from BAM's 50 Greatest California Albums: 33 Ricky Sings Again Ricky Nelson * Imperial Records * 1958 Supposedly the lightweight TV teen idol, Ozzie and Harriet's youngest son turned out to be an authentic rock 'n' roller with enough savvy to make his third album one of the great rock 'n' roll long-players of the era. A long line of California rockabilly snakes out of this fountainhead down through Creedence Clearwater, Fleetwood ac and Chris Isaak. Mixing hits like "It's Late," "Believe What You Say" and the mournful "Lonesome Town" (which Dylan used to cover in concert) with Johnny Cash song intended for Ricky's big-screen outing with John Wayne in Rio Bravo, Nelson knew how to match his monochromatic vocals to pile-driving rhythms while, in between verses, guitarist James Burton was inventing the vocabulary of rock guitar. (c) 1997 B.B. Grunt _______________________________________________________________ Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
