The Brits Are Rocking Vol.1 - 6

 Tommy Steele - Doomsday Rock ~ The Brits Are Rocking Vol. 1 (2019) (34 / 1:10:56)

You'd never know it to look at film of him today, but during the summer of 1956, Tommy Steele became England's first home-grown rock & roller. Or he wasn't a rock & roller at all. Some 43 years after he first charted a record, many pop music scholars still question whether Tommy Steele belongs on a list of rock & roll performers. But whatever he was, in 1956, England had never seen anything quite like him. He was born Tommy Hicks on December 17, 1936, in Bermondsey, South London, to a working-class family. In 1952, at age 15, he joined the merchant navy, and for the next four years, he worked on the Cunard line. He was hospitalized at one point during his time at Cunard, and during his convalescence, learned to play the guitar. Hicks began singing and performing for his fellow merchant seamen and discovered that he had a natural ability as an entertainer, with a special affinity for country & western songs, and for comedy...more

1.Tommy Steele - Rock Around The Town (1:53)

2.Tommy Steele - Giddy-Up Ding Dong (1:57)

3.Tommy Steele - Teenage Party (2:18)

4.Tommy Steele - The Trial (2:07)

5.Tommy Steele - Tallahassee Lassie (2:02)

6.Tommy Steele - Give! Give! Give! (1:53)

7.Tommy Steele - Build Up (2:24)

8.Tommy Steele - Knee Deep In The Blues (2:09)

9.Tommy Steele - Rock With The Caveman (1:54)

10.Tommy Steele - Take Me Back, Baby (2:04)

11.Tommy Steele - Time To Kill (2:00)

12.Tommy Steele - Hair-Down Hoe-Down (1:45)

13.Tommy Steele - Swaller Tail Coat (1:20)

14.Tommy Steele - Drunken Guitar (2:13)

15.Tommy Steele - Kaw-Liga (2:13)

16.Tommy Steele - Elevator Rock (1:49)

17.Tommy Steele - Grandad's Rock (1:42)

18.Tommy Steele - I Puts The Lightie On (2:52)

19.Tommy Steele - On The Move (1:36)

20.Tommy Steele - Cannibal Pot (1:53)

21.Tommy Steele - Hollerin' And Screamin' (1:46)

22.Tommy Steele - (The Girl With The) Long Black Hair (2:22)

23.Tommy Steele - Rebel Rock (2:02)

24.Tommy Steele - Two Eyes (1:46)

25.Tommy Steele - Hey You (2:32)

26.Tommy Steele - Happy Go Lucky Blues (2:20)

27.Tommy Steele - Singing The Blues (2:22)

28.Tommy Steele - Butterfly (1:20)

29.Tommy Steele - Doomsday Rock (1:59)

30.Tommy Steele - Razzle Dazzle (2:37)

31.Tommy Steele - Come On Let's Go (1:57)

32.Tommy Steele - Honky Tonk Blues (3:13)

33.Tommy Steele - Young Love (2:30)

34.Tommy Steele - You Gotta Go (2:06)

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 Billy Fury - Wondrous Place ~ The Brits Are Rocking Vol. 2 (2019) (34 / 1:13:46)

In the early days of British rock & roll, there were dozens of contenders for stardom: Tommy Steele, Cliff Richard, and Marty Wilde were among the players who rose to the challenge for at least a few years. Billy Fury, by contrast, was the real article from day one, and never really surrendered the title. He was also the most prodigiously talented of his generation of British rock & roll singers, a songwriter of considerable ability, and a decent actor as well.He was born Ronald Wycherley in Liverpool in 1940. A sickly child, he experienced his first bout of rheumatic fever at age six, the beginning of chronic health problems that would take his life before age 45. At 11, he started music lessons, taking up the piano, and he got his first guitar at age 14. By 1955, the skiffle boom had begun in England and Wycherley was leading his own local group, while earning money working on a tugboat and then as a stevedore. By 1958, Wycherley was playing locally, had won a talent competition, and was writing his own songs... more 

