The Crickets, "Maybe Baby" c/w "Tell Me How," Brunswick 9-55053 (rel. 2/1958)
Whaaaat--? A hit record? Am I at the wrong blog? No, dear reader, every so often we do celebrate better-known singles. This one wasn't a massive smash in America; it got up to #17. Nothing to sneeze at (or about), but not the achievement of The Crickets' "That'll Be the Day" or Holly's "Peggy Sue"--both chart-toppers.
It's hard to hear Buddy Holly's music now without a timeline of his mortality. One year from the release of this single, Holly would be gone, and a huge "what if?" question: how might his continued presence have changed the course of popular music? Would he have continued to experiment, try new styles, change course on a regular basis? Or would he have found himself in Nashville, part of the massive machine that made standard country and pop music? We don't know; Holly had plans to make a Ray Charles tribute LP when he left on the gruesome winter rock 'n' roll tour of the frozen hinterlands. In theory, the project is interesting, but he might have been talked out of it; he had better things to do than record other artists' well-known music.
Released on the same day as Buddy Holly's solo single "Listen to Me," "Maybe Baby" was The Crickets' third single for Brunswick Records. It differed from the rockin' stance of their prior releases. "Maybe Baby," recorded at Oklahoma's Tinker Air-Force Base on September 28, 1957, was done by request from Decca Records HQ. Though the band was on tour, new fuel for the fire was needed, and The Crickets cut four tracks in the officer's club of the base, with their producer (whose name you can look up; I don't dare write it out, due to a sociopath who's hounded me in the past) capturing the performances on portable equipment.
Back home, Holly had attempted the song earlier that year, but no one was pleased with the plodding, hokey arrangement and that recording sat in the vaults for decades, when the assessment was still "meh."
This re-think is an eerie thing of beauty, its charms somewhat mitigated by the overdubbed vocal chorus of either The Picks or The Roses, local Texas harmonizers who were the un-needed element on much of Holly's catalog. Holly seems to invent the surf-guitar style on this dramatic, easy-going-yet-urgent side which adds minor key chords to the rock 'n' roll palette. Said backup vox overwhelm Holly's superb guitar break--a criminal moment for which the un-named producer ought've been scolded by the group.
This comes from an unplayed stock copy of the single, which survived almost 70 years without use. It had some debris from the low-quality paper sleeve, which had begun to crumble and flake; I cleaned dust out of the grooves and the result is what you hear here. No touch-ups were needed.
It's hard to hear Buddy Holly's music now without a timeline of his mortality. One year from the release of this single, Holly would be gone, and a huge "what if?" question: how might his continued presence have changed the course of popular music? Would he have continued to experiment, try new styles, change course on a regular basis? Or would he have found himself in Nashville, part of the massive machine that made standard country and pop music? We don't know; Holly had plans to make a Ray Charles tribute LP when he left on the gruesome winter rock 'n' roll tour of the frozen hinterlands. In theory, the project is interesting, but he might have been talked out of it; he had better things to do than record other artists' well-known music.
Released on the same day as Buddy Holly's solo single "Listen to Me," "Maybe Baby" was The Crickets' third single for Brunswick Records. It differed from the rockin' stance of their prior releases. "Maybe Baby," recorded at Oklahoma's Tinker Air-Force Base on September 28, 1957, was done by request from Decca Records HQ. Though the band was on tour, new fuel for the fire was needed, and The Crickets cut four tracks in the officer's club of the base, with their producer (whose name you can look up; I don't dare write it out, due to a sociopath who's hounded me in the past) capturing the performances on portable equipment.
Back home, Holly had attempted the song earlier that year, but no one was pleased with the plodding, hokey arrangement and that recording sat in the vaults for decades, when the assessment was still "meh."
This re-think is an eerie thing of beauty, its charms somewhat mitigated by the overdubbed vocal chorus of either The Picks or The Roses, local Texas harmonizers who were the un-needed element on much of Holly's catalog. Holly seems to invent the surf-guitar style on this dramatic, easy-going-yet-urgent side which adds minor key chords to the rock 'n' roll palette. Said backup vox overwhelm Holly's superb guitar break--a criminal moment for which the un-named producer ought've been scolded by the group.
This comes from an unplayed stock copy of the single, which survived almost 70 years without use. It had some debris from the low-quality paper sleeve, which had begun to crumble and flake; I cleaned dust out of the grooves and the result is what you hear here. No touch-ups were needed.
Cash Box assessed this single and Holly's "Listen To Me" back-to-back in their February 12, 1958 issue. Fans must have been thrilled to get two new singles on the same day. How often does that happen?
"Tell Me How" is more upbeat and shares the same muscular sound as its co-pilot. (Must have been some ambience in that boozy den!) Its sound presages the soon-to-come new wave of the late 1970s.
One cannot write about The Crickets without a mention of their brilliant drummer, Jerry Allison. Under-appreciated, Allison is one of early rock's best percussionists: versatile, surprising and ambitious, he was the Keith Moon of rockabilly. His parts can be listened to and savored on their own. The way he syncs his muted cymbals with Holly's exciting guitar break: sheer magic. Just what is needed applied with instinct and skill.
Destined to be a deep cut, "Tell Me How" got a cover version by polite UK harmony duo Peter and Gordon on their debut LP in early 1964. The Crickets' original is an apt flip-side to "Maybe Baby" and comprises what I think is their best 45.
One cannot write about The Crickets without a mention of their brilliant drummer, Jerry Allison. Under-appreciated, Allison is one of early rock's best percussionists: versatile, surprising and ambitious, he was the Keith Moon of rockabilly. His parts can be listened to and savored on their own. The way he syncs his muted cymbals with Holly's exciting guitar break: sheer magic. Just what is needed applied with instinct and skill.
Destined to be a deep cut, "Tell Me How" got a cover version by polite UK harmony duo Peter and Gordon on their debut LP in early 1964. The Crickets' original is an apt flip-side to "Maybe Baby" and comprises what I think is their best 45.
A major hit in the UK, "Maybe Baby" is much better-known there and got a version by Paul McCartney to accompany a 2000 rom-com of the same name, which charmed some viewers but left a general been-there-done-that reaction by the viewing public. It was no Peggy Sue Got Married!
Tomorrow: future Manhattan Transfer member Tim Hauser in his first group--white harmonizers The Criterions, on a charming 1959 single out of New Jersey.
I've always had a soft spot for "Maybe Baby" and way back when I wondered what a second version would have sounded like with a slightly slower tempo, slightly heavier instrumentation, and a slightly darker, more lusty vocal vibe. I had a band in Philadelphia in the early 80's that covered "Maybe Bay" live and we did it that way ...kind of hissing out the lyrics in a seething, exasperated way seemed to work well. The lead guitar player we had at the the time was Steve Chrismar, later of the George Throrogood band, and he killed it on his vintage Epiphone. Also love the second track. Once again I find myself imagining how it must have sounded right in the room with the band knocking it out...I bet it was kicking butt! And yeah, Allison was great! I've thought a lot about what Holly would have created if he had lived...so sad. Thanks for the excellent post, Frank!
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have heard your band's version of "Maybe Baby." Back when I performed (mostly at open-mike nights) I did it as a slow, meditative and minimal song and altered some of the chords. A major 7th on the last "maybe baby" in the chorus seemed to work well. There's just something about that song!
DeleteMaybe it's Holly's chirpy voice or his distinctive guitar sound (or both)— there's such joy in these rocking songs.
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