Rockabilly, although often seen as a Country style musical genre, is in actual fact one of the great early offshoots of Rock and Roll music. Carl Perkins is often known as “The King Of Rockabilly”, and was seen as a fine guitarist of the 1950s and beyond. This is the main album that has been well received for the decades that followed after its release and features a lot of interesting tunes that became well known hits. Let’s examine this album and hear if it still sounds any good to this day.

Blue Suede Shoes begins with some Southern American style sung vocals and nicely played guitar with both acoustic and electric guitars. Nonetheless, this is an amazing and decent listen from start to finish. This has some nice twangy Fender Telecaster style tones throughout, and the Pop melodies throughout are sensational. A pounding and very catchy listen throughout, this tune sounds wonderfully excellent. Sure, it’s 1950s style stuff, but this is a great two minute Pop/Rock masterpiece.

Movie Magg begins with more Country Fender Telecaster tones, some upbeat singing and some acoustic guitar backing. This is a fantastic song about youthful romance that sounds awesome and terrific. Another short and wonderful tune that sounds very old-fashioned, but brilliant nonetheless. The guitar playing is insanely good, and the song is a great simple and powerful tune that gets frequently overlooked to this day. Another solid gold classic.

Sure To Fall begins with some lovely Fender Telecaster twangy guitar, and launches into a sweet, pseudo-Country Rock tune that has some lovely melody about it. An excellent song that sounds very 1950s but powerful enough to still make an impact today, this is a great listen throughout. There is some excellent tremolo picking throughout in the guitar solo, and it sounds like a simply dramatic and beautiful tune that is really very underrated in the history of music. A great tune.

Gone, Gone, Gone begins with some typical 1950s sounding singing, and a basic rhythm and this is a number that would be sensationally good sounding live. This is a simple yet effective piece of music that owes a lot to Elvis Presley and other similar musical greats. A joyous and upbeat tune that sounds really decent and terrific, the Rockabilly music here does have a wonderfully unique sound that is a halfway house between early Rock and Roll and Country music. Excellent music, this is fantastic to hear.

Honey Don’t was famously covered by The Beatles later on in the early 1960s. This version is, of course, the original tune and it sure sounds very pretty and well performed. An old school tune, but a great boogie style tune at that, this is a fine and fun listen. There is a great mid-position Fender Telecaster solo present here that sounds really great. A great song about an unfaithful lover, this is an upbeat and driven song. A must hear, especially if you love Rockabilly and The Beatles version of this song as well. Great effort.

Only You begins with some strange chords before Carl Perkins sings a lot like a Crooner here with some nice and neat guitar chord progressions. This does sound a lot like Country Music, but it is Rockabilly for sure instead. An interesting and well performed piece throughout, this tune sounds powerful, emotional and excellent. There is a really cool guitar solo present in this song that sounds melodic and romantic. Again, a truly inspired and wonderful listen that one can easily connect with. If you like your Southern American Rock and Roll mixed with a bit of Country, then this is simply great for you. Nice work, the ending is gorgeous.

Tennessee is a more Country style tune that sounds truly wonderful and powerful. It is an ode to the USA state where a lot of Country music originated from. A very lively, wonderful and interesting tune that only folks in that part of the USA would get. A lively and well played guitar solo is present here, too. A wonderful tune that hasn’t aged much at all, one can understand the importance of respecting musical origins. A decent listen throughout.

Right String but the Wrong Yo-Yo is a fast-paced tune about the child’s toy. It is a weird yet wonderful tune with strange subject matter throughout. There is a lively guitar solo present in this tune that is swinging and mindblowing, and the song is clever and very 1950s, once again. Simplicity is the key to enjoying this music, and indeed, if you love simplicity, then this is your thing. A really great and enjoyable piece of tuneful craft, this is wonderful to hear. A wonderful listen, it ends with an almost Surf Rock chord on it. Excellent.

Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby is another song that was also later covered by The Beatles. The original all the same makes much more sense than that cover did, and it sounds like this original betters the attempt by The Beatles. Nonetheless, a really great tune about being chased around by many women in town. You have to remember that this was the 1950s when male sexism was fairly rampant, and this is no David Lee Roth macho male attitude, in fact. A great song all the same, very simple and catchy.

Matchbox begins with some extraordinary guitar playing, pummelling drums and a lead vocal that has a more commanding presence. Again, this is a wonderful tune that demands attention from one listening to it. It is simple, retro and amazing sounding. Carl Perkins delivers where he can, and this song is unbelievably excellent. A short, sweet and fun tune to listen to, these short two minute long songs on this album are exactly what the Doctor ordered. Brilliant music, especially if you love early Rock and Roll, Country and Rockabilly.

Your True Love begins with some insane guitar strumming before launching into a great vocal call-and-response tune that sounds really fine, artistic and great. A lively, interesting and different tune to listen to, the music present is really upbeat, simple and joyous. Again, this romanticism no doubt influenced many 1960s rockers such as The Beatles and others in their wake. In the second half, things get a little more intense and dramatic for a brief moment, before returning to the main song. Great work.

Boppin’ The Blues is the very last tune on this short and sweet album. Again, this tune is wonderfully delivered by main man Carl Perkins and he sings and plays extremely well, as does the rest of the band. An extraordinarily good and simple performance that delivers a great listen to those who love Rockabilly, there is a great and simple Fender Telecaster style guitar solo here. Although this may sound tame today, this was revolutionary at the time. Awesome stuff, this deserves to be heard many decades later. Nice work musically.

Carl Perkins nailed the old school 1950s Rockabilly on this record. As a result, he paved way for future generations of Rock musicians and other musicians, in general, to stand on his shoulders. If you like Rock and Roll and Country, then this album is perfect for you. Carl Perkins died in 1998 but his musical legacy still shines bright, and this album is a great indicator of that. Give this a listen if you like retro Rock and Roll music today.

Simple yet captivating.

8/10