1.Billy Fury - Gonna Type A Letter (2:34)

2.Billy Fury - Baby How I Cried (2:46)

3.Billy Fury - Comin' Up In The World (2:17)

4.Billy Fury - Wondrous Place (2:23)

5.Billy Fury - Don't Leave Me This Way (2:40)

6.Billy Fury - Colette (1:50)

7.Billy Fury - Keep Away (2:11)

8.Billy Fury - Running Around (2:01)

9.Billy Fury - Bumble Bee (1:47)

10.Billy Fury - Nothin' Shakin' (But The Leaves On A Tree) (2:15)

11.Billy Fury - My Advice (2:03)

12.Billy Fury - Don't Say It's Over (1:52)

13.Billy Fury - Unchain My Heart (2:57)

14.Billy Fury - Sticks And Stones (2:01)

15.Billy Fury - Twist Kid (2:13)

16.Billy Fury - Push Push (2:10)

17.Billy Fury - Baby Come On (1:36)

18.Billy Fury - What Did I Do (2:00)

19.Billy Fury - If I Lose You (1:52)

20.Billy Fury - One Kiss (2:00)

21.Billy Fury - Play It Cool (2:02)

22.Billy Fury - Sweet Little Sixteen (1:49)

23.Billy Fury - Don't Knock Upon My Door (1:45)

24.Billy Fury - That's Love (1:48)

25.Billy Fury - Don't Jump (3:22)

26.Billy Fury - Tell Me How Do You Feel (2:00)

27.Billy Fury - Talkin' In My Sleep (2:12)

28.Billy Fury - I'd Never Find Another You (2:35)

29.Billy Fury - I'm Moving On (1:38)

30.Billy Fury - It's You I Need (1:45)

31.Billy Fury - Phone Call (2:42)

32.Billy Fury - Turn My Back On You (2:21)

33.Billy Fury - Alright, Goodbye (2:04)

34.Billy Fury - You're Having The Last Dance With Me (2:16)

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 King Size Taylor - Dr. Feelgood ~ The Brits Are Rocking Vol. 3 (2020) (31 / 1:15:07)

Vocalist Taylor led one of the most exciting Liverpool beat groups during the early 60s, but approbation in their homeland was undermined by an almost perpetual residency in German clubs. Originally signed to Philips Records, they completed several singles not issued in the UK before compounding this anonymity by agreeing to record for Polydor Records as the Shakers. Let’s Do The Slop, Twist, Madison, Hully Gully With The Shakers was a worthwhile resume of R&B/soul staples, but the unit’s complex series of recordings is best exemplified in their rendition of Solomon Burke’s ‘Stupidity’. This compulsive release, credited to Taylor and the Dominoes, was one of the finest of the genre, but the band ceased recording later that year following a live EP culled from a set at Hamburg’s Star Club. Taylor achieved notoriety during the 70s when his reel-to-reel tape of a Beatles performance at the same venue formed the basis for several archive packages. A Dominoes set on the same spool - the prime reason for its initial recording - did not generate the same interest although their version of ‘Hully Gully’ has erroneously, crept into several aforementioned Beatles release.

1.King Size Taylor - Heeby Jeebies (2:32)

2.King Size Taylor - All Around The World (3:22)

3.King Size Taylor - Dr. Feelgood (2:13)

4.King Size Taylor - She Said Yeah (1:42)

5.King Size Taylor - Hippy Hippy Shake (2:32)

6.King Size Taylor - Hello Josephine (2:48)

7.King Size Taylor - Slow Down (3:13)

8.King Size Taylor - Sweet Little Sixteen (2:19)

9.King Size Taylor - Never In A Hundred Years (2:05)

10.King Size Taylor - Money (3:00)

11.King Size Taylor - Bad Boy (2:01)

