Merrill Moore

Yes Indeed! Merrill Moore

? A rock 'n' roll hero who didn't actually like rock 'n' roll, Merrill Moore reached a bigger audience in the late 60s than he ever did in his early 50s heyday, after the 1968 Rock 'n' Roll Revival brought his exhilarating, up-tempo hillbilly boogies to the attention of a much wider audience than it had enjoyed the first time round - many of whom were too young to have caught the handful of 78s that his label Capitol had issued here as new releases.

? The records Moore made in the first half of the 1950s may not have sounded like rock 'n' roll to him. However their boisterous nature, compounded by his relentlessly pounding Jerry Lee Lewis-style piano and Bill Haley-esque vocals pegged them as part of the rockin' root from which everything sprang.

? This compilation features all of Moore's 45s and 78s from the first phase of his career, plus a selection of bonus tracks from EPs and originally unissued material. It's as comprehensive a collection as any fan of his work could wish to own.

? Highlights include his vibrant versions of 'Down The Road A Piece', 'The House Of Blue Lights', 'Ten Ten AM' and 'Rock Rockola' - just a few of the many tracks on which his estimable reputation rests. Moore is backed here by the cream of the West Coast session musicians from the 1950s hillbilly scene, among them Jimmy Bryant, Speedy West and Billy Strange - each a legend in his own right.

? As always, remastered from the best possible sources and featuring a comprehensive biography, here's a 'belly full of blue thunder' that sounds as fresh and fierce as it did almost 70 years ago.