OK GDP rockabilly fans -- what are your favorite 3 rockabilly songs of all time (or at least your favorite 3 tunes at this moment) ... ?
My current list goes like this:
1) Summertime Blues (Cochran) 2) Lonesome Train (J. Burnette Trio) 3) Rumble in Brighton (Stray Cats)
I wouldn't consider Summertime Blues rockabilly. To me that's pure 50's rock 'n' roll.
I would say:
I can't in good faith mention any rockabilly music made past 1958. 
Blue Suede Shoes - Carl Perkins
Whole Lot of Shakin' Going On - Jerry Lee Lewis
Black Slacks - Joe Bennett & the Sparkletones
Just to balance with Mr. Trouble.
Any three by the great Ronnie Self... anyone know of him? http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=1864... My goodness - a hillbilly on acid!
Ditto for any three by Charlie Feathers!
The label Rockabilly can be misleading, to me, THIS is a rockabilly tune. It's got that root/5th thing in the bass, man it's a rockin country tune. Sorry to derail, but I can tell this is going to turn into a Rockabilly vs. not really rockabilly thread. Hey, its a hard word to define sometimes ....
Very hard word to define, so let's not try. I would rather hear WHY you picked your 3 tunes, rather than just lists.
I like Elvis' "Mystery Train" for it's black meets white vibe, immediately recognisable and genre defining guitar riff, the tone, the looseness of the laughter at the end, and the imagery of the lyrics.
I like "Rock Billy Boogie" by JB and the RnR Trio for the guitar tone ( Grady Martin), the lyrics, and the ultimately cool vocal, plus it's the first known mention of the term, as it was to become.
But my all time fave is "Baby Let's Play House" by Elvis....not only for the beat, hiccuppy vocals, AWE-SUM guitar solos and tone, rawness, but absolutely superb recording quality for it's day...listen to how clear it is compared to any of the other Sun recordings. Plus the little slap bass "solos" at times...
Oh......and all the Cliff Gallup /Gene stuff. A class by itself.
I respectfully agree with RepentOrPerish's challenge for making this thread better by underscoring the WHY factor...
I confess I started it because I consider myself a newbie to the genre. I therefore thought it would be a good education to hear from some of you about your favorites. I was not a real rockabilly fan until maybe a year ago -- I came in the back way as it were when I picked up my first Grestsch hollow body, a 6119 SP, and fell in love with it all.
I like Summertime Blues (which I agree probably is a bit more classic rock n' roll) because of the great hand-clap rhythm track, plus that unforgettable, signature upward Bigsby bend on the low E.
Lonesome Train is just a true classic, IMO, with Paul Burlison's simple-yet-great intro and solo lead. He does a lot, just with half steps.
Rumble In Brighton I like purely for its all-out raw ballsiness. A real modern, sonic twister of a song.
Edit: Can't have Rockabilly without Rock Billy Boogie either.
Train Kept A Rollin
Be-Bop-A-Lula
Mystery Train
Why? How can you put into words that feeling of just knowing when it's the right thing?
Anyway, that's why.
Go Dog--I played backup with Ronnie Self at a "lounge" one night ca. 1959. Just two guitars--Me lead, him rhythm. A night to remeber for a nineteen year old pud guitar player! That must have been before "Bop-A-Lena" because he didn't sing that one. He sang some Hank Williams slow songs and did "Roll Over Beethoven" several times. He was wild, but not as wild as I had seen him earlier on the Phillip-Morris traveling contry show and the Ozark Jubilee.
TAG4
Cool cool cool!
Jazz Box--I agree, Maybelline was well into the Rockabilly genre--Bob Luman's version was probably even better than Chuck's!
TAG4
redrocker said: I like Summertime Blues (which I agree probably is a bit more classic rock n' roll) because of the great hand-clap rhythm track, plus that unforgettable, signature upward Bigsby bend on the low E.
Eddie Cochran didn't use his Gretsch on Summertime Blues so there's no Bigsby involved.
What I think is great about Summertime Blues is that nobody has been able to replicate the sound Eddie got due to the techniques he pioneered in the studio. Plus there's more going on in that song acoustically than people realize. Many people think it's just Eddie playing 3 chords on the first couple of frets, but he layed down an overdub of harmony chords played a least an octave higher.
hum? ......
red hot
20 flight rock
summertime blues
BUT!< what do i know about rockabilly......? 
Hi Guys! I Fought the Law(every version), Summer Time Blues(Eddie C, Marijuana(rev. Horten Heat
Why? 'Cause Every time I hear "em on the raido/cd player/Ipod I get all sexface and say "NOW THIS IS RACKABILLY!!!!"and grab my old lady and b-line to the dance floor
True, Mr. Trouble, I was noting a Bigsby lazily -- when I know that's just what's done by some players nowadays.
In fact, to my ears it sounds as if the upward bent note on that track is coming from a slide note on an upright bass.
And yes, the acoustic range/studio technique is everything on that song.
"Flying Saucer Rock n' Roll" - pure, hopped up, B movie fun. Billy Lee Riley, you're the man!.
"Baby Lets Play House" - for pretty much the same reasons as ROP. This song made me realize that it wasn't ALL Elvis.
"Ubangi Stomp" - Robert Gordon and Danny Gatton - I can't think of anyone who played that better. And Gordon sang that song as God intended.
"Close to the Edge"
"In A Gadda Da Vida"
"Free Bird"
Little Ramona
Lonesome Train
Galaxy 500 - rockabilly version (Not Psychobilly)
Tim, Michael J Fox is no longer the Anti-Elvis. You are.
That's All Right Mama - Elvis' version and Marty Robbins' version
Too Hip, Gotta Go - The Stray Cats
Money Honey - Elvis
"... Ronnie Self... anyone know of him?"
A very talented person, songwriter (heck of a), singer, musician, performer. A somewhat sad story there as well in some ways.
"The Flame Of Love," at the web site referenced featured Grady Martin on lead guitar.
The straight-up rockabilly raves by Ronnie are fine and dandy, and I'll leave it to people so interested to hunt them down themselves.
I will introduce some of the others.
I really appreciate some of the slower, mellower things. "I Ain't Goin' Nowhere," is wistful. I included, "Bless My Broken Heart," last time (years now) I played on Bourbon Street, New Orleans. A pretty one. At the time I knew more than one, "Big Blon' Baby," working up the street, downright inspirational.
His version of, "Rocky Road Blues," is too underrated, unknown, for how choice it is.
"Date Bait," is rock-a-pop fun, reminds me of some of the things Capital Records would record in the tower circa '58 in a one,two-off artist give it a shot 45.
For the record, these are not inclusions in a three song favorite rockabillies list.
But I'll throw one out that may possibly make a list if I were to go there, "Trouble Bound," Billy Lee Riley. I like to refer to this one as a MoodyBilly tune, 'cause it sho' nuf is.
This one has nothing to do with this thread. I feature it just for kicks. Red's, "Midnight," with Grady Martin and Hank Garland is a must-seek-and-have.
Rockabilly. Some say you either is or you ain't. Must be in the ears of the beholder. I claim not to be a pure strain. And I'm not. But some have sworn, "Oh Yeah, Bill, you're a rockabilly." Been called a techno Johnny Cash ... that could be a cuss word, but from the enthusiastic fan (I didn't even know I had any till some came up to me on the streets and others started getting some of my stuff onto their favorite jukeboxes in joints) I knew it to be a compliment (this is a years back stint/phase). Ah don't really know (but yes I do). I kinda' feel like listening to some T-Bone Walker about now, but first I'm going to make a stop for some Prokofiev.
Billy Lee Riley is on record to the effect that people mention, "Flying Saucers Rock N Roll," as rockabilly. He says that was Rock And Roll. He says, "Trouble Bound," was Rockabilly. What the heck would he know.
Is Elvis covering the Eagles', "Trying To Get To You," rockabilly (because it was done at Sun with Scotty) or R&B? That's an easy one actually, especially if you've heard the Eagles and tuned in later to Elvis' cover of Chuck Willis', "I Feel So Bad."
As far as the Hodge Podge Sweepstakes: Hairs can be split, but there does come a time when The Split occurs and something is definitely NOT rockabilly.
Rock and roll, yes, jazzrock, yes, pop rock, ok, rock, all right, punk rock, hard rock, soft rock, heavy metal, thrash, grunge, what the heck have at it... but there is a demarcation. Now, where the heck did I place that line...
Clarence Gatemouth Brown didn't like to be pigeon-holed. When I first met him, I said something to the effect of, "You know, some people refer to you as a blues player. But man, you are a MUSICIAN, with a capital M." To which he replied, "THANK YOU!" Heck, just go get Professor Longhair's, "Rock 'N' Roll Gumbo," (a must-have, folks) with Mr. Brown on guitar duties, and see what you call THAT.... (I call it Danged TASTY Music). IF YOU'VE NEVER HEARD PROFESSOR LONGHAIR, RUN, DO NOT WALK, AND GET ROCK 'N' ROLL GUMBO.
Rockabilly. I know it when I hear it (that's a joke, son, that's a joke).
Didn't mean to digress, but I meant to digress.
redrocker said: In fact, to my ears it sounds as if the upward bent note on that track is coming from a slide note on an upright bass
It's actually a Fender P-Bass played by Eddie's bass player at the time, Connie "Guybo" Smith.
It's too hard to narrow it down like this. I find that I subscribe to Lemmy's point of view, inasmuch, it's all just rock n' roll. It's difficult to distinguish all these similar genres; rockabilly, physcobilly, jump blues, and rock n' roll. They all grew from similar influences and evolved into so many different things. There's a good Setzer song on all the confusion about this rockabilly fad that's going around.
So, I have to agree with Proteus' decision on choosing songs that may not be "really rockabilly", but nonetheless rock.
So there's my little rant, and as not to disappoint:
Graveyard in Your Memory by Nekromantix
Carlota Valdez by Harvey Danger
Where Did You Sleep Last Night by Nirvana (Leadbelly)
I'm waiting for Dignan to throw some Coldplay in here...
