Record #0853: (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear / Loving You – ELVIS PRESLEY WITH THE JORDANAIRES

RCA Victor 20-7000 (original) Canada, June 1957
Words & Music by:  Side A – Kal Mann, Bernie Lowe; Side B – Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Musicians: Elvis Presley (vocals, rhythm guitar on side B, percussion on side A), Scotty Moore (lead guitar), Bill Black (upright bass), D.J. Fontana (drums), Dudley Brooks (piano), The Jordanaires (backing vocals), Hilmer J. Timbrell (rhythm guitar on side A)
Recording sessions: Produced by Walter Scharf (Side A) and Steve Sholes (Side B) at Radio Recorders, Hollywood, CA; Side A – 16. January 1957; Side B – 24. February 1957
Highest chart positions:  Side A – Canada #1, US #1, US Country #1, US R&B #1, UK #3, Australia #8; Side B – Canada #15, US #20, US Country #15, UK #24, Australia #22

I’ve already posted the original US 45 RPM release here.

This release was one of the very last times a brand-new Elvis single could be bought on a 78 RPM record in North America. Following this release, RCA Victor would only issue few more Elvis singles on 78 RPM (including “Jailhouse Rock”) before retiring the format entirely. Elvis’ last 78 RPM issue in the States was “One Night” in October 1958, and in Canada the last one was “A Big Hunk of Love” in June 1959.

List price: 45cat.com Price Guide sets this at €35. I found nine copies sold in eBay ranging from CAD 18 (in Canada) to USD 79 (in the States). A promo pressing was sold for USD 400 in the States in 2022.

 

Record #0852: Be-Bop-a-Lula / Woman Love – GENE VINCENT AND HIS BLUE CAPS

Capitol 3450 (original) Canada, June 1956
Words & Music by:  Side A – Bill “Sheriff Tex” Davis / Donald Graves (disputed credit for the words), Gene Vincent; Side B – Jack Rhodes, Dick Reynolds
Musicians: Gene Vincent (vocals), Cliff Gallup (lead guitar), Willie Williams (rhythm guitar), Jack Neal (upright bass), Dickie Harrell (drums and screams)
Recording sessions: Produced by Ken Nelson at Owen Bradley Studio, Nashville, TN, May 4, 1956
Highest chart positions:  Western Canada (Vancouver) #8, Eastern Canada (Toronto +) #6-#9, US #7, US R&B #8, US Country #5, UK #16

I’ve already posted the original US releases here (78) and here (45).

Lead guitarist Cliff Gallup’s weapon of choice was a 1954 Gretsch 6128 Duo Jet equipped with single-coil DeArmond Dynasonic pickups. To capture that ghostly, driving sound, studio engineer Mort Thomasson fed Gallup's guitar through a custom slap-back tape echo. The delay gave Gallup's sharp, staccato notes a haunting depth that became the gold standard for the entire rockabilly genre.

The sheer brilliance of Gallup’s solos left a permanent mark on rock royalty. Jeff Beck was so obsessed with Gallup's playing that in 1993, he recorded an entire tribute album (Crazy Legs) where he meticulously recreated every single one of Gallup’s solos note-for-note. Jimmy Page, Brian Setzer, and Eric Clapton have all cited these solos as a massive blueprint for their own musical awakenings.

Producer Ken Nelson was so deeply impressed by Gallup’s unparalleled phrasing and studio precision that he later offered him a lucrative, permanent contract as a Capitol Records staff session guitarist in Nashville. However, Gallup was a deeply modest, quiet family man who disliked the chaotic rock 'n' roll lifestyle and hated being away from his wife. He politely turned down the career-making offer.

List price: 45cat.com Price Guide sets this at €49. I found three copies sold in eBay for €12-€34 (the lowest price was paid in Canada).