Rockin' / Hell Bent For Leather

by Frankie Laine

Description by OLDIES.com:

Frankie Laine was one of the most successful pop singers of the '50s and the '60s. Bold and brash, Laine scored over 60 chart hits during that period. This single CD combines two of his most popular albums (originally released in 1957 and 1961, respectively), and includes one of Laine's most memorable hits, the theme from the TV series "Rawhide".

Product Description:

2 LPs on 1 CD: ROCKIN' (1957)/HELL BENT FOR LEATHER (1961).

Also available as part of the 2-CD Collectables box THE LEGEND AT HIS BEST!

ROCKIN' originally released on Columbia (975). HELL BENT FOR LEATHER originally released on Columbia (8415). Includes reissue liner notes by Mark Marymont.

In the late 1950s the music industry was sweeping away the old styles of music to accommodate the growing trend towards pop and rock & roll. Few of the older generation of singers managed to survive. Frankie Laine, however, was finding his star on the ascent with a sound quite different from his beginnings in the 1930s. His manly voice, always youthfully dynamic, has a dash and rhythm that rocks and rolls.

As much and as easily as Laine reflected the new sounds of the '50s and '60s, ROCKIN' is really a selection of pre-rock tunes, vibrantly delivered with updated panache. Laine's rousing rendition of "Sunny Side of the Street" certainly makes this standard jump. HELL BENT FOR LEATHER showcases Laine capitalizing on rock's Nashville roots with his Elvis Presley-like stylings of C&W themed pop songs. "Rawhide," with its Western rhythm, is lassoed by Laine's dramatic vocal banditry.