The Ballads of Ricky Nelson

by Rick Nelson

Overview

As a TV teen idol, Ricky Nelson sang more than his fair share of ballads and they're almost all collected on the 30-track 2013 Bear Family compilation The Ballads of Ricky Nelson. The title here bills "Ricky," not "Rick," and that's an important distinction: after he left Imperial in 1962, he shortened his name to "Rick" and made a bid as a serious country-rocker. None of that material is here; this focuses entirely on the years between 1957 and 1962, when he was starring on The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet and cutting records on Imperial. There are plenty of hits here -- "Poor Little Fool," "Lonesome Town," "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You," "Never Be Anyone Else But You," "You're My One and Only Love," "A Teenager's Romance" -- and there are also covers of hits from other singers (Elvis' "Trying to Get to You," Jimmie Rodgers' "Honeycomb," the standard "Unchained Melody"), a few originals, and a bunch of solid examples of L.A. studio craft. Naturally, Nelson had much more to offer than ballads -- he was a terrific rock & roller -- so this can't be seen as a thorough overview of his early years as it's missing those classic rockers "Waitin' in School," "It's Late," "I'm Walking," "Be-Bop Baby," "Stood Up," and "Believe What You Say" -- but as a portrait of his sweet side, The Ballads of Ricky Nelson is thoroughly enchanting. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	03/15/2013
Label:	Bear Family Records
UPC:	5397102172120
Rank:	7739

Tracks

1. Prisoner of War
2. Poor Little Fool
3. I'll Walk Alone
4. Lonesome Town [Version]
5. I'm Feelin' Sorry
6. A Teenager's Romance
7. Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)
8. You're My One and Only Love
9. Don't Leave Me This Way
10. Have I Told You Lately That I Love
11. Trying to Get to You
12. Never Be Anyone Else But You
13. I Can't Help It
14. Sweeter Than You [Version]
15. Honeycomb
16. I Wanna Be Loved
17. Young Emotions
18. Unchained Melody
19. I'm Not Afraid
20. I'm Confessin'
21. You Are the Only One
22. Half Breed
23. A Wonder Like You
24. True Love
25. Everlovin'
26. Restless Kid
27. Young World
28. Proving My Love
29. Teen Age Idol
30. Everybody But Me

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Rick Nelson   Primary Artist,Drums,Guitar,Vocals
John Audino   Trumpet
The Jordanaires   Choir/Chorus
Irving Cottler   Drums
Leroy Vinnegar   Bass
Richie Frost   Drums
Marshall Cram   Trombone
Jack W. Marshall   Guitar
Otis Igelman   Violin
Gloria Woods   Choir/Chorus
James Burton   Guitar
Frank Capp   Drums
Joe Maphis   Guitar
Dorsey Burnette   Guitar (Rhythm)
Johnny Burnette   Guitar (Rhythm)
John Rotella   Saxophone
Pete Jolly   Piano
Bob Knight   Trombone
Allen Harris   Piano
Ozzie Nelson   Piano
Jim Pierce   Piano
George Kast   Violin
Dave Burgess   Choir/Chorus
Kurt Reher   Cello
Tommy Tedesco   Guitar
Gene Garf   Piano
Tiny Timbrell   Bass
Glen Campbell   Guitar,Choir/Chorus
Darlene Love & The Blossoms   Choir/Chorus
Howard Mancel Roberts   Guitar
The Four Preps   Choir/Chorus
Billy Strange   Guitar
Jimmy Rowles   Piano
Joe Osborn   Bass
Barney Kessel   Guitar
Earl Palmer   Drums
Plas Johnson   Saxophone
Red Mitchell   Bass
David Frisina   Violin
James Kirkland   Bass
Anthony Terran   Trumpet
George M. "Jud" DeNaut   Bass
Jan Hlinka   Viola
Jerry Fuller   Choir/Chorus
Holly Humphreys   Trumpet
Allen J. Reuss   Guitar
Irving Kluger   Percussion
Robert "Bob" Bain   Guitar
Ray Siegel   Bass
Ambrose Russo   Violin
Manuel Newman   Violin
Harold Dicterow   Violin
Neal Matthews, Jr.   Guitar (Acoustic)
Irving Geller   Violin
John Anderson   Trumpet
Sanford Schonbach   Viola
Roger Renner   Piano
Ray Johnson   Piano
Paul T. Smith   Piano

Technical Credits

Sharon Sheeley   Composer
Baker Knight   Composer
Cole Porter   Composer
Ellis Reynolds   Composer
Jay Livingston   Composer
Johnny Cash   Composer
Hy Zaret   Composer
Rose Marie McCoy   Composer
Richard Weize   Discography,Tape Research
Al Nelburg   Composer
Jack Marshall   Composer
Jack Lewis   Composer
Jack Clement   Composer
Basil Adlam   Arranger
Charles Singleton   Composer
Mack David   Composer
John D. Loudermilk   Composer
Roger Dopson   Liner Notes,Reissue Producer
Jimmie Haskell   Leader,Arranger,Producer
Jimmy Hodges   Composer
Scotty Wiseman   Composer
Jule Styne   Composer
Rick Nelson   Composer
Ozzie Nelson   Producer
Hank Williams   Composer
Dave Burgess   Composer
Alex North   Composer
Bob Merrill   Composer
Barney Kessel   Leader,Composer,Producer
Felice Bryant   Composer
Sammy Cahn   Composer
Juergen Crasser   Mastering
Doc Dougherty   Composer
Russ Wapensky   Discography
Jerry Fuller   Composer
Andreas Merck   Photo Scanning
David Gillam   Composer
R.A. Andreas   Photography,Illustrations
Bob Jones   Discography