Elvis was sexier,
Gene Vincent was wilder,
Eddie Cochran and
Carl Perkins were better guitar players,
Chuck Berry wrote better songs,
Little Richard had a much better fashion sense, and
Wanda Jackson had better legs. It didn't take long after
Bill Haley's run of hits began in 1954 for the first white
rock & roll star to start looking like the good-natured square he was at heart, but he did have two things going for him -- he genuinely liked the music, and he led a hell of a band that could conjure up an emphatic backbeat that's still a kick to hear. There are literally dozens of
Bill Haley compilations on the market, but
Bear Family's
Bill Rocks offers a bit more of a historical overview than most; it's dominated by
Haley's classic sides for
Decca, where he cut his biggest hits, but also offers a few examples of his earlier
Essex Records material, including the brilliant 1952 recordings of
"Rock the Joint" and
"Real Rock Drive" that first found
Haley introducing his
Western swing band to
R&B and cutting a solid groove (in fact,
Haley sounds more natural and less mannered as a
rock belter on the
Essex material than he did on many of his later hits). And while no one would accuse
Bill Haley & His Comets of being the coolest band on Earth, these 31 songs show they were a tight, rollicking outfit full of energy and with chops to spare (especially guitarists
Danny Cedrone and
Frank Beecher), and these tunes will still fill a dancefloor at proper volume. While some of the pre-
Decca tracks have been rescued from old discs and sound like it, the sizable majority of the material has been remastered with care and sounds terrific, and
Colin Escott's excellent liner essay tells
Haley's story with skill and concision.
20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Bill Haley & His Comets is a budget-priced compilation that features
Haley's biggest hits with fine sonics, and it will certainly do for casual fans, but if you want a more complete single-disc overview of
Bill Haley's brief but important era in the spotlight,
Bill Rocks is an excellent choice that lives up to its title. ~ Mark Deming
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