Tommy Steele "Singing the Blues" (1957) (ep)

Singing the Blues, 7'' EP

release date: Feb. 1957

format: vinyl (DFE 6389) (1957 repress)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,45]

producer: ?

label: Decca - nationality: Engalnd, UK

Tracklist: A) 1. "Singing the Blues" - 2. "Rebel Rock" - - B) 1. "Knee Deep in the Blues" - 2. "Elevator Rock"

EP release by Tommy Steele - on the the back cover and on vinyl labels, this is credited 'Tommy Steele and the Steelmen'. Tracks #A1 and #B1 are credited American songwriter Melvin Endsley and both #A2 and #B2 are songs written by Tommy Steele. Endsley's title song was a major hit in the US for Guy Mitchell, which was released almost simultaneously with Steele's version, which on the other hand became a British number 1 hit and a hit song all over Europe. Puzzlingly, both Mitchell and Steele's versions exchanged places at the top of the singles charts in several countries.

This particular repress comes from my parent's record collection. I clearly recall playing this at 7-12 years of age, and it was an early favourite of mine at a time when I mostly enjoyed music by The Beatles, country, beat, and rock & roll. I also remember the song "A Handful of Songs" (taken from the soundtrack album The Tommy Steele Story from May 1957) as probably the most popular song by Steele in my childhood years. The early stage performances with Steele miming to his most popular songs showcased Steele as a more well-tempered Bill Haley and Elvis Presley type of clone, which I guess made rock & roll more likeable for those who associated rock & roll with bad-mannered and uncontrollable youngsters. Tommy Steele has gone down in history as the first British star of rock & roll but he was soon followed by Cliff Richard as a more enduring pop-star.

In retrospect, this ep is an important document of early rock & roll history, but it also puts Steele in a category of his own trying hard to copy American icons without actually having much to offer himself. Yes, he helped transforming rock & roll into something more digestible, he exemplified a new type of rock-and-roller but he mainly delivered via covering others. On this ep, Steele's own two contributions sound heavily inspired by Bill Haley and Chuck Berry, and his second album out, the soundtrack to The Tommy Steele Story says much about form over matter with only little relevance and understanding to how music becomes legend. That said, Steele certainly has a place in the story books on how rock & roll became an international phenomenon and he plays a major part in the stylistic evolution of popular music.

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This post is part of MyMusicJourney, which enlists key releases that have shaped my musical taste when growing up and until age 14. Most of these releases come from my parents' and / or my older brother's collection.