Vince Taylor - Jet Black Leather Machine

Vince Taylor - Jet Black Leather Machine
ACE CDCHD 1213

1. BRAND NEW CADILLAC 2. JET BLACK MACHINE 3. MY BABY LEFT ME 4. MY BABE 5. WHAT'CHA GONNA DO (WHEN YOUR BABY LEAVES YOU) 6. I'LL BE YOUR HERO 7. MOVE OVER TIGER 8. SWEET LITTLE SIXTEEN 9. BABY LET'S PLAY HOUSE 10. TWENTY FLIGHT ROCK 11. MEMPHIS TENNESSEE 12. JEZEBEL 13. ENDLESS SLEEP 14. PLEDGING MY LOVE 15. COLD WHITE AND BEAUTIFUL 16. LONG TALL SALLY 17. JEANNIE, JEANNIE, JEANNIE 18. RIGHT BEHIND YOU BABY 19. I LIKE LOVE 20. A SHOT OF RHYTHM AND BLUES 21. HI HEEL SNEAKERS 22. ROCK'N'ROLL STATION

Vince Taylor is one of those singers who story is probably more interesting than his music. He is a cult hero who to me is like Johnny Kidd, a handful of great songs but nothing that quite matches the hype. Taylor was born Brian Maurice Holden in London in 1939 but moved to the States with his family in 1946. He returned to London when Tommy Steele was the height of British cool. Before you could say whatcha guv’nor Vince Taylor and the Play-Boys were born.

Recent times haven’t seen a lot of activity on the reissue front, but Ace records have put that right with Jet Black leather Machine, a 22 song career overview. Both sides of the first Parlophone single are here, a hot rockin’ take on Roy Orbison’s Sun rocker I Like Love and Ray Smith’s Right Behind You Baby where he sounds a lot like red Hot ‘n’ Blue’s Mouse! Both sides of the follow-up are also here, one of the great 45’s from the east side of the Atlantic. Johnny Ace’s Pledgin My Love is given a strong reading but it’s the flip that has maintained his name over the ensuing 50 years. Brand New Cadillac is a classic, and should be in everyone’s record collection. Written by Taylor it has stood the test of time and has been a highlight of stage shows from The Clash to the Stray Cats. Amazingly the single did nothing so Vince was off to Palette Records where I'll Be Your Hero and Jet Black Machine were released in August 1960. Jet Black Machine is almost neo-rockabilly and light years from Cliff and Marty Wilde. Having said that, it’s okay but not brilliant. I’ll Be Your Hero builds into a forceful stroller with good vocals.

By the 60’s he was a leading light on the French scene, complete with black leather costume and a great live show. Musically, he was starting to get a bit uneven. My Baby Left Me is frantic and very much of it’s 1965 vintage. Another early Elvis number, Baby Let’s Play House is crackin’ and rocks like the clappers, as does Chuck’s Memphis, Tennessee. On the other hand, Sweet Little Sixteen and My Babe are a mess. Twenty Flight Rock is really good despite a drummer working overtime between two guitar solos. Jezebel is an acquired taste that sounds better once the trumpet and drums introductions are out of the way.

Long Tall Sally is too 60’s for me and the twist version of Jeanie Jeanie Jeanie is woeful. Cold White and Beautiful is pure shite, unthinkable that this is the guy who did Brand New Cadillac. The CD closes as spectacularly bad as it started stupendously good. Rock ‘n’ Roll Station is a 1976 collaboration with experimental musician Jac Berrocal that sucks. Despite these lapses, this CD has a dozen great songs that should gladden the hearts of rockers across the globe.