12.King Size Taylor - Sherry Baby (2:38)

13.King Size Taylor - Whole Lot Of Lovin' (1:42)

14.King Size Taylor - Stupidity (2:18)

15.King Size Taylor - Long Tall Sally (1:54)

16.King Size Taylor - Domino Twist (2:43)

17.King Size Taylor - Short On Love (2:14)

18.King Size Taylor - Memphis, Tennessee (2:47)

19.King Size Taylor - Mashed Potatoes And Hot Pastrami (2:29)

20.King Size Taylor - Lipstick, Powder And Paint (2:03)

21.King Size Taylor - Slippin' And Slidin' (2:39)

22.King Size Taylor - Twist And Shout (2:13)

23.King Size Taylor - Dizzy Miss Lizzy (3:23)

24.King Size Taylor - I Can Tell (3:03)

25.King Size Taylor - The Fortune Teller (2:15)

26.King Size Taylor - You Can't Sit Down (2:35)

27.King Size Taylor - I'm Late (2:00)

28.King Size Taylor - Sad And Blue (2:22)

29.King Size Taylor - Saw My Baby With Another Guy (1:55)

30.King Size Taylor - Matchbox (2:08)

31.King Size Taylor - Good Golly Miss Molly (2:00)

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 Colin Hicks - Sexy Rock ~ The Brits Are Rocking Vol. 4 (2020) (27 / 1:01:14)

Colin Hicks & The Cabin Boys were a British rock and roll band, led by Colin Hicks, the younger brother of singer Tommy Steele.

In November 1957, the British music magazine, NME, reported that Steele's manager, Larry Parnes had signed up Hicks, and that Hicks would undertake a ten-week variety tour with Marty Wilde.[1] In March the following year, the same source stated that Hicks and Wilde were fulfilling contracted dates, left after Terry Dene had been diagnosed as unfit to continue touring. In 1958 they had some television appearances, and a recording contract with Pye Records, and released a few singles with the label. However, he did not achieve the same level of success as his brother.

In 1959 they appeared in the Italian film, Europe By Night, with the song "Giddy Up a Ding Dong" that became a hit for them in Italy and resulted in an invitation to tour there. They became popular there and recorded several singles for the Broadway label in Italy.

In the early 1960s just before a concert in Torino, Hicks became ill and lost his voice,[4] and his backing group at the time consisting of Shel Shapiro, Johnny Charlton, Bobby Posner and Mike Shepstone were persuaded by a manager in Italy to sever ties with Hicks which they did. They then became The Rokes, and started playing behind the Italian female singer Rita Pavone. However they were signed to RCA Italiana on their own and debuted with a single, a cover version of "Shake, Rattle and Roll".

They also hold a distinction of being the first foreign rock band to play in a socialist state (in Yugoslavia in 1960).

1.Colin Hicks - Giddy Up A Ding Dong (2:05)

2.Colin Hicks - Empty Arms Blues (1:52)

3.Colin Hicks - Wild Eyes And Tender Lips (1:52)

4.Colin Hicks - Sexy Rock (2:43)

5.Colin Hicks - Mean Woman Blues (2:19)

6.Colin Hicks - Oh Boy! (1:58)

7.Colin Hicks - Love's Made A Fool Of You (2:09)

8.Colin Hicks - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (2:15)

9.Colin Hicks - Hanging Around (2:44)

10.Colin Hicks - Tallahassee Lassie (2:14)

11.Colin Hicks - Jambalaya (On The Bayou) (1:40)

12.Colin Hicks - Blue Moon Of Kentucky (2:34)

13.Colin Hicks - That Little Girl Of Mine (1:57)

14.Colin Hicks - Iea Iea (1:44)

15.Colin Hicks - Robot Man (2:09)

16.Colin Hicks - Put Me Down (2:16)

17.Colin Hicks - Lovin' Up A Storm (2:07)

18.Colin Hicks - A Teenager In Love (2:21)

