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Chanteur
Country US né Armond A. Noack Jr., le 29 Avril 1930 à
Houston (Texas). Eddie Noack a débuté en 1949 chez Gold Star de Bill Quinn. Il continue ensuite chez Four Star, Starday, D,
K-Ark et Decca Records. Eddie fut rapidement oublié et devint alcoolique. Il est mort d'une cirrhose le 5 Février 1978
à Houston(Texas).
Eddie Noack had a valiant run at
country stardom in the '50s, cutting a bunch of good, straight-ahead honky tonk
sides for Gold Star, Starday, D, and Mercury before dropping into the minor
leagues in the '60s. During the '50s, he came close to reaching national charts
with "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" and "Too Hot to Handle," but much of his
recognition arrived as a songwriter. He penned "These Hands," which turned into
something of a '60s standard -- it was cut by
Johnny Cash,
Hank Snow,
Lefty Frizzell, and Bob Dylan --
and "Have Blues, Will Travel" and "Relief Is Just a Swallow Away" were
popularized by
George Jones, who had mogul/manager
Pappy Daily in common with Noack.
All of these are sturdy credits in a Nashville second-stringer but for later
generations, they're all overshadowed by one thing:
Eddie Noack is the singer who cut the
first version of
Leon Payne's unsettling "Psycho." Noack
recorded "Psycho" in 1968 for K-Ark, a label so small it was almost
non-existent, so it isn't a surprise that the single disappeared upon its
release, but it somehow made its way up toward Michigan, where singer
Jack Kittel cut his own version in
1974. This is likely the rendition that made its way to
Elvis Costello, who released a live
cover of "Psycho" in 1981 that promptly made the disturbing song a cult
favorite, eventually buttressing the reputation of the forgotten Noack, who had
died under tragic circumstances in 1978.
So powerful is "Psycho" -- and so little known is Noack -- that it's tempting to
view Noack's entire career through its prism, thinking of him as an outsider
artist when it's better to think of him as a lifer so determined to have a
career in country music that he hung onto any thread offered to him, including
recording for such fly-by-night labels as K-Ark. Born DeArmand Alexander Noack
in Houston, Texas on April 29, 1930, Noack may have spent the first ten years of
his life as a drifting grifter raised by his single mother Ethel during the
great depression. Ethel found another husband in the early '40s and the new
family settled down in Noack's birthplace of Houston. At the age of 15, he took
a dare to sing at a talent contest and it struck a chord within the fledgling
musician. Soon enough, he was working Houston's burgeoning country music scene,
getting himself onto radio broadcasts by 1948. He had just turned 18 and decided
to make a go of it as a recording artist, calling up Gold Star and asking for an
audition. Bill Quinn, the label's head, liked what he heard and signed Noack,
releasing "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" in 1949. It was the first of four singles
that would appear over the next three years. These singles didn't get heard much
outside of Texas but they helped establish him on the circuit, eventually
leading to a steady gig with R.D. Hendon's
western swing group the Western Jamboree Cowboys. With
Hendon, he had his first genuine hit
with "I Can't Run Away," a song Noack co-wrote and sang on record with Gig
Sparks.
"I Can't Run Away" gained the ear of Pappy Daily, the Texas music man who was
moving from juke boxes to management and A&R at this stage of his career. Daily
had the Western Jamboree Cowboys record several sides for 4-Star, none of which
went anywhere and in 1952, Noack left the band. He had been enrolled at the
University of Houston since the previous year and he split his time between
college and pursuing a solo career recording for 4-Star. These singles only
appeared in Texas and went nowhere, but his colleague
Sonny Burns recorded Noack's original "Too Hot to Handle" -- Eddie cut it
back at Gold Star but it was never released -- and it buttressed Eddie's
reputation as a writer and helped him move from 4-Star to Starday in 1954, the
same year he graduated from University of Houston with a Bachelor's in English.
"Don’t Trade," his first single for Starday, was a minor regional hit, but
before his career could take off, he was drafted into the military to serve in
the Korean war. He was stationed in Germany in 1955 and 1956, then returned to
Texas.
