Excellent 50's rock and roll
01/10/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When I hear these Huey Smith tunes, I feel like I'm in the middle of a Mardi Gras parade struting down some New Orleans street. This music is vibrant and happy-sounding, heavy with piano rhythms and all written by Huey. All of his original charted hits on Ace records are here. The only loser in the bunch is the 1960 "Beatnik Blues" which reflects a changed style for the group as it fell out of popularity. Of historical note is the unreleased "Sea Cruise" recording by Huey which Ace rejected and turned into a major hit by another artist (Frankie Ford)."
New Orleans Rocking Boogie Woogie Piano
Randell V. Miller | Chicago, Ill | 07/30/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD is a great compliation of Huey "Piano" Smith's recordings for Ace Records. His music is pretty wild and crazy, and it really rocks, like most of the great early rock'n'roll of the 50's. It's not straight up rock'n'roll; it's really early rhythm and blues music.He has a great sense of humor. Many of the songs are very fuuny. His songs are very catchy and have great hooks in them. His piano playing is great on all of the tracks on this disc and there's great saxophone playing, too. Some of the best piano playing of the era next to Jerry Lee and Little Richard with a unique New Orleans style to it. His stuff can be hard to find; so if you find it,jump on it. If you like rocking piano playing and early rock'n'roll and r&b music, then this disc is a must for you. Go buy it, you won't be dissappointed. It's great music that should be listened to. The only downside to this disc is that it's less than 45 minutes long, but it's at a very reasonable price."
Track Listings (18) - Disc #1