In the mid-'50s, country picker Joe Maphis and early rockabilly guitarist Larry Collins (one-half of The Collins Kids) were both members of the Town Hall Party, a barn dance show broadcast from the Los Angeles area. This LP gathers odds and ends from both artists, starting with the four songs the... [+] Expand

In the mid-'50s, country picker Joe Maphis and early rockabilly guitarist Larry Collins (one-half of The Collins Kids) were both members of the Town Hall Party, a barn dance show broadcast from the Los Angeles area. This LP gathers odds and ends from both artists, starting with the four songs the guitarists recorded together on a rare 1957 EP. Both Maphis and Collins (then just 13) smoke on their respective double-necked axes on these instrumentals, which bisect country boogie and rockabilly. Side One closes with four instrumentals Maphis cut on his own between 1955 and 1957; more country-oriented than his sides with Collins, they are respectable country boogie, the standout being "Flying Fingers," which features some of the most blindingly fast guitar work recorded in any genre. The eight songs on Side Two are entirely given over to solo numbers that Collins cut in the early '60s, a few previously unreleased, a few from rare Columbia singles. Mostly soft rockabilly pop with unexceptional lead vocals (by Collins) and female harmonies, it totally lacks the fire of Larry's '50s work; even the two concluding instrumentals are insubstantial, one a Duane Eddy ripoff, one slightly anticipating the sound of surf music. Side One has some pretty hot country-cum-rockabilly, but the flip weighs this production down into "collectors only" territory. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide [-] Collapse

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