The 1981 Listening Post - Rocky Sharpe and the Replays - Let's Go

 Rocky Sharp and the Replays - Let's Go

#448

September 1981

Rocky Sharpe and The Replays

Let’s Go

Genre: 50s Faithful

3.5 out of 5

Highlights:

Shout Shout (Knock Yourself Out)

In the 70s K-Tel used to put out records of “Today’s hits!” for cheap. I remember telling a kid on the bus that I ordered it, thinking I was cool. He promptly informed me that they were all covers by people you’d never heard of. He was right. The record was garbage. I never forgot that.

This is an album of classic 50s rock songs redone by a British revivalist. He’s true to the songs so, ultimately, this is “K-Tel’s hits of the 50s!”.

The songs are all great, but I’d rather hear the ‘riginals.

I’m glad they covered Rockpile’s “Heart” and even though it works as Doo-Wop, it just makes me wanna go back to the Nick Lowe version.

https://music.apple.com/us/album/shout-shout/590157367

The 1980 Listening Post - Rocky Sharpe & the Replays - Rock It To Mars

Rocky Sharpe & the Replays - Rock It To Mars 

November 1980

Rocky Sharpe & the Replays

Rock It to Mars

Genre: Rockabilly

2 out of 5

You know the drill by this point. Either Stray Cats were a revelation or they were just the group that cut through. It’s more likely that Brian Setzer was the revelation. His guitar was a razor blade that slashed through the revival, injecting with urgency. 

Rocky and his blokes have more fealty to the original Doo-Wop sound. 

I’m not sure why you would play this when you could go to the originals.

And, maybe that’s why we don’t talk about Rocky Sharpe anymore. 

That don’t make it not good, however.

Thing is, there is a SoCal band around this time called Big Daddy. And their conceit was taking modern rock songs and remaking them as 50s rock & roll tunes. I loved both of their records, albeit they are a bit of novelty. But what they accomplished was very similar to what producers did with Mash-ups in the early 00s. Prove that all rock music is basically the same, just dressed up differently. 

It simultaneously impresses and destroys the thing we love. 

Rocky isn’t investing anything, though. He’s worshipping at an altar. 

I feel like we’ve all moved on at this point. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/rock-it-to-mars/590166522