19.Colin Hicks - Book Of Love (2:16)

20.Colin Hicks - Hallelujah, I Love Her So (2:27)

21.Colin Hicks - Brand New Cadillac (2:20)

22.Colin Hicks - All Because Of You (3:17)

23.Colin Hicks - Impazzivo Per Te (1:50)

24.Colin Hicks - Johnny B. Goode (2:06)

25.Colin Hicks - Tutti Frutti (2:21)

26.Colin Hicks - Twenty Flight Rock (3:03)

27.Colin Hicks - Hang Up My Rock And Roll Shoes (2:33)

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Lee Curtis & The All Stars - Let's Stomp - The Brits Are Rocking, Vol. 5 (2020) (29 / 1:19:13)

Lee Curtis And The All Stars was one of many aspiring beat combos active in Liverpool, England during the early 60s. Curtis (b. Peter Flannery) was a pop vocalist indebted to the pop style of the late 50s, but in September 1962 his career was given a considerable fillip when former Beatles drummer Pete Best joined his group. Frank Bowen (lead guitar), Tony Waddington (rhythm guitar) and Wayne Bickerton (bass) completed the line-up, although Bowen was later replaced by Tommy McGurk. Best’s arrival boosted the All-Stars’ popularity and they came second only to the Beatles in a Mersey Beat readers’ poll in 1963. However, the group was rather staid onstage, lacking the passion of many contemporaries. Decca Records signed Curtis as a solo artist in 1963 - much to the chagrin of his ‘backing’ group - and his debut, ‘Little Girl’, was recorded with session musicians. The All-Stars appeared on the follow-up, ‘Let’s Stomp’ (1963), but the results were poor and the singer and band then parted company. Curtis formed a new All-Stars and continued his recording career with ‘What About Me’ (1964) and ‘Ecstacy’ (1965). Two live performances, ‘Skinny Minnie’ and ‘Jezebel’, are enshrined on the various artists’ compilation, At The Cavern. Meanwhile, his erstwhile colleagues regrouped as the Pete Best Four.

1.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Boppin' The Blues (2:37)

2.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Let's Stomp (1st Version) (2:14)

3.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - I've Got My Eyes On You (2:16)

4.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Jezebel (3:35)

5.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Boys (2:56)

6.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Irresistible You (2:21)

7.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Nobody But You (2:35)

8.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Memphis, Tennessee (3:09)

9.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - It's Only Make Believe (2:50)

10.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - A Mess Of Blues (2:30)

11.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - My Baby (2:41)

12.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Sticks And Stones (2:18)

13.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Stupidity (2:15)

14.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Hello Josephine (2:54)

15.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Stand By Me (3:44)

16.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Slow Down (3:05)

17.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Shot Of Rhythm And Blues (2:50)

18.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - When I Get Paid (3:01)

19.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Can't Help Falling In Love (3:22)

20.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Let's Stomp (2nd Version) (2:32)

21.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Little Eqypt (2:59)

22.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Blue Suede Shoes (2:03)

23.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - One Night (2:48)

24.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Exstacy (2:51)

25.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Wooly Bully (2:37)

26.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Mohair Sam (1:53)

27.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Jezebel (Live At The Cavern) (2:55)

28.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Skinnie Minnie (2:38)

29.Lee Curtis & The All-Stars - Um Um Um Um Um (2:46)

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Tony Sheridan - Skinny Minny - The Brits Are Rocking Vol. 6 (2022) (29 / 1:17:51)

With his 1961 recording of "My Bonnie," Tony Sheridan forever secured rock & roll immortality; while the song was certainly a respectable hit during its heyday, its place in music history is instead assured as the first studio session to feature the Beatles. Anthony Sheridan McGinnity was born in Norwich, England on May 21, 1940; he formed his first band, the Saints, at the age of 15 before relocating to London a few years later. In 1959, he joined Vince Taylor & the Playboys, one of the most popular of the many British groups which rose to fame on the decadent Hamburg, Germany club scene; over time, the band evolved into a new unit called the Beat Brothers, originally featuring Sheridan on vocals and guitar backed by guitarists Ken Packwood and Rick Richards, bassist Colin Melander, keyboardist Ian Hines, and drummer Jimmy Doyle.

