 1 Marlon Grisham - 1 Martha Carson - 1 Marvin Rainwater - 2 Maylon Humphries - 1 Mel McGonnigle - 1 Mel Robbins - 1 Mel Smith & The Nite Riders - 1 Merdell Floyd - 1 Merl Lindsay - 1 Merle Kilgore - 1 Mickey Gilley - 3 Mickey Hawks - 4 Mike McAlister - 1 Mike Waggoner - 1 Milt Forrester - 1 Milton Allen - 1 Myron Lee - 1 N. A. Stephenson - 1 Narvel Felts - 2 Nick Venet - 1 Niki Sullivan - 1 Nino & The Ebb Tides - 1 Norman Witcher - 2 Onie Wheeler - 1 Orangie Hubbard - 2 Orville Fox & The Harmony Masters - 1 Parker Cunningham - 1 Pat Cupp & The Flyin' Saucers - 2 Pat Ferguson - 1 Pat Kelly & The Shamrocks - 2 Patsy Clark - 1 Paul Chaplain & His Emeralds - 2 Paul Griffin - 1 Peanuts Wilson - 1 Pee Wee Trahan - 2 Peggi Griffith - 1 Pete & Jimmy & The Rhythm Knights - 1 Pete Peters & The Rhythm Makers - 2 Peter & Zijn Rockets - 2 Phil Barclay - 1 R. Dean Taylor - 1 Ray Campi & John & Henry - 2 Ray Campi & The Snappers - 1 Ray Coleman - 1 Ray Coleman & His Skyrockets - 1 Ray Harris - 2 Ray Lynn - 1 Ray McCoy - 1 Ray Melton - 1 Ray Pate & The Rhythm Rockets - 3 Ray Pennington - 2 Ray Sawyer - 1 Ray Scott - 1 Ray Scott & The Demens - 1 Ray Sharpe - 2 Ray Smith - 2 Ray St. Germain - 1 Ray Stanley - 1 Ray Taylor - 1 Ray Vict & His Bop Rockers - 1 Red Barry & The Bel Raves - 1 Rex Allen - 1 Rex Ellis - 1 Rex Qual - 1 Ric Cartey - 1 Ric Cartey & The Jivatones - 1 Ricky Nelson - 13 Rio Rockers - 1 Ritchie Heart - 1 Ritchie Valens - 1 Roc Larue - 1 Rock Rogers - 1 Rocket Morgan - 1 Rockin' Bradley - 1 Rocky & The Rocky Fellows - 2 Rocky Bill Ford - 2 Rocky Davis - 1 Roger LaRue & His Pals - 1 Ron Haydock & The Boppers - 2 Ronnie Allen - 1 Ronnie Burton - 1 Ronnie Dawson - 1 Ronnie Haig - 1 Ronnie Self - 7 Ronny Keenan - 1 Rose Maddox - 1 Roxie Williams - 1 Roy Hall - 3 Roy Moss - 1 Roy Orbison - 7 Royce Porter & The Kounts - 1 Ruckus Tyler - 1 Rudy Grayzell - 4 Rusty York - 1 Sammy Gowans - 2 Sandy Lee - 1 Sandy Scott - 1 Sanford Clark - 1 Scotty McKay - 1 Sid King & The Five Strings - 1 Simon Crum (Ferlin Husky) - 2 Skeets McDonald - 2 Sleepy LaBeef - 2 Slick Slavin - 1 Slim Rhodes - 1 Sonee West - 2 Sonny Burgess - 3 Sonny Cole & His Rhythm Roamers - 1 Sonny Cole & The Rhythm Roamers - 1 Sonny Deckelman - 1 Sonny Fisher - 6 Sonny Hall & The Echoes - 1 Sonny Wallace - 1 Speck & Doyle - 1 