In his short-lived but extraordinary life, Buddy Holly left behind a body of work so enthralling, his enduring influence is nearly impossible to overstate. The melodic joy and fierce independent streak at the core of his artistry is profoundly felt on Rave On Buddy Holly, a 19-song collection of indelible Holly covers by a rich assemblage of current musical visionaries and creative kindred spirits. Fantasy/Concord will release Rave On Buddy Holly June 28, 2011.

Rave On's striking collection of musicians share Holly's insurgent rebel spirit and outsider point of view. The artists cross generations and styles, collectively and defiantly embracing Holly's distinctive rough and tumble inventiveness. Very few songwriters could inspire passionately personal, fearless cover versions from performers such as My Morning Jacket, Cee Lo Green, Justin Townes Earle, The Black Keys, Florence + The Machine, She & Him, Modest Mouse, Paul McCartney, Julian Casablancas, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Fiona Apple and John Brion, Graham Nash, The Detroit Cobras, Kid Rock, John Doe, Karen Elson, Nick Lowe and Jenny O. Which is part of what makes this much more than a mere "tribute album."

A true pop pioneer whose astonishing tunes boasted rock 'n' roll punch, irresistible hooks and boundary-pushing sonic sweep, Buddy Holly would be 75-years-old on September 7th of this year. Sadly, of course, he died in 1959 at age 22. But Holly's music never died, and has exerted a profound influence on virtually every part of the pop music soundscape. His sparkling hooks, tender lyrics and elegantly concise compositions set the bar for all the rock, country and pop tunesmiths who followed in his brilliant wake. A bold affirmation that proves his music, on the eve of his 75th birthday, is more relevant than ever, Rave On Buddy Holly tips its collective hat with love and appreciation.

Rave On Buddy Holly track listing:
1. "Dearest" - The Black Keys (2:06)
2. "Every Day" - Fiona Apple & Jon Brion (2:19)
3. "It's So Easy" - Paul McCartney (4:35)
4. "Not Fade Away - Florence + The Machine" (4:02)
5. "(You're So Square) Baby, I Don't Care" - Cee Lo Green (1:31)
6. "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" - Karen Elson (2:25)
7. "Rave On" - Julian Casablancas (1:55)
8. "I'm Gonna Love You Too" - Jenny O. (2:11)
9. "Maybe Baby" - Justin Townes Earle (2:06)
10. "Oh Boy" - She & Him (2:18)
11. "Changing All Those Changes" - Nick Lowe (1:41)
12. "Words Of Love" - Patti Smith (3:20)
13. "True Love Ways" - My Morning Jacket (3:25)
14. "That'll Be The Day" - Modest Mouse (2:15)
15. "Well...All Right" - Kid Rock (2:09)
16. "Heartbeat" -The Detroit Cobras (2:20)
17. "Peggy Sue" - Lou Reed (3:19)
18. "Peggy Sue Got Married" - John Doe (3:57)
19. "Raining In My Heart" - Graham Nash (3:30)

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004YGRHXY/?tag=imwan-20

Patti Smith, Paul McCartney, John Doe, Patti Smith, Lou Reed, The Detroit Cobras, Patti Smith, Nick Lowe, Graham Nash, Patti Smith.....

I'm definitely getting this.

Too bad Kid Rock is on it.

Where is Pat Dinizio?

Are there any Tea Party rallies scheduled in New Jersey today?

Bump: added cover image and pre-order link to the first post.

there was a very similar release a couple of years ago, with an even better line-up IMHO.



http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002IQA8Q/?tag=imwan-20

This link has the Patti Smith cover of "Words Of Love".....she slowed it down to a ballad, Not what I was expecting from it, but think it's very nice.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2011/ ... uddy-holly

You can listen to this here:

http://soundcloud.com/concordmusicgroup ... on/s-F4N7i

Paul McCartney's song on this is one of the most awful things I've heard recently...

Some of the reviews I'm reading this morning, seem to think this is incredible and the best thing on here. I still think it's shit...

I think it's pretty good.......not incredible, but not shit.
The yelling at the false ending and the end is the worst part.

I haven't listened to it yet, but iTunes added a track -- Paul McCartney's "It's So Easy (Faithful Cover).

I wonder if this track is an iTunes exclusive, or if it'll be available on any import, or as a Best Buy bonus, or whatever. Anyone here know?

A Voice for Youth's Exuberant Optimism

June 28, 2011
By Jim Fusilli
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... 62016.html

'Rave On" (Fantasy), a new multiartist, multigeneration celebration of the music of Buddy Holly, raises the question of why Holly's music endures. One answer may boil down to this: When he died in a plane crash in Grant Township, Iowa, on Feb. 3, 1959—"the day the music died," according to Don McLean's "American Pie"—Holly was just 22 years old. His songs still reflect the runaway emotions of youth in bloom; his lyrics glow with pure innocence. Holly expresses this perspective directly: "Words of love whisper soft and true. Darling, I love you"; "Well, you are the one that makes me glad and you are the one that makes me sad"; "Where you're concerned my heart has learned it's so easy to fall in love."

On the new collection, those songs are sung by Patti Smith, Justin Townes Earle and Paul McCartney, respectively. Ms. Smith presents "Words of Love" as a solemn folk ballad with strings. Mr. Earle's "Maybe Baby" updates Holly's Texas rockabilly sound and Mr. McCartney's raw, crazy "It's So Easy" shows how Holly provided a springboard for Mr. McCartney's remarkable career.

Holly's songs have the kind of simple structural integrity that allows them to be reinterpreted in countless ways. Florence and the Machine visited New Orleans to record "Not Fade Away" and the two-chord tune sits nicely on second-line drumming. Kid Rock's "Well All Right" adapts the original arrangement worked out by Holly and the Crickets to a forceful soul treatment with a full horn section, hand percussion and not much else. Lou Reed delivers "Peggy Sue" with his guitar squalling throughout the performance, while John Doe's "Peggy Sue Got Married" is a dirge that grows increasingly fitful. My Morning Jacket's Jim James strips down "True Love Ways" to voice and acoustic guitar backed by a string quartet. Not all covers work to perfection—in its reading of "That'll Be the Day," Modest Mouse can't seem to make up its mind how to address the song's sentiment—but none of the reinventions reveal flaws in the compositions. And Karen Elson's version of "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" jumps with an energy that Holly's reading lacked.

Several artists pay tribute to Holly by adhering to his sound. Fiona Apple and Jon Brion retain the chiming bells of Holly's "Everyday" arrangement and add an Everly Brothers-style vocal harmony. Nick Lowe's "Changing All Those Changes" is pure 1950s rockabilly. While they veer off course, She & Him—Zooey Deschanel and M. Ward's project—do so lovingly, the two voices on "Oh Boy!" retaining the joy of Holly's original, as their talented percussionist Scott McPherson channels Holly's drummer, Jerry Allison.

Holly didn't write all of his best-known recordings. He reworked a Bo Diddley tune to come up with "Dearest," and here the Black Keys strips down Holly's take for a stark version that opens the 19-track disc. Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller wrote "(You're So Square) Baby, I Don't Care" and Holly's rendition, much like Elvis Presley's, rides on its R&B groove; Cee-Lo Green hastens the pace for an up-tempo rockabilly reading with extra drive provided by Graham Marsh's guitars. Graham Nash, whose '60s breakout band, the Hollies, took its name in tribute to Holly, delivers Felice and Boudleaux Bryant's lovely "Raining in My Heart" as a gentle piano ballad.

"The thing about Holly," said Mr. Earle by phone recently, "is the same thing Woody Guthrie has, Tom Petty has, Bruce Springsteen has—simple songs that people can relate to. There's something about him that just clutches the heart. A lot of music is fixed in the distance, but Buddy's is right there."

Had he lived, Holly would have turned 75 this September. It's useless to project what he might have become had he lived: Would he have undermined his own legacy as Presley did? Or continued to do good work as Roy Orbison did, and to enjoy an audience spanning generations? By age 22, Holly had already created an enduring body of work—enough to have filled a much longer life. With "Rave On," we're reminded that quality tops longevity in the arts and that extraordinary and earnest songs, no matter how simple, have an extended life of their own.

Dave,

I haven't been able to locate it elsewhere yet but will definitely keep looking. Does not appear that it will be on the Japanese version from what I can tell.

IMO the McCartney track is the worst tune on the cd.

i'm actually thinking of a 99¢ amazon download of the graham nash song.

although, if enough people (mainly the mccartney cult) buy this the first time around, it'll be real cheap in the used bins in about 3 months.

I agree with Charles about the McCartney song- liked the song except for the yelling at the end & the ending itself.

Overall I really enjoy this tribute, especially the tracks from My Morning Jacket, Modest Mouse, Nick Lowe, Julian Casablancas and Karen Elson.