Bob Rocks

There are 30 + track on this album. Practically all his greatest hits. I bought this for one track only "Let's Think About Livin'" and got a whole whirlwind of Bob Luman at his best. For those of you who like the best of Rock n' Roll and Country mixed together this album is for you!

Ok

Robert Glynn Luman, born April 15, 1937 in Nacogdoches, Texas, won an amateur contest at age 19 with the prize being an appearance on the famed Louisiana Hayride. The band he formed for that appearance, The Shadows, consisted of drummer Butch White, bass player James Kirkland, and future renowned guitarist James Burton, and they were impressive enough to land a recording contract with Imperial Records in Los Angeles, home of the legendary Fats Domino. There, embracing the Rockabilly sound, they had 3 singles released, all 6 sides of which are here: 1957's Red Cadillac And A Black Mustache/All Night Long (Imp. X8311) and Red Hot/Whenever You're Ready (Imp. X8313), and Make Up Your Mind Baby/Your Love (Imp. X8314) early in 1958. A number of other sides cut there remained unissued and here you get nine: tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 14 and 15. Imperial then dropped the band, adding insult to injury when another budding Imperial legend, Ricky Nelson, pried away James Burton.Bob was fortunate enough to land on his feet at Johnny Mercer's Capitol label, but when executives tried to persuade him to change his name, he left that same year after just two 1958 single releases: Try Me/I Know My Baby Cares (Capitol F3972) and, with the backing of Jackie Kelso's band, Svengali/Precious (Capitol F4059). You get 3 of the 4 sides here, with only the last missing. A previously-unreleased Capitol cut is at track 17.You might think that, after 5 straight failed singles, getting another recording deal with yet another major label would be a bit problematic, but again his luck held out when Warner Brothers inked him to a deal, although doubt must have started to creep in when two 1959 singles went nowhere: My Baby Walks All Over Me/Class Of `59 (Warner 5081) and Buttercup/Dreamy Doll (Warner 5105) - neither B-side is included here. Getting drafted in 1960 didn't help either, but as fate would have it, while still in the Army his parody of all the "death songs" that had been creeping into the charts caught the attention of fans right across the spectrum as Let's Think About Living shot to # 7 Billboard Pop Hot 100, # 9 Country and # 14 R&B in October/November b/w You've Got Everything (Warner 5172).Unfortunately, unable to promote his releases with personal appearances, nothing else released by Warner could get him back on the charts, as 7 singles into 1962 failed. Here you get 1960's Why, Why, Bye Bye (Warner 5184) - the flip, Oh, Lonesome Me, is omitted - and 1961's The Great Snow Man (Warner 5204) which had nothing to do with a Frosty-type but rather a dude who made a habit of giving women a "snow-job." The flip, The Pig Latin Song, is left out. Tracks 29 to 31 are from his only Warner LP W1396 "Let's Think About Living" which came out in 1960, while 22, 23, 35 and 36 were previously unreleased.Luman, who tragically died at age 41 in 1978 from pneumonia, wasn't destined to go down in history as a One-Hit Wonder, however. as he would go on to post 39 Country hits from 1964 to 1978 for Hickory, Epic and Polydor, 19 of them Top 40. He is also a member of the Rockabilly Hall Of Fame.This volume forms part of Bear Family of Germany's massive series "Rock" or "Rocks" which, with upwards of 41 volumes covering a wide range of artists of the `50s and `60s in all genres - Country/Rockabilly, R&R, Pop, Blues, R&B - becoming one of the best ever produced in the annals of Oldies music, with each volume's large detailed-laden booklets of upwards of 40 pages and quality packaging and sound reproduction matched only by Ace of London. Here and there throughout the series they do omit much in terms of hits and their B-sides, so be aware of that fact and check the contents carefully if the hit sides are what you are seeking.

If you dont want to go all out for the Bob Luman boxed Bear Family set,Id settle for this.Great Rockabilly.Red Hot,All Night Long,Red Cadilliac and A Black Mustache,Oh,Boy,Bad Bad Day,Lets Think About Living,Boston Rocker,Mystery Train,etcBob Lumans hits and covers.Great Lineup.

Another great rocker love this music great price great seller

Excelent album,not all of his 1950s tracks,but still well worth buying.

'Hello Mary Lou' by Ricky Nelson features one of the most recognisable guitar solos in pop music. The man playing it is James Burton. What some people may not know is that James was the main man in Bob Luman's band before Ricky made him an offer he didn't refuse! These early recordings by Bob Luman are often referred to as his 'rockabilly' phase. Later he became a pop singer with 'Let's think about livin' and other uptempo songs. Finally he settled into Country Music. As I enjoy all of Bob Luman's phases and stages, I added this CD to my collection. Other guitarists to be heard here include Roy Buchanan and on one track Eddie Cochran. If you enjoy that wild guitar sound along with an uninhibited vocal style, then you will probably enjoy this album as much as I do.

excellent !!

Good early rocking.