BOBBY VEE – I Remember Buddy Holly – (Liberty) – 1963

I have commented on some of Vee’s later albums which I find quite endearing and much underrated. This album is from his hit making period and he does, as the title suggests, an entire album of Buddy Holly songs. This is interesting in itself as “tribute covers albums” were not common in pop rock at the time, probably because there was no sufficient “history” in the music. Also interesting is his interpretation of a batch of Holly songs, in 1963,  which will have to be different to someone doing the same in the 70s, 80s and so on.

The trouble with “tribute cover albums” is that, whether it is 1963 or 1983 you are always going to be compared to the original singers versions. The trouble with that, of course, is that because the artist is deemed to warrant a whole album of covers suggests that the artist must have been significant. If he was significant that means he must have put out a body of work that was exceptional. Accordingly, you are really putting yourself by the eight ball by doing an album of covers by an exceptional artist.

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Sure, you can get away with it if you are doing one track on a compilation tribute covers album …..but to do a whole album is either brave, foolhardy, or stupid.

So why do it?

I assume the answer is because you adore (or have connected emotionally with) the singer you are covering or you are in it for the quick buck.

Vee, who started in the late 50s (check the other comments for bio details), was acutely influenced by Holly and this album is no cash-in on Holly’s premature death. Holly died in 1959, had some posthumous hits but was off the US charts by 1963. His influence however is indisputable, though again, his chart positions don’t really reflect that – one #1 and two other top 10s in the US.

I assume the record label green lighted this project because Vee does in fact love Holly and had covered him on a couple of earlier albums and had even put out a album of mainly non-Holly tunes with Holly’s backup band, The Crickets (“Bobby Vee Meets the Crickets” LP in 1962).

Vee is smart enough not to try to imitate Holly but uses his voice to find the right emotional pitch Holly was trying to convey in his slightly dark, pop rock teen songs.  Buddy’s writing and the songs he was drawn to as covers, I find, even when happy, are quite melancholic as if there was some heartbreak around the corner.

Perhaps there is more foreboding in Buddy’s voice but here Vee rocks harder than Holly – something I never thought would happen given that Vee has more of the “pop voice”. Certainly Holly’s regional accent is more evident on his recordings as is his synthesis of pop and rockabilly. I suspect Vee “rocks harder” because he needed to reclaim the rock n roll in the music which had largely taken a back seat to pop in the 1960 – 63 period. When Buddy was recording in the mid to late 50s he was trying to increase the pop in his songs at a time when every man and his dog was rocking out.

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Also, Vee perhaps rocks a little harder because by 1963 rock was starting to change again and get a little “dirty” with surf music and frat rock taking off. You can even hear the Beatles in there somewhere even though this is before the Beatles were known in the US. The Beatles (especially McCartney) listened to Holly who had a big influence on their sound so perhaps that’s why that comes through, though I wouldn’t be surprised to find out The Beatles were listening to Bobby Vee also.

Vee uses backing vocalists (The Eligibles -whoever they may been.) more than Holly and they remind me of Elvis’ Jordanaires but otherwise Bobby Vee nails every song here and adds his own spin on each of them. He isn’t doing anything too radical (as Elvis or Bobby Darin would have done) and how much you like the album really depends on how much you like Buddy Holly and / or Bobby Vee.

Likewise, which song you prefer on the album is probably dependent on which Holly song you like also.

The recording techniques were certainly better in 1963 and the sound here is particularly full. It’s interesting to think what Holly would have done with the studio time.

Tracks (best in italics)

• That’ll Be the Day – Allison, Holly, Petty – A seriously good cover of the Holly classic, perhaps his most identifiable song. The guitar break sounds very much like Scotty Moore (as did the guitar on the Holly original) and Vee rocks a little harder but this is as good a cover of a Holly song as you could hope to get.
• It Doesn’t Matter Anymore  – Anka  – always a pretty song written originally by Paul Anka.
• Peggy Sue  – Allison, Holly, Petty  –  Vee does a great version of this other well known Holly song. He had already recorded this on his 1962 LP “Bobby Vee Meets the Crickets” but I’m not sure if this is a re-recording.
• True Love Ways –  Holly, Petty –  as if Vee wasn’t going to be able to do the ballads – I had no doubt. I was in more fear about him doing the rockier numbers – he nails this also.
• It’s So Easy  – Holly, Petty  – Vee nails it.
• Heartbeat –  Montgomery, Petty –  Vee nails it
• Oh, Boy!  – Petty, Tilghman, West –  Vee nails it
• Raining in My Heart  – Bryant –  Vee almost nails it
• Think It Over Allison, Holly, Petty  – Vee nails it
• Maybe Baby  – Holly, Petty  – Vee nails it
• Early in the Morning –  Darin, Harris   – The Bobby Darin song covered by Holly  in 1958. Vee sounds more like Darin here than Holly.
• Buddy’s Song –  Holly  – Vee nails it

And …

A good album ….maybe a little redundant, but a good album.  I’m keeping it.