Stan Johnson & The Bluechips - 1 T. Texas Tyler - 1 Ted Daigle - 2 Teddy Redell - 1 Terry Daley - 1 Terry Noland - 1 The Barker Brothers - 2 The Bay Bops - 1 The Beau-Marks - 2 The Bell Notes - 1 The Belvederes - 1 The Big Four - 1 The Blue Tones - 2 The Bopper & Bob - 1 The Braves - 1 The Carter Kids - 1 The Castle Kings - 1 The Chaparrals - 1 The Chavis Brothers - 1 The Collins Kids - 3 The Cruisers - 1 The Dazzlers - 2 The Deans - 1 The Dixielanders - 1 The Dusters - 1 The Echo Valley Boys & Bill Browning - 1 The Echomores - 1 The Esquire Boys - 1 The Farmer Boys - 1 The Four Teens - 1 The Franklin Brothers - 1 The Hawk (Jerry Lee Lewis) - 1 The Hi-Liters - 1 The Hi-Tombs - 2 The Hunt Sisters - 1 The Invaders - 1 The James Boys - 1 The Jiants - 1 The Jokers - 1 The Lane Brothers - 1 The LeGarde Twins - 1 The Lonesome Drifter - 1 The Mark IV - 1 The Moods - 1 The Morgan Twins - 1 The Orbits - 1 The Phaetons - 1 The Phantom - 1 The Prowlers - 1 The Raiders - 1 The Rebelaires - 1 The Renowns - 1 The Rhythm Rockers - 1 The Rock-A-Teens - 2 The Rockin' R's - 1 The Rock-Its - 2 The Sabres - 1 The Skee Brothers - 1 The Sprouts - 2 The Star Combo - 1 The Storms - 1 The Strikes - 2 The String Kings - 1 The Stripes - 1 The Swallows - 1 The Teen Tones - 2 The Teenos - 1 The Temptations - 2 The Thrashers - 1 The Traits - 1 The Tune Rockers - 1 The Tu-Tones - 1 The Unimates - 1 The Van Brothers - 1 The Velaires - 1 The Velvets - 1 The Vibes - 1 Tiny Tim & His Tornadoes - 1 Tom Tall - 1 Tomas Wayne - 1 Tommy Bell - 1 Tommy Blake - 3 Tommy Cassell - 1 Tommy Garner - 1 Tommy Jim Beam - 2 Tommy Lam - 1 Tommy Nelson - 1 Tommy Sands - 3 Tommy Scott - 1 Tommy Spurlin - 1 Tommy Wood - 1 Tony & Jackie Lamie & The Swing Kings - 2 Tony Bassett - 1 Tooter Boatman & The Chaparrals - 1 Tracey Pendarvis - 3 Trini Lopez - 1 Troy Ferguson - 1 Truitt Forse - 1 Turner Moore & Charley Moore & The Crystals - 1 Val Volk - 1 Vern Pullens - 1 Vince Maloy - 2 Wade & Dick - 1 Wade Cagle - 1 Wally Deane - 1 Wally Hughes - 1 Wally Jeffery - 1 Wally Willette - 1 Walt Benton & The Snappers - 1 Walter Brown - 2 Wanda Jackson - 11 Warner Mack - 1 Warren Miller - 1 Warren Smith - 5 Wayne Walker - 1 Wayne Williams - 1 Weldon Rodgers - 1 Werly Fairburn - 3 Wesley Hardin & The Roxters - 1 Willie Goodson - 1 Wynn Stewart - 1

