The hoopla surrounding the purported fiftieth anniversary of rock 'n' roll in 2004 didn't quite ring true. Yes, Elvis made his first record in 1954, but Bill Haley, who died neglected and alone on the Mexican border twenty-five years ago on the 9th of February, went to his grave wondering why he'd been written out of the story. True, the Pennsylvania polka bars where Bill Haley stumbled across his music didn't have the eye candy appeal of Memphis after dark, and yes Bill Haley was almost middle-aged and had a goofy little kiss curl, but he was in the charts with rock 'n' roll as early as 1953, and he'd figured it out several years before that. So yes, Bill Haley was first, and some say that he's still the greatest. No one at Bear Family would argue with that! Bear Family presents, for the first time ever, a complete cross-section of Bill Haley's rockin'est recordings. Some were made for Holiday and Essex Records in the early 1950s and some for Decca in the mid-to-late 1950s. Here's his version of Rocket '88' from 1951 which proves Bill Haley was already on the verge of figuring it out. Later Essex recordings like Rock The Joint and Crazy, Man, Crazy (the absolute guaranteed first rock 'n' roll hit from 1953!) proved that he was indisputably first. Then, of course, Bill Haley switched to Decca and his early Decca singles, Shake Rattle And Roll and Rock Around The Clock, were the shots heard around the world. Rock 'n' roll had arrived, ushered in by Bill Haley & His Comets. This is what the revolution sounded like!
1. (We're Gonna) Rock Around the Clock 2. Shake, Rattle and Roll 3. Dim, Dim the Lights (I Want Some Atmosphere) 4. Happy Baby 5. Mambo Rock 6. Rocket '88' 7. Birth of the Boogie 8. Razzle Dazzle 9. Two Hound Dogs 10. Rock the Joint 11. Burn That Candle 12. Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie 13. See You Later, Alligator 14. Real Rock Drive 15. The Saints Rock 'N' Roll 16. A.B.C. Boogie 17. R-O-C-K 18. Crazy Man Crazy 19. Hot Dog Buddy Buddy 20. Rockin' Through the Rye 21. Rip It Up 22. Fractured 23. Rudy's Rock (Instrumental) 24. Choo Choo CH' Boogie 25. Don't Knock the Rock 26. Live It Up 27. Forty Cups of Coffee 28. Skinny Minnie 29. Lean Jean 30. Where Did You Go Last Night? 31. Green Tree Boogie
