Buddy Holly Albums Ranked
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known professionally as Buddy Holly, was an American musician and singer-songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of the mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born in Lubbock, Texas, to a musical family during the Great Depression, and learned to play guitar and sing alongside his siblings. His style was influenced by gospel music, country music, and rhythm and blues acts, which he performed in Lubbock with his friends from high school. He made his first appearance on local television in 1952, and the following year he formed the group “Buddy and Bob” with his friend Bob Montgomery. In 1955, after opening for Elvis Presley, he decided to pursue a career in music. He opened for Presley three times that year; his band’s style shifted from country and western to entirely rock and roll. In October that year, when he opened for Bill Haley & His Comets, he was spotted by Nashville scout Eddie Crandall, who helped him get a contract with Decca Records. During his short career, Holly wrote and recorded several songs. He is often regarded as the artist who defined the traditional rock-and-roll lineup of two guitars, bass, and drums. He was a major influence on later popular music artists, including Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, The Hollies (who named themselves in his honor), Elvis Costello, Marshall Crenshaw (who later played Holly), and Elton John. He was among the first artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, in 1986. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 13 in its list of “100 Greatest Artists”. Here are all BUddy Holly albums ranked.
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10. The Buddy Holly Story, Vol. II (1960)
“This album, along with The Buddy Holly Story was essential listening in the early 60s, one of those albums – at least in the UK – which everyone owned and played to death. Contrary to the comments of Jeffrey from Asheville, the vinyl version was not rushed out after Buddy Holly’s death but actually saw the light of day in April 1960 – over a year later. Six of the songs on Vol. 2 were overdubbed by the Jack Hansen Trio/Combo – perhaps not as well as the subsequent overdubs by Norman Petty -but these were the ones we all heard first due to the legal hassles surrounding the Buddy Holly Estate. “
9. Showcase (1964)
“You get the stereo versions of: Raining In My Heart, It Doesn’t Matter Anymore and True Love Ways. A couple of unexpected items are the ‘First Time Anywhere’ versions of Bo Diddley and Brown-Eyed Handsome Man. The versions of Peggy Sue Got Married and Crying, Waiting, Hoping are the Petty/Clovis overdubs. If you knew there was a difference you get the familiar fast version of Slippin’ And Slidin’. “
8. Reminiscing (1963)
“This is a great album and it was in great shape. Unless you’re a big Buddy fan, or you have a remarkable oldies station to listen to, you probably aren’t familiar with a lot of these. Art is subjective, but if you’re already considering buying this album, I can only recommend that you do.”
7. From The Original Master Tapes (1985)
” The reason is the sound engineer was Steve Hoffman, google him, he makes BH seem to be in your living room. He was a pioneer of finding, then using the original first order master tapes. Two tracks are in stereo, apparently the other 2 stereo tracks, ( BH only did 4 ), were lost at the time, fortunately they have now been found. I will make no comment about his early death or the influence of his music as others have said it so many times, but if sonic quality is important this is a must buy”
6. In Style With The Crickets (1960)
“I don’t know whether anyone remembers who the Crickets were but as a Gen Xer, I do from my father’s collections and still know the name Buddy Holly. For those of you, like me, who are nostalgic for a little of the past in music, I strongly recommend Still in Style as the CD to have. Remember Deborah and Peggy Sue got Married? Well, this collection has it all and you will not be disappointed for music in this genre. For those of you who has had a chance to see my other reviews, you will notice no doubt that I have a wide taste in music. I bought this album because of those songs that I remembered hearing long ago and wanted to hear again, and to add to my collection.”
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5. The Buddy Holly Story (1959)
“The title is right. The movie with Gary Bussey was entertaining but was not much of a biography. This one has the facts straight and with Paul McCartney hosting it you can count on it being done right. That first one didn’t even have the right number of Crickets, no mention of Waylon Jennings and some of the guitars in use hadn’t even been made by Fender until years after Buddy had died.”
4. 20 Golden Greats (1978)
“This is about the best collection of Buddy Holly songs out there unless compared to ‘The Complete Buddy Holly’, a vinyl(5)record Box Set. My only regret is that it doesn’t have ‘Ollie Vee’ to represent his rock-a-billy style. Every song here is a winner, perfectly illustrating Buddy’s diverse repertoire. Sound quality is crisp & clear and the price couldn’t be better. Unfortunately no liner notes to make this a true collector’s prize but then again, the music’s what’s most important, right! With twenty perfect gems, how can you go wrong! If you’re new to Buddy Holly this is a great CD to start off with. Latch on and enjoy the ride.”
3. That’ll Be The Day (1958)
“Music content is top notch Buddy Holly with a bonus track thrown in for good measure. Side one mostly consisting of ballads with a fantastic stand out track in Rock Around With Ollie Vee, it really does rockabilly proud. Side two is full of Rockabilly songs and each one a gem. For a guy who died so young at only 22 he made some cracking music. This album is no exception 10 out of 10 for both quality and content. Rave On.”
2. Buddy Holly (1958)
“The classics (“I’m Gonna Love You To” “Peggy Sue” “Listen to Me” “Everyday” “Words of Love” “Rave On”) speak for themselves – their sounds are phonemes of the rock ‘n’ roll vocabulary. The rest of the album’s tracks don’t necessarily measure up to these brilliant points of light, but they provide superb connectivity. The love song “Look at Me” isn’t as distinctive as its successor (“Listen to Me”), but it’s interesting to hear Holly singing against a piano, rather than a guitar. “Ready Teddy” shows Holly ready to rock (if perhaps not too threateningly), and “You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care)” is charmingly nerdy compared to Elvis’ hits.”
1. Buddy Holly & The Chirping Crickets (1958)
Like so many other songs, Buddy gave You’ve Got Love an infectious happy sound. This album is an excellent showcase for the qualities that have made Buddy the influential and enduring music star that he is.
Simple (not simplistic) heart-felt lyrics, tight instrumentation, a hook in just about every song (even in something written by others, he and the Crickets managed to come up with something that made the listener do an aural double-take), singable melodies that stay with you, and music that lifts your spirit. The fact that Phantom Sound & Vision put Holly tribute artist John Mueller’s photo on the cover instead of Buddy’s shouldn’t be held against Buddy, the Crickets, or John (who does an amazing reproduction of the Winter Dance Party, with the Big Bopper’s son as his Dad and Ray Anthony eerily like Richie Valens). What the heck! It could be a collector’s item”