Consider this a preliminary review of what certainly looks like a phenomenal collection. First, it's up to you to decide how to purchase this. The Amazon price is steep, but do recall you're getting 40 CDs here, with thick booklet, in box. However, Amazon vendors have this in good shape for a fraction of that price. Since I can't comment on all 40 CDs, let me just remark that the packaging is great, and the few CDs I've auditioned feature excellent sound quality--considerably better than expected. If you feel the need to own an absurd heap of rockabilly, I don't know how you can go wrong here. There must be some Bear Family compilations that put this to shame, but try pricing them out. I do wish we could find some way for a US manufacturer to issue the Bear Family comps here at some reasonable price. But this wonderful work of love is a great place to start.

Review of “Rockabilly Dynamite” 40 cd set; 25 tracks per cd; from “Documents” records. Comments about this set apply also to the set “Rockabilly Cowboys” from the same record company. The two sets go together. There is no duplication of tracks between the two sets as far as I can tell. Each disk runs about 55 minutes. Although the maker could have put more tracks on a disk, 25 tracks is enough. With more, I fade out. The set comes with a useful booklet about the lead artists in the bands, and with dates, but with no info on particular sessions or musicians. The booklet is actually useful. Disks come in cardboard sleeves. The whole thing is a cube about 5 inches on a side. I recommend both sets from Document. I can’t think of other sets that are as good for the money. I got “Dynamite” for $40 plus SH. Proper Records has two sets of 4 disks each, 30 tracks per disk: “Boppin Hillbilly to Red Hot Rockabilly” and “Classic Rockabilly”. The Proper sets are more expensive per disk. It is worth getting all four sets if you can. Rhino has two sets but they are very expensive for what you get. The Rhino sets feature more “big names” and tracks with “edgy” content. This is what you DON’T get from “Rockabilly Dynamite”. There are a handful of cuts by the big names such as Johnny Cash, Johnny Burnette, etc. But they are not what the set is about. If you want a big name, then buy a set of their work. You don’t get “greatest hits” or many tracks that rose high on the charts. You don’t get too many novelty songs or sappy teen love songs. You do get a few. You don’t get a representative sample of everything on the air then that called itself rockabilly. You DON’T get tracks that are the rockabilly version of “Cosmic Blues”. The songs on “Dynamite” and “Cowboys” are not songs such as on the Rhino sets that present teens as cosmic rebels. These are not lost “rare rockabilly” tracks about how young people struggle to make it in meaningless modern life. The songs are not deep cultural analysis in disguise. They do not reinforce angst. This is what you DO get from “Rockabilly Dynamite”. All the tracks are from 1955 to 1960, with most from 1956 to 1959. About 80% of tracks are by bands that also wrote the song. Each band has one to about six tracks. There are a lot of different bands. Many of the tracks were the only things the bands ever recorded. All the cuts have “artistic merit”. They are well done by bands with talent. Even on the novelty songs, teen love songs, and “rock boogie” songs, you can hear pretty good work. Often on what seems like a mediocre track, you can hear a really good “break”. Some of the bass work is fine. Even when the songs are about men-women relations or “my girl Linda Lou”, they are not really teenage love songs. Most songs are by mature men, and a few women, in their late 20s or 30s, who sing about romance, booze, work, and night life without getting lurid but do give the story a hard beat and try to make it to sell. This is the way it was back then for working people who hit the bars. A few songs get deep into heartache. The bands are obviously talented but are not great. There are too many “boogie” songs but that is what was going on then, it was dance music, and that is what sold. 40 disks times 25 tracks per disk equals 1000 tracks. That is a lot of tracks to be only rockabilly. I doubt 1000 pure rockabilly tracks were ever recorded. So a lot of the songs bleed over into nearby genres such as rock, pop, and country boogie. Most songs would go well into a rock-and-roll-in-the-50s package. But there is still enough solid rockabilly, and most songs that bleed over into other genres still have enough “twang” to be rockabilly. Because Document also put out “Rockabilly Cowboys” the “Dynamite” set does not have many of the songs that still linger in a country feel. That is OK. That is why it is worth getting both sets. As far as I can tell, there is no order to the tracks or the disks. There is no theme on any particular disk, such as “betrayal”. The tracks are not in chronological order. The tracks are not grouped by artist. They skip around by year and artist. It is as if someone scrambled the tracks by throwing up a deck of cards or used the “random” button on an MP3 player. I found that annoying but livable. The booklet does list all the songs of a particular band under the name of the band, and does have an index of disk and track number of each song. I doubt I would ever jump around following that info to listen to all the work of one particular band at once. Somebody did a good job picking tracks that represented what was going on among talented bands in the late 1950s, bands that did not make the big time but still did good work. That is worth the money.

If you have any interest in rockabilly, you need this set. The sound is surprising on most of these tracks. It is very clear and dynamic. I was in high school during this period in the late fifties, so I am familiar with some of these artists, but the vast majority of these songs and singers are new to me. I am amazed that anybody would take the time and bear the expense of accumulating such a large collection of rare recordings, especially to sell at this price point! The large and detailed booklet was a huge surprise to me, also. I expected little documentation. There is not much info on the back up musicians, but there is some biographical stuff on most of the singers. Since most of them are totally new to me, this is great info to have. Also, there is a cross reference, by artist, at the back as to which cd and track each of the songs can be found. Very thoughtful, since the 1000 songs are not sequenced in any discernible order, like by artist or time frame. This is the best box set I have, and I have many!

I thought my knowledge of rockabilly was pretty deep (we started our band back in 1983), but this set proves that there's always more out there! I got through roughly 100 tunes on a long car trip yesterday and I am happy to report that I was happy and alert throughout. Perhaps the the other passengers were ready to get out and walk. There are a LOT of obscurities on this set and, in fairness, many of them are quite forgettable. But these tracks only bring out the brilliance of the more familiar artists represented, such as Elvis, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, Ricky Nelson, Wanda Jackson, etc. Many tried to copy the quirky vocal style and simple instrumentation of Elvis Presley, but the results were usually disappointing. Who can explain why some real dumb songs work ("Ooby Dooby") while others don't? A number of great artists are under-represented in this set, such as Rose Maddox (Maddox Brothers and Rose), the Collins Kids and Sid King and the Five Strings. You might want to find more of their material on higher priced labels, such as Bear Family. Their releases are always quite lavish and well-researched. Treat yourself sometime. The writer of the introductory essay is obviously a devoted rockabilly fan, but his insights into American pop culture and history are a little off the mark at times. The capsule biographies of performers are welcome as are the LP cover reproductions (many of them European reissues). Since these mega-sets often lack any information, the book is a nice surprise. I loaded all 40 discs into iTunes, but to be honest not all of these songs deserve repeated listening. But a 12 cents a song, you are bound to find some good stuff you've never heard before.

