Saturday 14 November 2009

131 Songs - Number 7

Number 7 - Peggy Sue by Buddy Holly

Recorded in 1957, I first heard Buddy Holly on our old transistor radio tuned in to Radio Luxembourg before we left London. One of the early pioneers of the new rock and roll, he performed in 1955 with Elvis and Bill Haley. These influences contributed to him adapting to a more rockabilly style typified by his first hit That'll Be The Day earlier in 1957. Unlike Elvis, Buddy wrote all his own songs which were quite sophisticated for the day. That must be why they still sound fresh to me whenever I hear them. And Oh Boy, did he write so many great songs. There are 15 on my compilation of 36 tracks and I never have to skip one of them. Even The Beatles recorded Words of Love on their album Beatles for Sale. So why Peggy Sue? It must be the paradiddles played on the drums by The Cricket's drummer Jerry Alison, that fade in and out. And the raw guitar solo in the middle. Just magic.

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