Chart Action

US

Singles

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Album

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England

Singles

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Album

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Sounds

That’ll Be the Day

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BChRgeZ_ZYA

It Doesn’t Matter Anymore 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2X2jy0EzRA

Peggy Sue 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-cuxf7ewnk

and attached

Bobby Vee – Peggy Sue

True Love Ways

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVwKybz7wbM

It’s So Easy 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vgBuCs3rTI

Heartbeat

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDxhh93PE9g

Oh, Boy! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Icy8HmbXI0M

Raining in My Heart  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW4dAl1BP_s

Think It Over

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAnnEvdm9aU

Maybe Baby 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1phfvwl05g

Early in the Morning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAaQdO74E9U

Buddy’s Song

Live

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEdp_oM3W18

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBgJXeOGUMA

Others

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Review

http://www.allmusic.com/album/i-remember-buddy-holly-r21071/review

Bio

http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bobby-vee-p5750/biography

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Vee

Website

http://www.bobbyvee.net/

Trivia

• On Holly’s influence on Vee: Wikipedia: Vee's career began amid tragedy. On "The Day the Music Died" (February 3, 1959), the three headline acts in the line-up of the traveling 'Winter Dance Party'—Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper—were killed, along with 21-year-old pilot Roger Peterson, in the crash of a 1947 Beechcraft Bonanza v-tailed aircraft (registration #N3974N) near Clear Lake, Iowa, while en route to the next show on the tour itinerary in Moorhead, Minnesota. Velline, then aged 15, and a hastily-assembled band of Fargo, North Dakota, schoolboys calling themselves The Shadows volunteered for and were given the unenviable job of filling in for Holly and his band at the Moorhead engagement. Their performance there was a success, setting in motion a chain of events that led to Vee's career as a popular singer.

In 1963, Bobby Vee released a tribute album on Liberty Records called "I Remember Buddy Holly". In the sleeve notes accompanying the album, Vee recalled Holly's influence on him and the events surrounding the tragic death of Holly thus: 'Like so many other people, I became a Buddy Holly fan the very first time I heard him sing. I've been a fan ever since and I guess I always will be. I remember a few years ago when Buddy was scheduled to appear at a dance in my home town of Fargo, North Dakota. It was going to be a big event for the whole town, but even more so for me. I was anxiously looking forward to seeing Buddy in action.'

Vee continued, 'The day he was to arrive disaster struck, taking Buddy's life, along with the lives of two other fine singers, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper. The shocking news spread through Fargo very quickly. The local radio station broadcast a plea for local talent to entertain at the scheduled dance. About a week before this, I had just organized a vocal and instrumental group of five guys. Our style was modelled after Buddy's approach and we had been rehearsing with Buddy's hits in mind. When we heard the radio plea for talent, we went in and volunteered. We hadn't even named the group up to that time, so we gave ourselves a name on the spot, calling ourselves "The Shadows". We appeared at the dance and were grateful to be enthusiastically accepted. Soon afterwards, I made my first record. It was called "Suzie Baby" and I was pretty lucky with it; it was a fair-sized hit.'

Vee concluded, 'For some time now, I have wanted to make an album in tribute to Buddy, but I wasn't sure it was the proper thing to do. However, during the past year, I have received many requests to do such an album. These requests came not only from my fans and from DJs, but also from Buddy's loyal following—still a large group of devoted fans. It…. gave me the confidence to do the album. From "Suzie Baby" to this present album, I have made many records, but I have never forgotten Buddy Holly and his influence on my singing style and my career.' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Vee

• The Eligibles: a @&A on-line….. “Sean wrote: I was watching a Shindig tape that I have and I saw a group perform  called "The Eligibles". They only sang one song but they weren't  that bad of singers. Then they sang backup on the song "I Saw Her Standing There". Does anyone know any info on them? Like what  were their names and which key did they all sing (like alto, 2^nd  soprano, soprano)?

If it's the same Eligibles I'm familiar with they were Stan Farber, Al Capps, and Ron Hicklin (sp?). They backed Bobby Vee on a couple of lps, "I Remember Buddy Holly" and "Sings The New Sound From England" and single releases. One single that comes to mind right away is "Where Is She". Capps also did some arranging for Snuff Garrett. He also was the voice on Gary Lewis' "She's Just My Style" singing "don't ya know that she's" in the background. Also, Ron Hicklin was the guy that Gary Lewis sang along with on most of his records to keep Gary on key. That's info directly from one of many conversations I've had with Snuffy. Bob.” http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/spectropop/message/25895