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The current move to digital only television is a little bit exasperating
for those of us who still play through tube amplifiers and realize
that the old is oftentimes much better than the new. Whether or
not you grew up with black and white television, The Ozzie
And Harriet Show, Adam West as Batman, or Victrolas,
there is a definite sense in the world of lost wonder. The songs
that a young Ricky Nelson sang on the Ozzie And Harriet
Show were eye-opening for so many of America's youth during
the rise of television and the replacement of the radio in American
homes. The sound that Ricky spawned went on to mutate into the
raw sexual rock and roll of Elvis Presley, himself little
more than a bad-boy Ricky Nelson. The guitar language that teenage
James Burton was developing alongside this movement would
have far-reaching effects, but that is a story for a different
page.
Ricky Nelson churned out hit after hit, appealing to teenagers,
bobby-soxers, and even the leather wearing rebellious motorcycle
riders during his rise to stardom, but at the heart of what
Ricky did was phenomenal songwriting. When you strip away the
rock and roll of songs like "My Bucket's Got A Hole In
It" and the heavy, heavy rhythm of "Believe What You
Say" you are left with some amazing balladry and love songs,
perfect for teenage love, but much farther reaching than that
narrow audience. Songs like "Poor Little Fool" and
"Lonesome Town" have a universal longing that transcends
age and cuts deeply to the heart. There is a peculiar warmth
in songs like "Never Be Anyone Else But You" that
touches the heart of old and young alike, truly showing the
ability of Ricky Nelson to plumb a song to its truest depths,
revealing an exceptional amount of heart.
The tracks on Greatest Love Songs are all beautiful, whether
it's the mid-tempo familiarity of "Hello Mary Lou" or
the beautiful version of "Unchained Melody." Ricky Nelson
could take a song and make it sing with a purity of spirit that
appeals to the listener's heart intimately. The gospel boogie-woogie
of "Trying To Get to You" has a resonant aching, while
the soft samba of "Teenage Idol" expresses some of Ricky's
own situation nicely. The classic "Young World" is a
welcome inclusion, being one of young Ricky's finest swinging
semi-country moments that nicely offsets the melancholy slowness
of "True Love Ways." The later-career cover of Bobby
Darin's "Dream Lover" is a slower, more produced
affair that shows Rick never quite outgrew his ability to sing
directly to the heart. The collection ends with the beautifully
lush arrangement "That's All," a song that would sound
more at home with the likes of Sinatra or Martin
than with the teenage rock crowd.
This collection of Ricky Nelson's love songs is not by any
means complete, but it is a great showcase of the breadth of
sound that young Ricky produced. His silky vocals and tremendously
talented backup band were some of the most influential in the
formative years of rock and roll, and his balladry is just as
important as the smoking, twanging heat of his rock tunes. Take
a minute and fall in love all over again with one of the gretest
voices ever recorded… Ricky Nelson.
-Embo Blake
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