Somehow, time has not accorded Eddie
Cochran quite the same respect as other early rockabilly pioneers like
Buddy Holly, or even Ricky Nelson or Gene Vincent. This is partially
attributable to his very brief lifespan as a star: he only had a couple
of big hits before dying in a car crash during a British tour in 1960.
He was in the same league as the best rockabilly stars, though, with a
brash, fat guitar sound that helped lay the groundwork for the power
chord. He was also a good songwriter and singer, celebrating the joys of
teenage life -- the parties, the music, the adolescent rebellion --
with an economic wit that bore some similarities to Chuck Berry. Cochran
was more lighthearted and less ironic than Berry, though, and if his
work was less consistent and not as penetrating, it was almost always
exuberant.
Cochran's mid-'50s beginnings in the record industry
are a bit confusing. His family had moved to Southern California around
1950, and in 1955 he made his first recordings as half of the Cochran
Brothers. Here's the confusing part: although the other half of the act
was really named Hank Cochran, he was not Eddie's brother. (Hank Cochran
would become a noted country songwriter in the 1960s.) Eddie was
already an accomplished rockabilly guitarist and singer on these early
sides, and he started picking up some session work as well, also finding
time to make demos and write songs with Jerry Capehart, who became his
manager.
Cochran's big break came about in a novel fashion. In
mid-1956, while Cochran and Capehart were recording some music for
low-budget films, Boris Petroff asked Eddie if he'd be interested in
appearing in a movie that a friend was directing. The film was The Girl
Can't Help It, and the song he would sing in it was "Twenty-Flight
Rock." This is the same song that Paul McCartney would use to impress
John Lennon upon their first meeting in 1957 (Paul could not only play
it, but knew all of the lyrics).
Cochran had his first Top 20 hit
in early 1957, "Sittin' in the Balcony," with an echo-chambered vocal
reminiscent of Elvis. That single was written by John D. Loudermilk, but
Eddie would write much of his material, including his only Top Ten hit,
"Summertime Blues." A definitive teenage anthem with hints of the overt
protest that would seep into rock music in the 1960s, it was also a
technical tour de force for the time: Cochran overdubbed himself on
guitar to create an especially thick sound. One of the classic early
rock singles, "Summertime Blues" was revived a decade later by
proto-metal group Blue Cheer, and was a concert staple for the Who, who
had a small American hit with a cover version. (Let's not mention Alan
Jackson's country rendition in the 1990s.)
That, disappointingly,
was the extent of Cochran's major commercial success in the U.S. "C'mon
Everybody," a chugging rocker that was almost as good as "Summertime
Blues," made the Top 40 in 1959, and also gave Eddie his first British
Top Tenner. As is the case with his buddy Gene Vincent, though, you
can't judge his importance by mere chart statistics. Cochran was very
active in the studio, and while his output wasn't nearly as consistent
as Buddy Holly's (another good friend of Eddie's), he laid down a few
classic or near-classic cuts that are just as worthy as his hits.
"Somethin' Else," "My Way" (which the Who played in concert at the peak
of psychedelia), "Weekend" (covered by the Move), and "Nervous
Breakdown" are some of the best of these, and belong in the collection
of every rockabilly fan. He was also (like Holly) an innovator in the
studio, using overdubbing at a time when that practice was barely known
on rock recordings.
Cochran is more revered today in Britain than
the United States, due in part to the tragic circumstances of his
death. In the spring of 1960, he toured the U.K. with Vincent, to a wild
reception, in a country that had rarely had the opportunity to see
American rock & roll stars in the flesh. En route to London to fly
back to the States for a break, the car Cochran was riding in, with his
girlfriend (and songwriter) Sharon Sheeley and Gene Vincent, had a
severe accident. Vincent and Sheeley survived, but Cochran died less
than a day later, at the age of 21
Tracklist:
01. Skinny Jim
02. Half Loved
03. Sittin' On The Balcony
04. Mean When I'm Mad
05. Am I Blue
06. Drive In Show
07. Twenty Flight Rock
08. Jeannie Jeannie Jeannie
09. Pretty Girl
10. Summertime Blues
11. C'mon Everybody
12. Teenage Heaven
13. Somethin' Else
14. Boll Weevil Song
15. Hallelujah, I Love Her So
16. Cut Across Shorty
17. Three Steps To Heaven
18. Sweetie Pie
19. Weekend
20. LonelyArtist: Eddie Cochran
Title: The Story
Year Of Release: 2000
Label: EMI Plus
Genre: Oldies, Rock'n'Roll, Rockabilly
Quality: APE (image, .cue, log)
Total Time: 41:45
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