Rock On Various Artists (Rock On)

£11.70

Genre:
Rock'n'Roll
Label:
Ace Records
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDCHD 1172

For 25 years Rock On was one of London’s leading collector’s record shops. Renowned worldwide for its in-depth stock of rock’n’roll and other collectable records. In 1975 Ace Records evolved out of Rock On. This CD is a nostalgic overview of some of the music and memories from the Rock On years.

Rock’n’roll, has always been one of the essentials in my life. This fascination didn’t just start with Rock On. First there was a lot of other stuff, like listening to AFN and Luxembourg as a teenager, swapping news and views with friends on the coolest new records.

From the mid-1950’s onwards, I found myself buying 78’s like ‘Great Balls of Fire’, ‘Tutti Frutti’ and ‘Be-Bop-a- Lula’ even though we didn’t even have a record player at home. I needed to own these records, while they were still available, before they disappeared forever. [How was I to know back then that these records would survive forever, icons of the rock’n’roll era?]

Of course those particular 78s didn’t last long. They got broken or ‘borrowed’ at parties, but were replaced just as quickly by others ‘Tequila’ / ‘Midnighter’ by The Champs, ‘Valley Of Tears’ by Fats Domino, The Everly Brothers ‘Wake Up Little Susie’, ‘Johnny B Good’ by Chuck Berry, ‘16 Candles’ by the Crests. These were great records that I wanted to share with others, that I needed to be sure my friends did not miss out on.

Time passed, I got a guitar, joined a few no-hope skiffle / rock’n’roll bands, until I eventually hooked up with some guys who could really play and who were able to help me to improve (slightly) as a musician. Our band was called the Caravelles, later to become the Greenbeats and our mission was to play the finest rock’n’roll music for any that cared to listen. Tunes like ‘Lover’s Question’ by Clyde McPhatter, ‘Ubangi Stomp’ by Jerry Lee, ‘ Let It Rock’ by Chuck Berry, ‘I’m Movin’ On’ by Ray Charles, ‘Santa Claus Is Back In Town’ by Elvis (during the festive season naturally), ‘True Fine Mama’ by Little Richard, and so on.

This was all part of spreading the word and before I realised it, I found that I’d become a rock’n’roll evangelist. Over the next seven years, I booked and managed rock’n’roll, blues and soul bands, promoted R&B concerts, ran rock’n’roll clubs, until, in 1968, I discovered ‘USED RECORDS’.

One day passing a junk shop, I spotted a table outside with a box of 45s on it. I soon discovered several other shops with similar stocks of ‘previously owned’ records and these I quickly learned, tended to get replenished every few days as kids discovered that they could get cash for Dad’s old (and hopefully) unwanted records.

These records cost just pence, it didn’t matter whether it was ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘Race With The Devil’ or ‘I Remember You’ - they were all 5p each! I set out to replace all the records that had I had ever owned or wanted to own in the 50s. I soon amassed a collection of several hundred 45s, becoming so heavily addicted in the process that very soon, if I came across a copy of a great record that I already owned, say ‘Breathless’ by Jerry Lee Lewis or ‘Dance To The Bop’ by Gene Vincent, I was simply UNABLE to leave it behind. I HAD to have it, I was Hooked!

And so I become a record dealer.

In 1969, I advertised my first Records For Sale list in the mimeographed pages of ‘Record Mart’ a monthly magazine published specially for record collectors. The duplicates that I was selling ranged from ‘Sweet Nothin’s’ by Brenda Lee, through ‘Shakin’ All Over’ by Johnny Kidd & The Pirates to ‘Ram-Bunk-Shush’ by the Ventures. Oh! the excitement, the feeling of fulfilment and acknowledgement as those envelopes with postal orders for 10 and 15 shillings (50p & 75p) began dropping through my letterbox.

Two years later Rock On started life in a tiny 8’x 8’ stall in a funky flea market at the wrong end of Portobello Road Market. A bunch of primo factory fresh London label 45s quickly helped establish Rock On as a crucial source for rockin’ wax. After three years wheeling and dealing, I had enough stock and experience to open a second retail outlet (another market stall naturally), this time in Soho, right in the centre of the West End of London.

This was where my friend, Roger Armstrong, got involved. I needed someone to take care of business at Soho and knowing that Roger had very catholic tastes in music (after all he’d been an early Rock On customer), I asked him if he would care to help out.

