Nearly thirty years ago I reviewed Buddy Holly: For the First Time Anywhere for the East Village Eye. At the time I wrote that I had listened to Holly all my life and guessed I would listen to him till the day I died. Last year I bought Holly’s Down The Line: Rarities. Which, if no revelation, was as good as rock music gets.
In 2009 I feel about Holly much the way I feel about my father: they have both been dead so long I can’t imagine them in the world , but I wish they were. Holly would be seventy three years old if he was around today and just the sheer weight of his historic output in his twenty-two years staggers you. When you sit and listen you think you’re gonna topple over from the genius.
And you can’t play the who did he influence game with Holly. Everybody who considers themselves a rocker owes him a debt of gratitude. No Holly? No Harrison, no Petty, no soft rock, no dB’s, no Harper Blynn. Not only did Lubbock’s finest lay down the blueprint for country rock, he layed down the blueprint for art rock and power pop while he was at it.
With or without the Crickets Charles Hardin Holley was a devastating loss to the nascent rock and roll idiom. We can’ even begin to figure it out.
Here’s the live dream set list: This took me forever to write because every time I wrote a song title I just hadda go and listen to it…
Peggy Sue
Rave On
That’ll Be The Day
Slippin’ nd Slidin'(with John Lennon)
Brown Eyed Handsome Man (with Chuck Berry)
Dearest (with Weezer)
Love’s Made A Fool Of You (with Bo Diddley)
You’re So Square (Baby I Don’t Care) (with Elvis Presley)
Not Fade Away (with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards)
There She Goes Again (with Marshall Crenshaw)
Words Of Love
Heartbeat
Crying, Waiting, Hoping
Wishing
Raining In My Heart
Listen To Me
True Loves Ways
Well…. Alright (with Eric Clapton and Stevie Winwood)
Think It Over
Oh Boy
1st Encore
Rock Around With Ollie Vee
It’s So Easy
I’m Gonna Love You Too (with Debbie Harry ,Chrissie Hynde and Madonna)
It Doesn’t Matter Anymore
2nd Encore
Changing All Those Changes
Maybe Baby
Peggy Sue Got Married
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