Long before "Space Oddity" or "Ziggy Stardust", early American rockers headed right for the skies – inspired by a big wave of b-grade science fiction films and paperbacks of the 50s – which proved to be great inspiration for fantastic space-themed tunes like these! A few cuts fall into the territory of the novelty hit, but most are hard-rocking numbers with a strong rockabilly bent – tuned towards themes of outer space and rocket travel – all pretty revolutionary for the time! Titles include "Satellite Rock" by The Rebelaires, "X15" by Johnny Bond, "Rocket" by Joe Bennett & The Sparkletones, "The Invasion Is Coming" by The Invasion, "Man From Mars" by Butch Paulson, "Rockin On The Moon" by Deacon & The Rock Rollers, "Creature From Outer Space" by Sonny Day & The Tony Ray Trio, and "First Man On Mars" by Jack Fautheree. (Rock, Folk/Country) CD

Nasty cats with plenty of attitude – all stepping out here in an assortment of weird and wonderful singles from the farther reaches of the indie underground at the end of the 50s and start of the 60s – the kind of strange, offbeat records you'd associate with a package issued under the name of The Cramps! The CD features tunes that are a perfect accompaniment to the juvenile delinquent paperback rage of the 50s – and titles include "Motorcycle Mack" by Terry Ann, "Betty Lou's Got A New Tattoo" by The Creep, "Savage" by Alan Barnicoat, "Juvenile Delinquent" by Ronnie Allen, "Wild Boy" by Rock Holman, "She's A Moonlighter" by Johnny Carlton, "Little Blonde Girl" by Don French, "The Big Black Jacket" by Marcel St Jean, and "The Wild One" by Ricky & The Stompers. (Rock, Folk/Country) CD

A killer collection from one of the coolest rockin acts of the 50s – a pair of younger kids, but who work together with a fire and frenzy that honestly beats most of the bigger rockabilly acts of the time! The Collins Kids are the stuff of legend – the kind of act that could hardly emerge today, especially on a major label – as it's almost as much of a surprise that these singles were recorded for Columbia Records during their big pop years, as it is how great the duo are together! Almost every track is upbeat, fast-riffing, and in that perfect spot between early rock and hillbilly – and the CD features 22 gems that include "Beetle Bug Bop", "Hoy Hoy", "Whistle Bait", "Hot Rod", "I'm In My Teens", "Hush Money", "The Rockaway Rock", "Hop Skip & Jump", "Mercy", "Party", "They're Still In Love", "Heartbeat", and "Go Away Don't Bother Me". (Rock, Folk/Country) CD

A killer collection from one of the coolest rockin acts of the 50s – a pair of younger kids, but who work together with a fire and frenzy that honestly beats most of the bigger rockabilly acts of the time! The Collins Kids are the stuff of legend – the kind of act that could hardly emerge today, especially on a major label – as it's almost as much of a surprise that these singles were recorded for Columbia Records during their big pop years, as it is how great the duo are together! Almost every track is upbeat, fast-riffing, and in that perfect spot between early rock and hillbilly – and the CD features 22 gems that include "Beetle Bug Bop", "Hoy Hoy", "Whistle Bait", "Hot Rod", "I'm In My Teens", "Hush Money", "The Rockaway Rock", "Hop Skip & Jump", "Mercy", "Party", "They're Still In Love", "Heartbeat", and "Go Away Don't Bother Me". (Rock, Folk/Country) CD

A heck of a great record from Jim Ford – an early 70s country outsider whose early work hardly got any circulation at the time – but who's managed to go on to become the stuff of legend over the years! This set's got Jim at his best – maybe sounding even more country than on his two Capitol Records sessions, with slightly fuller production – but still that very individual, very distinct way of songwriting and putting over a tune – a quality that sparkles strongly on the album's batch of all-original material by Ford. A few tracks are reworks of numbers done on his unreleased second session for Capitol, taken in a very different way – and the whole thing has an offbeat vibe that's in the best left-of-Nashville mode of the early 70s. Titles include "He Turns My Radio On", "Family Tree", "Mixed Green", "I Call Her Baby", "Rising Sign", "Which Way", "If I Go Country", and "If There's A Will There's A Way". CD

Four full albums from the biggest years on record for Mickey Gilley – a time when he'd risen from an almost-accidental country singer, to become a great crossover talent who could still hold on to his roots! Gilley was a childhood relative and close associate of Jerry Lee Lewis – and like Jerry, could play a pretty mean piano, as well as sing both upbeat tunes and more sensitive material – all of which comes to play here, even as Mickey was opening himself up to greater fame, thanks to new exposure in the growing commercial country market. You'd be hard-pressed to call this material hard country – but there's also lots more going on at the core than the hot country of the generation to follow. CD features four albums and 40 tracks in all – titles that include "Jr P Jones", "Just Long Enough To Say Goodbye", "Lonely Wine", "When I Lose You Anna", "My Affection", "Drinking Old Memories Down", "The More I Turn The Bottle Up", "Million Dollar Memories", "Texas Heartache Number One", "If I Can't Hold Her On The Outside", and "Don't You Be Foolin With A Fool". CD

