That’ll Flat Git It Volume 49 Columbia and Epic – Various Artists
Released 2025 on Bear Family Bear Family Records - Vinyl, CD, DVD- Musik Mailorder Online (bear-family.com)
The juggernaut that is the “That’ll Flat Git It” series rolls on with its forty ninth volume!
When it comes to the ‘That’ll Flat Git It’ series, the vaults of Columbia Records are the gift that just keeps on giving and giving and giving. The label’s fourth installment in the series is loaded with familiar faces doing their best to rock your socks off, whether it’s Carl Perkins blasting through Jive After Five and Pop, Let Me Have The Car, Johnny Horton admitting I Don’t Like I Did, or The Collins Kids blazing as always on The Cuckoo Rock.
Despite being the ultimate in established major labels, Columbia allowed its unparalleled roster of country luminaries to occasionally indulge their rockabilly urges - witness storming sides here by Little Jimmy Dickens, Johnny Bond, Jimmy Murphy, and Rose Maddox.
There are rarities on board too, by The Tunesmiths, Wally Hughes, David Frizzell, Jim Burgett, and Charlie Adams, while Ersel Hickey, Bill Craddock, and Ronnie Self look at the prospect of rock and roll from a more youthful perspective. Perhaps New York-based old school mainstay Columbia couldn’t quite claim the cachet of Sun Records, but without question its rockabilly battalion hit every bit as hard!
Reviewed date February 2025.
Review
The collection kicks off with a fine mid paced pop rocker from Billy Brown. His “Run ‘Em Off” features some nice sax playing with the horn player holding one note for a long time. Then it’s a classic from Johnny Horton, “Ole Slew Foot”, good rockabilly from 1959. Track three comes from a cousin of Gene Vincent. “Lula Lee” by Billy Craddock (aka “Crash” Craddock) was issued on the Date label in 1958, it is a good rocker with a rasping sax. “The Cuckoo Rock” from Larry and Lorries Collins is typical of the catchy rockabilly tracks these young prodigies specialised in. Country superstar, Little Jimmy Dickens gives us a fine hillbilly bopper in the guise of “Salty Boogie” from 1955. Texan singer, Billy Walker with “Whirlpool” is the sixth track. A mid paced rockabilly number with some nice steel guitar supporting Billy’s fine vocal performance. Track seven is a track that I have never heard before, but I liked straight away. It’s a very danceable track from 1955 with a great vocal and great rockabilly backing. Rose Maddox follows with another good rocker. “Hey Little Dreamboat” is a high energy bopper with a great guitar break and catchy lyrics. Rockabilly wild man, Ronnie Self comes in at track nine with one of his milder tracks, “Flame Of Love”.
Rockabilly royalty in the shape of Carl Perkins gives us the tenth track. “Pop Let Me Have The Car”. Like most of Carl’s work after his ground breaking days at Sun it has a fuller instrumental backing. A good rocker from the maestro. Another guitar legend, Link Wray follows with “Mary Ann” from 1960, a track that varies in tempo but nonetheless features some great guitar work. Commonwealth Jones is none other that Ronnie Dawson. He recorded “Who’s Been Here?”, a mid-paced stroller, in 1961. Werly Fairburn recorded a number of fine rockabilly boppers for different labels. For some reason Columbia didn’t release this recording from 1955 at the time although I think it ranks with Werly’s best work. “Black Land Blues” by Charlie Adams is another track that is new to me that I liked at the first hearing. A solid beat and some great guitar work. Onie Wheeler’s novelty rocker “Onie’s Bop” is a more than worthy inclusion at track fifteen. Onie’s clever vocals and an infectious beat, a track that should make you smile. David Frizzell’s version of “Tag Along” is a but slower than the possibly better-known original version by Rocket Morgan and because of that it is a bit more commercial and danceable. There’s a quick change of mood with track seventeen, “The Living Dead” from Jim Burgett. It’s a rather macabre stroller full of teenage angst. Ersel Hickey is another rockabilly artist that recorded for several labels. He is best known for his hit "Bluebirds Over The Mountain" which was on the other side of “Hangin’ Around” when released on Epic in 1958. Hangin’ Around is more of a rocker and fits in well with this compilation.
Track 19, “All I Can Do Is Cry” is from Johnny Bond, a man probably best known for his version of Charlie Ryan’s “Hot Rod Lincoln”. This track from 1957 rocks with a country feel. “Pick Up Blues” has a nice honky tonk piano start and is good hillbilly bopper from Johnny Hicks. This was his first single for Columbia in 1953. You can’t keep a good man down and Johnny Horton is one of best and rightly has a second track on this CD. “I Don’t Like I Did” was on the other side of “One Woman Man” and is typical of Johnny’s best work. Another artist more than worthy of a second track is Little Jimmy Dickens with his country rocker “Country Ways And City Ideas” from 1959. There’s also a strong hillbilly influence in “I'm Looking For A Mustard Patch” by Jimmy Murphy. It’s a good bopper from 1956 that reminds me of “Go ‘way Hound Dog” by Cliff Johnson. Track twenty-four,” Crash Out” by Jaycee Hill has a moody feel to it as befitting a song about breaking out of San Quentin penitentiary. Carl Perkins is the third artist to have two tracks here. His “Jive After Five” is, in my opinion, one of his best tracks from his days with Columbia. “Bye Bye Baby” is a fitting title for the last track. A steam train provides the rockin’ rhythm for his rockabilly track from 1958.
Summary and recommendation
Quite simply this is another great CD from Bear Family that would grace any collection along with all the other forty eight CDs in the TFGI series.
Reviewed by Jailhouse John Alexander
Track List
1, Run 'Em Off, Billy Brown
2, Ole Slew Foot, Johnny Horton
3, Lulu Lee, Billy Craddock
4, The Cuckoo Rock, Collins Kids
5, Salty Boogie, Little Jimmy Dickens
6, Whirlpool, Billy Walker
7, Oh Stop, Tunesmiths
8, Hey Little Dreamboat, Rose Maddox
9, Flame Of Love, Ronnie Self
10, Pop, Let Me Have The Car, Carl Perkins
11, Mary Ann, Link Wray And Link Men
12, Who's Been Here, Commonwealth Jones
13, I'm Jealous, Werly Fairburn
14, Black Land Blues, Charlie Adams
15, Onie's Bop, Onie Wheeler
16, Tag Along, David Frizzell
17, The Living Dead, Jim Burgett
18, Hangin' Around, Ersel Hickey
19, All I Can Do Is Cry, Johhny Bond
20, Pick Up Blues, Johnny Hicks
21, I Don’t Like I Did, Johnny Horton
22, Country Ways And City Ideas, Little Jimmy Dickens
23, I'm Looking For A Mustard Patch, Jimmy Murphy
24, Crash Out, Jaycee Hill
25, Jive After Five, Carl Perkins
26, Bye Bye Baby, Wally Hughes
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