VA - Pie Cart Rock 'n' Roll (New Zealand Rock 'n' Roll 1957-1962) @ Flac

An  history of popular music recorded in New Zealand in the 1950s and early 1960s

Review By GRAHAM REID

 The  series of Pie Cart Rock 'n' Roll covering the arrival of rock’n’roll in New Zealand, examines the boom in New Zealand rock music in the years before  beat bands would dominate the air waves.

Twenty-eight slices of  backbeat local rock'n'roll from the late 50s which includes overlooked classics like Peter Lewis and the Trisonic's "Four City Rock", the title track by Johnny Cooper, Max Merritt and Meteors' "Get a Haircut" and "Haka Boogie" by Morgan Clarke and Benny's Five ("Swing your puipui and do the haka-boogie the Maori way").

There's some almost paleolithic guitar playing on Bob Paris Combo's "Dragstrip", unfortunately only one track by NZ own Elvis, Johnny Devlin (the snakey Nervous Wreck), and a stacked deck of one-hit wonders.

The high count of original songs shows even way back in the days before the Beatles made writing your own song almost mandatory NZ musicians were taking things into their own hands...

New Zealand  Rock 'n' Roll 1957-1962

 01. Johnny Cooper - Pie Cart Rock And Roll 

 02. Peter Lewis & The Tri-Sonic Beat - Four City Rock 

 03. Max Merritt & The Meteors - Get A Haircut 

 04. Clyde Scott with The Zanyopolis A.U. Students - Gravedigger's Rock 

 05. Glyn Tucker with Ian Lowe & The Tornados - I'm In Love 

 06. Bobby Davis with The Dazzlers - Able Mable 

 07. Morgan Clarke & Benny's Five - Haka Boogie 

 08. Ron Maxman & The Martians - Cool 'N' Crazy 

 09. Red Hewitt & The Buccanneers - DJ Blues 

 10. The Bob Paris Combo - Dragstrip 

 11. Eddie Howell with The Rockabyes - I'm A Man 

 12. Max Merritt & The Meteors - Kiss Curl 

 13. Carol Davies & the Halo's - Little Bit 

 14. The Howard Morrison Quartet - Gum Drop 

 15. Sam Mateparae & The Rockin' Rockers - Rockin' Rockers 

 16. The Hulawaians - Hawaiin Rock'n'Roll 

 17. Clyde Scott & The Clansman - Bluebird 

 18. Johnny Devlin & The Devils - Nervous Wreck 

 19. Garry Stewart & The Coronets/Ian Lowe & His Esquires - Street Corner 

 20. Teddy Bennett - The Life I Live 

 21. Ronnie Sundin - Teenage Beat 

 22. The Keil Isles - Say Mama 

 23. Glyn Tucker with Ian Lowe & The Tornados - Carol 

 24. Eddie Howell with The Rockabyes - Save My Soul 

 25. Teddy & The Bears - Pipeliner 

 26. Lew Pryne - Tallahassee Lassie 

 27. Rod Derrett - Teddy Bear's Picnic 

 28. The Zodiacs - Be Bop A Lula 

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