Comprehensive!
01/03/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"...the best of the Johnny Preston "Mercury" compilations because it includes the charted single "Free Me" heretofore missing from other collections. Johnny has a beautiful voice. Unfortunately (as was the case with fellow "swamp-pop" rockers like Jivin' Gene and Rod Bernard), MERCURY didn't seem to always know what to do with the R&B/Cajun influenced Gulf Coast variant of rock and roll...and so we find these recordings compromised by strings and arrangements not really representative of the artist and the genre. The influence of Beaumont, Texas' "The Big Bopper" is clear on the big hit "Running Bear" (and the Christmas novelty "Rock and Roll Guitar")...but much of the rest of the material is distant to Johnny's Beaumont-Port Arthur roots. Still, there are some gems that shine through...my favorites here being his 2nd biggest hit "Cradle of Love", "Charming Billy", and a cover of "What am I Living For". After Mercury, Johnny did some interesting recordings for Bill Hall (Hallway, TCFHall) that are not yet unavailable on CD...and then cut some tracks with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys (including a rare "swing" version of "Running Bear")...but buy this CD to hear two songs that particularly showcase the breadth of Johnny's voice: "You'll Never Walk Alone" (rivaling the Roy Hamilton version) and "Madre De Dios"..."
Finally - a comprehensive Preston CD
Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 04/18/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Again, it has taken a British label, Castle Music, to anthologize an all-American artist from the golden age of rock and roll. Johnny Preston (Courville)'s quasi-novelty "Running Bear" written by J.P. Richardson (the Big Bopper) dominated the airwaves in late '59. While having a smash novelty hit out of the gate is a trick virtually impossible to repeat, Preston managed a respectable follow-up with the twist on "Rock-a-Bye-Baby" in the form of his "Cradle of Love". Unfortunately, after an impressive top-20 success with his version of "Feel So Fine", new material did not support his talents and subsequent releases were less and less successful and by 1962 he was gone from the charts. While he attempted to find a niche trying various styles as illustrated here in the songs he recorded, that very lack of focus may have resulted in his downfall from musical favor with the public. Here, in this two-CD set, is included all five of Preston's top-100 pop hits plus b-sides, album cuts and some previously unreleased tracks. There is a domestic Preston CD collection but this blows that piece away. Bear Family Records has two Preston single CDs in print but while of superb quality, neither is comprehensive. The one possible draw to the Bear Family "Running Bear" CD is that it contains the mono single versions of "Feel So Fine" and "Leave My Kitten Alone" where the stereo versions are presented in this piece should that be of concern to the prospective purchaser. For comprehensiveness with quality however, this is the piece to buy. The two CD's contain a total of 46 songs in generally excellent sound quality with tracks 5-13,15,16 on disc one and all of disc two except track 19 in stereo. The sizable flopover liner notes booklet contains track details, a decent biographical sketch and many pics and illustrations. While containing more material than may be desired by the casual listener, for the fan or collector, this is a superbly produced piece and belongs in any serious collector's CD library."
Great music
Joseph P. Iorio | brantford on. canada | 11/22/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"this cd is the best collection of johnny preston i've purchased sound is excellent and so are the liner notes a must for any oldies collector"
Track Listings (22) - Disc #1