While in Germany, he received yet another break as a songwriter, when
Hank Snow recorded "These Hands" and brought it into the Billboard Top 10 in
the spring of 1956. At the end of the year, he was back in the U.S. and
recording for Starday, but by that point, rock & roll was steamrolling over the
kind of pure country that was Noack's stock in trade. On the heels of
George Jones' success, Pappy Daily aligned Starday with Mercury Records and
several of the label's acts found a new home there, but not Noack. He was
assigned to Starday's Dixie imprint, where he sang knock-off covers of then-current
hits; he also appeared on the lesser-known Faith label singing country-gospel.
Sales steadily dwindled -- his last single, "Dust on the River," sold only 185
copies -- and Eddie ended his association with Starday in 1957. Next up was
Pappy Daily's new label D, where he recorded a teeny-bopping novelty, "My Steady
Dream," that flopped, but Noack had better luck with "Have Blues, Will Travel"
and "Relief Is Just a Swallow Away," which
Jones soon cut himself. Covers like this were steady, but nothing Noack
released for D between 1958 and 1961 turned into a hit. He spent time playing on
country music revues sharing bills with the likes of
George Jones, who turned into a friend of Eddie's.
Pappy Daily managed to give Noack one last shot, this time on Mercury in 1961
via the single "Where Do You Go (When You Say Goodnight)"/"Shotgun House." This
too stiffed and Noack began sliding down the rungs of country stardom. Next up
was a stint at Allstar, a label that specialized in "song poems" -- i.e., for a
fee they'd set a submitted poem or lyric to music and send some pressed singles
back to the hopeful songwriter. Noack dodged these flights of fancy, recording
almost entirely originals between 1962 and 1965, but moving from a major to a
fly-by-night indie was a blow to his ego. He adapted with the shifting tides,
adjusting his sound to fit the train-track rhythms coming out of Bakersfield,
but he was ready to jump ship when
Lefty Frizzell offered him a job as the manager of his new music publishing
company Golden Eye in 1966. That was short-lived, and in 1967, he was back out
looking for a contract, finding one with the cheap independent K-Ark. In early
1968, he started releasing singles on the label and by the summer he had found
the song that brought him notoriety,
Leon Payne's "Psycho." Loosely based on serial killers Ed Gein and Richard
Speck, the song was written from the killer's perspective -- a risky enough
subject for a crossover hit -- but Noack's flat, affectless delivery made it
chilling. It would later become a cult hit but it stiffed, as did Noack's
original follow-up, "Dolores," which was another murder ballad. This also didn't
gain any success, nor did the last handful of songs Noack released on K-Ark. At
the end of the decade, he left the label.
Early in 1970, he cut a tribute album to
Jimmie Rodgers but made moves to once again reside behind the scenes,
teaching songwriting classes at the University of Tennessee and becoming a
lifetime member of the Nashville Songwriters Association in 1970. He continued
to record on occasion, as well as produce acts for Pappy Daily, until the record
man retired in 1971. The next few years were marked by alcoholism and personal
tragedy, and although he rallied for a British tour in 1976, he succumbed to his
demons in 1978. His work remained out of print until Bear Family reissued his
'50s and '60s work on two separate sets -- the former called Gentlemen Prefer
