[.ca] The Screaming End: The Best of Gene Vincent

From Amazon.com:
"Let's rock again!" Gene Vincent screams in his signature rocker, "Be Bop-A-Lula," and throughout this 20-song document of the first heady year of his career, he and the Blue Caps (surely, the greatest rockabilly band ever) do just that, again and again, rocking with controlled abandon--though just barely controlled. Guitarist Cliff Gallup rips off insane riffs that are the perfect match for Vincent's own pinched wail, in songs that are either scary ("Race with the Devil"), or flat amazed ("Who Slapped John?"), or nothing but the beat, the beat, the beat ("Cat Man"). All of it will leave you convinced that the title is an understatement. --David Cantwell

Gene Vincent: The Greatest of the Rockabilly Singers:
The only difference between Elvis Presley and Gene Vincent is the former swiveled his hips better and the latter had a better voice. Post WWII America is the only setting in history where a singer became the idol of teenyboppers because he gyrated his torso on stage. I'm certain this utterly tasteless, lowlife phenomena did not plague Aeschylus, Euripes, and Sophocles in Ancient Greek amphitheatres; nor, I'm certain, did it affect troubadours of Medievel Europe. I know it didn't affect bobbysoxer fans of Rudy Vallee, Russ Columbo, and Bing Crosby. Doubtless many female hearts (as well as the hearts of many limp-wristed males) went a-flutter at the sight as well as sound of these handsome crooners, but lest we forget, these boys could sing beautifully. The torso-over-tonsils mentality did not exist prior to the birth of Rock and Roll. This infantile approach to singers and song was a phenomena solely of 1950s America, where an always brooding, mentally deranged homosexual named James Dean became a thespian icon. Twenty, even ten years earlier he would have justifiably been given lithium and placed under a responsible guardian's care. But this was a new age of liberation! This was the age in which spoiled children of hard-working, sensible Depression and World War II generation parents and grandparents decided that Sinatra and Crosby were square, but Elvis was "sexy!" Henceforth, musical vocalizing would be measured not by octave range or pitch but by how "cute" was the singer. Personally, I don't think Presley was a handsome guy. In fact, I thought he was more than a bit greasy, effeminate, and dorkish. But then, I am a heterosexual male who still thinks Errol Flynn, Marcello Mastrianni and Cary Grant were classy and gentlemanly. Today, most people under fifty don't know or care about the identities of these idols of another age. Snoop Dog they know, Madonna, they know. Jennifer Lopez and her extra large posterior they know. In fact, they know every pseudo-talent of contemporary pop culture. If the performer is vulgar, sensational, contrived, ostentatious, and cartoonish, they'll know of him or her. Again, since the arrival of Presley, visual stimulation has been the decidiing factor as to whether or not a singer will be a hit. Ridiculous but true. This takes us to Mr. Presley and his closest rival in the primevel days of Rock and Roll, the tragic Gene Vincent. If the typical Presley fan were to listen to Presley and Vincent sing the same ballad---without advanced prompting as to which singer they were listening to---most would not be able to tell the difference. Gene Vincent's one shortcoming was that he wasn't packaged and promoted the way Presley was by the shrewd sheister Colonel Tom Parker. But if you were to be genuinely honest, Presley never sang as melodically as Vincent did on pretty ballads like "Hi Lili, Hi Lo." As a matter of fact, Vincent even had Presley beat in the rockabilly, hiccup-style of singing, as evinced by "Be Bop A Lu La." Now this was admittedly no great musical work, but then neither were "Hound Dog" and "Be My Teddy Bear," were they? Vincent sang on key more consistently and his range was greater than Presley's. On a soft ballad, Vincent had superior breath control (just listen to Presley's asthmatic-sounding "Love Me Tender." It sounded like he needed a kindergarten primer on how to sing a complete lyric without asphyxiating himself). But the teenyboppers of the 1950s weren't sufficiently sophisticated to judge a singer by his voice rather than his pelvis. Thus, Gene Vincent came up a bit short in the physiognamy department. However, if the listener is sophisticated enough to transcend the hip-shaking, big sideburns, and moronic B movies of the "Big E," he or she will soon realize that Gene Vincent had more singing talent than Presley. Now I'm not certain just how much of a compliment that is since I believe Tiny Tim and Alvin and the Chipmunks had better voices than Presley, but nonetheless, I'll take Vincent over Presley any day of the week. I sincerely believe that as far as rock singers are concerned, Vincent was the best of the originals.

