Search - Various Artists :: Not Fade Away: Remembering Buddy Holly

Buddy will never fade away

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 03/21/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sixties group The Hollies named themselves after him and they open this set with a remix of Buddy's original version of Peggy Sue got married. Modern recording technology is amazing, but I admit that I would have preferred the Hollies to do their own version rather than mix their vocals with Buddy's.The remaining recordings were all (as far as I know) completely new for this album and feature a mix of rock and country performers. Buddy's former band, The Crickets, lend their support to Nanci Griffith on Well all right and to The Band on Not fade away.My favorite track here is It doesn't matter anymore, featuring outstanding guitar picking by Dave Edmunds and brilliant singing by Suzy Bogguss. Actually, I think all the tracks are great, except Peggy Sue got married which is merely OK. You have to like both country and rock music to agree with me. If you only like one of these genres, you may only like some of the tracks here.Despite a recording career cut short by death, Buddy's influence on pop, rock and country music is substantial. This is a fitting tribute album, although it would have been nice to have more than twelve tracks."

Highly recommendable Buddy Holly tribute

F. J. Harvey | Birmingham England | 10/10/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"To my mind Buddy Holly was the best musician of all the fifties rock n roll acts .Mind ,I say "musician" not "singer" for while a perfectly talented singer he was outclassed vocally by Presley and the Killer .However,he possessed a great deal of musical insight and applied the fruits of his wide listening to create a substantial musical legacy in a tragically brief time span .
This 1996 tribute to Holly is a labour of love and a worthwhile album in its own right .Predominantly a country music affair it gives a number of stellar performers the chance to pay tribute to a lasting influence in American musis.
It has its weaknessses -the opening track Peggy Sue Got Married ,which features Holly's own vocal grafted onto a new version by the Hollies is over arranged and for me it simply does not work .Also the take on Midnight Shift by Los Lobos is too plodding for my taste .Yet all else is fine and in some cases better than that.
The soaring version of True Love Ways by the Mavericks is passionate and beautiful;Nanci Griffith and the Crickets add something new to Well All Right make it sound well at ease in her usual "folkabilly" style;the perfect pitch of Suzy Boguss on It Doesn't Matter Anymore comes close to the original,while other highlights include a nice version of Think It over from the Tractors.Check out the duet between Steve Earle and Marty Stuart on Crying ,Waiting ,Hoping for new insights into a Holly song,;listen to the Bo Diddly-ish attack on Not Fade Away by the Band and the Crickets but above listen to the simplest arrangement of all on the most affecting track of the lot-the reflective take on Learning the Game by the great Waylon Jennings.With a simple guitar accompaniment he cuts to the heart of the song bringing the gravitas of the years to the deceptively simple song .Its called experience and its priceless.
This does not Buddy down even when adhering closely to the original arrangement as in the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band cut of Maybe BabyA pleasing album."

Fantastic, Enjoyable, Highly Recommended

F. J. Harvey | 11/01/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I like a little (older style) country from my youth (Glen Campbell, Johnny Cash, Charlie Pride, etc.), but stick primarily to pop and a little alternative rock. I love Buddy Holly's music so I gave this album a try after seeing a special on The Nashville Network. This has become one of my favorite albums to listen to over and over again. I especially enjoy Nanci Griffith's performance, but the entire album is fantastic. This proves yet again what a staggering loss the music world suffered when we lost Buddy Holly."