Blondes and the latter Psycho -- in 2012 and 2013.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eddie_Noack
Talents : Vocals, Guitar, Songwriter
Style musical : Honky Tonk, Traditional Country, Bakersfield Sound
Gentlemen PREFER BLONDES
(1949)
I’d Still Want
You (1952)
Music Making Mama From MEMPHIS (1952)
TAKE
IT AWAY LUCKY (1954)
Can't Play Hookey
(1958)
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Years in activity :
| 1910 | 20 | 30 | 40 | 50 | 60 | 70 | 80 | 90 | 2000 | 10 | 20 |
DISCOGRAPHY
78 t. & Singles
| 1949 | 78 t. GOLD STAR 1352 (US) | . |
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
|
| 1949 | 78 t. GOLD STAR 1357 (US) | . |
Simulated Diamonds / The Pyramid Club |
| 1949 | 78 t. GOLD STAR 1371 (US) | . |
Hungry But Happy / Raindrops In A River |
| 1950 | 78 t. & SP GOLD STAR 1391 (US) | . |
Tragic Love / Green Back Dollar |
| 1951 | 78 t. & SP GOLD STAR 711 (US) | . |
Frown On The Moon / Unlucky Me |
| 01/1952 | 78 t. 4-STAR 1595 (US) | . | R.D. HENDON & His WESTERN JAMBOREE
COWBOYS - (Vocals Eddie NOACK) -
I’d Still Want
You
/
Music Making Mama From Memphis
|
| 01/1952 | SP 4-STAR 45-1595 (US) | . |
R.D. HENDON & His WESTERN JAMBOREE
COWBOYS - (Vocals Eddie NOACK) -
I’d Still Want
You
|
| 03/1952 | 78 t. 4-STAR 1599 (US) | . | R.D. HENDON & His WESTERN JAMBOREE COWBOYS - (Vocals Eddie NOACK) - Please Mr . Postman / There’s A Place In My Heart |
| 03/1952 | SP 4-STAR 45-1599 (US) | . | R.D. HENDON & His WESTERN JAMBOREE COWBOYS - (Vocals Eddie NOACK) - Please Mr . Postman / There’s A Place In My Heart |
| 03/1952 | EP 4-STAR ET-103 (US) |
 |
Please Mr Postman / There's A Place In My Heart + 4 tracks by other artists |
| 04/1952 | SP 4-STAR X-41 (US) | . |
R.D. HENDON & His WESTERN JAMBOREE COWBOYS - I'm Going To See My Baby [Vocals : Eddie NOACK] / Nervous Breakdown |
| 05/1953 | SP 4-STAR X-73 (US) | . |
I'd Change My Rambling Ways For You / I Awake And Find You Gone |
| 02/1954 | SP TNT TNT-110 (US) | . |
Too Hot To Handle / How Does It Feel To Be The Winner |
| 04/1954 | SP 4-STAR X-84 (US) | . |
Eddie NOACK & The PECOS VALLEY BOYS - Paul Jones / Pride |
| 04/1954 | EP 4-STAR ET-123 (US) | . |
Paul Jones / Pride + 4 tracks by other artists |
| 08/1954 | 78 t. STARDAY 159 (US) | . | Don't Trade /
Take It Away Lucky
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| 08/1954 | SP STARDAY 45-159 (US) | . |
Don't Trade /
Take It Away Lucky
|
| 12/1954 | 78 t. STARDAY 169 (US) | . | Left Over Lovin' / I'll Be So Good To You |
| 12/1954 | SP STARDAY 45-169 (US) | . |
Left Over Lovin' / I'll Be So Good To You |
| 08/1955 | 78 t. STARDAY 201 (US) | . | If It Ain't On The Menu / Wind Me Up |
| 08/1955 | SP STARDAY 45-201 (US) | . |
If It Ain't On The Menu / Wind Me Up |
| 11/1955 | 78 t. STARDAY 213 (US) | . | Fair Today, Cold Tomorrow / Don't Worry About Me, Baby |
| 11/1955 | SP STARDAY 45-213 (US) | . |
Fair Today, Cold Tomorrow / Don't Worry About Me, Baby |
| 02/1956 | 78 t. STARDAY 225 (US) | . | When The Bright Lights Grow Dim / It Ain't Much But It's Home |
| 02/1956 | SP STARDAY 45-225 (US) | . |
When The Bright Lights Grow Dim / It Ain't Much But It's Home |
| 06/1956 | 78 t. STARDAY 246 (US) | . | For You I Weep / You Done Got Me |
| 06/1956 | SP STARDAY 45-246 (US) | . |
For You I Weep / You Done Got Me |
| 12/1956 | 78 t. STARDAY 276 (US) | . | The Worm Has Turned / She Can't Stand The Light Of Day |
| 12/1956 | SP STARDAY 45-276 (US) | . | The Worm Has Turned / She Can't Stand The Light Of Day |
| 08/1957 | SP STARDAY 45-316 (US) | . |