Overlooked Texas genius from Buck Griffin – a singer who first recorded for the famous Lin label, then got a shot at the bigtime on MGM! Buck's maybe the epitome of a local vocal star – a singer who was on the radio daily, and who was able to absorb the best of the bigger early 50s acts – then sling things forth with a spirit that was all his own – this great mix of heartbreaking vocals and hard-edge twang – which worked equally well on the mellow cuts and the more upbeat numbers! There's some occasional rocking guitar in the mix, which only further emphasizes the strength of Buck's vocals – and although many of these tracks are later than the classic years, there's a strong hillbilly vibe on many of the numbers. Titles include "Go Stop Go", "Broken Heart With Alimony", "Stutterin Papa", "Girl In 1209", "Meadowlark Boogie", "Cochise", "Let's Elope Baby", "Next To Mine", "Lookin For The Green", "Twenty Six Steps", and "First Man To Stand On The Moon". CD

Four albums from the breakout years of Jerry Reed – all collected here in a single CD set! First up is When You're Hot – the record that firmly catapulted Jerry Reed to the top – a set that draws on all his years of lyrical wit and razor-sharp guitar work – served up with some surprisingly funky touches too! That upbeat chugging groove that Jerry began on "Guitar Man" is in place on many tracks here – although there's also a few ballads that balance things out nicely, and some instrumental moments too. Titles include the hit "When You're Hot You're Hot", "Thank You Girl", "Turned On", "My Kinda Love", "Big Daddy", "Amos Moses", and "I'll Be Around". Ko Ko Joe is completely charming work from the great Jerry Reed – a set that often has him continuing that almost-swamp rock mode of his previous album – but also showing some deeper currents on the lyrical tip as well! There's a nice range of songs – maybe as Chet Atkins was trying to match the fuller range of expression that Jerry was capable of – and titles include the great "Another Puff" – plus "Early Morning Rain", "Framed", "You'll Never Walk Alone", and "Seasons Of My Mind". On Smell The Flowers, Jerry Reed steps up to the production helm, working alongside Chet Atkins – at a level that really pushes the singer/guitarist on all his many musical fronts! The album's got some of those great catchy, groovy numbers that always set Reed apart from the rest – and his guitar work graces most numbers in a really great way – sometimes shading alongside the vocals, sometimes right out front in bolder solo moments. Titles include "Pave Your Way Into Tomorrow", "Endless Miles Of Highway", "Take It Easy", "Don't Get Heavy", "Smell The Flowers", "It Ain't Home But It Ain't Bad", and "Don't Let The Good Life Pass You By". Me & Chet is a really wonderful collaboration with the great Chet Atkins – the producer who first recognized Jerry's genius for RCA, and who shares the instrumental spotlight here in a flurry of great guitar numbers! Chet's in one channel, Jerry's in the other – and the guitar interplay is fantastic, and easily some of the best Atkins material from the time – with all the dynamic sound of his earlier work. Titles include "Jerry's Breakdown", "Mystery Train", "Serenade To Summertime", "Limehouse Blues", and "The Mad Russian". CD

A cool collection of really oddball numbers – unusual country, offbeat pop numbers, and a fair bit of cuts that have a popcorn groove somewhere down there at the bottom! These aren't the usual sorts of cuts you might expect – and instead, the collection's definitely on the hipper side of the spectrum from the things we hear from the Stag O Lee label – maybe the farther reaches past Bear Family and Ace records – into the real hinterland of the obscure 45. CD brings together material from the 10" LP sets vols 3 and 4 – and tracks include "Fire Of Love" by Jody Reynolds, "Lonely Moon" by Johnny Wells, "On The Horizon" by Ben E King, "Squaw Girl" by Fatima, "Hellbound Train" by Marie Robertson, "Tennessee Hillbilly Ghost" by Eddy Arnold, "Hard Working Man" by Dorsey Burnette, "Lumber City" by Big Buddy K, "Wild Streak" by Johnny Fallin, "Ghost Town" by Eddie Miller, "Down Bound Train" by Frank Gay & The Gayblades, "Bury Me Deep" by Bill Shaw, "The Living Dead" by Jim Burgett, "Mistery's Child" by Richard Hayes, "Workin On The Santa Fe" by Randy Starr, "Cell Walls" by Craig Brown, and "Rebel Heart" by Larry Hall. CD