Bill Haley & His Comets - 20th Century Masters: The Best Of Bill Haley & His Comets (Millennium Collection)

Bill Haley died convinced that his role in shaping and popularizing rock & roll was largely undervalued. If he was around today you'd have to agree with him, because his recorded legacy has been relegated on the one hand to bargain-basement hits collections and, on the other, to prohibitively expensive box sets that most folk will never hear. Haley's 20th Century Masters set is yet another too-slight selection of his groundbreaking work, though it does contain all the basics: "Rock Around the Clock," "Shake, Rattle and Roll," "See You Later, Alligator," and nine others. Haley is generally thought of as tame and conservative compared to, say, Elvis, which is probably true. But consider this unbelievably randy double-entendre from "Shake, Rattle and Roll": "I'm like a one-eyed cat / Peepin' in a seafood store." Yikes. If they'd chosen that as the theme to Happy Days, instead of "Rock Around the Clock" America would be a different nation today. --Daniel Durchholz Amazon.com

Rockin' with Bill and the Boys

I want to take you to back to the Stone Age of communications in the 1950's. In those days there was a thing called a transistor radio. For those who do not know what this is it was a small battery-powered radio that you could fit in your shirt or pants pocket or for girls- a purse or some such bag. No, no downloading then, sorry. Why do I need to mention this as a prelude to discussing Bill Haley? Well, let us keep this quiet, okay. Bill and his Comets could be listened to on that little radio. No big deal, you say. Fair enough.

But what if I told you that he played Rock and Roll music and that such music was the `devils work' in many households. And what if I told you that this `devil's work' was much easier to listen too if you had one of those little transistors that could be hidden away from snooping parents. And this was not in some "Iron Curtain" country but right here in America. Now you get the drift. Some, including this writer, may say that America has since gone to the dogs but, hell; it was great music to listen to after hearing the likes of Patti Page singing about How Much Was That Doggie In The Window.

Bill Haley actually represented something of a transition into Rock and Roll. He had a regular standard band of the day with a big `sax' sound and all. He and his Comets were all dressed up for the country club youth dance or school dance so mother and father would certainly have approved of such nice young men. Then they came out with the jump Rock Around The Clock at you. Then covered Big Joe Turner's classic Shake, Rattle and Roll (better than Elvis, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee by the way). Take a breather with a little Mambo-type ditty to take advantage of the then current craze. Then back to the sneakily sensuous Skinny Minnie. And close out with a rock classic like See You Later, Alligator. Yes, this was maybe not the very best that Rock and Roll had to offer but these guys were serious. Just make sure to get some batteries for those little radios and things will be fine.
July 28, 2008

the birth of rock and roll

20th Century Masters: The Best Of Bill Haley & His Comets truly undervalues the contributions to the arts and music by Bill Haley & His Comets. There are pitifully few tracks on this CD even if it is a lower priced CD; this disappoints me but then again I never liked that this series always limits the track sets to eleven or so even if there's plenty of room for more music. Sigh. However, the quality of this music is high and the sound quality is also very good.

The track set starts off with what is probably the best known hit for Bill Haley & His Comets, "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock." This song really rocks especially for a `50s tune and I always love to listen to this song; there's so much positive energy going on here. Bill sings very well and the guitar work is brilliant. "Shake, Rattle And Roll" has an incredibly infectious beat that is so relentlessly happy and energetic that I can't resist loving this tune! They sing this well and the best is awesome!

"Thirteen Women (And Only One Man In Town)" follows; Bill sings this out strong without a flaw and the brass really sounds great. The percussion helps the melody along; and Bill's excellent diction bolsters his performance. "Razzle Dazzle" rocks hard and Bill Haley & His Comets never let up--this tune is electric and I dare you not to enjoy it! The backup vocals work very well for "Razzle Dazzle," too.

"The Saints Rock `N Roll" features Bill Haley & His Comets doing a very creative cover of "When The Saints Go Marching In;" but of course some of the words have been changed. However, this still is an awesome number with a great beat. The electric guitars work wonders for "The Saints Rock `N Roll." "R-O-C-K" is another hot rockin' number that proves beyond doubt that Bill Haley & His Comets were geniuses and some of the best musicians of the entire twentieth century! Good backup vocals on "R-O-C-K," too.

The CD ends with the strong hit entitled "See You Later, Alligator." "See You Later, Alligator" features all of the men singing and harmonizing very strongly. The song has an excellent beat and the music fits perfectly with the lyrics.

Overall, casual fans of Bill Haley & His Comets will be most impressed with this album. Diehard fans will want more--they may want to even consider saving up for one of those very expensive box sets that are still for sale on this website.
March 2, 2008

classic rock and roll album

bill haley is legendry rock and roll, this album has all the original songs..great finger snapping toe tapping stuff September 28, 2007

Seniors also love Bill Haley & His Comets

I oragnaize and play the music at a senior retirement home. i sent for The Best Of Bill Haley & His Comets because i love his music. I played "Rock Around The Clock" and some of the other song on the CD and we had more dancers on the floor than for any other music. I plan on playing more songs from this CD at our next dance. It's truely one great CD! May 10, 2007

Great Album From The 50's.

What was Decca records doing that no other company could duplicate them quality-wise?? This album is unbelievably crisp and clean for the era. Compare with RCA Elvis recordings through the same period and RCA falls way behind. 'Rock Around The Clock' was my passport to Rock music and I still love it. The bass on this album is tight, sax and guitars well placed up front and centre and all in all a truly magnificient album for it's day. Good remastering by MCA. Well worth the bargain price. July 29, 2003

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