Raving on about Herb and Waylon

[Harry]

I just discovered that Hip-O Records (division of Universal) released a compilation of early Waylon Jennings recordings on a CD called Phase One: The Early Years 1958-1964. It includes some stuff from the A&M period including the non-album single "Rave On" with Herb and his TJB-style backing. Also included is "Four Strong Winds" and at least four other Alpert-produced songs.

The album's available at all common CD retailers, both online and off, including amazon.com (use the link on the main page). On the amazon site, there's a RealPlayer link to a song sample from "Rave On", the bulk of which is Herb's TJB-style trumpet in the middle of the record. So you can "try, before you buy".

The album was apparently released a year ago, but I've seen no mention of it here, so I thought I'd pass along the info for Alpert completists. This is a nice addition to the Alpert-guest collection, and these are songs I hadn't heard before since I don't own the semi-rare Waylon A&M album, nor the singles that were issued back then.

Harry
NP: "Rave On" Waylon Jennings

 

[LPJim]

Thanks. This appears to be the first Waylon CD compilation containing A&M tracks. "Rave On" and "Love Denied" were on the German Bear Family LP (RAVE ON) from 1978. The remainder of that album was all the songs from DON'T THINK TWICE (SP 4238) except the title tune. The other non-LP single, "Sing the Girls a Song, Bill," wasn't included either.
It would be nice to have all the A&M Waylon tunes on one CD; but at least this is a start.
JB

 

[Captain Bacardi]

Thanks for the heads-up on this! I can't believe none of us picked up on this a year ago. Must be that age thing...


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Harry]

Nice mastering and liner notes on this set too. Of the A&M related tracks, here's the stereo/mono breakdown:

5. Rave On - mono
6. Love Denied - mono
7. Four Strong Winds - mono
8. Just To Satisfy You - mono
9. The House Of The Rising Sun - mono
10. I'm Coming Home - stereo
11. Sing The Girls A Song, Bill - stereo
16. Don't Think Twice, It's Alright - mono

Here are the track notes to "Rave On"/"Love Denied" (tracks 5 and 6 on this CD):

History of tracks 5 & 6 is murky. The master tapes from the original Jan. 28, 1963 session that yielded these two tunes were reported lost. Records show these two tunes appearing at an Oct 2, 1963 session, but it is unclear if these two tunes were re-recorded on this Oct 2 date, or if the original recordings were simply mixed for release on A&M single 722. Notations on the original 3-track multi-track master tape found in the A&M tape library yielded no new information. The Jan 28, 1963, session featured Waylon on vocals & guitar and Ray Corbin on guitar (other personnel unknown) and took place at Canyon Films of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ. The Oct 2, 1963, session took place at Western Recorders, Hollywood, CA; the only known personnel was Waylon on guitar and vocals.

About tracks 7 through 10, the notes say:

Tracks 7 through 10 arranged and conducted by Herb Alpert
Waylon A. Jennings - vocals, guitar
Gerald W. Gropp - rhythm guitar
Paul Foster - bass
Byron Metcalf - drums
Recorded March 2 & April 13, 1964 at Audio Recorders, Phoenix, AZ
Tracks 7 & 8 issued as A&M single 722
Tracks 9 & 10 issued on the Bear Family [Germany] boxed set The Journey - Destiny's Child (1999)

So, I'm confused. The notes say that both 5 & 6, and 7 & 8 were issued as A&M 722. One of those has to be wrong. The notes for track 11 say it was issued on A&M single 753

"Rave On" is one kick-ass little record, more akin to "Mexican Drummer Man" than a country record.

Harry
NP: "Rave On" Waylon Jennings

 

[LPJim]

Here are the Waylon A&M singles:
722 - Rave On/ Love Denied (both non-LP)
739- Four Strong Winds/ Just to Satisfy You (both from SP 4238)
753 - The Race is On (from SP 4238)/ Sing the Girls a Song Bill (non-LP)
762 - I Don't Believe You/ House of the Rising Sun (from SP 4238).

A&M did not release the album until after Waylon won a Grammy in 1969 for his country version of "MacArthur Park" (on RCA).
JB

 

[Captain Bacardi]

I finally picked this CD up, and this was the first time I had heard "Rave On". It's a gas! Very lively tune. I can't believe it hadn't been on some type of album before. Herb played with a bit of bravado on this one. Definitely worth picking up for this tune alone.


Capt. Bacardi

 

[Harry]

I finally picked this CD up, and this was the first time I had heard "Rave On". It's a gas! Very lively tune. I can't believe it hadn't been on some type of album before. Herb played with a bit of bravado on this one. Definitely worth picking up for this tune alone.

It's cool, isn't it! Almost like a lost recording from the Volume 2/South Of The Border days.

Harry
NP: "Rave On" Waylon Jennings

 

[Dave]

Finally picked up this CD, WAYLON JENNINGS PHASE ONE-THE EARLY YEARS, myself!

Yes, "Rave On" is the gem everyone says it is! I love the other A&M tracks, both LP: "House Of The Rising Sun", "Four Strong Winds", "I'm Coming Home", "Just To Satisfy You" and my favorite, "Don't Think Twice", as well as non-LP: "Sing The Girls A Song, Bill", "Rave On" and another favorite, "Love Denied".

The non-A&M stuff is good, too: "Burning Memories", "When Sin Stops", "Jole Blon" (one of the few Country songs sung in French, not covered by by Lucille Starr), "My Baby Walks All Over Me", "Love's Gonna Live Here Again", and Roy Orbison's "Crying" and "Dream Baby".

Dave

Gioccho Adesso: The Sandpipers "The French Song" ("Freedom Song"????)