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News and Events ----------------------------------- They're saying some great things about JR's new release "Secret Agent Man: The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology".
Listening Post / Brief reviews of select releases
Rock Johnny Rivers, "Secret Agent Man: The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology" (Shout! Factory). He was always at home on jukeboxes and Top 40 lists -- "Midnight Special," "Secret Agent Man," "Poor Side of Town," "Summer Rain" -- 30 million records worth. So it wasn't universally known that he was such a hungry and convincing cover-man for others' hits from his native Louisiana ("Sea Cruise," "Rockin' Pneumonia and the Boogie Woogie Flu") or such a kick-out-the-jams performer on Carl Perkins' "Blue Suede Shoes." Or, most importantly, that you could get two such high-level discs out of the 42-year career out of the Sultan of Sunset Strip, from the Whiskey-A-Go-Go to his current roots-rock gray eminence. There are a lot of different flavors mixed in this gumbo, but it's savory. Review: Three stars (J.S.)
Ft. Myers News Press Rivers, beach movie music on new setsBy Mark Marymont
Special to news-press.com Johnny Rivers was one of the biggest pop stars of the '60s, but success didn't come easily. He recorded for a dozen labels from 1958 through '64, before going Top 10 with a cheerfully chugging version of Chuck Berry's "Memphis." More oldies followed — "Maybellene," "Midnight Special," "Seventh Son" — all with a dance-friendly "go-go" beat, yelling "live" audience and a sound enhanced by top-notch studio musicians. Rivers racked up almost 30 hits between 1964 and '77. Versatile and astute, he was more than willing to change styles, dropping the oldies for the driving TV theme "Secret Agent Man" in early '66 then suddenly becoming a pop crooner, going to No. 1 that same year with the brooding "Poor Side Of Town." He re-arranged Motown classics ("Baby, I Need Your Lovin"), tried good-natured New Orleans rock 'n' roll ("Rockin' Pneumonia - Boogie Woogie Flu"), mystical folk-rock ("Summer Rain"), and updated surf sounds ("Help Me Rhonda," circa '75, with Brian Wilson singing back-up). He even returned to the Top 10 in '77 with the mellow "Swayin' To The Music (Slow Dancin')." All his best-sellers are on "Secret Agent Man: The Ultimate Johnny Rivers Anthology (1964-2006)" (Shout! Factory) a two-disc, 36-track collection that has a few album tracks and two songs done earlier this year — "Rollin' Stone" and "Let It Rock." This demonstrates Rivers' great taste in music and an uncanny ability to find interesting, commercial material. If Rivers was the epitome of California Cool, recording at the oh-so-hip Whiskey A-Go-Go on Hollywood's Sunset Strip, he debuted when surf music was another factor on the national charts. While most of the ocean-drenched acts of that era have been featured on re-issues, leave it to the clever folks at Varese Sarabande to come up with a new angle. "Summer Beach Party" features 19 surf-themed songs from American International, the independent studio known for "Bikini Beach," "Beach Blanket Bingo" and the immortal "How To Stuff A Wild Bikini." While a lot of the songs are fairly generic — to match the generic plots — you get a few hits, like "Ride The Wild Surf" by Jan & Dean and well-known acts such as the Kingsmen, Dick Dale and Nancy Sinatra. Even the Beach Boys are here, with "Girls On The Beach" from their "All Summer Long" album. The songs are as shallow as a low tide but still lots of fun and certainly of interest to any fan of this water-logged genre.
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