Think Of Her Now / Scarecrow |
| 11/1957 | SP STARDAY 45-334 (US) | . |
Dust On The River / What's The Matter, Joe |
| 05/1958 | SP D 45-1000 (US) | . | Tommy WOOD -
Can't Play Hookey
/ My Steady Dream |
| 05/1958 | EP DIXIE 531 (US) | . |
The Story Of My Life / Once More / I Can’t Help It Dixie + 3 tracks by other artists |
| 05/1958 | EP DIXIE 532 (US) | . |
Oh, Lonesome Me Dixie / Stairway Of Love + 4 tracks by other artists |
| 09/1958 | EP DIXIE 535 (US) | . |
Blue Blue Day / Squaws Along The Yukon + 4 tracks by other artists |
| 09/1958 | EP DIXIE 536 (US) | . |
Invitation To The Blues / Gonna Have Myself A Party / Blue Boy + 3 tracks by other artists |
| 09/1958 | EP DIXIE 537 (US) | . |
City Lights / Alone With You + 4 tracks by other artists |
| 10/1958 | SP D 1019 (US) | . |
Have Blues - Will Travel / The Price Of Love |
| 11/1958 | SP D 1037 (US) | . |
Walk 'em Off / I Don't Live There Anymore |
| 11/1958 | SP GLAD 1037 (US) | . | Walk 'em Off / I Don't Live There Anymore |
| 05/1959 | SP D 1060 (US) | . |
A
Thinking Man's Woman (A Loving Man's Girl)
/
Don't Look Behind
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| 05/1959 | SP GLAD 1060 (US) | . |
A
Thinking Man's Woman (A Loving Man's Girl)
/
Don't Look Behind
|
| 08/1959 | SP D 1094 (US) | . |
Relief Is Just A Swallow Away / Man Off The Wall |
| 02/1960 | SP D 1124 (US) | . |
Shake Hands With The Blues / Sunflower Song |
| 06/1960 | SP D 1148 (US) | . |
Firewater Luke / Too Weak To Go |
| 10/1960 | SP MERCURY 71705X45 (US) | . |
I Slipped Out Of Heaven / Firewater Luke |
| 1960 | EP TOP RANK JKP 2063 (UK) |
 |
Country And Western Express Vol. 4 - Claude GRAY : Family Bible / Crying In The Night / Eddie NOACK : Have Blues Will Travel / A Thinking Man's Woman / Man On The Wall |
| 04/1961 | SP MERCURY 71805 (US) | . |
Shotgun House / Where Do You Go |
| 11/1961 | SP D 1220 (US) | . |
It's Hard To Tell An Old Love Goodbye / Love's Other Face |
| 1961 | SP STONEWAY 1002 (US) | . |
Mama Stays Home (Papa He Goes) / Through These Days |
| 1962 | SP STONEWAY 1008 (US) | . |
The Countdown / Honeymoon With The Blues |
| 1962 | SP ALLSTAR 7252 (US) | . |
Too Hot To Handle / Tell Her |
| 1962 | SP ALLSTAR 7266 (US) | . |
We Are The Lonely Ones / Chaperoned By A Memory |
| 1962 | EP STARDAY 68.005 (NL) |
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Justin Tubb : One For You, One For Me / Your Side Of The Story / Eddie Noack : City Lights / Invitation To The Blues |
| 1965 | SP D 1294 (US) | . |
Raise The Taxes / We'll Still Be On Our Honeymoon |
| 04/1963 | SP RIVIERA No. 33 (US) | . |
When I Get To Nashville / Christ Is The Only Ark |
| 1963 | SP RIVIERA 301 (US) | . |
Papa's Hands / Would You Crucify Jesus Again |
| 1963 | SP ALLSTAR A-7296 (US) | . |
The Fall-Out (Keeps Hurtin') / Think Of Her Now |
| 1964 | SP ALLSTAR 7299 (US) | . |
When The Bright Lights Grow Dim / You Can't Keep A Good Man Down |
| 1966 | SP ALLSTAR 7322 (US) | . |
Two Bright Lights / Prisoner Of War |
| 1966 | SP REM 407 (US) | . |
Snowbird / Prisoner Of War |
| 1968 | SP K-ARK 813 (US) | . |
Cotton Mill / The End Of The Line |
| 1968 | SP K-ARK 841 (US) | . |
Love / Buzz Buzz Buzz |
| 1968 | SP K-ARK 842 (US) | . |
Does It Matter / Two Brown Eyes |
| 1968 | SP K-ARK 843 (US) | . |
Psycho / Invisible Strippes |
| 1969 | SP K-ARK 885 (US) | . |
House On The Mountain / Stolen Rose |
| 1970 | SP K-ARK 902 (US) | . | Beer Drinking Blues / Dolores |
| 1970 | SP Wide World 1005 (US) | . |
Any Old Time / Why Did You Give Me Your Love |
| 1970 | SP Wide World 1009 (US) | . |
