The Crickets – The “Chirping” Crickets (1957)

[Album 66/1001]

I recently finished reading Stephen King’s 11/22/63, a thoroughly enjoyable page-turner.  Without spoiling anything, the basic plot involves a man travelling back to 1958 (somehow without a flux capacitor!) and intending to prevent the assassination of JFK 5 years later.

All this talk of space-time continuums got me quite interested in listening to more music of the era.  I figured an artist that was an influence on The Beatles, Stones, Dylan, Springsteen, and Elton John (among countless others) was probably a good place to start.

Sadly, Buddy Holly (lead guitarist/vocalist/songwriter of The Crickets) would only release 3 studio albums during his lifetime.  He died in a plane crash, along with Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper and their pilot Roger Peterson, on February 3rd, 1959; the date was later famously dubbed “The Day The Music Died” in Don McLean’s American Pie.

Holly’s debut album with The Crickets is good ol’ rock n’ roll.  Nothing fancy about it.  2 guitars, bass, drums.  Most song lengths near or below the 2 minute mark.

That’ll Be the Day is a standout, but it’s not the individual songs or even the album as a whole that makes The “Chirping” Crickets an essential listen.  What matters is that although his career was very brief, Holly was a key part, some might say a pioneer, of early rock n’ roll. 

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t include a link to Weezer’s timeless video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kemivUKb4f4

Enjoy!