Bill Doggett “The EP Collection”

Bill Doggett

“The EP Collection”
( LP See For Miles Records, 1999 )
Catalog # SEE 609

Tracklisting:
1. Honky Tonk, Pt. 1
2. Honky Tonk, Pt. 2
3. The Song Is Ended
4. And the Angels Sing
5. What a Diff’rence a Day Made
6. When Your Lover Has Gone
7. Bubbins Rock
8. On the Sunny Side of the Street
9. Satin Doll
10. Perdido
11. Caravan
12. C Jam Blues
13. Chloe
14. Flying Home
15. How Could You Do a Thing Like That to Me
16. Back Door
17. Blip Blop
18. Blues for Handy
19. Birdie
20. Hold It
21. George Washington Twist
22. Rainbow Riot, Pts. 1 & 2
23. The Madison
24. Raw Turkey
25. Smokie, Pt. 2

Review:
At his best, Bill Doggett’s organ- and sax-driven instrumentals were languid, suggestive bits of brilliance that approached rock & roll, building a sort of tightrope tension out of strong, blues-based riffs that were as deliberate as they were infectious, while at the other end of things, at his least inspired, Doggett generated formulaic, forgettable cocktail jazz. This set, which collects the seven EPs Doggett issued during his stay with Cincinnati’s King Records, includes the two-sided “Honky Tonk,” a huge hit in 1956 that allowed Doggett to flirt with rock & roll without actually going there, as well as tracks like “Smokie” which work off the same template and pop-jazz arrangements of standards like Duke Ellington’s “Caravan.” What emerges is an accurate portrait of Doggett’s approach, with both the pros and cons attached.
By Steve Leggett (AMG)

By Celo