That'll Flat Git It! Rockabilly & Rock 'n' Roll From The Vaults Of Columbia and Epic Records

johnaalex
Jun 19
4 min read

Various - That'll Flat Git It! Rockabilly & Rock 'n' Roll From The Vaults Of Columbia and Epic Records.

Released May 2025.

Reviewed June 2025 by Jailhouse John Alexander.

The fifth CD dedicated to the Columbia label in the much-loved 'That'll Flat Git It!' rockabilly CD series on Bear Family Records.

Detailed liner notes, discographic information, illustration. And photos in the four-color booklet.

Review

Guitar supremo Link Wray gets this rocking collection going in fine style with “Raw Hide” a fast guitar based instrumental. Commonwealth Jone is actually the Blonde Bomber “Ronnie Dawson”. “Do Do Do” is a full on rocker from 1961. Track three, “What A Night” by Lee Emerson is a mid-paced rocker with pop overtones. “Lend Me Your Comb” was originally recorded by Carl Perkins when he was at Sun. Bernie Nee does a good copy with an interesting guitar(?) break. Johnny Horton’s “The Wild One” is more up-tempo country than rockabilly but the guitar really drives the track along. Track six takes us to the hillbilly side of rockabilly with “Stinky Pass The Hat Around” from country super star, Little Jimm Dickens. Next up are the Maddox Brothers with sister Rose doing another hillbilly bopper, “Let Me Love You”. Charlie Adams may never have had a hit of any measure, but as a songwriter and effective singer, he left behind a small treasure-trove of quality Texas dancehall Western swing, country, and proto-rockabilly recordings, “Cattin’ Around” is typical of his more rocking output. Mel Tillis is another of Columbia’s country artist who dabbled with rock ‘n’ roll, “Case Of The Blues” is a slow number with some nice honky tonk piano. Johnny Cash really needs no introduction to anyone with even just a passing interest in country and rockabilly. “What Do I Care” is classic Cash with Luther picking the guitar in his usual style. Track eleven from the Tunesmiths, is a good hillbilly bopper with piano, steel guitar, and great beat to dance to.

Track twelve, “A Looka A Looka” by Larry Hart is rockabilly with bit of an Elvis influence in the vocal and backing singers. A good bopper. Lefty Frizzell is another of the country superstars from the Columbia roster of artists that wasn’t averse to rock things up a bit as can be told from “From An Angel To A Devil”. “There's A Change In Me”, track fourteen, is a rockabilly number from Bill Phillips before he went on to make his name as a country singer. Rockabilly legend Carl Perkins may have changed his style after leaving Sun but he still cut some good rockers for Columbia including “Pointed Toe Shoes”. “Party Pooper” from Bobby Lord is a pop rocker from 1959 with a fine sax break. As the title suggests, "Crazy Alligator”, is a novelty rocker from Dick Glasser. Larry and Lorrie Collins recorded many fine rockers for Columbia and “Rockaway Rock” has them displaying their precocious talents at their best. Johnny Bond might be best known to the rocking crowd for his cover of “Hot Rod Lincoln”. “The Little Rock And Roll”, track nineteen, is more a danceable rocking tune.

Track twenty, “Patty Baby” has a good heritage as it hails from Norman Petty’s studio in Clovis that was used to such great effect by Buddy Holly. Rick Tuck is back by the Picks (as was Buddy on some recordings”. It’s a rocker on the slower side of mid-paced but a good guitar break. It’s not often that Link Wray does a vocal, he usually lets his guitar do the talking. Link does a moody vocal on the slightly bluesey “Ain’t That Loving You Baby”. The second of three tracks from Johnny Horton, track twenty-two, “Lover’s Rock” has a slight Latin beat to it, maybe good to stroll to. “Hook Line And Sinker” by Gordon Terry, a renowned fiddle playet is a hillbilly rock number from 1956. There’s some more nice fiddle player on Carl Butler’s, “Baby I'm A-Waiting” that dates from 1958. Dick Lory (aka Dick Glasser) gives us a nice rocker at track twenty-five with “Wild Blooded Woman”. I really like the steel guitar and honky tonk piano on “Sugar Diet” from Charlie Adams. Johnny Bond’s “Lay It On The Line” reminds me of something Johnny Cash would do, a nice rockabilly number. At track twenty-eight there’s the second track from the Collins Kids. “Heartbeat” is more of a stroller and more reserved that their usual high octane tracks. Marty Robbins does an excellent rockabilly version of “Long Tall Sally” for the penultimate tune on this compilation before the aptly titled “Let's Take The Long Way Home” from Johnny Horton, another nice rocker from Johnny.

Summary and Recommendation

The vaults of Columbia records typify the “gift that keeps on giving”, this is the fifth compilation of rocking tracks from them for Bear Family. This like the previous four, is a worthwhile to any collection of rockin’ tunes.

Reviewed by Jailhouse John Alexander

Track List

Track - Title - Artist

1 - Raw Hide - Link Wray And Wraymen

2 - Do Do Do - Commonwealth Jones

3 - What A Night - Lee Emerson

4 - Lend Me Your Comb - Bernie Nee

5 - The Wild One - Johnny Horton

6 - Stinky Pass The Hat Around - Little Jimmy Dickens

7 - Let Me Love You - Maddox Brothers & Rose

8 - Cattin' Around - Charlie Adams

9 - Case Of The Blues - Mel Tillis