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Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks

Red Hot Rockin' (vinyl and CD set)

Review by Gary Hill

For people in my age group, perhaps Ronnie Hawkwins was best known as the guy who gave musicians who would later form The Band some serious musical experience. As this new collection from Bear Family shows, though, Hawkwins was a very good musician in his own right. This set is a nice one that includes a 45 RPM, ten-inch record along with a bonus CD and a postcard and classy booklet. A lot of times with these bonus CDs that include tracks by other artists, the theme is a little questionable. This one, though, gathers alternate versions of songs included on the record. It should be noted that for the songs repeated on the CD I've used the vinyl track reviews for the sake of consistency. I' have also adapted track reviews from other reviews for at a couple of the other songs, for the same reason.

This review is available in book (paperback and hardcover) form in Music Street Journal: 2023  Volume 1. More information and purchase links can be found at: garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2023.

Track by Track Review
Record:
                 
Side A:
                
Forty Days

Vocals start this cut. It fires out from there to a fast-paced rock and roller that works well.

Baby Jean
I really dig the guitar fills on this tune. The number has a cool groove to it. I'm not as enthused about the doo-wop styled vocals, but the killer guitar solo works really well.
Wild Little Willy
I like this high-energy romp better than either of the songs that preceded it. The saxophone is a nice touch, too. This is great stuff.
My Gal Is Red Hot
Here we get another bouncing, driving old-school rock and roller. The piano really shines on this number. The whole thing is a lot of fun.
Horace
This feels a bit like a novelty cut with its rather silly vocal arrangement. This is not bad, but it's definitely not a standout, either.
Southern Love
Organ starts this. The cut works out gradually from there in an understated, slow moving bluesy vein. This has a bit of a spooky vibe to it. It's one of my favorites on the record, really. Everything about this works so well.
Side B:
                 
Honey Don't           

This bouncing old school rock and roller is a lot of fun. The opening guitar section has some real magic, but the whole tune works really well.

Hey! Bo Diddley
It's hard to imagine Bo Diddley's trademark tune by anyone else, but that's what we get here. It is reasonably effective, but just seems an odd choice to me.
Oh Sugar
This bouncy rocker is an entertaining one. I love the incendiary piano work on the tune.
Clara
This romp has a bit of that Bo Diddley sound without invading trademark territory. It's a solid number. 
Mary Lou
I love the saxophone on this song. The doo wop vocals don't work as well for me. Still, this is an entertaining track.
Hey Boba Lou        
With some dramatic, spooky angles to it, this is another killer rocker.
CD:
                
Ronnie Hawkins - Forty Days        
Vocals start this cut. It fires out from there to a fast-paced rock and roller that works well.
Jerry Williams & The Violents - Forty Days

The vocal only section runs a little longer, and it's slower more dramatic. This cut rocks so well once it gets going.

