1955

The last of these three cd box sets, The R 'n' B Hits of 1955. The idea behind the series was to take public domain recordings as they fell out of copyright after fifty years, so there should have been a 1956 box by now. The company seems to have folded though so we may stick at 1955. It was a good year anyway, on the cusp of rock 'n' roll, some tracks still hark back to the honking big bands of the forties bit more look forward. There are iconic tracks like Tutti Frutti by Little Richard and I Got a Woman by Ray Charles alongside lesser known gems like Speedo by the Cadillacs and I Wish You Would by Billy Boy Arnold ( covered by Ry Cooder and the Yardbirds respectively ). It also includes arguably the greatest single ever, Pretty Thing by Bo Diddley. Don't ask me to justify that, just listen !