Down the Line is the 21st studio album by American singer Bobby Vee, released on June 22, 1999, by Rockhouse Studios, his 1st studio album in 27 years. It was produced by Vee and his son, Jeff, and arranged and conducted by Greg Armstrong and Jeff Vee[1] with the help of his three sons.[2] as a tribute to Buddy Holly whom Vee listed among his influences. After Holly was killed on February 3, 1959, along with Ritchie Valens, the Big Bopper, and pilot Roger Peterson when their plane crashed in Iowa on their way to Fargo, North Dakota, Vee was selected to replace Holly on the tour, which led to the launch of his recording career.[3] He also released another Holly Album in 1963 called I Remember Buddy Holly.[2]
| Down the Line | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.JPG) | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 22, 1999 | |||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||
| Genre | Rock and roll | |||
| Length | 42:01 | |||
| Label | Rockhouse Studios | |||
| Producer | Bobby Vee, Jeff Vee | |||
| Bobby Vee chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album was recorded in 1996 and it took three years to make,[4] It features his greatest hits,[5] also included a new, re-recorded version of "Love's Made a Fool of You" , which previously appeared on his 1961 album Bobby Vee with Strings and Things, and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", & "Maybe Baby", which both previously appeared on his 1963 album I Remember Buddy Holly. His wife Karen was Exec Activities, and his daughter Karen designed their cover.[6]
Vee later said that this is his personal favourite album[7]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [9] |
Bruce Eder of AllMusic praises "he has assembled a trio that isn't bad when it comes to emulating and modernizing (without destroying) the sound of the Crickets or Holly's post-Crickets work – and there's a moment or two when they could pass for the Stray Cats; and even more impressively, Vee co-produced this record."[10]
Star Tribune praise Bobby for keeping Buddy Holly's spirit alive mentioned that "as 'Rock Me, My and he did a broken version a demo of 'Love Is What's the market for this CD".[4]
in Rock N Roll Gold Rush: A Singles Un-Cyclopedia: Maury Dean praise {Bobby] "for his greatest voices of all time"[6]
Robert Reynolds mentions, "Several tunes are done up similar to the Buddy Holly originals, however, many other songs are given pleasant new arrangements."[11]
Track listing
editSide one
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Down The Line" | Buddy Holly, Bob Montgomery | 2:13 |
| 2. | "Rock Me My Baby" | Shorty Long, Susan Heather | 2:39 |
| 3. | "Rave On" | Sonny West, Bill Tilghman, Buddy Holly | 2:15 |
| 4. | "Midnight Shift" | Earl Lee, Jimmie Airsworth | 2:21 |
| 5. | "Tell Me How" | Buddy Holly, Norman Petty, Jerry Allison | 2:43 |
| 6. | "Love's Made a Fool of You" | Buddy Holly | 2:46 |
| 7. | "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" | Paul Anka | 2:38 |
Side two
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm Gonna Love You Too" | Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, Norman Petty | 2:39 |
| 2. | "Blue Days, Black Nights" | Ben Hall | 2:14 |
| 3. | "Love Is Strange" | Ethel Smith | 3:39 |
| 4. | "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" | Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller | 2:32 |
| 5. | "Fool's Paradise" | Sonny LeGlaire, Horace Linsley, Norman Petty | 3:11 |
| 6. | "Maybe Baby" | Norman Petty | 2:11 |
| 7. | "Holly Hop" | Ella Holley | 2:20 |
| 8. | "Words of Love/Listen to Me" | Buddy Holly, Brian Wilson | 4:30 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Down The Line" | Buddy Holly, Bob Montgomery | 2:13 |
| 2. | "Rock Me My Baby" | Shorty Long, Susan Heather | 2:39 |
| 3. | "Rave On" | Sonny West, Bill Tilghman, Buddy Holly | 2:21 |
| 4. | "Midnight Shift" | Earl Lee, Jimmie Airsworth | 2:21 |
| 5. | "Look at Me" | Buddy Holly | 2:53 |
| 6. | "Tell Me How" | Buddy Holly, Norman Petty, Jerry Allison | 2:43 |
| 7. | "Love's Made a Fool of You" | Buddy Holly | 2:46 |
| 8. | "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" | Paul Anka | 2:38 |
| 9. | "I'm Gonna Love You Too" | Joe B. Mauldin, Niki Sullivan, Norman Petty | 2:39 |
| 10. | "Blue Days, Black Nights" | Ben Hall | 2:14 |
| 11. | "Love Is Strange" | Ethel Smith | 3:39 |
| 12. | "Changin' All Those Changes" | Buddy Holly | 3:24 |
| 13. | "Buddy Holly Medley: What To Do / Crying, Waiting, Hoping / Learning the Game" | Buddy Holly | 3:47 |
| 14. | "(You're So Square) Baby I Don't Care" | Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller | 2:32 |
| 15. | "Fool's Paradise" | Sonny LeGlaire, Horace Linsley, Norman Petty | 3:11 |
| 16. | "Maybe Baby" | Norman Petty | 2:11 |
| 17. | "Holly Hop" | Ella Holley | 2:20 |
| 18. | "Words of Love/Listen to Me" | Buddy Holly, Brian Wilson | 4:29 |
Personnel
editReferences
edit- ^ Bobby Vee, Down The Line. Discogs.com, Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ a b Bashe, Warren-George; Romanowski, Patricia; Pareles, Jon (2001). The Rolling stone encyclopedia of rock & roll. New York, N.Y: Fireside. p. 1033. ISBN 978-0-7864-6060-1.
- ^ Schuck, Raymond I.; Schuck, Ray (2012-10-06). Do You Believe in Rock and Roll?: Essays on Don McLean's "American Pie". McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-0036-9.
- ^ a b "Star Tribune from Minneapolis, Minnesota". Newspapers.com. 1999-02-05. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
- ^ "Bobby Vee Pays Tribute to Buddy Holly". Fresh Air Archive: Interviews with Terry Gross. 1999-02-01. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
- ^ a b Dean, Maury (2003). Rock N Roll Gold Rush. Algora Pub. p. 603. ISBN 9780875-86207-1.
- ^ Beecher, John. "VEE, Bobby - DOWN THE LINE; 40th Anniversary Album RCCD 3046". www.rollercoasterrecords.com. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
- ^ ""Down The Line" – Album Ratings". Allmusic. Retrieved 2024-04-21.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (27 May 2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1988. ISBN 9780857125958. Retrieved 23 July 2024.
- ^ "Bobby Vee – Down The Line: Album Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
- ^ Reynolds, Robert (2016-04-19). The Music of Bobby Vee. Lulu.com. p. 107. ISBN 978-1-365-05412-9.