Cliff Richard & The Shadows - Forty Days
This version of the tune has a lot more dance groove in place. It's perhaps less meaty than the others, but it's also catchy and fun.         
Chuck Berry - Thirty Days
This cut is full-on Chuck Berry. This might be my favorite of the versions, but then again, I've always loved Chuck Berry. Mr. Berry also wrote the tune, so that's to be expected, really.
Ronnie Hawkins - Baby Jean
I really dig the guitar fills on this tune. The number has a cool groove to it. I'm not as enthused about the doo-wop styled vocals, but the killer guitar solo works really well.
The Moody Stones - Baby Jean
On the one hand, the organ is a nice touch. Beyond that, though, they seem to take this into more contemporary pop territory, and I don't think that works, as well. They do a couple intriguing twists and turns here, though.   
The Country Gentlemen - Baby Jean
More of a rock and roll pop romp, this cut is a good deal of fun. The guitar solo is an unexpected delight, taking us in unusual direction.
Ronnie Hawkins - Wild Little Willy
I like this high-energy romp better than either of the songs that preceded it. The saxophone is a nice touch, too. This is great stuff.
The Hesitations - Wild Little Willie
This version of this tune feels like a real party. It's so much fun. I definitely like this better than the Hawkins version.    
Ronnie Hawkins - My Gal Is Red Hot
Here we get another bouncing, driving old-school rock and roller. The piano really shines on this number. The whole thing is a lot of fun.
The Carroll Brothers - My Gal Is Red Hot
This is more of a doo wop tune, and doesn't work as well for me.  
Bob Luman - Red Hot          
I love the high energy groove on this version. This is one of my favorite takes on the tune, really. The instrumental sections are purely "red hot," but so is the whole tune, really.         
Billy Lee Riley - Red Hot
I reviewed this one a disc from Billy Lee Riley. Here is part of what I said about it there, "This old-school rock and roller almost feels like it could have been a modern recording. It's very much the kind of thing that modern rockabilly artists draw inspiration from. I dig the piano work on this quite a bit."
Billy 'The Kid' Emerson - Red Hot
A bit of a let down from the last take, this jazzier take is still pretty effective. There is a bit of a "rhythm and blues" kind of groove to it. 
Ronnie Hawkins - Horace (version 2)
This feels a bit like a novelty cut with its rather silly vocal arrangement. This is not bad, but it's definitely not a standout, either
Ronnie Hawkins - Horace (version 1)
I like this take better. It feels a bit less "novelty."   
Ronnie Hawkins - Southern Love
Organ starts this. The cut works out gradually from there in an understated, slow moving bluesy vein. This has a bit of a spooky vibe to it. It's one of my favorites on the record, really. Everything about this works so well.
Max Falcon - Southern Love
I like this version of the tune quite a bit. It retains some of that "spooky" vibe while bringing some "Secret Agent Man" to bear.
Vince Taylor & His Play-Boys - What'cha Gonna Do
There is a bit of a hillbillie groove on this rendition. The female backing vocals are all class, and this is an effective romp.   
Chuck Willis - What'cha Gonna Do (When Your Baby Leaves You)
With more of a bluesy, jazzy treatment, I think this is my favorite version of the tune here. This just oozes cool and class.
Ronnie Hawkins - Honey Don't
This bouncing old school rock and roller is a lot of fun. The opening guitar section has some real magic, but the whole tune works really well.
Tyrone Schmidling - Honey Don't  
This rock and rolling version of the tune is fun and classy. It's a killer tune. In fact, I think I like the almost rockabilly vibe of this one better than the Hawkins version of the song.
Carl Perkins- Honey Don't
There is much more of a nearly country, rockabilly angle to this version.
Ronnie Hawkins - Hey! Bo Diddley
It's hard to imagine Bo Diddley's trademark tune by anyone else, but that's what we get here. It is reasonably effective, but just seems an odd choice to me.
Bo Diddley - Hey! Bo Didley
Here we get the real deal. You just can't go wrong with this man. This song rocks so well. The classic old school sound is well situated and represented here.
Ronnie Hawkins - Oh Sugar
This bouncy rocker is an entertaining one. I love the incendiary piano work on the tune.
Ronnie Hawkins - Clara
This romp has a bit of that Bo Diddley sound without invading trademark territory. It's a solid number. 
Ronnie Hawkins - Mary Lou
I love the saxophone on this song. The doo wop vocals don't work as well for me. Still, this is an entertaining track.
Buddy Knox - Mary Lou     
The rock and roll groove on this is all class. I love the guitar work, but the overall vibe and concept works so well, too.     
Young Jessie - Mary Lou
There is a bit of a soulful vibe here as it gets going. When the doo wop vocals kick in, it loses me, though. I'm not a fan of this version of the tune.
Ronnie Hawkins - Hey Boba Lou               
With some dramatic, spooky angles to it, this is another killer rocker.
Danny & The Islanders - Hey Boba Lou
This is another cool rendition of the tune. It has a classy mellower groove that works really well. The organ is a nice touch.

 

 
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