TOMMY STEELE AND THE STEELMEN/TOMMY STEELE STAGE SHOW LF 1287 (-57) UK MONO

 

Tommy Steele (born Thomas Hicks 1936) started his musical carreer playing skiffle on banjo or guitar at various coffe houses in London, either solo or with Wally Whyton's Vipers Skiffle Group.  Then while working as a seaman at a ship that docked in US, he was hit by and fell in love with rock'n'roll.  At home again he started to play it himself and was discovered as the British answer to Elvis Presley, changed his name to Tommy Steele and got a contract with Decca.  The list success was almost immediate. First single - the 1956 self-penned "Rock With The Caveman" - reached #13 in UK. Soon after the cover of "Singing The Blues" got to #1 even before Elvis' own version and his second album "The Tommy Steele Story" (US "Rock Around The World" (London LL 1770) became the first domestically made LP to hit #1.  He also worked as actor and musical artist already in the fifties, has continued to do so after the rock persona faded in the early sixties and as it seems stayed active up to this millenium.  Searching the net I find some info about that second album but little or nothing on this debute.   It was the first rock'n'roll LP by a British artist and therefore worth taken seriously.  It's a live performance all right, but no clue how, where or when it was recorded. Café de Paris in London is mentioned on rear sleeve so that may have been the place.  Early rock setting with guitar, double bass, drums, sax and screaming girls.  Backing suitable and even if his voice sometimes sounds inept for the quest he nails it with presence and good humour.  This is far from Elvis' at the time dangerous and sexy charisma. Instead you get orderly British rock, more polite and friendly than sensual and reckless.  "Giddy Up A Ding-Dong",  "Teenage Party" and "Rock With The Caveman" have good groove, but as a whole rather harmless in comprison to his American role models.  Audio on this 10 inch is smashing - big, warm and natural - like having the guys over playing for you in your living room.  Musically I wouldn't call it a rock classic, but nevertheless a must for fans of early white rock'n'roll and all us who like to dig deep in music history.  Also released as 10 inch 1957 in France and Downunder. Don't know of any later issues.  Premiere UK had label as shown here with R/T tax code (used 1955-57) on thick unflexible vinyl in a fully laminated cover with crescent flips.