"TALK ABOUT A PARTY!" - The Crest Records Story

34-track collection features jump blues, r&b, country, rockabilly, & pop, recorded on Crest Records during the 50's & early 60'sCrest Records of Hollywood, CA, produced a handful of hits and many more highly esteemed but obscure rockabilly and rock & roll records in the ’50s and early ’60s. Launched in 1955 with Tom Wilson’s spectacular hillbilly bop call-to-arms, “Can You Bop?,” Crest went on to unleash a string of musical pearls that included early recordings by Eddie Cochran and Glen Campbell. Talk About a Party: The Crest Records Story collects 34 Crest Records sides, many of which previously appeared on the vinyl compilations Spotlight on Crest Records and Best of Crest, Vols. 1 & 2. The handful of hits include Bobby Edwards’ country-pop crossover “You’re the Reason,” Tommy Dee’s tribute record “Three Stars,” and Glen Campbell’s “Turn Around, Look at Me.” The obscurities are just as good, from Tom Tall’s “Stack-a-Records” to a unique country novelty by Tom Reeves, “Primitive Love.” The Gee Cees (a play on Glen Campbell’s initials) let rip with the guitar instrumental “Buzz Saw,” and the compilation concludes with an assortment of R&B recordings that include Boogaloo & the Gallant Crew’s Top Ten R&B hit “Cops and Robbers.” Besides capturing the spirit and inventiveness of a fascinating independent label, Talk About a Party provides a wealth of rare recordings well mastered from clean discs or the original tapes where available. – Greg Adams, Allmusic
This is a surprising little piece. It is a musical history of the little-known Crest label that managed to put only a few recordings into the limelight. While many of these tunes are very obscure, there are a few that managed to see the light of day in the top-100 and are virtually impossible to find elsewhere. This includes "Three Stars" by Tommy Dee, Glen Campbell's first chart success "Turn Around, Look At Me" (later taken into the top ten by the Vogues) and best of all, "You're The Reason" by Bobby Edwards. The disc is worth these songs alone. And while this is a product of the small independent Rockstar Records of the U.K., they have done an admirable job with this material.
Crest was a small operation - never even producing an album - so you won't find any stereo here and the sound quality is relatively primitive. But these tunes are presented in the best shape available, considering the source. The liner notes are in the form of a 16-page booklet that presents a comprehensive history of the small label and publishing company.
This interesting new compilation is a definite find for the collector. (Amazon)trax:
1. Stack-A-Records - Tom Tall 2. Ballin Keen - Bobby & Terry Caraway 3. Primitive Love - Tom Reeves 4. Can You Bop? - Tom Wilson 5. Ridin The Frets - The Desert Stars 6. Skinny Jim - Eddie Cochran 7. Rock N Roll Blues - Norm Skylar 8. Lovin Lorene - Glen Garrison 9. Yea Yea Come Another Day - Tony Casanova 10. Let'S Coast Awhile - Bo Davis 11. Been Gone A Long Time - Hank Sanders 12. Date Bait - Bill Skidmore III 13. Spotlight - Frank & Ernie 14. What Happened Last Night - Johnny Donn 15. Three Carburettors - Don Carson 16. Buzz Saw - The Gee Cees 17. Rockin And A-Rollin - Dick Bills 18. Don't Be Bashful Little Girl - Four Young Men 19. Turn Around And Look At Me - Glen Campbell 20. You're The Reason - Bobby Edwards 21. Check Out Time - Jay Chevalier 22. Long Black Limousine - Vern Stovall 23. Three Stars - Tommy Dee 24. Wild Man Wild! - Hal Jackson's Tornadoes w/ The Chromatics 25. Function At The Junction - Smoki Whitfield 26. Cool Juice - Tommy Law 27. Love Bug On The Loose - Freddy & Al 28. How Come My Dog Don'T Bark - Roscoe Sculley 29. Get Back - Prince Partridge 30. Clothes Line (Wrap It Up) - Boogaloo & His Gallant Crew 31. Talk About A Party - Boogaloo & His Gallant Crew 32. Big Fat Lie - Boogaloo & His Gallant Crew 33. Cops & Robbers - Boogaloo & His Gallant Crew 34. That's All - The Ebb-Tones
...served by Gyro1966...