#niki sullivan

[odk-2]

The Crickets - Not Fade Away (1957)

The Crickets - Not Fade Away (1957) Charles Hardin Holley (Buddy Holly) / Norman Petty from: “Oh, Boy!” / “Not Fade Away” (Single) “The "Chirping” Crickets�� (LP)

1st Wave Rock and Roll | Rockabilly

JukeHostUK (left click = play) (320kbps)

~or~

SnuhFiles (left click = play) (320kbps)

Personnel: Buddy Holly: Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar / Rhythm Guitar Niki Sullivan: Backing Vocals Joe B. Mauldin: Double Bass Jerry Allison: Drums / Backing Vocals

Produced by Norman Petty

Recorded: @ The Norman Petty Studios in Clovis, New Mexico USA on May 27, 1957

Single Released: on October 27, 1957

Album Released: on November 27, 1957

Brunswick Records

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

In 2004, 'Not Fade Away' was ranked #107 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" In 2012, 'The "Chirping” Crickets' was ranked #420 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time"

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

[atomicbug]

The crickets

Been learning more abt Buddy and his freinds so thought I’d draw the OG cricks.

I think Jerry Allison came out the best. I like the way I stylized him. Especially in the eyes. His overall expression. I think it’s just a good reference pic.

There’s like 0 pics of Niki. 0. None. Well, no good/high res/good for ref pics. It was hard to find for Joe too. Maybe Jerry is just a fan fav.

[skepticxdreamer]

Happy Pride Month with a little shitpost for Heroes and what they SHOULD NEVER SAY TO SOMEONE WHO JUST CAME OUT.

[pastamansta]

A List of Stop-Motion Feature-Length Films You Probably Haven't Tried.

If you’re anything like me, stop-motion animation is something that you’re sick of hearing about, because it’s always the same fucking recommendations. I took the time to browse over Wikipedia’s “List of stop-motion films” and do what I could to create a list of stop-motion feature-length films that might be worth a watch and that you haven’t constantly heard animation brats cream themselves over. Obviously, this list is not perfect, it’s mostly based off of the films I was able to find generally high reviews for on Letterboxd, but this list will contain nothing from Aardman, nothing from Laika, nothing from Wes Anderson, Tim Burton, or Henry Selick, but will contain at least a handful of things you haven't heard constant chatter about. These films are also fully stop-motion, so nothing from Ray Harryhausen or Jan Švankmajer either. Oh, and no shorts or television, obviously.

I will go ahead and put the following eight as films that aren't as frequently referenced in "best stop-motion films of all time" articles, but will find their ways into conversations about stop-motion without much difficulty;

René Laloux's "Fantastic Planet" (1973)

Will Vinton's "The Adventures of Mark Twain" (1985)

Adam Elliot's "Mary and Max" (2009)

Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson "Anomalisa" (2015)

Claude Barras's "My Life as a Zucchini" (2016) [French]

Phil Tippett's "Mad God" (2021)

Dean Fleischer Camp's "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" (2021)

Guillermo del Toro's "Pinocchio" (2022)

If you haven't seen those eight, I'd take care of that first. Now, we hit other stuff.

Lotte Reiniger's "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" (1926) [German]

Wladyslaw Starewicz & Irene Starewicz "The Tale of the Fox" (1937) [French]

Ivo Caprino's "The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix" (1975) [Norwegian]

Piotr Kamler's "Chronopolis" (1982) [French]

Chris Taylor & Mark Hall's "The Wind in the Willows" (1983)

Dave Borthwick's "The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb" (1993)

Stanislav M. Sokolov & Derek W. Hayes's "The Miracle Maker" (2000)

Christiane Cegavske's "Blood Tea and Red String" (2006)

Jan Balej's "One Night in One City" (2007) [Czech]

Stéphane Aubier & Vincent Patar's "A Town Called Panic" (2009) [French]

Fernando Cortizo's "The Apostle" (2012) [Spanish]

Chris Sullivan's "Consuming Spirits" (2012)

Paul Cowan & Amer Shomali "The Wanted 18" (2014)

Jan Balej's "Little from the Fish Shop" (2015) [Czech]

Takahide Hori's "Junk Head" (2017) [Japanese]

Michael Mort's "Chuck Steel: Night of the Trampires" (2018)

Cristóbal León & Joaquín Cociña's "The Wolf House" (2018) [Spanish]

Paloma Baeza Niki, Lindroth von Bahr, Emma De Swaef, & Marc James Roels's "The House" (2022)

That's what I've got for the time being. If you can recommend a feature-length, majority stop-motion film that's not Aardman, Laika, Wes, Burton, or Selick, I'd be more than happy to look it over and see about adding it to the list. Enjoy.

[kdo-three]

The Crickets - That'll Be the Day (1957) Jerry Allison / Buddy Holly / Norman Petty from: "That'll Be the Day" / "I'm Looking for Someone to Love" (Single) "The 'Chirping' Crickets" (LP)

Rockabilly | 1st Wave Rock and Roll

JukeHostUK (left click = play) (320kbps)

Personnel: Buddy Holly: Lead Vocals / Lead Guitar Larry Welborn: Bass Jerry Allison: Drums

Backing Vocals: Niki Sullivan June Clark Ramona Tollett Gary Tollett

Produced by Norman Petty

Recorded: @ The Norman Petty Recording Studio in Clovis, New Mexico USA on February 25, 1957

Single Released: May 27, 1957 Brunswick Records (US) Coral Records (UK)

Album Released: on November 27, 1957 Brunswick Records

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪

How a John Wayne Movie Inspired Buddy Holly’s ‘That’ll Be the Day’: https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/john-wayne-movie-inspired-buddy-hollys-thatll-be-the-day.html/

[haydcns]

 samantha   logan.     she/her.     cis  woman.      ›     spotted   at   the   met   steps   ,   HAYDEN   SULLIVAN   ,   most   likely   listening   to   swan   song   by   niki   +   saweetie   with   their   airpods   pro   .   the   twenty-four   year   old   gained   quite   a   reputation   ,   known   to   be   -taciturn   yet   +dextrous   to   anyone   who   knows   them   .   you'll   easily   spot   them   when   you   hear   about   the   feeling  of  reassurance   when   a   bow   and   arrow  are   in   hand   ,   collecting   and   restoring   first   edition   books   ,   ambient   noise   in   a   coffee   shop   ,   followed   by   their   aqua   di   gioia   by   armani   beauty   .   latest   nepoupdates   article   talks   about   retirement   announcement   soon   ?   hayden   sullivan   spotted   walking   out   of   a   lecture   hall   instead   of   training   at   columbia   ,   but   i   guess   any   reputation   is   good   reputation   .

[  !  ]  WANTED  CONNECTIONS.

[  !  ]  ESTABLISHED  CONNECTIONS.

penned  by  HECATE  (  she/her  ,  pst  ,  21+  )

OVERVIEW .

STATS  PAGE .

FULL NAME: hayden vera sullivan

NICKNAME(S) / ALIASES: hay , hadie , den , denny

DOB: 03/18/1999

AGE: 24

HEIGHT: 5′6″

ZODIAC: pisces

GENDER: cis woman

PRONOUNS: she/her/hers

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: biromantic

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: bisexual

LANGUAGES: english , spanish , french , latin , italian

AESTHETICS:  the  feeling  of  reassurance  when  a  bow  and  arrow  are  in  hand  ,  collecting  and  restoring  first  edition  books  ,  ambient  noise  in  a  coffee  shop  ,  spontaneous  visits  to  museums  ,  oversized  cardigans  ,  color-coded  book  annotations  ,  yelling  at  espn  as  if  they  can  hear  you

CHARACTER  PARALLELS:  allison  argent  (  teen  wolf  )  ,  jesper  fahey  (  six  of  crows  )  ,  darcy  lewis  (  mcu  )  ,  gabrielle  kinney  (  marvel  comics  )  ,  oliver  queen  (  dc  comics  )

BACKGROUND .