Mother, The Queen Of My Heart / Treasures Untold |
| 1971 | SP K-ARK 964 (US) | . |
Barbara Joy / Sleeping Like A Baby (With A Bottle In Your Mouth) |
| 1971 | SP Wide World 1017 (US) | . |
He's Getting Smaller (With Each Drink) / Your Share |
| 1972 | SP Wide World 1020 (US) | . |
Whispers / Sing Me A Picture (Paint Me A Song) |
| 1972 | SP Tellet Country 1001 (US) | . |
One Light In Your Neighborhood / East Texas |
| 1972 | SP Tellet Country 1002 (US) | . |
Ain't Reaping Ever Done / Before You Use That Gun |
| 1973 | SP Tellet Country 1005 (US) | . |
These Memories Are Restless Tonight / Born Yesterday |
| 1973 | SP Wide World 802 (US) | . | These Memories Are Restless Tonight / Born Yesterday |
| 1974 | SP Wide World 803 (US) | . |
These Hands / The Waltz Of Goodbye |
| 1974 | SP RESCO 635 (US) | . |
A Few Good Funerals / For Better Or Worse |
| 08/2013 | SP BEAR FAMILY BLE 005 (GER) (limited edition) |
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Psycho/ Dolores |
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Albums
| 1970 | LP 12" Wide World WFS-2001 (US) |
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Remembering Jimmie Rodgers - Any Old Time / Why Did You Give Me Your Love / Mother Queen Of My Heart / Waiting For A Train / I'm Sorry We Met / Train Whistle Melody / Why Should I Be Lonely / Blue Yodel Melody / My Carolina Sunshine Girl / Mississippi River Blues / Treasures Untold / My Old Pal |
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| 1976 | LP 12" Look LK-6041 (UK) |
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Eddie Noack - These Hands / Too Hot To Handle / When The Bright Lights Grow Dim / Have Blues Will Travel / No Blues Is Good News / If It Ain't On The Menu / God's Eyes / Flower's For Mama / The Poor Chinese / Barbara Joy / A Day In The Life Of A Fool / We'll Still Be On Our Honeymoon |
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| 1980 | LP 10" ACE 10 CH-21 (UK) |
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EDDIE NOACK - Take It Away, Lucky / Wind Me Up / Left Over Lovin' / It Ain't Much But It's A Home / Don't Trade / Don't Worry Bout Me Baby / When The Bright Lights Grow Dim / You Done Got Me / Worm Has Turned / For You I Weep / What's The Matter Joe / Think Of Her Now / If It Ain't On The Menu / Fair Today Cold Tomorrow | ||||
| 1985 | LP 12" ACE CHD-149 (UK) |
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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes / Million Friends But No Sweethearts / Shake Hands With The Blues / Scarecrow / Wanderin' Oakie / If Hearts Could Talk / Life You've Lived / Dust On The River / Thinking Man's Woman / Walk 'Em Off / Man On The Wall / Too Weak To Go / Firewater Like / Have Blues Will Travel / Price Of Love / Relief Is Just A Swallow Away |
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| 03/2009 | CD Cactus EN-1 (US) |
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Eddie Noack - vol.1 – The Starday and D Sessions - Take It Away Lucky / Don't Trade / Left Over Lovin' / A Million Friends (But No Sweetheart) / If It Ain't On The Menu / Wind Me Up / Fair Today, Cold Tomorrow / Don't Worry 'bout Me Baby / It Ain't Much But It's Home / When The Bright Lights Grow Dim / You Done Got Me / For You I Weep / The Worm Has Turned / She Can't Stand The Light Of Day / Scarecrow / Think Of Her Now / Dust On The River / What's The Matter Joe? / Can't Play Hookey (as by Tommy Wood) / My Steady Dream (as by Tommy Wood) / Gentlemen Prefer Blondes / Have Blues Will Travel / The Price Of Love / Walk 'em Off‘ A Thinking Man's Woman / Don't Look Behind / The Man On The Wall / Relief Is Just A Swallow Away / Shake Hands With The Blues / Sunflower Song |
