Bill Haley and His Comets (1960 album)

Infobox Album
Name = Bill Haley and His Comets
Type = studio album
Artist = Bill Haley & His Comets


Released = April 1960
Recorded = January 1960; New York
Genre = Rock and Roll
Length =
Label = Warner Bros. Records
Producer = George Avakian
Reviews =
Last album = "Strictly Instrumental" (1959)
This album = "Bill Haley and His Comets" (1960)
Next album = "Haley's Juke Box" (1960)

"Bill Haley and His Comets" is the title of the tenth album of rock and roll recordings by Bill Haley & His Comets. Released in April 1960, it was the band's first album release for Warner Bros. Records, following their departure from Decca Records at the end of 1959. The recordings were produced by George Avakian, who succeeded Haley's Decca producer, Milt Gabler.

One of two albums released during a four-month period (the other being "Haley's Juke Box"), this first album consisted of cover versions of popular rock and roll hits of the 1950s, including re-recordings of Haley's own hits "Rock Around the Clock", "Crazy Man Crazy" and "Shake, Rattle and Roll". The latter song underwent a substantial rearrangement in order to modernize its sound, while the arrangements for the former two were left virtually unchanged from their originals, the major difference being the new versions were recorded in stereo. The album produced no chart hits.

In 1963, Decca Records released an album under its Vocalion Records subsidiary called "Bill Haley and the Comets"; this was a different selection of recordings.

Track listing

# Rock Around the Clock
# I Almost Lost My Mind
# Blue Suede Shoes
# Blueberry Hill
# My Special Angel
# Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin On
# Crazy Man Crazy
# Kansas City
# Love Letters in the Sand
# I'm in Love Again
# Shake, Rattle and Roll
# Stagger Lee

Personnel

* Bill Haley – rhythm guitar
* Franny Beecher – lead guitar
* Billy Williamson – steel guitar
* Johnny Grande – piano
* Ralph Jones – drums
* Rudy Pompilli - tenor saxophone
* Al Rappa - bass guitar [ [http://thegardnerfamily.org/haley/discography/recordings.html Bill Haley Recordings Database] ]

Reissues

Tracks from this album later appeared on a number of compilation releases, including the 1970 Warner Bros. release "Rock 'n' Roll Revival". In 1999, it was incorporated into the Bear Family Records CD box set, "The Warner Brothers Years and More".

References

External links

* [http://thegardnerfamily.org/haley/discography/products.html Bill Haley discography]