Excellent set, with good sound quality. With 1000 songs there are obviously some odd songs that I don’t like. However there are also many good songs, a lot of them very obscure. At least 2/3 of the songs I had never heard before buying this set.

I expected lots of duds but not the case at all. This is a good set of rarities and can only aggree with other reveiwers. I hope they can do a R and B set too. Well done and you can get it for 50 to 60 bucks which is exceptional value and all in a nice box and book.

I'm not a big rockabilly fan, but this collection is amazing. The compiler states this was the product of a lifetime interest. Many lesser known songs are included. Many were probably recorded in small studios where master tapes were lost decades ago. The sound quality for almost all of them has been outstanding. Many of these are difficult, if not impossible, to find. The collection comes with a booklet providing an excellent biography of the artists. The back contains a list of the different songs, CD they appear on, and the track number.

Habe mich jetzt durch die Sammlung durchgehört. Was da auf 40 CDs zu hören war, ist schon der Hammer für jeden auch nur halbwegs interessierten an allem was mit RocknRoll, Rockabilly ,Hillbilly ,Blues und Rythm n Blues zu tun hat. 1000 Titel die überwiegend kurzweilig sind und all meine Erwartungen an diese Auswahl erfüllt haben. Nun gut, es gibt einige Musikstücke, die völlig zurecht in der Versenkung verschwunden sind, aber die anderen 95%....sehr hörenswert, tanzenswert und für den "musikgeschichtlich" interessierten eine wahre Fundgrube. Jede Menge Musik die auch so manchem Kenner unbekannt sein dürften. Vielen Dank an die Leute die hier die Auswahl getroffen haben. Das ist wirklich gelungen!!!!!! Preislich gesehen natürlich hoch interessant!!! Sowohl hier wie auch auf der Compilation "Rockabilly Cowboys" (die ich übrigens auch sehr empfehlen kann) vermisse ich allerdings einen Künstler namens "Frankie Lurie". Wer kann mir weiterhelfen, wer kennt ihn und weiß wo ich seine Musik auf CD gepresst oder als MP3 bekommen kann? ich bedanke mich schon mal bei den "einschlägigen" Spezialisten!!!!!!!?

This collection is just fabulous. The sound quality is excellent, the packaging and presentation is excellent, the song and artist selection is excellent, the booklet is excellent, the price is excellent; it's just an awesome product. I am recommending it to everyone I know. The set is packed with treasures. No fillers or junk; just pure, genuine cat music. I love it. The people who created this product are clearly the real deal and truely rockin. Keep the rockin faith. Rockin Paul Gardiner.

娘が聴いていたThe Brian Setzer Orchestraなどのアーティスト Neo Rock-a-billyのジャンルに入る楽曲を聴いていたのをチョット聴いてみたところ 懐かしいリズム感サウンドにハマってしまい、 色々な年代の再燃したRock-a-billyのCDを買い漁っていたところ、 このセットがヒットし購入しました。 あの手この手で集めていたことを考えると初期の1950年代のPure Rock-a-billy的な 懐かしい楽曲が一気に手に入るとてもお得なセットではないでしょうか。 古い音源がそのまま収録してありモノラル的なサウンドやレコードのバチバチ音なども良い雰囲気です。 このCD1000曲＋別買いの約1700曲をまとめてiPhoneに入れ、車中でシャッフルで聴くのが最高のひとときです。 懐かしいPure Rock-a-billyな楽曲をお探しの方に最高の商品だと思います。

1000 titres sur40 cd avec beaucoup de raretés Les pochettes des cd sont pas terribles mais le livret de 150 pages est bien fait. prix défiant toute concurence. je conseille!!

What a fantastic box set this is! The compilers of this box set deserve a lot of credit for providing us with a treasure chest of Rockabilly music at such a cheap price! As a brief summary, there are 40 CD's in total, each have 25 songs on them ranging from some of the most famous Rockabilly recordings ever made, and then contrasting them with some of the most obscure recordings from artists that nobody has heard of. With 40 CD's and 25 songs on each, there's a grand total of 1,000- that's right, 1,000 songs! 'Rockabilly' is a term that was first used by Bill Flagg (a relatively obscure singer who made one or two Rockabilly songs himself.) This was the joining of the two music genres that were big at the time- Hillbilly and Rock. The so called 'Daddies' of Rockabilly, like Hank Williams had no idea of what they were creating! Rose Maddox (of The Maddox Brothers & Rose) even said, "We thought we were just playing Country Music". Although Rockabilly failed to gain much chart success, it was brought to daylight by the 1957 recording 'Rockabilly' by pop crooner Guy Mitchell, which was a #1 hit (The song features in this box set and is the one and only title from Guy Mitchell that features in this box set.) Although the song isn't strictly Rockabilly music, it captures the spirit of the genre as a whole and is a worthy inclusion in this set. Anyway, back to the product. There's a great deal from the big names of Rockabilly included in this set, so if you're a fan of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Wanda Jackson, Ricky Nelson, The Johnny Burnette Trio, Gene Vincent, Roy Orbison or Carl Perkins- you're in luck! Be sure to check out some of the lesser known Rockabilly stars that are featured in this set too- The Phantom's 'Love Me' is one of the wildest Rockabilly recordings ever made and features in this box set. Tracks by Eddie Bond and Charlie Feathers, who are just as good as the big names, and deserve their Rockabilly Legend status both feature too. In addition to these artists, there's also a great deal from other popular artists such as Dwight 'Whitey' Pullen, Ronnie Self, Bobby Lee Trammell, Sonny Fisher, The Collins Kids, Al Casey, Mickey Hawks and Ray Sharpe. Although these artists remain fairly obscure and never had much chart success (if any at all), they sure knew how to rock! The set also shows how women could rock too- with some great numbers by The Queen of Rockabilly Wanda Jackson, who has a total of 11 songs scattered across the CD's from her late 1950's and early 1960's Rockabilly recordings from her Capitol Records input such as 'Mean, Mean Man' and 'Let's Have A Party' are great examples of how she could rock. 'Little Miss Dynamite' features too- Brenda Lee to you and me. Her tracks are more Rock 'n' Roll to be fair than Rockabilly, however it certainly show you how she could rock when she wanted to! Additional female artists such as Barbara Pittman, 'The Female Elvis Presley' Janis Martin, Laura Lee Perkins, Carole King and also The Collins Kids with Lorrie Collins' vocals with her younger brother Larry tearin' up the recordings with his guitar playing. There are some crackin' instrumentals in here too. 'The King of the Strings' Joe Maphis fits into this category with his 'Guitar Rock 'n' Roll' which features some cool guitar playing and frantic fiddlin'. Mickey Hawks' 'Cotton Pickin'' is also a great guitar lead instrumental which is in this set as well as the crazy 'Chicken Rock' by Fat Daddy Holmes. Not to mention some of the surprise additions too- Cliff Richard & The Shadows make an appearance as well as Kenneth Rogers, who later turned out to be the Country music legend Kenny Rogers. There's also 2 songs featured on the last CD from a Dutch group Peter & Zijn Rockets. Personally, I can boast about having a great Rockabilly collection from all of the CD's that I own, but this box set beats the lot of them. I believe this, as it features the bigger hits as well as the rarities, which is good for people who are new to Rockabilly, and also for the die-hard collectors looking for the rarities to complete their collection. In addition to all this, you get a booklet included for good measure- and what a booklet it is too! There are nearly 150 pages with some coloured pictures and some interesting facts in there too which is the icing on the cake for this set. The CD's are kept individual sleeves. So, if you're a fan of good ol' Rock 'n' Roll and Rockabilly, all I can say is to get this set. You won't be disappointed with the content of it, I'm certain of this! EDIT - Since my review a few years ago, a few things should be noted. 1. There are a few alternate takes on here; although these can be rarer, it'd have been better if these were noted as alternate takes otherwise assumed to be the final master versions. 2. Some recordings are actually completely different songs by different artists. There are 4 that I can remember, these being 'Jitterbop Baby' by Hal Harris as opposed to 'Sweet, Sweet Girl by Don Gibson, 'Teenage Cutie' by Lucky Wray as opposed to 'Chicken Bop' by Truitt Forse, 'I Don't Know When' by Hal Harris instead of 'Rockin' In The Congo' by Hank Thompson and finally 'You Gotta Play Fair' by Curley Griffin instead of 'Where'd You Stay Last Night' by Ray Harris. 3. The track 'Lovin' Lorene' by Glen Garrison has been 'doubled'. It begins playing and halfway through it repeats itself and starts again. On the whole though despite these points, this is definitely worth the money and therefore the original 5* review will be kept as it's fantastic value.