Rock and roll in your living room
118. Ricky Nelson "Hello Mary Lou"
When Ricky Nelson, the teenage son of TV's Ozzie & Harriet, like just about every other kid in 1950's America, caught the rock and roll bug, many took it as a sign that rock had been absorbed and was about to be diluted*. They figured wrong. Ricky was way too talented and way too into it to be some kind of Fabian. This song is a perennial oldies station fixture and with good reason. Ricky's smooth but urgent vocal, the clomping wood-block based rhythm and the infectious chorus all do their part superbly, but the star attraction here is James Burton's string bending guitar solo which set the mold for just about every rock axe-slinger to come after him. Burton later played with Elvis Presley and has been cited as an influence by guitarists ranging from Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin have a fine version of this on their live How The West Was Won) to Matthew Sweet. But the appeal and importance of this record is more than simply historical. Over 45 years down the road, this record still manages to set toes a-tapping and faces smiling.
* as late as the 1980's I remember listening to a couple of rockabilly purists on a college radio station pissing and moaning about Nelson's induction to the Rock & Roll hall Of Fame, as if it meant civilization was crumbling. Philistines. Nelson's frustration with this kind of blinkered thinking led to his excellent 1970's comeback hit "Garden Party" which narrowly missed making this countdown and is definitely worth seeking out
When Ricky Nelson, the teenage son of TV's Ozzie & Harriet, like just about every other kid in 1950's America, caught the rock and roll bug, many took it as a sign that rock had been absorbed and was about to be diluted*. They figured wrong. Ricky was way too talented and way too into it to be some kind of Fabian. This song is a perennial oldies station fixture and with good reason. Ricky's smooth but urgent vocal, the clomping wood-block based rhythm and the infectious chorus all do their part superbly, but the star attraction here is James Burton's string bending guitar solo which set the mold for just about every rock axe-slinger to come after him. Burton later played with Elvis Presley and has been cited as an influence by guitarists ranging from Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin have a fine version of this on their live How The West Was Won) to Matthew Sweet. But the appeal and importance of this record is more than simply historical. Over 45 years down the road, this record still manages to set toes a-tapping and faces smiling.
* as late as the 1980's I remember listening to a couple of rockabilly purists on a college radio station pissing and moaning about Nelson's induction to the Rock & Roll hall Of Fame, as if it meant civilization was crumbling. Philistines. Nelson's frustration with this kind of blinkered thinking led to his excellent 1970's comeback hit "Garden Party" which narrowly missed making this countdown and is definitely worth seeking out
