Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 08/10/2004
In 2004,
BGO made
Tommy Roe fans very happy by combining his first album, 1962's
Sheila, and the British edition of his second album, 1963's
Everybody Likes Tommy Roe, on one disc.
Roe's early records belie his image as a
bubblegum act and show him to be one of the better post-
rockabilly/pre-
Beatles rockers around.
Sheila is, of course, anchored by the smash single
"Sheila," a fine slice of
Buddy Holly worship with a unique sound and an unforgettable hook. The rest of the album varies quite a bit in quality and tone, mixing lightweight
pop trifles like
"Piddle de Pat" and
"Susie Darlin'"; sweet
ballads like the aching
"There Will Be Better Years"; thumping rockers like
"Heartbeat," "Think About the Good Things," and
"Look at Me"; and a tough-as-nails version of
Chuck Berry's
"Maybellene." Apart from
"Sheila," the best song on the album is a surprisingly soulful take on
the Falcons'
R&B classic
"I Found a Love," which finds
Roe ditching any
Holly mannerisms and laying his soul on the line. The vocal choruses and occasional cornball production touch can't dilute the power and feeling behind the record, and the whole enterprise sounds very much like the missing link between
Buddy Holly and
Bobby Fuller.
Everybody Likes Tommy Roe is an improved version of
Roe's second American album,
Something for Everybody. The Brits ditched the sappy covers of
pop tunes like
"Dominique" and
"A Taste of Honey" and added some rockers, including the best song on the album and one of
Roe's best singles, the bubbling
"Everybody." Indeed, the album does have a tougher edge than it might have otherwise, but it pales a bit in comparison to
Sheila. The vocal choruses are a bit more intrusive, a higher percentage of the melodies are cutesy, and the overall feel is a bit more
pop. Still, there are many excellent tunes, like the thumping
"Sensations," "Kiss and Run," and a rock-hard cover of
Chuck Berry's
"Almost Grown." Roe also manages to take
Hank Ballard's
"Switchie Witchie Titchie" and make it sound like a missing
Buddy Holly hit. Overall, though, the album sounds rushed and -- between the slick vocal choruses and bad moves like the lifeless cover of
Holly's
"That'll Be the Day" -- it is missing much of the spark of
Sheila. That being said, it is still miles ahead of anything the
Frankies and
Fabians of the world were doing. Taken together, the two records make a strong case for
Tommy Roe as one of the keepers of the
rock & roll flame. It is also a heck of a fun listen -- and that is what really matters.
~Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
;)
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