CD 2: Don't Knock the Rock (without overdub), Teenager's Mother, Rip it Up, Don't Knock the Rock, Forty Cups of Coffee, Miss You, Billy Goat, Rockin' Rollin' Rover, Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone, You Can't Stop Me From Dreaming, I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter, Rock Lomond, Is it True What They Say About Dixie?, Carolina in the Morning, The Dipsy Doodle, Ain't Misbehavin', The Beak Speaks, Moon Over Miami, One Sweet Letter From You, In Apple Blossom Time, Somebody Else is Taking My Place, How Many?, Move it On Over, Rock the Joint, Rip it Up (without handclaps).

CD 3: Me Rock-a-Hula, Rockin' Rita, Jamaica DJ (vocal by Williamson), Piccadilly Rock, Pretty Alouette, Rockin' Rollin' Schnitzlebank, Rockin' Matilda, Vive le Rock and Roll, It's a Sin, Mary Mary Lou, El Rocko, Come Rock With Me, Oriental Rock, Wooden Shoe Rock, The Walkin' Beat, Skinny Minnie, Sway With Me, Lean Jean, Don't Nobody Move, Joey's Song (stereo), Chiquita Linda, Dinah, Ida Sweet as Apple Cider, Whoa Mabel!, Marie, Eloise, Corrine Corrina (without handclaps), Joey's Song (mono).

CD 4: Corrine Corrina, B.B. Betty (vocal by Williamson), Sweet Sue Just You, Charmaine, Vive le Rock and Roll (vocal by Bill Haley and Catarina Valente), Hot Dog Buddy Buddy, The Dragon Rock, ABC Rock (vocal by Williamson and Franny Beecher), The Catwalk, I Got a Woman, A Fool Such as I, Be By Me, Where Did You Go Last Night?, Caldonia, Shaky, Ooh Look-a There Ain't She Pretty?, Summer Souvenir, Puerto Rican Peddlar, Music Music Music, Skokiaan, Drowsy Waters, Two Shadows, In a Little Spanish Town, Strictly Instrumental, Mack the Knife, The Green Door, Yeah She's Evil, Football Rock and Roll, Six Year Olds Can Rock and Roll.

CD 5: Behind-the scenes studio recordings from 1959, featuring incomplete and alternate takes of : The Dragon Rock, ABC Rock (vocal by Williamson), The Catwalk, I Got a Woman, A Fool Such as I, Be By Me, Where Did You Go Last Night?

On April 12 1954 when Bill Haley and his Comets entered the studio to cut their first single for Decca their new label under the direction of Milt Gabler (who worked with Billie Holiday) little did they know that the little tune recorded in a hurry at the end of the session would change the face of the popular music. This five cd boxed set gathers all the sides recorded for Decca between 1954 and 1959 (with some extras) and proves - if needed - that Haley was far more than a one-song-man.
The songs are presented chronologically with the exception of cd 1 that opens with "Rock Around The Clock" rather than "Thirteen Women".
Haley's most well known songs are on this first platter. After a few sessions new Comets (Franny Beecher, Al Rex, Rudy Pompilli, Ralph Jones) replace Dick Richards, Joey D'Ambrosio and Marshall Lytle who left after a financial disagrement to form the Jodimars. But it would be a mistake to believe that Haley had little consideration for his musicians. He takes every chances he can to put them in the spotlight as shown of the second half of this cd. Billy Williamson, steel guitarist and Haley's partner takes the lead vocals on Big Joe Turner's Hide & Seek (he used to sing Big Joe's Feelin' Happy on stage too). He is joined by Beecher and Grande to for the Comets trio on Tonight The Night and Hey There, Hey Now.
A couple of instrumentals are thrown in allowing Beecher ("Goofin' Around") and Pompili (Rudy's Rock") to show their skills. Grande is not forgotten and get his own one with "A Rockin' Little Tune" (who said you couldn't rock with an accordion?).
All the hits are on this cd and by the time you reach the last song Haley's commercial success (with a few exceptions) is over, and this cd alone would be enough for the casual listener.

