Critic's Review
Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
Band's a-Rockin' includes 27 songs -- 70-plus minutes -- of radio transcriptions dating between 1941 and 1951, and some of the hottest Western swing you're ever going to hear. The title track is pretty cool, but then Johnnie Lee Wills kicks it into high gear with "Boogie Woogie Highball," a jazzy, swingin' instrumental that could've been part of Benny Goodman's repertory if that band had only come from Texas instead of Chicago. Curly Lewis' and Henry Boatman's fiddles contend with Don Harlan's clarinet and a bunch of talented guitarists who passed through the lineup -- this band was a multiple-threat in the solo department, with Clarence Cagle and Bob Booth both in there pitching on the piano and trumpet, respectively, as well. There's not a bad song here, and some of the stuff here was important at the time -- by some estimates, Johnnie Lee's cover of "Rag Mop" kept the Bullet label afloat nearly a year longer than it otherwise would have survived. Their version of "Milk Cow Blues" may be the best cover by any white musicians this side of Darby & Tarlton. Some of the 1941-vintage tracks ("Whatcha Know Joe," "Keep a Light in Your Window Tonight") have a fair amount of noise in the background, but it not serious enough to detract from the music in any major way. Anyone seeking to own a Western swing CD recorded by someone other than Bob Wills should make this a first pick.
