The First Three Albums: The Chirping Crickets / Buddy Holly/ That'll Be the Day

A truly legendary, iconic figure, immortalised forever in Don McLean's American Pie, Buddy Holly was arguably the most important and influential musician to emerge from the rock 'n' roll era. The genre's very first singer-songwriter, and a powerful and rhythmic guitarist, his songwriting influenced everyone from Bob Dylan to The Beatles, whilst The Crickets laid down the blueprint for all subsequent generations of guitar/bass/drums-structured rock/beat/R&B/punk groups. Holly was further unique in that he enjoyed two concurrent chart careers, both as lead singer of The Crickets and under his own name, although both identities featured the same set of musicians often recorded at the same sessions. Sadly, it all ended abruptly in January 1959, when he was killed in a plane crash, along with fellow-rockers Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper.

His hitmaking career had lasted just 18 months, following That'll Be The Day's US chart debut in August '57. Buddy was particularly popular in the UK and Europe, where he continued registering posthumous hits well into the 60s. His songs continue to be revived to this day and he rightly remains a revered artist. The 35 historic tracks that make up this compilation were all recorded in a highly-prolific two-year burst of creativity, between January 1956 and January 1958, by which time both Buddy Holly and The Crickets were established as major chart names. "The Chirping Crickets" LP included The Crickets' million-selling singles That'll Be The Day and Oh Boy, whilst Holly's eponymously-titled album included his equally successful 'solo' hits, Peggy Sue and Rave On.

This compilation also features the eleven tracks which Buddy recorded for US Decca in 1956, including his original, slower version of the stellar That'll Be The Day, under which title they were first released in 1958. The booklet features full session details, including personnel, recording dates, etc.