Wanda Jackson "Wanda Jackson" (Capitol, 1958)
Probably the greatest female rockabilly star of the 1950s, Wanda Jackson moved into rock from country music after touring as a supporting act for Elvis Presley, at the height of his wilder years. This was her first album for Capitol records, a nice mix of straight-up country, rock-tinged rompers, and sappy teen ballads, all punctuated by her irrepressible Oklahoma drawl. Her first big rock hit, "Let's Have A Party" made it on here, as well a raveup take on "Long Tall Sally" and bluesy covers of "Money Honey" and "Let Me Go Lover." This CD reissue adds bonus tracks from several singles that cameout around the same time, including her fab version of "Silver Threads And Golden Needles," and the honkytonk weeper, "No Wedding Bells For Joe." Her rural roots are unmistakable, as is her wham-bam vocal power. Recommended -- especially since most of the tracks on here have not been included in the standard Wanda Jackson best-ofs.
Wanda Jackson "Let's Have A Party!" (Capitol, 1960)
Having struck gold as a rockabilly filly, Jackson pumped up the volume for this second album, and many of these tracks will be familiar to oldies fans -- "Mean Mean Man," Honey Bop," "Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad," and "Fujiyama Mama," which made her a celebrity in Japan (despite its iffy cultural politics). Again, the CD reissue includes a half dozen songs taken off old singles, and these are all hard country (or teenpop) ballads, tasty treats for the discerning fan. Recommended!
Wanda Jackson "Rock 'N' Roll Your Blues Away" (Varrick, 1984)
Wanda Jackson "Heart Trouble" (CMH, 2003)
Still kickin' out the jams in the fifth decade of her musical career, Jackson gathers an impressive roster of guest performers, including Dave Alvin, Elvis Costello, Rosie Flores and (naturally) The Cramps... The results are mixed, but hey, can you rock like this? Nah, didn't think so. So give the old gal her due: she rocks. Still. A lot.
Wanda Jackson "Heartache" (Varese Sarabande, 2004)
A previously unreleased "comeback" album, with Jackson returning to secular material after a decade or so of recording born-again gospel albums... I haven't heard it yet, but I hear it actually ain't bad... Worth checking out!
Wanda Jackson "Vintage Collections" (Capitol, 1996)
Whew!! If I had to recommend only one Wanda Jackson CD to anybody, this would be it. Jackson was, of course, the original ripsnortin' rockabilly filly, but what makes this disc such a treasure are the ultra-tasty country tracks which are packed in next to the usual pick of awesome rockabilly blowouts. Anyone who has tried to follow Wanda Jackson's career past her late-'50s heyday into her Nashville years has probably run into the same disappointment as I have: one mooshy, almost-but-not-quite album after another, with the occasional good weeper or two. However, this CD assembles several outstanding tracks, such as her bluesy version of "This Should Go On Forever", or Paul Anka's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," which make a powerful case for Jackson as a first-rate country vocalist whose talents were criminally squandered by 1960s Nashville. Be nice to see if somene could compile an equally compelling retrospective from the rest of her '60s and early '70s Capitol catalog. (By The Way: The Bakersfield Sound site is very cool and includes a profile of Jackson, as well as several more obscure artists.)
Wanda Jackson "Right Or Wrong" (Bear Family, 1994)
If you really want to go all-out on a Wanda Jackson binge, then this fab Bear Family box set would be the place to start. This 4-CD set starts off with some of Jackson's earliest (and least well-known) country recordings, made as early as 1954, well before her rockabilly heyday, then moves on to collect all her best rock'n'roll numbers (mentioned above), before dipping into the Nashville-styled country groove that she settled into after the rockabilly craze died down. The early tracks are a real revelation, since Wanda's '60s Nashville work was much more sedate and ballad-oriented; it's pretty cool to hear just how rural and hard country she really was.
Wanda Jackson "Tears Will Be The Chaser For Your Wine" (Bear Family, 1994)
This second BF box examines Jackson's country career more closely, with weepy material from 1963-73 that's more obscure (to most folks) than her more fiery, cherished 'Fifties recordings. Weighing in at a full eight CDs (!) this monolithic collection is the definitive look at her Nashville years, with some super-sappy stuff, and a fair number of sizzlers as well.
Wanda Jackson "Wanda Rocks" (Bear Family, 2002)
Sizzling, red-hot material from her early years.. This is all the fastest, snarliest stuff in her catalog, served up without the usual balancing dose of country ballads. For fans who dig rockabilly and nothing else, this disc'd be pretty hard to beat!
Wanda Jackson "Greatest Hits" (Curb, 1990)
Although many Curb releases have the taint of being not-quite-as-advertised (re-recordings and the like), this is actually a damn fine overview of Jackson's career, particularly worth picking up if you can't quite bring yourself to pick up a bazillion-disc European import in order to hear some of her post-rockabilly country hits. This disc is a well-selected, well-programmed, solid sampling of her '60s and '70s chart hits, as well as a couple of nice early 'billy hits ("Let's Have A Party," etc...) Totally worth picking up!
Wanda Jackson "Rockin' In The Country" (Rhino, 1990)
An adequate best-of, similar to the Capitol Vintage set, but for some reason this disc left me unmoved. Something about the sound mastering, perhaps? Anyway, it's okay, but it's been long since superseded...