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| 03/2009 | CD Cactus EN-2 (US) |
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Eddie Noack - vol. 2 - Psycho / Invisible Stripes / Dolores / Beer Drinking Blues / House On A Mountain / Stolen Rose / Barbara Joy / Sleeping Like A Baby / Firewater Luke / Too Weak To Go / A Million Friends But No Sweethearts / I Don't Live Here No More / Wanderin' Oakie / If Hearts Could Talk / Me And My New Baby / The Life You've Lived / Shotgun House / Firewater Luke / Too Hot To Handle / (When The Band Played) The Paul Jones / City Lights / Squaws Along The Yukon / Oh Lonesome Me / Invitation To The Blues / Gonna Have Myself A Party / The Fall-Out (Keeps On Hurtin') / Think Of Her Now / When The Bright Lights Grow Dim / You Can't Keep A Good Man Down / Waiting For A Train / Train Whistle Medley / Blue Yodel Medley |
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| 2009 | CD BACM CD D-277 (UK) |
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Have Blues Will Travel - Have Blues Will Travel / Price Of Love / Walk 'em Off / I Don't Live There Anymore / Don't Look Behind / A Thinkin' Man's Woman A Loving Man's Girl / Man On The Wall / Relief Is Just A Swallow Away / Unlucky Me / Frown On The Moon / Triflin' Mama Blues / Green Back Dollar / Nothing; First And Last Thing / As The Band Played Paul Jones / Pride / I'll Be So Good To You / How Does It Feel To Be The Winner / Too Hot To Handle / I Want You, I Need You, I Love You / Twenty Feet Of Muddy Water / There You Go / Train Of Love / Curtain In The Window / Stairway Of Love / Blue Blue Day / Oh Lonesome Me / Alone With You / Wanderin' Okie |
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| 11/2012 | 3 CD BEAR FAMILY BCD 17142 (GER) |
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Gentlemen Prefer Blondes :
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| 03/2013 | CD BEAR FAMILY BCD 17204 (GER) |
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Psycho - The K-Ark and Allstar Recordings 1962-69 - Psycho / Invisible Stripes / Dolores / Beer Drinkin' Blues / House On A Mountain / Stolen Rose / Cotton Mill / The End Of The Line / Barbara Joy / Sleeping Like A Baby (With A Bottle In My Mouth) / Too Hot To Handle / Tell Her / Chaperoned By A Memory / We Are The Lonely Ones / The Fall-Out (Keeps On Hurting) / Think Of Her Now / When The Bright Lights Grow Dim / You Can't Keep A Good Man Down / Two Bright Lights / Prisoner Of War / Buzz Buzz Buzz / Love / Two Brown Eyes / Does It Matter |
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| 2014 | 4 CD Real Gone RGMCD145 (UK) |
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The Singles Collection 1949-1962 :
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| 05/2015 | LP 12" The Iron Mountain Analogue Research Facility – IMAR 101LP (AUS) |
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Ain't The Reaping Ever Done (1962-1976) - Barbara Joy / Too Hot To Handle / When The Bright Lights Grow Dim / Have Blues - Will Travel / No Blues Is Good News / If It Ain't On The Menu / These Hands / God's Eyes / Ain't The Reaping Ever Done / Before You Use That Gun / A Few Good Funerals / For Better Or For Worse / Raise The Taxes / One Light On In The Neighborhood / When I Get To Nashville / The Memories Are Restless Tonight |
© Rocky Productions 27/01/2021
