Review:

"Collector's Choice" a perfect name for this great and exciting serie launched by El Toro Records from Spain.
It gathers a majority of unknown and rare recording from the 50's that were until now only available on scarce 45's and 78's.
Volume 1 focuses on the Lone Star state artists. Home of musical legends, it was also full of lesser known but talented guys.
The result is a 20 songs compilation filled with Hillbilly Bop (Ken Marvin, Alden Holloway, Stoney Calhoun), Hank Williams' brand of country tunes( Jack Cardwell, Fred Crawford, Sammie Lee and Perry Washburn), talking blues (Leon Tassin's Get A Move On Baby) proto rockabilly (Johnny Maxwell, King Sterling, Lucky Hill and Jimmmie Walton, both very close to Charlie Feathers' vocal on tunes like Peepin' Eyes), straight hillbilly (Jacoby Brothers), rock'n'roll (Hub Sutter's Gone Golsing produced by Sonny Fisher).
It comes with a 8 page booklet full of info including pictures of the original labels.
Volume 2 is equally good, the sole difference is that this time you find artist from the whole States.
Though names like Gene O'Quinn, Terry Fell, Leonard Sipes/Tommy Collins and Texas Tyler may be familiar you still have plenty of obscure and rare stuff. So if you're ready for good dose of uptempo hillbilly with raw steel guitar and fiddles, don't look no further.
Like the previous one you can hear the influences of "big names" on local artists: Hank Williams is almost everywhere but also Ernest Tubb (just listen to Jimmie Collie) and Elvis Presley (Al Runyon's cover of My Baby Left Me).
It's also fine to hear some ladies on this selection wether it's solo (Betty Coral) or duet (Joyce Lawrence and Earney Vandagriff).
Volume 2 comes with a 12 page booklet.
Buy both, you won't regret it, believe me.
Fred "Virgil" Turgis - Jumpin from 6 to 6

Evaluation: