Novelty hitmaker’s early rock ‘n’ roll secret

Paul Evans is a lesser-known transitional figure from the waning days of rock ‘n’ roll’s first pass. His best remembered (and most anthologized) hit single is the 1959 novelty “(Seven Little Girls) Sitting in the Back Seat,” which was followed by a cover of “Midnite Special” that’s equal parts Johnny Rivers and Pat Boone. His last top-40 hit was the 1960 banjo-driven pop novelty “Happy-Go-Lucky-Me,” a tune that’s turned up in recent years in both film and on television. He worked as a songwriter, writing Bobby Vinton’s chart topping “Roses are Red (My Love),” and returned to the charts with a couple of middling country entries in 1978 (“Hello, This is Joannie (The Telephone Answering Machine Song”) and 1979 (“Disneyland Daddy”).

Ace’s 28-track anthology focuses primarily on his work from 1959 and 1960, adding his two later country hits and his previously unissued original of “Roses Are Red (My Love).” The latter is a surprisingly close template to Vinton’s later hit, though without a few of the finishing touches that converted the song into chart gold. Evans’ original has a twangy guitar in place of the hit’s Floyd Cramer-styled piano, the backing chorus is more pop than Nashville Sound, and though Evans’ vocal is heartbroken, it’s not as dramatically so as Vinton’s. The bulk of Evans’ earlier recordings include easy swinging rockabilly and toned down R&B covers, produced with guitar, bass, drums, piano and sax.

None of the covers measure up to the readily available originals, but unlike the neutered works of Pat Boone, Evans seems to understand what he’s singing, even if he can’t muster the sort of verve these songs deserve. The backing musicians do a good job, though on tracks like “60 Minute Man” the stinging guitar and soulful background singers give way to a lead vocal whose growl is unconvincing. Evans is better off singing songs of lost love, such as the rolling “After the Hurricane,” and excels on his clever novelty tracks, which include the march time “The Brigade of Broken Hearts” and the country lampoon, “Willie’s Sung With Everyone (But Me).”

Evans’ cover versions provide a novel view of how artists scrambled to cope with the musical changes wrought by rock ‘n’ roll, but a rocker Evans was not. Neither his voice nor attitude have the grit or abandon of a rock ‘n’ roll singer and though his covers are well intended, they’re more cute than convincing. His original work, particularly his pop songs and novelties ring truer to his artistic character. Ace’s compilation gives you the chance to hear it all, including his original hit singles from 1959 and 1960, and his later re-emergence on the country chart in the late ‘70s. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]