The Beat Brothers' lineup was notoriously nebulous, and among the various musicians which briefly passed through their ranks were John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Pete Best; it was this early incarnation of the Beatles which backed Sheridan in mid-1961 on at least three tracks -- "My Bonnie," "The Saints," and "Why (Can't You Love Me Again)." (Much of the information about the sessions remain murky, based on memory and conjecture; the true circumstances will likely never be definitively determined, although it is also widely agreed that the same date generated "Ain't She Sweet," sung by Lennon, as well as the instrumental "Cry for a Shadow.") "My Bonnie" sold some 100,000 copies and reached the West German Top Five; it was credited to Tony Sheridan & the Beat Brothers as a result of label fears that "Beatles" bore too much similarity to the German word "peedles" -- slang for the male organ.

In April 1962, the Beatles also joined Sheridan for a performance at the Hamburg Star Club; two more tracks, "Sweet Georgia Brown" and "Swanee River," are believed to have been recorded at that time. (Again, conclusive proof is lacking.) By this time, Sheridan was fronting a new group called the Tony Sheridan Quartet; at one point, their ranks included drummer (and future Beatle) Ringo Starr. By 1964, Sheridan had joined the Bobb Patrick Big Six, but by now the Hamburg beat craze was dying; at that juncture he journeyed to Vietnam to play U.S. army bases. When he returned to Hamburg in 1968, he remained a cult hero, and played a number of triumphant live dates before gradually retiring from show business. Years later Sheridan converted to the Sannyasin religion, rechristening himself Swami Probhu Sharan and settling in Germany. He died in Hamburg in February 2013 at the age of 72. Tony Sheridan was a footnote in rock history, to be sure, but an important and enduring one.

01.Tony Sheridan - My Bonnie (English Intro) (2:43)

02.Tony Sheridan - Get On The Right Track Baby (1:57)

03.Tony Sheridan - Let's Dance (2:35)

04.Tony Sheridan - Skinny Minnie (3:09)

05.Tony Sheridan - Ready Teddy (2:02)

06.Tony Sheridan - What'd I Say (2:39)

07.Tony Sheridan - Ruby Baby (2:52)

08.Tony Sheridan - Top Ten Twist (2:54)

09.Tony Sheridan - The Saints (3:20)

10.Tony Sheridan - Shake, Rattle And Roll (2:22)

11.Tony Sheridan - Let's Slop (2:54)

12.Tony Sheridan - Jambalaya (2:41)

13.Tony Sheridan - Ya Ya - part I (2:38)

14.Tony Sheridan - Ya Ya -part II (2:19)

15.Tony Sheridan - Swanee River (2:56)

16.Tony Sheridan - Take Some Insurance On Me Baby (2:55)

17.Tony Sheridan - Madison Kid (2:49)

18.Tony Sheridan - Hallelujah I Love Her So (2:10)

19.Tony Sheridan - Let's Twist Again (2:42)

20.Tony Sheridan - Shake It Some More (3:17)

21.Tony Sheridan - Whole Lotta Shakin'  Goin'  On (2:11)

22.Tony Sheridan - My Babe (3:35)

23.Tony Sheridan - Kansas City (2:39)

24.Tony Sheridan - Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop (2:38)

25.Tony Sheridan - Just A Little Bit (2:24)

26.Tony Sheridan - Sweet Georgia Brown (2:10)

27.Tony Sheridan - You Are My Sunshine (2:28)

28.Tony Sheridan - Oh Mary Ann (3:11)

29.Tony Sheridan - Ich lieb' dich so (2:46)

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