The post was temporary as Roger had other long term plans; however I guess he liked the evangelical life as he never left. A year later in 1975 with the help of another customer, Barry Appleby, I opened a third branch of Rock On, right in the centre of Camden Town, this time a real shop with a long term lease and a big ROCK ON sign over the door!

Trevor Churchill, whose London label collection of 45s I’d recently been helping to prune, happened to be between jobs at that time and he came to work in the shop at Camden, helping out on Saturdays for a while. By this stage, I’d involved Roger with my plans for a reissue record label and it seemed logical to ask Trevor to also get involved as he already had a wealth of experience working for real record companies. More important, he had an infinite ability to take care of the day to day detail, essential to the successful running of any business, something both Roger and I tended to have a rather cavalier approach to.

And so almost 40 years later, I find myself still involved in spreading the rock’n’roll gospel, now even more effectively through Ace Records, and still in partnership with Roger and Trevor. We’re now involved in disinterring recordings that never even got released the first time around, or that have got lost in the mists of time. Alongside of course, those golden goodies from all the various eras of rock’n’roll.

This CD is a compilation of some of the music and memories from our years at Rock On. Many old customers and staff are still involved with Ace Records in one way or another and most of them have had an input in this release.

* By rock’n’roll, I mean most forms of cerebral rhythm music ranging from Son House to Sun Ra by way of Jelly Roll Morton, Django Reinhardt, Lonnie Donegan and including generous servings of Blues, Country, Soul, Jazz, Latin, Reggae etc always liberally laced with potent shots of Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, Little Richard, Link Wray, Carl.Perkins and Huey “Piano” Smith (to name just a few).

This CD is dedicated to all Rock On customers through the years and especially Ray Topping.

TED CARROLL

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Track listing

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Side 1

  • 01 Preview Chicken Shack Boogie - Amos Milburn

  • 02 Preview Red Hot - Billy Lee Riley

  • 03 Preview Shake Your Hips - Slim Harpo

  • 04 Preview Bottle To The Baby - Charlie Feathers

  • 05 Preview Brand New Cadillac - Vince Taylor

  • 06 Preview Linda Lu - Ray Sharpe

  • 07 Preview Two Headed Dog - Roky Erickson

  • 08 Preview Baby, I Love You So - Joe Weaver & the Don Juans

  • 09 Preview Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way - Waylon Jennings

  • 10 Preview Camel Walk - The Ikettes

  • 11 Preview Back In The Night - Dr Feelgood

  • 12 Preview So Sharp - Dyke & The Blazers

  • 13 Preview Slow Death - Flamin' Groovies

  • 14 Preview It's Better To Have (And Don't Need) - Don Covay

  • 15 Preview Honest Papas Love Their Mamas Better - Fats Domino

  • 16 Preview Lights Out - Jerry Byrne

  • 17 Preview You Little Baby Face Thing - Joe Tex

  • 18 Preview Flumes D'Enfer - Austin Pitre & the Evangeline Playboys

  • 19 Preview Gloria's Dream - The Belfast Gypsies

  • 20 Preview Big Black Truck - Peter Holsapple

  • 21 Preview Don't You Just Know It - Huey "Piano" Smith & the Clowns

  • 22 Preview Give Him A Great Big Kiss - The Shangri-Las

  • 23 Preview Slipping And Sliding Sometimes - Link Davis

  • 24 Preview Cast Iron Arm - Peanuts Wilson

  • 25 Preview My Babe - Ron Holden

  • 26 Preview What Came First - The Egg Or The Hen? - Koko Taylor

  • 27 Preview Marked Deck - Mercy Baby

  • 28 Preview I'm So Glad, I'm So Proud - Link Wray

Delivery & Returns

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We offer free P&P to UK addresses. For all other territories packaging is free and postage is charged on a weight basis.

We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

In the event that any products supplied to you by us are damaged or defective, we agree to replace or repair the damaged or defective products or refund the amount you paid for such goods (including postage & packaging) providing you notify us (either via post at or e-mail: orders@acerecords.com ) and return the goods within 28 days of purchase. Physical goods should be sent back to us in the same condition you received them to: “Returns” Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the e-mail address above including a copy of your notification.

You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

Press quotes

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★★★★★

Mojo

Unreservedly recommended. ★★★★★

Record Collector

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