born  the  youngest  in  washington  d.c.  to  a  legacy  spanning  back  generations  with  the  sullivans  tied  to  royalty  and  the  munroes  heavily  tied  to  politics  .  her  father  is  an  archaeology  professor  and  her  mother  ?  a  financial  reporter  .  unfortunately  ,  being  the  youngest  meant  that  she  wasn’t  doted  on  a  lot  by  her  parents  .  with  two  older  siblings  ,  she  suddenly  became  their  responsibility  .  they  were  the  ones  babysitting  while  their  parents  were  at  work  .  and  when  they  couldn’t  ,  hayden  was  often  in  the  care  of  her  grandparents  .

just  after  her  mother  lands  a  new  gig  as  a  financial  reporter  for  cnn  and  an  assistant  professor  position  at  columbia  ,  the  family  relocates  to  new  york  when  hayden  is  four  .  she’s  only  eight  when  her  family  discovers  her  penchant  for  archery  .  she’s  gifted  .  a  prodigy  ,  one  of  her  coaches  said  .  it  was  only  a  matter  of  time  since  her  older  siblings  each  had  something  they  were  gifted  in  .  since  that  discovery  ,  her  focus  starts  to  heavily  shift  to  archery  .  she  continues  training  and  by  nine  ,  she  starts  competing  in  archery  tournaments  .  she’s  ten  when  she  makes  it  to  the  junior  olympics  and  continues  making  it  until  she’s  scouted  .

her  life  hasn’t  always  been  calm  .  she’s  hit  with  news  of  her  parents  divorce  in  her  final  year  of  high  school  .  right  before  she  finds  out  she  qualifies  for  the  olympics  .  hayden  is  now  on  the  road  to  the  olympics  .  no  time  to  process  the  divorce  .  she  medals  at  the  2016  olympics  and  she  couldn’t  be  more  proud  of  herself  .  

 hayden  is  thrust  back  into  reality  when  she  gets  back  from  rio  .  coming  down  from  the  high  of  medaling  silver  at  the  olympics  ,  hayden  starts  to  focus  more  on  school  whilst  still  juggling  her  training  .  reality  really  comes  crashing  down  when  her  father  breaks  the  news  that  he’s  seeing  someone  .

she  makes  her  reappearance  at  the  2020  olympics  ,  placing  gold  . after  the  2020  olympics  ,  hayden  is  back  in  new  york  to  finish  up  her  final  year  of  college  .  unfortuantely  during  training  ,  she  suffers  from  an  injury  .  nothing  major  but  also  not  minor  .  most  definitely  hidden  from  the  press  .  nothing  better  than  news  of  an  impending  wedding  to  top  it  off  too  !  the  sets  her  training  back  and  makes  her  realize  that  she  needs  to  have  a  backup  plan  .  so  what  does  she  do  ?  she  doesn't  decide  to  retire  from  the  sport  she  loves  but  she  decide  to  obtain  her  masters  in  art  history  and  further  her  experience  in  art  conservation  .  

PERSONALITY .

 despite  spending  her  formative  years  training  ,  she’s  not  socially  stunted  .  hayden’s  social  ,  enthusiastic  ,  charming  and  independent  .  however  ,  she  can  come  off  as  a  little  scattered  .  her  attention  tends  to  shift  when  she  gets  bored  with  her  surroundings  .  it’s  not  done  intentionally  though  !  hayden  can  be  seen  as  a  bit  of  a  jock  given  how  she  initially  presents  herself  to  others  .  she  tends  to  thrive  in  settings  with  spontaneity  ,  knowing  that  she  can  get  bored  by  details  and  repetition  .  ironic  given  the  fact  that  she’s  training  in  a  sport  that  requires  precision  and  detail  .  regardless  ,  others  see  her  as  talkative  .  easily  connecting  with  people  with  warmth  and  enthusiasm  .