Vincent Did Hiccup Style Vocalizing Better than Presley:
The "Screaming End" is a great CD highlighting some of the best vocals of a very good early rock and roller, Gene Vincent. Admittedly, I am one of those music fans who never did get Elvis Presley---as far as I could tell he sang simple-minded songs, looked ridiculous as both a young man and as an adult, made horrendous movies, and epitomized the unsophisticated, inarticulate perfomer who could earn millions of dollars yet could never transcend hicksville and his appallingly low level of articulation. In fact, after listening to another early rockabilly, Vincent, I wonder how Presley ever managed to outshine Gene Vincent since the latter singer had a purer, more subtle ballad voice and---when called upon--- also rocked twice as hard as Elvis Pretzel...I mean...Presley. Presley along with his large hair and even larger belly became an idol to the wrestling-watching, six pack guzzling masses upon his death, while Vincent was forgotten by all except ardent rockabilly fans. "Be Bop A Lula" is a rockabilly classic in which Vincent out-hiccups Presley like nobody's business. And if you'd like to hear a very good rockabilly ballad, just listen to Vincent do "Hi Lilly, Hi Lo." Again, I am not a big fan of rockabilly and three chord, twelve bar songs (I prefer Sinatra, Darin, Bennett, and Torme singing more sophisticated material by Porter, Berlin, Carmichael, Mercer, etc). But if I had to choose a rockabilly vocalist who possessed some genuine talent---not just long sideburns, a mile-high pompadour, sequined costumes, and a shrewd business manager---it would be Gene Vincent, not Elvis Presley--- God rest his fried peanut butter and banana sandwhich eat'n soul.

Rockabilly that sounds just as fresh today as it did then:
Wow! Like many people, I was not too familiar with Gene Vincent's work and thought of him as sort of a "one-hit-wonder" because "Be-Bop-A-Lula" was the only song of his I knew. Boy, was I pleasantly surprised to find out that not only was Gene not a "one-hit-wonder" but also an incredibly talented rockabilly musician whose music sounds just as fresh today as it did in the 1950s. I admit, it took me a couple of tries to discern one song from another. Being unfamiliar with rockabilly was part of the problem why I couldn't tell one song from another at first. However, I quickly realized that ALL of the songs presented here are great, and they do differ in style, though there are many similarities. "Red Blue Jeans and a Ponytail" is fantastic; as are "Catman" and "Pink Thunderbird". The band sounds great; the guitar playing is unmatched; and Gene's voice could rival any singer's today. It is entirely possible, by the way, to like Elvis and Gene Vincent and not think that one was better than the other. They were very different musicians, though they both emerged in the 1950s. Gene Vincent was the true rockabilly king, and Elvis, though a great rockabilly artist, diverged into many different realms of musical expression. Gene Vincent was a great talent who died way too young, though this album preserves his spirit of teenage rebellion and rockabilly greatness for all time! Buy it and enjoy!!!

I Agree...Vincent Had A Better Voice Than Presley:
I know this will sound sacriligeous to the Elvis fanatics, but an objective appraisal of Gene Vincent's and Presley's voices would lead most music critics to concur that Vincent had the better voice of the two---especially on slow ballads. His range was wider, his tone more subtle, and he did not sell out to commercialism and the trite, almost juvenile tunes like "Teddy Bear," and "I'm Stuck On You." Vincent was not particularly attractive physically, and so he did not catch on as quickly or as pervasively as did Presley. But lest we forget, singers are not supposed to be evaluated by how well they swivel their hips or by how well they pose on stage with their sequined costumes, vaudeville-style sunglasses, and sideburns that go on for miles. Rather, singers should be assessed by how well they sing. Using this meaningful criteria, Vincent was a better singer. Elvis did have a larger belly, however.

Hard, Loud, Raucous:
This CD features the best of Gene Vincent from when Cliff Gallup was a Blue Cap. Gene and his Blue Caps are Hard, Loud, Raucous, and Energetic. They "Bop" with reckless abandon (listen to Dickie's hollering in the sample "Who Slapped John"). Gallup's solos are interesting and driving-- some of the most exciting rock solos of the period. Gallup was certainly an influential guitarist to the next generation of 60's rockers (Jeff Beck's "Crazy Legs" album is homage to Gallup). Most focus on the rockabilly aspect of Vincent and his band, but it has a good deal less country feel: this is real swinging, rowdy early rock-n-roll. Vincent and his band deserve, in my opinion, a little more recognition for their talents and style that helped shape rock-n-roll.

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