#8 The "Chirping" Crickets by The Crickets

Right this is an album where I really need to wear my historical significance hat for. As I started listening to it immediately the first thought was ‘right, well this isn’t anything new really’ and then got a bit complacent about the whole thing. Then when I got to Tell Me How a thought dawned. It is true, I have heard this all before, by later artists, and as That’ll Be The Day began to play was when I really began to listen out.

The year is 1957 and the current musical climate is really nurturing two types of musician. Those who have the voices and have the material handed to them such as Elvis and then those who are able to write and sing their own material but due to race are unable to get the true exposure they need or deserve. Out of this you suddenly get Buddy Holly and his band The Crickets. They have the voice, they have the song writing ability and they don’t have race standing in their way preventing them from making it big in the states. I mean ok they are all pretty goofy looking but TV has only really just begin to hit it’s stride. They were in face a whole new breed of musicians that would form the template for many acts in the years to come.

Anyway, I believe that’s me going on a mini-rant. What about The “Chirping” Crickets as an album? I was really underwhelmed by it on the whole. While I can appreciate the brevity of the whole thing, with only one song creeping above the 2:30 mark, nothing much really happens here. While I can appreciate this album for what it later spurred on, which owes a lot to the death of Buddy Holly at the tender age of 22 in that infamous plane crash, it doesn’t really do much for me. In fact there was a song or two where I felt it dragged a little… and considering how short these songs are that is pretty impressive. Sorry.

5.0/10

Fab Four:
Oh, Boy!
Maybe Baby
That’ll Be The Day
Rock Me My Baby