With Ken Colyer on trumpet, Monty Sunshine on clarinet, Chris Barber on on trombone, Tony Donnegan on banjo, Jim Bray on bass, and Ron Bowden on drums. LP, Vinyl record album

The start of rock and roll was a bit different in the UK than it was over here – still with the requisite inspiration from R&B and other American styles, but also inflected with some elements from the colonial scene, the world of music hall, jazz, and other instrumental styles – in ways that made for a slightly different genesis than you might expect! This well-done 3CD package traces the roots in a really great way – especially on the first CD, which features initial postwar moments of musical inspiration, from artists who include Ray Ellington, Ken Colyer, Alma Cogan, Art Baxter, Marty Wilde & The Wildcats, Tommy Steele, Terry Wayne, Lonnie Donegan, Lita Roza, and even a young Alexis Korner! CD2 has things coming together a bit more with a pop-styled polish – work from Cliff Richard, Vince Taylor, Johnny Kidd, Sally Kelly, and Billy Fury – plus later tracks from a few of the artists on CD1. And CD3 sends it home from the early 60s years right before the British Invasion – lots more from Billy Fury, and other cuts from Screaming Lord Sutch, The Shadows, Outlaws, Tornadoes, Blues Incorporated, and even The Beatles. 72 tracks in all – with notes in English and French! CD