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This Friday, 7a Records celebrates a late, great rockabilly revivalist with the expanded reissue of Rock Billy Boogie from Robert Gordon on both 180-gram vinyl and CD.  The 1979 album, featuring the lead guitar of Chris Spedding, marked Gordon's major label breakthrough and remains perhaps his finest (half) hour on record.

Far more so than many of the so-called "new Elvises" that cropped up, the Maryland native captured the young Presley's rebel spirit and joyful swagger.  He had musically come up in the New York punk scene with Tuff Darts, and came to the notice of ex-Bell Records honcho Larry Uttal, who had recently founded his own Private Stock label.  Uttal paired Gordon with veteran producer-songwriter-Strangelove Richard Gottehrer (The Angels' "My Boyfriend's Back," The Strangeloves' "I Want Candy").  A co-founder of Sire Records, Gottehrer was a key figure in the punk world, shepherding the careers of Blondie, Richard Hell and The Voidoids, and others.  He took immediate interest in Gordon and shepherded his two Private Stock albums with guitarist Link Wray.  In late 1978, and much to the singer's delight, he was signed to the late Presley's longtime home of RCA Records.  The power-packed Rock Billy Boogie would become a cornerstone of the so-called rockabilly revival.

Gordon and Gottehrer kept the sound on Rock Billy Boogie immediate, raw - save some strings sparingly added by hitmaker Jimmy "Wiz" Wisner - and authentic, just the way the artist liked it.  He was backed by the tight unit he called The Wildcats: Spedding, Rob Stoner (bass/piano), Howie Wyeth (drums/piano), and Scotty Turner (rhythm guitar).  His vocal resemblance to Elvis Presley was uncanny, and he didn't exactly try to ignore it: he even covered "Blue Christmas" on the album.  But he never crossed the line into impersonation, instead combining Presley's style with punk attitude.  Most of the album was dedicated to fresh takes on oldies both familiar ("It's Only Make Believe," "Wheel of Fortune," Leroy Van Dyke's "Walk on By") and lesser-known (Junior Parker's "Love My Baby," Johnny Burnette's "I Just Found Out," Fats Domino's "All by Myself" by way of Johnny's 1956 version, Joe Bennett and The Sparkletones' "Black Slacks," a top 20 Pop/top 15 R&B hit in 1957).  He also supplied a couple of original songs for the record ("The Catman" and "I Just Met a Memory," both co-written with Scotty Turner and Diane Lampert).  All killer, no filler aptly describes Gordon's fresh yet nostalgic LP - his first of three for RCA.

7a has added four bonus tracks to both the CD and LP formats: Gordon's 1980 cover of John Beveridge and Peter Oakman's "A Picture of You," a No. 1 U.K. hit for Joe Brown in 1962; and three songs recorded with Link Wray from the Private Stock years: "Lonesome Train (On a Lonesome Track)," "Summertime Blues," and "Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache."  Both the CD and limited edition 180-gram pink vinyl LP formats have been freshly remastered, and both include new liner notes by TSD's own Joe Marchese.

You'll find the track listing and pre-order links for the expanded Rock Billy Boogie below.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Robert Gordon, Rock Billy Boogie (RCA LP AFL1-3294, 1979)

CD: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Deep Discount (U.S.)
LP: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Deep Discount (U.S.)

1. Rock Billy Boogie
2. Love My Baby
3. I Just Found Out
4. All By Myself
5. Black Slacks
6. The Catman
7. It's Only Make Believe
8. Wheel Of Fortune
9. Am I Blue
10. Walk On By
11. I Just Met a Memory
12. Blue Christmas
13. Red Cadillac and a Black Moustache (with Link Wray)
14. Lonesome Train (On a Lonesome Track) (with Link Wray)
15. Summertime Blues (with Link Wray)
16. A Picture of You

Tracks 13-14 from Fresh Fish Special, Private Stock LP PS 7008, 1978
Track 15 from Robert Gordon with Link Wray, Private Stock LP PS 2030, 1977
Track 16 from Bad Boy, RCA LP AFL1-3523, 1980