If we play some cool music will you please buy our jeans...
EDDIE COCHRAN
(Liberty 1959)
Of course this is not the original 1959 release of C'mon Everybody - this was a 1988 re-release to tie-in with advert for Levi's 501 jeans. In a canny series of adverts base around nostalgia for a mythologised 50's and 60's, some good-looking lads and lasses, and soundtracked by a variety of cool numbers, these Levi's ads became quite talked about, and provided some career revival's and appreciation of dudes like Marvin Gaye, Ben E.King, Percy Sledge & Sam Cooke. So this advert was just another entry into this series - notable, in hind sight, in that it's Rock 'n' Roll not Soul, and that the narrative of the advert supposedly came from the reminiscences of Sharon Seeley (Eddie's girlfriend).
Eddie Cochran is part of my own personal holy trinity of Rock 'n' Roll along with Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent (Elvis who?) - all of whom are connected by their deaths. Buddy Holly went on his final tour because Eddie asked him to cover for him when he was unable to do. Out of guilt Eddie did an English tour that Buddy was supposed to have done, if he hadn't died. He of course died in taxi accident on that tour. Gene Vincent was also in that taxi, and that accident exacerbated an existing injury, and he felt guilt because of his friend's death - these two things led to his increased drinking, which precipitated the illness the cut his life short. I haven't fact checked any of that, so there might be some element of myth in there, but it's a good myth.
I'm guessing that you all know who Eddie Cochran was so I don't need to do a little bit of bio for background. I don't need to, but I want to, so here goes. He started off as part of a country duo called the Cochran Brothers (they weren't actually brothers), as part of this act they started to develop a more rockabilly sound, and then when Eddie went solo, he beefed up this to the more recognisable Rock 'n' Roll. A good looking young fella whose gorgeous honey coloured Gretsch guitar, was matched by his honeyed vocal tones.
My perception is that C'mon Everybody is part of popular music DNA like the other early rock 'n' roll classics like Johnny B. Goode, Great Balls of Fire or Peggy-Sue. However there may well be some young 'uns out there chancing upon this meandering nonsense who really have no idea what I'm going on about, so for there benefit of those guys C'mon Everybody is an up-tempo rocker, that's led by a strong rhythm section. The percussion is heavy and leads the beat, and is backed up by thumping double bass, which perfectly emphasises the "bare feet a-slapping on the floor" lyric. Over this Eddie strums his guitar and encourages the kids to go out and have a good time regardless of any consequences. As a song it encapsulates the energy rush of being an adolescent in late 50's USA, probably the first teenage generation with disposable income, and greater amounts of societal freedom, in an era of post-war emancipation. As such it's as much an historical document as it is a great song...and it is a great song.
On the flip side is Don't Ever Let Me Go - a charming, more melodic romantic ditty. It's pleasant, ephemeral seeming thing, with Eddie's golden tones pleading with his sweetheart to be with her forever, but there's a couple of interesting things going on in this tune. Most notably for me is the percussion, it's lower down in the mix, but the drums are adding a gentle swaying Calypso rhythm to the song. Added to this there are some background woos and whoops that are straight out of the Doo-Wop tradition. All these things are the little touches that lift what would be a pretty, if forgettable ballad, into something a mite more substantial.
So as a whole a great record, well worth the just over 4 minutes it takes to listen to both sides. What is more, regardless of the b-side, it is an important record in the history of popular music.
Next time some country schmaltz...