HEADCANONS .

this  section  is  a  wip  and  will  be  updated  when  i  think  of  more  things  !  <3

the  sullivan  family  comes  from  a  lineage  of  dukes/duchesses  

the  munroe  family  is  a  family  heavily  rooted  in  american  politics  (  senators  ,  governors  ,  think  vanderbilts  in  og  gossip  girl  )

her  father  and  step-mother  recently  got  married  making  her  and  henri  step-siblings

graduated  from  nyu  with  a  degree  in  chemistry  with  a  minor  in  art  history

currently  roped  in  as  an  archery  advisor  for  season  two  of  hawkeye  (  and  yes  henri  absolutely  does  NOT  like  it  )

collects  and  restores  first  edition  /  rare  collectable  books  as  a  hobby

has  a  white  labrador  retriever  named  thor  that’s  basically  her  bff

recently  just  finished  her  graduate  internship  at  the  met  and  is  looking  to  eventually  apply  for  the  graduate  internship  in  objects  conservation

[baccano-gauntlet]

ROUND 1 PART 2 MASTERPOST.

Donny v. Placido Russo

Renee Parmedes Branvillier v. Charkie

Dez Nibiru v. Carnea Kaufman

Ronny Schiatto v. Upham

Niki v. Donald Brown

Edith v. Edward Noah

Mark Wilmens v. Randy

Maria Barcelito v. Carzelio Runorata

John Drox v. Molsa Martillo

Celice Artia v. Rail

Salomé Carpenter v. Graham Specter

Luchino B. Campanella v. Firo Prochainezo

Lebreau Fermet Viralesque v. Bilt Quates

Jon Panel v. Nice Holystone

Misery v. Misao

Adele v. Krieck

Lucrezia de Dormentaire v. Tim

Jack v. Nile

Jacuzzi Splot v. Bride

Luck Gandor v. Melody

Sonia Bake v. Aging

Lua Klein v. The Former Felix Walken

Carol v. Lisha Darken

Nicola Casetti v. Natalie Beriam

Paula Wilmens v. Goose Perkins

Denkuro Togo v. Nicholas Wayne

Gustavo Bagetta v. Begg Garrott

Lester v. Claudia Walken

Nick v. Ricardo Russo

Tick Jefferson v. Spike

Lia Lin-Shan v. Maiza Avaro

Bill Sullivan v. Monica Campanella

Elmer c. Albatross v. Hong Chi-Mei

Carl Dignis v. Juliano

[domjaehyun]

omg hi jewel it's my first time sending as ask SO IM A LITTLE NERVOUS LMAOSHEISJ but please DROP THE PLAYLIST IF YOU HAVE ONE all of the songs you put in your fics are so good 😭

OMG DONT BE NERVOUS im pretty chill i’d like to think :3 and omg i dont have like One Big Playlist but i can give song / artist recs !! also i listen to the Alternative R&B playlist and Are & Be playlist a lot on spotify (i also like their Chilled R&B playlist) so i get a lot of music choices from there :3 when i post qc3 i’ll put the 50 song playlist i made for it :3 i just have to like. private all my other playlists theyre messy djskdfj

artists: kehlani, thuy, sza, h.e.r., niki, lolo zouaï, jazmine sullivan, giveon uhhhhhhh blanking atm flo is good too omg (also flo milli but thats a diff vibe lmk if you want hiphop recs) daniel caesar, alina baraz, sabrina claudio….. uh victoria monét, rini, pink sweat$,,,,

songs:

very few friends - saint levant (it’s trilingual if you like french and arabic and english together)

used to this - luke chiang

don’t say - jex nwalor

la di da - casa vince

haifa in a tesla - saint levant (multilingual again)

escapism (sped up) - raye and 070 shake

codependency - david saint val

feel again - jovan perez

fwm - blk

location (ft. burna boy) - dave

ginny - sylo

fomo - sylo

gluttony - shreea kaul (multilingual again)

leave me - anees

[primatechnosynthpop]

Was thinking that putting sylar in mob psycho 100 would fix him (since the narrative of heroes pushes the idea that having powers makes you inherently special, it's harder to properly dismantle his worldview than in a series that goes against the idea that anyone is more special than anyone else regardless of powers) but now I'm just thinking about heroes mp100 au....

