Marvin Rainwater Rock Me: The Westwood Recordings CD - Import

Marvin Rainwater recorded two albums for the Westwood label while visiting England in the mid-'70s, only one of which was released at the time. This CD collects the complete recordings from those sessions, which find Rainwater revisiting a few hits, unveiling new originals, and interpreting a handful of cover songs while backed by a competent if sometimes ramshackle band. The title track, "Rock Me," is a remake of his MGM recording "Dance Me Daddy" with minor lyric changes. His attempts at "Proud Mary" and "Old Rivers" (on the latter of which Rainwater does a cheesy impression of Walter Brennan) were simply bad ideas, and far below the level of the surrounding cuts in terms of quality. Some of the new originals are excellent, and Rainwater still sounds pretty great at this late stage of his career. Despite the title, these are country rather than rock or rockabilly recordings, and even the remakes of his older songs are given more of a straight '70s country treatment. For those who hoped against all odds that someone would reissue Rainwater's '70s recordings, the minor flaws will be irrelevant. ~ Greg Adams

Marvin is quarter Cherokee - and a full-blooded rock 'n roller. When he returned to Britain in 1975 & 1976, he recorded two LPs for Westwood Records. Besides the title track "Rock Me," this CD also includes his recording of "I Dig You Baby" which he init

Contains 22 tracks.

Personnel: Marvin Rainwater (vocals, piano); Bob Newman (acoustic guitar); Rodney Barber (steel guitar); Alan Holmes (drums).

Liner Note Author: Howard Cockburn.

Recording information: September Sounds Studio, Huddersfields, Yorkshire Engla (12/03/1975-07/05/1976); Westwood Studios, Montgomery, Wales UK (12/03/1975-07/05/1976).

Illustrators: R.A. Andreas; Howard Cockburn.

Photographers: R.A. Andreas; Howard Cockburn.