20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Bill Haley & His Comets (CD - 1999)

Includes liner notes by Joseph Laredo.

Digitally remastered Erick Labson (MCA Music Media Studios, North Hollywood, California).

This is part of MCA's 20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection series.

Audio Remasterer: Erick Labson.

Recording information: MCA Records (04/12/1954-02/06/1958).

Photographers: Frank Collection Driggs; MCA-Decca Files.

Like any record company worth their salt, MCA knows a good gimmick when they see it, and when the millennium came around...well, the 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection wasn't too far behind. Supposedly, the millennium is a momentous occasion, but it's hard to feel that way when it's used as another excuse to turn out a budget-line series. But apart from the presumptuous title, 20th Century Masters -- The Millennium Collection turns out to be a very good budget-line series. True, it's impossible for any of these brief collections to be definitive, but they're nevertheless solid samplers that don't feature a bad song in the bunch. For example, take Bill Haley's 20th Century volume -- it's an irresistible 12-song summary of his Decca/MCA years. There may be a couple of noteworthy songs missing, but many of his best-known songs for the label are here, including "Rock Around the Clock," "Shake, Rattle & Roll," "Thirteen Women," "Dim, Dim the Lights," "The Saints Rock n' Roll," "Burn that Candle," and "See You Later, Alligator." Serious fans will want something more extensive, but this is an excellent introduction for neophytes and a great sampler for casual fans, considering its length and price. That doesn't erase the ridiculousness of the series' title, but the silliness is excusable when the music and the collections are good. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Although Bill Haley ushered in a whole new era in music, his superstardom was short-lived. Quickly challenged by younger, more animated artists--namely Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis--the cowlick-bedecked Haley was soon put on the back shelf. Haley nevertheless remains one of the great pioneers of rock & roll, as evidenced by "Rock Around the Clock," a tune that still reigns as one of rock's biggest anthems.

On this 20TH CENTURY MASTERS compilation, the smooth-shuffling Haley is at his finest. Songs such as "The Saints Rock 'n' Roll" and "See You Later, Alligator" highlight Haley's jump-swing leanings, a la Louis Jordan. "Skinny Minnie" is a great example of a twist (a style of dance that would flourish in the early 1960s), and "Thirteen Women (And Only One Man in Town)" shows off Haley's ability to create that deep-pocketed boogie-woogie feel. Of course, no Haley collection would be complete without his timeless version of Big Joe Turner's "Shake, Rattle and Roll," another one of this performer's major contributions to the rock idiom. minimize