Nathan as Shigeo obviously since he's a repressed older brother who's ashamed of having powers. Idk whether everyone would have their canon powers here or all be espers like in mob psycho-- if it's the former then an incident where Peter gets hurt thanks to Nathan's power could look a bit like the car crash scene with Heidi? But different obviously since they'd be kids at the time... idk who would lead Peter astray during the big cleanup arc (the obvious choice is Adam but I have other plans for him) but since we have seen him get led to the dark side it feels like a plausible beat. Narratively speaking the Reigen analogue can't have powers so I think it's gotta be Noah? Very different personalities but he DOES lie about a major aspect of his life....

Sylar as Teru (maybe to be silly the equivalent to getting balded would be getting his eyebrows shaved off). Mohinder as Tome‼️ Obviously the Company as a stand-in for Claw and although Arthur as Toichiro would make a lot of sense I think it's gotta be Adam so you can then have Hiro as the Shou analogue feeling responsible for bringing him down (alternatively if Arthur is Toichiro then Peter's gotta be Shou and that would actually work really well, way better than Peter as Ritsu really, but then who would fill the role of the Kageyama brothers? Niki and Jessica? Maya and Alejandro? Those options would kinda work but the Petrellis are really the core of the show so idk....)

Anyway uh Samuel Sullivan as Dimple. I guess Matt as Takenaka on account of being a telepath? That pairs well with Mohinder’s role actually, I like them having a connection... Tracy as Tsubomi!!! Tsubomi is not the idealized version Mob and others built up of her and likewise Tracy is not Niki despite what Nathan projects onto her. Idk about some of the other characters but I'll keep thinking about it

[fifihunterbakariafrocentric]

Bobbie Gentry "Niki Hoeky" on The Ed Sullivan Show

[nepofm]

SPOTTED   at   met   steps   wearing   last   season’s   jimmy   choos  ?   i’d   leave   the   steps   in   the   next   24   hours   before   nepoupdates   catches   them   !   if   it   were   me   ,   i’d   definitely   go   back   and  review   the   checklist   of   golden   rules.

hayden  sullivan   samantha  logan  ,  henri  hart’s  step-sibling  wc

 samantha   logan.     she/her.     cis  woman.      ›     spotted   at   the   met   steps   ,   hayden   sullivan   ,   most   likely   listening   to   swan   song   by   niki   +   saweetie   with   their   airpods   pro   .   the   twenty-four   gained   quite   a   reputation   ,   known   to   be   -taciturn   yet   +dextrous   to   anyone   who   knows   them   .   you'll   easily   spot   them   when   you   hear   about   the   feeling  of  reassurance   when   a   bow   and   arrow  are   in   hand   ,   collecting   and   restoring   first   edition   books   ,   ambient   noise   in   a   coffee   shop   ,   followed   by   their   aqua   di   gioia   by   armani   beauty   .   their   latest   nepoupdates   cameo   talks   about   retirement   announcement  soon   ?   hayden   sullivan   spotted   walking   out   of   a   lecture   hall   instead   of   training   at   columbia   ,   but   i   guess   any   reputation   is   good   reputation   .   (   hecate   ,   21+   ,   she/her   ,   pst   .   ) 

[beaverhallgallery]

 SC/N 

Wednesday, March 29 - Saturday, April 8 opening reception: March 30: 7-9 pm 29 McCaul Street, Toronto

GALLERY HOURS

Wednesday - Saturday : 12pm - 5pm

SC/N IS THE ACRONYM FOR THE SCULPTURE/INSTALLATION PROGRAM AT OCAD UNIVERSITY

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS:

ANDY CHITTY

ANNA-BELLA RANDALL

ARIANE LABBE

EVAN WILLEMSE

GABRIEL GEORGE

MADDY YOUNG

NIKI PADBURY

SARAH MCMILLAN

SARA SATTARI

SHAWN KEVIN VIERON

SC/IN and SC//N are two parts of a group exhibition featuring recent work from student artists in the Sculpture/Installation core class, Positions and Practices. This exhibition is a collective opportunity to showcase the state of our developing artistic and professional practices - the fruits of our labour. Each artist has chosen their own work to showcase; work that was made without parameters or guidelines, inspired from a genuine passion for art and irrefutable need to create. These shows are the face of our current and developing practices, and are a glimpse into our aspirations for the future.

Our exhibition showcases three-dimensional works exploring themes of identity, mental health, emotion, time and space disruption, culture and community, physicality, and more. They reflect each and every one of our interests and visions while keeping a sense of unity and highlighting our commitment to community and collaboration.

This show has been made possible by the generous support of the Beaver Hall Gallery and by our professors, Nina Leo and Derek Sullivan, whose guidance and encouragement have been profoundly influential and to whom we are sincerely grateful.  

[einsteinsugly]

Okay, current stuff (the past few years) I listened to last year (sans oldies).

Tagging @scaponigifs, @winnie-the-monster, @vintageholls, @sentimentoanonimo, and whoever else wants to join.

Top Ten Songs from 2023

Yes, Taylor and Olivia are the only modern artists I listened to this year. Basically.

Tagging:

@einsteinsugly @thatseventiesbitch @hydesjackiespuddinpop @tht70sblog and anybody else that would like to join

[kdo-three]

Buddy Holly - Rave On (!958) Sonny West / Bill Tilghman / Norman Petty from: "Rave On" / "Take Your Time" (Single)

Rock 'n' Roll | Rockabilly | 1st Wave Rock and Roll

"Buddy Holly is instantly recognizable as the artist: The record begins with a drawn-out "𝘞𝘦𝘭𝘭…" as stylized by Holly's distinctive hiccup ("𝘈-𝘸𝘦𝘩-𝘶𝘩-𝘩𝘦𝘩-𝘶𝘩-𝘦𝘭𝘭…")." - Wikipedia

JukeHostUK (left click = play) (320kbps)

Personnel: Buddy Holly: Vocals / Guitar Niki Sullivan: Rhythm Guitar Joe B. Mauldin: Bass Jerry Allison: Drums

Norman Petty: Piano Al Caiola: Guitar Donald Arnone: Guitar

Backing Vocals: William Marihe Robert Bollinger Robert Harter Merrill Ostrus Abby Hoffer

Produced by Milton DeLugg

Recorded: @ The Bell Sound Studios in New York City, New York USA on January 25, 1958

Released: on April 20, 1958 Coral Records

[odk-2]

Buddy Holly ‎– Rave On (1958) Sonny West / Bill Tilghman / Norman Petty from: "Rave On" / "Take Your Time"

Rock 'n' Roll | Rockabilly | Texas Rock and Roll

JukehostUK (left click = play) (320kbps)

Personnel: Buddy Holly: Vocals / Guitar Niki Sullivan: Rhythm Guitar Joe B. Mauldin: Bass Jerry Allison: Drums

Norman Petty: Piano Al Caiola: Guitar Donald Arnone: Guitar

Backing Vocals: William Marihe Robert Bollinger Robert Harter Merrill Ostrus Abby Hoffer

Produced by Milton DeLugg

Recorded: @ The Bell Sound Studios on January 25, 1958 in New York City, New York USA

Released on: April 20, 1958 (US) June 6, 1958 (UK)

Coral Records

"Buddy Holly is instantly recognizable as the artist: The record begins with a drawn-out "Well…" as stylized by Holly's distinctive hiccup ("A-weh-uh-heh-uh-ell…")." - Wikipedia

[waxontape-blog]

Not Fade Away: A Look Back at Buddy Holly and The Crickets

The relevance of musical aptitude has waxed and waned with what the general public has decided is in fashion. As a result, one could argue that the mainstream musical landscape has seen yearlong talent droughts more than once or twice before, and it would not be a difficult point to argue. Coinciding with the explosion of MTV, artist and band members had to present evocative visuals and in no uncertain terms be physically attractive-- talent was an added bonus. In the 1990s, feelings were "in," and it became trend to be introspective; in 2017, it is social media which dictates an artist's commercial successes. However, at the earliest on-set of rock and roll, the rules for pop music presentation were still developing, with racial politics and an icy reception from the jazz industry playing an important role. 

