The Screaming End: The Best of Gene Vincent (CD - 1997)

Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps: Gene Vincent (vocals); Cliff Gallup, Johnny Meeks, Willie Williams (guitar); Jack Neal (upright bass); Bobby Jones (bass); Paul Peek (drums, hand claps, background vocals); Dickie Harell (drums); Tommy Facenda (background vocals).

Additional personnel: Buck Owens (guitar).

Compilation producers: Matt Goldman, Dave "Daddy Cool" Booth.

Recorded at Owen Bradley Studio, Nashville, Tennessee and Capitol Tower, Hollywood, California between May 1956 and June 1957. Includes liner notes by Bob Hyde.

Personnel: Gene Vincent (vocals); Cliff Gallup, John Meeks (guitar); Jack Neal (electric bass); Dickie Harrell (drums); Paul Peek, Tommy Facenda (hand claps, background vocals).

Liner Note Author: Bob Hyde.

Recording information: Capitol Tower, Hollywood, CA (05/04/1956-06/20/1957); Owen Bradley Studio, Nashville, TN (05/04/1956-06/20/1957).

Unknown Contributor Roles: Dave Booth; Bob Hyde.

Until the release of this, the best single-disc compilation of Gene Vincent's Capitol material -- inarguably his best work -- was EMI's 21-track Capitol Collectors Series, released in 1990. While several of those tracks appear here ("Be Bop A Lula," "Woman Love," "Crazy Legs," "Race with the Devil," "Bluejean Bop," "B-I-Bickey-Bi, Bo-Bo-Go," "Wear My Ring," "Lotta Lovin'," and "Dance to the Bop," all unquestionable must-haves on any Vincent best-of), the additional 11 tracks are of a much higher rocking quotient than the Capitol set, making this the essential first-buy purchase. Those who think of Vincent as a one-hit wonder will be very surprised to find how many chart singles he managed to rack up in his career, with the lion's share collected here. Half of the album features the wild and trebly guitar work of Vincent's original lead man, Cliff Gallup, who would go on to influence numerous British guitarists, most notably Jeff Beck, who ended up recording a tribute album in Vincent's and Gallup's honor (Crazy Legs). With no Tin Pan Alley ballads (even "Wear My Ring," written by Bobby Darin and Don Kirshner, has teeth here) or later shots at the teen market aboard to clutter things up, this is one solid blast of prime beef rockabilly from one of America's first -- and greatest -- rock & roll bands. ~ Cub Koda

THE SCREAMING END is an all but definitive Gene Vincent compilation, cannily programmed with his most real gone (as they used to say) performances. This is rockabilly at its wildest and (paradoxically) most carefully crafted thanks, in no small part, to the Bluecaps. They were arguably the fiercest rock band of their day.

There are two main reasons for the band's precision and power. One is a virtuoso guitarist in the justifiably legendary Cliff Gallup (he of the breathless stream of notes on "Race With the Devil"). The other is a 15 year old (!) drummer Dickie Harrell (that's him screaming on "Be-Bop-a-Lula" and most of the other tracks here) who drove the band relentlessly forward. Vincent himself was an effortlessly expressive singer, and as a result most of the songs here simply reek of sex and violence. Just check out "Lotta Lovin'" and "Who Slapped John" if you doubt it. minimize