The “Chirping” Crickets
Buddy Holly & The Crickets
28:27 min • Brunswick Records • November 27, 1957
Walter Beck reviews
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At the peak of the first wave of rock ‘n’ roll, a quartet of Texas musicians entered the studio with producer Norman Petty and cut their first album. It was half an hour packed with ballads, blues, and burners, as well as some of rock ‘n’ roll’s first truly immortal songs. Buddy Holly and the Crickets made a little bit of history with their first full length LP, The “Chirping” Crickets.
The album opens with ‘Oh Boy’, one of Holly’s most famous songs and one that nearly perfectly captures the frantic raw edge of rock ‘n’ roll. A pounding two minute number driven by Holly’s overdriven blues riffs and the muscular drumming of Jerry Allison, the track peaks about half way through when Holly seems to blow his vocal chords and then moves into a solo. The backing vocals by the Picks take some of the bite out of the song, but it remains a frantic classic.
‘Not Fade Away’ is another classic (later covered famously by the Rolling Stones), driven by a jagged Bo Diddley beat courtesy of drummer Allison. Holly, Nikki Sullivan, and Joe Mauldin join their instruments in on the musical breaks, with Buddy barking out that famous chorus,
My love is real
Not fade away.
The band slows it down a bit with ‘You’ve Got Love’, a bluesy, swaying love song. The real beauty of this track is that unlike the hard rockers of the first two cuts, the Picks’ vocals finally fit in musically. Their three part doo-wop style harmony blends in well with band’s slow swinging sound.
The Picks’ vocal styling also works well in the next track, the classic ‘Maybe Baby’, mid tempo rocker with the iconic rock ‘n’ roll theme of boy desires girl. As expected, Holly’s vocals rise about the mere archetypal subject matter and make the song striking.
Speaking of classic numbers, the second half of the album kicks off with ‘That’ll Be the Day’, one of Holly’s iconic songs and the one that shot up to number one on the Billboard charts, breaking him into mainstream America. The song itself is a mid-tempo bluesy number, featuring some pounding leads from Holly and great rhythm work from the rest of the band. Listening to it, it’s easy to hear why this was the song that shot the band to stardom.
The band does another high-energy rocker with ‘I’m Lookin’ for Someone to Love’, one of Holly’s forgotten classics. The song never really charted, but it’s one hell of a track, with the stomping rhythm of Allison, Mauldin, and Sullivan, and Holly up front and center with his leads and nearly hoarse vocals.
‘An Empty Cup (And a Broken Date)’ is the first in a string of ballads on the second side, the other two being ‘Send Me Some Lovin’’ and ‘Last Night’. ‘An Empty Cup’ is definitely the strongest of the bunch, a slow blues number that shows the Texas flavor of the band. The sharp leads and breaks in the middle really make the song what it is. The other two ballads are too doo-wop in style to really work. The Crickets weren’t made for that kind of sound and it shows.
The album comes to a close with one last ripper, ‘Rock Me My Baby’, a track that has the hard Bo Diddley beat in the verses and then a straight burn during the chorus. The main difference is that the rhythm is driven more by bassist Joe B. Mauldin – his thumping rhythm shines through like no other track on the LP.
Outside a couple of weaker ballads, this album stands strong on every track. Rock ‘n’ roll was in its infancy when the band cut this record and even by 1957, Holly and the band had abandoned their country roots completely and fully embraced this new sound. Future bands would pay their respects to this album by covering many of their songs, ‘Not Fade Away’ was the first single released by Rush, ‘That’ll Be the Day’ would be the first song recorded by the Beatles back when they were still known as the Quarrymen, and a cover of ‘Oh Boy!’ was a number #1 hit for the glam rock band Mud back in 1975.
If you’re even remotely interested in rock ‘n’ roll, this album is essential listening. It captured a rapidly evolving sounds, and showcased the talents of a young Texan whose career would end tragically two years later when his plane crashed between shows.