Just shortly before four unknown young men from Liverpool, England would take the world by force with their accessible sound and rebellious creativity, another four young men from Lubbock, Texas were busy laying down the foundation for what would become the rock and roll revolution. Niki Sullivan, Jerry Allison, Joe B. Maudlin, and Charles Holley were studio musicians merely dabbling in the only type of true indulgence teenagers had at that time. Blues and rockabilly, country and folk-- already established genres in their own right-- would be used as raw clay for the four boys, who would craft a concoction that would revolutionize the adolescent's very place in society.

But before then, a landmark invention would have to hit shelves in order to get their unique blend to the masses.

With the end of World War II came the advent of the personal radio, the forefather of the Walkman, Discman, Minidisc Player, the iPod, and now the smartphone and streaming services. These small, compact radios were a far cry away from the larger beasts installed in parlors and dens across the world. Which program to listen to on which evening was no longer decided upon by democracy; rather, the sole owner and operator had control over what he or she filled her ears with. This practice had only ever been seen before with the mass production of books. In a world where America had been the heroes in Europe (and the ogres in Asia), life for the average teenager meant being bombarded with omnipresent, brightly painted advertisements, new technology, the promises of travel with family-sized camper vans, the sweet tastes of new candies and ice cream from hamburger joints, and all of it still very much constricted by the need to be "one of us." Regardless, it was the first time in American history that the standard, family-centric paradigm was broken-- the average teenager no longer needed to "share," so to speak.

The personal radio, merely an empty vessel, would soon work its way into the hands of every child and teenager and became a revolution, but it needed the content to propel it forward. And rock and roll, blues, country, and danceable R&B became the software needed to break the mold. The days of jazz pop were slowly being eclipsed, its subversive counter culture once perceived as dangerous was more common place than ever before. The hot, new thing by the middle of the 1950s became records with an electric edge to them. Although tame by today's standards, the melodies and guitar riffs (often adapted and retooled from blues and country-folk origins),present on these recordings were integral to music evolution and still hold their own today.

The combination of Sullivan, Allison, Maudlin, and Holley proved to be reactive, and lucrative. Charles Holley, a charismatic front man with boy-next-door looks, was quick to show his licks from the word go. The boys formed as The Crickets, following the natural dissolution of another band, The Three Tones, and released The Chirping Crickets in 1957, a mixture of original material and blues/R&B covers featuring tight musicianship and impressive performance. 1958's almost immediate follow-up would be the result of a slick marketing ploy, catapulting the front man into the realm of supreme celebrity. The record would bear his now-iconic stage name: Buddy Holly.

Albums were an entirely different beast in the 1950s in comparison to today, and thus these two projects cannot be analyzed separately. Although thematic projects had been ushered into the mainstream music canon by Frank Sinatra, who is often credited with creating the earliest examples of concept albums, rock and roll was a newborn baby rapidly stumbling towards the age of growing pains. As such, Buddy Holly is not an album that was assembled with any great attention to detail. In reality, it is the second slice of the Crickets pie, released under Holly's name in order to capitalize on the band's signature sound and Holly's ever-growing popularity. Also, it was a clever way around contractual obligations by signing the band as two separate acts. The Chirping Crickets and Buddy Holly are two sides of the very same coin, the former a slightly more distant affair in comparison to the latter's more targeted presentation. Whereas The Chirping Crickets is far more general in its approach, the songs on Buddy Holly seem to be directing themselves at a teenage audience while simultaneously marketing the man for whom the record is named.

The two albums are neck and neck in terms of their quality, which stand out as arguably the best survived recordings of the whole of the 1950s. The range of fidelity on these records is astounding for the time period, with raw experimentation placed  right at the forefront. Although the songs seem to draw their inspirations from a myriad of sources (from classical to lullaby to rhythm and blues), they are defined by the band's willingness to push forth into unknown territory. This is perhaps best evinced by the simplistic and sweet "Everyday," which perfectly encapsulates Holly's charisma and ability to adapt his voice to particular song styles. This evergreen is defined by the rather interesting combination of certain elements:  acoustic and bass guitars, a typewriter, Holly's voice, and the gentle slapping of hands on Jerry Allison's knees. Its lack of decoration is strong evidence that less is, in many cases, more. It is also at stark contrast to the up-tempo rendition of "Ready Teddy," on which Buddy snarls with the gusto and experienced snap of a man thirty years his senior.

Despite not being the most artistic of albums, Buddy Holly is a non-stop disc of action, collecting within its short half-hour run time some of Holly and The Crickets' most important material. The classic (albeit rather overrated musically) "Peggy Sue" defines golden oldies in today's society, and the definitive reading of  Sonny West's "Rave On" is a compact rock bullet to the ears. But elsewhere on this album, the deeper cuts ruminate and delight with their slick production and perfectly crafted melodies. From the jazzy, bass and piano--driven "Look at Me" to the rather sensual "Words of Love," the material present here is nothing if not far more advanced than the average pop songs on radio of the day. Whereas much of the standard fair was uncompromisingly pop or uncompromisingly rock, The Crickets managed to marry the genres, creating the blueprint for those who came after them.

The influence from black musicians of the era is full and complete on both The Chirping Crickets and Buddy Holly, which (as opposed to later-era acts like The Beach Boys and at times The Beatles) do not rob-- they contribute to the sound of the day. These four men were deep in the trenches, their youthful energy spilling over across two marvelous pieces of wax. Unfortunately, both of these records are meager when taken on the whole. Due to the nature of the recording industry at that time, much of Holly's best work (both with and without The Crickets) is not present on these two canon albums. Neither houses the spectacularly sexy "Well, All Right," the signature "That'll Be the Day," or "Blue Days, Black Nights," that last of which John Fogerty would later lift for his Blue Moon Swamp album in 1997.

There is a wealth of fantastic material to discover when searching through demos and one-off singles, in addition to Decca Records's That'll Be the Day, the unofficial third LP in Holly's canon, released only in response to The Crickets' later success on Coral and Brunswick. There's the downright sassy, almost baroque-pop "It Doesn't Marry Anymore," the  near tropical stylings of "Heartbeat," and the bittersweet sequel "Peggy Sue Got Married" tucked in between all the flash and sizzle of Holly's biggest hits. They are also important clues for where Holly would have taken his musical adeptness into the 1960s, had he lived to help define them. His final recordings, unfortunately dubbed after his death, serve as our last glimpses into what the future could have been. At times, they are difficult to listen to.

Many of Holly's hits would be defined by the long shadow cast by his untimely death during the Winter Dance Party Tour in 1959, with "True Love Ways," an unreleased ballad from 1958 written for Holly's wife, perhaps the most heart-breaking of them all: "Sometimes we'll sigh / Sometimes we'll cry / And we'll know why just you and I know true love ways." These posthumous hits, along with some of his most experimental and/or forgotten material, would be collected and released on various compilations, the best of which being Decca Records's comprehensive triple-disc set The Very Best of Buddy Holly & The Crickets and the rare but complete Not Fade Away. 

Today, Holly is regarded as one of the great grand-fathers of modern rock and roll, and nobody would be wrong in this declaration. However, it is important to note the important songwriting contributions from Jerry Allison and record producer Norman Petty. Between the three of them, they are responsible for the band's most iconic and important works. With Holly's tragic and untimely death (now coined "The Day the Music Died") we, as listeners, lost the original trajectory for pop music in forms we can only imagine. Would there be a The Beatles? A Duran Duran? A Madonna? A Janet Jackson? A Radiohead? Would disco have risen to power in the 1970s, and would synthesizers had taken the 1980s by storm? We cannot say, but one thing is for sure-- Buddy Holly and his bandmates had a lot more to offer the world that we could ever fathom. Although his career began and ended during the most embryonic phase of rock and roll’s fairly short existence, The Crickets ushered the genre towards excellence and informed every act who came after them.

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