When cd2 two opens, the Comets haven't charted for a while and the band is looking for a hit or a second breath. With "Don't Knock The Rock" and "Teenager's Mother" Haley takes the defense of Rock music. If not masterpieces, these are good songs and I don't really understand why Colin Escott has a real go at this songs in his notes. "You Hit The Wrong Note Billy Goat" clearly tries to reproduce the success "See You Later Alligator" but the songs is far from being as good as Bobby Charles'.
Next are the sessions that gave the "Rockin' the oldies" album. Maybe the constant touring didn't allow them to write original material and led to the decision to make an all cover of Tin Pan Alley material. Whatever the reason, the result is not really convincing. It's not the fault of the band but more to the songs that were not suitable to be turned into rock'n'roll. For example "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" features a superb bluesy guitar solo from Beecher and Al Rex plays some of his best bass part here.
But the band is in a dead end, trying to apply a formlula instead of exploring new creative ways. Logically this recordings didn't chart and the following session (July 1957) finds Haley trying at last new things, even if it marks a return to his country roots. "How Many" is a very good country-pop ditty that had everything to chart (but didn't), and their cover of"Move It On Over" was excellent as is their remake of "Rock The Joint".

Cd3 features another concept album: "Rockin' Around The World" (Rocking Tunes rrepresentative of 12 different and exciting parts of the world to quote the ad). For this session the band is joined by Rusty Keefer on second guitar which brings a little excitement to a very poor material. You can't even blame songs that would be hard to transform into rock material as most of them are originals. Even for die hard fans there's not much to save here except "Vive Le Rock'n'ROll", "Roch Lomond" and maybe another one or two.
The worst enemy of Haley was maybe his will to make of Rock'n'roll a music acceptable by the whole family. While Elvis, Gene Vincent, Jerry Lee Lewis were playing with the parents vs teenagers conflict. Haley trying to please everyone, didn't please anyone and despite good musicianship there were not much to please teenagers in "Pretty Alouette" and "Rockin' Rollin' Schnitzlebank".
Things get better with the following session (February 1958). The band now featuring an electric bass delivers an instant classic with the Bo Diddley-esque Skinny Minnie and the lesser known follow-up Lean Jean. The sound is dirty and mean and Haley's voice shows an agressivity rarely heard. In comparison Sway With Me sounds weak. "Skinnie Minnie" marks the return of Haley in the charts.
After a single for the instrumental market (Joey's Song / Chiquita Linda) the Comets return to their trademark sound with another concept album based upon, girls' first names. This is by far the best of the three. It's not 100% successful but the band seems fresh again, inspired (Pompilli cuts some of his best solo on "Woah Mabel" and plays clarinet on "Ida") and rocking. If you except "Skinnie Minnie" this is the first time in ages that Haley's voice has sounded that good and the arrangements are very tight(especially on "Marie").

This session continue on cd4. Also on this cd are 2 songs recorded for a German movie ("Vive Le Rock'n'Roll" with Caterina Valente and "Hot Dog Buddy Buddy").
After that Bill Haley and his Comets seem to experiment various genres and tracks hoping to chart again. The result ranges from good to average. There's attempts at new things like the crooning on "I Got Woman" or "A Fool Such As I", first-rate rockers ("Where Did You Go Last Night", "Caldonia") and old mistakes ("ABC Rock" couldn't really compete with Chuck Berry's School Days). Then there's the material for an instrumental album with different degrees of success, some announcing the forthcoming mexican releases.
The cd ends with two tracks recorded in 1964 seeing Haley returning to Decca for a single and also proving he still had plenty of good thing in store (though the public didn't think so) and two songs recorded for the consideration of Milt Gabler that never went any further than the state of demos probably because Football Rock was too close to Crazy Man Crazy.

Cd5 gives you an inside view in the recording process of Haley, Gabler and the Comets.You can hear the evolution and the construction of the songs. Just wish they could have found the same tapes for Shake Rattle & Roll or the Saints Rock'n'roll.

This boxed set is perfect to discover the complexity of Bill haley. The only regret I have concerns the booklet. The liner notes seem to have been written by someone who doesn't really like Haley but the discography is very complete and the pictures are beautiful.

Fred "Virgil" Turgis