Gene Vincent

Though the title reads White Lightning, this is actually a CD reissue of Vincent's 1970 comeback LP for Dandelion, I'm Back and I'm Proud, with the addition of four tracks from a 1971 BBC session. Was this particular comeback record something to be proud of? Not really. Recorded in 1969 for famed British DJ John Peel's Dandelion label and released the following year, it did feature some notables of the late-'60s Hollywood rock scene, including Skip Battin of the Byrds (on bass), Red Rhodes (on Dobro), Mars Bonfire (rhythm guitar), Jim Gordon (drums), and Linda Ronstadt (backing vocals), with Kim Fowley producing. But there was something of a rehash feel about the whole enterprise, which was short on new quality original material and heavy on reworkings of oldies like George Jones's "White Lightning," Dion/the Drifters' "Ruby Baby," and Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin." There were also remakes of Vincent's own '50s hits "Be-Bop-a-Lula" and "Lotta Lovin'" that couldn't hope to displace the originals. The heavier late-'60s rock feel of the arrangements doesn't jibe well with Vincent's style, though some cuts boast a countrified touch (particularly the ones featuring Rhodes), and Vincent himself often sounds a little shaky and nervous on the vocals. The BBC session was done just a few days before his death, and rather surprisingly it's not bad. It's not terribly interesting, true, combining versions of his oldies "Be-Bop-a-Lula" and "Say Mama" with covers of "Roll Over Beethoven" and Jim Reeves' country hit "Distant Drums." But in comparison to I'm Back and I'm Proud, it sounds honest, unforced, and energetic. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide