Cliff Richard - The Rock N Roll Years 1958-1963 (1997/2010) CD-Rip

Such an unimaginative title for such a imaginative boxful. Across four discs and 105 songs, Cliff Richard's earliest catalog comes in for precisely the kind of treatment every rock & roll star should have: an all-encompassing study of his most important period. Even more impressively, though the song titles all sound familiar, the performances rarely are. Thirty-seven tracks are bona fide unreleased (South African 78s notwithstanding), but several dozen more are culled from scarce EP-only mixes, rarely resurfacing B-sides, and unusual mixes. One cut, an undubbed take of "Willie and the Hand Jive," was hitherto available only on a mid-'80s budget-priced single disc, covering much the same period as this. It wasn't aimed at collectors, it wasn't heavily advertised, and it probably didn't sell many copies. Of such things do completists dream, but when you have a beakful of hen's teeth to sort through, do such things really matter? Discs one through three are the conventional ones. Running in strict chronology through Richard's first eight albums, 20-plus EPs, and 23 singles, highlights are sorted, then sorted again. Where a rare version exists, that's what is offered here, be it an alternate version of "It's All in the Game," an unreleased rehearsal of "Do You Wanna Dance," or the original stereo mix for the album take of "Twenty Flight Rock." Disc one is the hottest. The swagger of "Move It," the dynamics of "Dynamite," all the things that sent the New Musical Express running home to hide in 1958/1959 (screaming, "must we fling this filth at our pop kids?") are here.
Tracklist
Disc 1 – The Rock 'N' Roll Years 1958 - 1959
01. Schoolboy Crush
02. High Class Baby
03. My Feet Hit the Ground
04. Don't Bug Me Baby
05. King Creole
06. Tv Hop
07. Rockin' Robin
08. I'll Try
09. High School Confidential
10. Early in the Morning
11. Somebody Touched Me
12. Livin' Lovin' Doll
13. Mean Streak
14. Never Mind (Mono)
15. Steady with You
16. My Babe (Live)
17. Move It (Live)
18. That'll Be the Day (Live)
19. Danny (Live)
20. Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On
21. One Night (Live)
22. Apron Strings
23. Dynamite
24. I Gotta Know
25. The Snake and the Bookworm
26. Here Comes Summer (Stereo Ep Version)
27. Twenty Flight Rock
28. Blue Suede Shoes

Disc 2 – The Rock 'N' Roll Years 1959 - 1961
01. Mean Woman Blues
02. Pointed Toe Shoes
03. I'm Walkin'
04. Don't Be Mad at Me
05. Willie and the Hand Jive (Original Undubbed Version)
06. Nine Times out of Ten (Incomplete Take Plus Stereo)
07. Thinking of Our Love
08. Evergreen Tree
09. She's Gone
10. Tell Me
11. Where Is My Heart
12. Lamp of Love
13. I'm Gonna Get You
14. I Cannot Find a True Love
15. Working after School
16. You and I
17. I'm Willing to Learn
18. We Have It Made
19. Choppin' 'n' Changin'
20. It's You
21. I Love You (Alternate Take Featuring False Start)
22. D' In Love
23. Catch Me (Original Undubbed Version)
24. Now's the Time to Fall in Love (Original Undubbed Version)
25. True Love Will Come to You
26. First Lesson in Love
27. I Want You to Know (Alternate Stereo Take)
28. Blue Moon

Disc 3 – The Rock 'N' Roll Years 1961 - 1962
01. Tough Enough
02. Mumblin' Mosie
03. Fifty Tears for Every Kiss
04. Unchained Melody
05. What'd I Say
06. Forty Days
07. Without You
08. Shame on You
09. Spanish Harlem
10. Do You Remember (Unreleased Alternate Version)
11. I'm Looking out The Window
12. You Don't Know
13. Take Special Care (Unreleased Fast Version)
14. Do You Wanna Dance (Rehearsal Take)
15. Do You Wanna Dance (Alternate Take)
16. Do You Wanna Dance (Undubbed Master)
17. Do You Wanna Dance(Original B-side)
18. Since I Lost You
19. Dim, Dim the Lights (Live)
20. Save My Soul (Live)
21. I'm Walkin' The Blues
22. Summer Holiday (Original Undubbed Version)
23. The Next Time (Original Undubbed Version)
24. Blueberry Hill
25. A Forever Kind of Love
26. Razzle Dazzle
27. Reelin' And Rockin'
28. It's All in the Game (Alternate Take)

Disc 4 – Rare 'N' Rockin 1958 - 1963
01. Lawdy Miss Clawdy (Private Recording)
02. Breathless (Private Recording)
03. Twenty Flight Rock (Live)
04. Jailhouse Rock (Live)
05. Money Honey (Live)
06. Heartbreak Hotel (Live)
07. Turn Me Loose (Live)
08. Who's Gonna Take You Home (Acetate)
09. Let's Stick Together (Acetate)
10. What'd I Say (Alternate South African 78rpm Single)
11. Forty Days (Radio Luxembourg Performance)
12. Got a Funny Feeling (Radio Luxembourg Performance)
13. Rosalie (Come Back to Me) (Radio Luxembourg Performance)
14. Me and My Shadows (Radio Luxembourg Show Closing)
15. Lessons in Love (Solo Version)
16. We Say Yeah (Undubbed Film Version)
17. Hang Up Your Rock and Roll Shoes (1963 Radio Broadcast)
18. Dancing Shoes (1963 Radio Broadcast)
19. It'll Be Me (1963 Radio Broadcast)
20. Summer Holiday Advertising EP (US Radio Promotional Disc)
21. Cliff's Personal Message to You ('Serenade' Flexi-Disc Recording)