The spaceman came to England at the start of July. Any reluctance that might have been felt over allowing Yuri Gagarin, the world’s most famous Soviet, to tour his propaganda triumph was surely outweighed by the simple wonder of meeting a man w[…]

For once an Elvis record isn’t scuppered by the choice of song – this nervy Latin pop is a welcome step up from the catastrophic “Wooden Heart”. Rather it’s Presley’s own performance that feels misjudged. He sings […]

Next time you find yourself cursing the radio as another band winds back the decades and nests cosily in music’s past, spare a thought for the Temperance Seven, who were retro before most of pop was even original. “You’re Driving Me[…]

Cute country instrumental keeps Cramer’s high-grade piano work front-and-centre while throwing in enough variety to stave off boredom for two minutes – I particularly like the bass-and-handclaps breakdown at about 1’10”. Does […]

I don’t think even the glitchiest glitch could match “Blue Moon”‘s introductory slap. This stutter, this chatter, this cheek – this is “Blue Moon”?? And when the Marcels start the song ‘proper’ th[…]

Presley may not have written his own material but his influence on its direction is pretty clear – how else to explain the bizarre Euro-stylings that crept into his records immediately after his army stint? “It’s Now Or Never”[…]

The Everlys’ creamy harmonies, while gorgeous, can’t really lend this slushball lovers’ plea much urgency – luckily the arrangement picks up some slack by turning the chorus into a stomp before the track drowns in wimpitude. H[…]

Never a chore to hear a harmonica, but otherwise “Sailor”s easy tempo becalms the track too easily. A snoozer, and an oddly archaic one from such a young singer: Petula’s stout-hearted vocals and massed backing seem to hark back to […]

Elvis takes a 1926 Al Jolson hit and turns it into one of his most audacious No.1s – a production so sepulchral that he had the studio lights turned off to do it and an utterly commanding performance. From a distance the record seems a piece of[…]

With the help of a sax as cheeky as himself, Tillotson gives a trifling song the big sell, and I buy it. How does it work? The teasy intro and chipper tune; Tillotson’s piping voice and the way he sings “mo-shun!”; the way he balanc[…]