FRANKIE LAINE — Rocks And Gravel (review)

FRANKIE LAINE — Rocks And Gravel album cover

Boxset / Compilation · 2010 · Vocal Jazz

4/5 · 2011-12-03
Matt

The Omni Recording Company are an independant label founded by an Australian named David Thrussell which specialise in re-releasing Country, Folk, Early Electronic and Exotica as well as anything that could be considered slightly "off the wall" with all the kooky and strange songs that predominately sprung from the sixties and early seventies. At this time for the company we are up to their 36th release although currently the catalogue would be closer to fifty at this time of the review in December 2011.Not only do they re-release the kooky stuff, Omni also release albums that were quite good and innovative as well but went nowhere.

"Rocks And Gravel" is the title for this compilation that encompasses quite a lot of Frankie Laine's Country material that he recorded at Columbia where many of these songs are what he will always be remembered as singing concerning cowboys, gunfights, stage coaches, duels, hard work, despair, joy and lost or gained loves with every word sung precisely and clear as a bell being no need for you look at lyrics as Frankie Laine was a total professional. Although the material that is included is labelled Country in all honesty it is slightly removed from that genre with the stylings, albeit the lyrics are pure Cowboy at times the music is not and actually Frankie Laine still uses his Jazz stylings in many a song with accents on certain passages and when one hears the production behind him on many of these songs which borders on Exotica at times with the sounds of whips, horses, hammers added to the backing for many of them with the added addition of a chorus bringing that Western feeling to the proceedings. That western feeling behind all these arrangements and the conducting for many of these tracks was done by a young Johnny Williams who today is more well known as John Williams and is recognised as one of the top soundtrack men around today with the film Star Wars being his most well known among many other classic movies. One great thing about this compilation is they have released seven songs that are in their single versions which have not been available since their releases between 1956 till 1964. As well the compilation has material taken from six of Frankie Laine's albums all at Columbia with not all being in his Country format with a track from "Rockin" and quite a few of the more Jazz/Popular leaning tunes from the "Balladeer" album.

Twenty eight songs are included and many of them are considered western classics and there are a few which actually are fresh takes that were done at Columbia but were originally recorded when Frankie was recording at Mercury in their original versions with "The Lucky Old Sun","The Swamp Girl"," Old Virginny", "Black Lace" and "I'm Gonna Live Till I Die" being five. They are almost all here with exception of "Rawhide", "Mule Train" and "High Noon" included which is bit of a let down for people who have not heard Frankie Laine's songs in this styling but still there are plenty of absolute classics to sing along with, "The 3.10 To Yuma", "Gunfight At The O.K Corral", "Wanted Man", "Hangin' Tree" and perhaps the best for me is "Bowie Knife" concerning a duel down in New Orleans to the death and all were on the "Hell Bent For Leather" album but here we get the single versions for "Yuma and O.K Corral". Two great numbers are "Cherry Red" being more blues and "Careless Love" with it's W.C Handy origins with the addition of a superb version of "Wayfaring Stranger" but the absolute stand out track is Frankie Laine's version of "Riders In The Sky" and he sings it with a great gusto and feel with a beautiful take being the result and I still have heard none superior.

A few could have been dropped perhaps to make way for the missing ones I mentioned above but still this is a wonderful compilation of Frankie Laine's Western material from Columbia and congratulations must go to David Thrussel at Omni for releasing all this great missing material on cd and that is not just for this one but all the others in their exquiste little catalogue of forgotten albums.