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1/29/10 – “Rave On” Cat Fight In Memory Of Buddy Holly!

Posted: January 29th, 2010 | Author: | Filed under: Rock n' Roll, rockabilly | Tags: , , , , , | 14 Comments »

Rave On

This week, M. Ward, Marshall Crenshaw, The Real Kids and Sonny West all battle it out over Buddy Holly’s defining version of “Rave On.”  We remember the musical legacy of Buddy Holly as we approach the 51st anniversary of his tragic death.  “Rave On,” one of Buddy’s signature tunes was written by Bill Tighman, Norman Petty AND Sonny West.  Sonny actually recorded the tune FIRST in early 1958, but it was Holly’s version in May of ’58 that would propel the tune to #37 on the charts.  From there, many different renditions of the song have appeared.  I’ve chosen four of them for your consideration this week.  Don’t try and compare them to Buddy’s version, as they will all surely fall short.  Please try and compare them against each other and vote for the one you truly DIG THE MOST!

Which Version Of "Rave On" (Besides Buddy's) Do You Dig The MOST?

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14 Comments on “1/29/10 – “Rave On” Cat Fight In Memory Of Buddy Holly!”

  1. 1 CCK said at 3:22 pm on January 29th, 2010:

    Although I usually go for the original, I have a few things to say about my choice this week. Didn’t much care for The Real Kids’ version. The original was great because you can see where Buddy would pick up where Sonny was heading. Marshall’s was a great tribute to Buddy, but M. Ward’s was really killer. I really think Buddy would have enjoyed where Ward took the song. I just loved it. Thank you Matt the Cat!

  2. 2 MN Ross said at 3:56 pm on January 29th, 2010:

    Great Cat Fight Matt! Couldn’t be a better subject than the great Buddy Holly! I was really digging the Marshall Crenshaw version in its purity and the way it stayed true to Buddy ‘s version, but I was impressed with M. Ward’s after I heard it…still I voted for Marshall Crenshaw, but I am definitely going to be checking out M. Ward’s record. Thanks for turning me onto him! Miss you on the air Matt!

  3. 3 Sierra said at 5:05 pm on January 29th, 2010:

    Guess I just naturally go for the older sound in most cases, and had to go with Sonny this time, and will just say the others were uh…interesting. Thanks, Matt.

  4. 4 David said at 5:32 pm on January 29th, 2010:

    Yeah, it’s a close call for me between the great tribute of Marshall Crenshaw to Buddy and the higher originality of what M. Ward did with it. I think of it as a rave on Valium. In the end, I gave a mellow nod to M. Ward.

  5. 5 Stickball Eddie said at 6:00 pm on January 29th, 2010:

    As you requested Matt ” who did Buddy proud ?” In my opinion it was Marshall Crenshaw. Sonny was uninspiring. Real Kids did a nice ‘up tempo’ version and M. Ward did no one proud. Great FNCF!

  6. 6 Virginia said at 10:10 pm on January 29th, 2010:

    I will vote for Marshall Crenshaw but I also did like M. Ward very much. Thank you again Matt and Thank you Judy Judy and Rockin’ Rick for the 4 year old clip of the Night Prowl Show tribute to Buddy it certainly brought back pleasant memories. Let’s just hope Matt gets back on the air soon, we miss him.

  7. 7 Rich said at 11:48 pm on January 29th, 2010:

    You’re absolutely right; no one beats Buddy’s take on this classic song. Of the four choices, the one that really washed over me was Marshall’s. I thought he came closest to the “Buddy” sound.

  8. 8 timevac3 said at 4:19 am on January 30th, 2010:

    I went with Marshall Crenshaw. That little Beatle-esque final chord was interesting.
    M. Ward was a bit like being hit in the face with a huge marshmallow, Interesting, but didn’t do much for me.
    The Real Kids played too well to be punk. A weak effort.
    Of course Sonny’s version of the song can’t be wrong, but it was better defined by others.

  9. 9 Yum Yum said at 2:36 pm on January 30th, 2010:

    Rave On Matt The Cat !!! Sonny did it for me !! Yum Yum P.S. I mean his version of the song nothing else !! Be Nice

  10. 10 monk302 said at 6:54 pm on January 30th, 2010:

    the original is always the best!Miss you matt on the 50s channel on xm!

  11. 11 Karl From Selma,N.C. said at 10:34 pm on January 30th, 2010:

    I agree with Rich & I also voted for Marshall
    Crenshaw.

  12. 12 Sierra said at 9:54 am on January 31st, 2010:

    I had to listen to all 4 again. Marshall’s sounded like an outtake, and if I could have voted twice, I would have given his version as much as I gave Sonny’s. I really can’t decide between them. M. Ward’s was so mellow, he didn’t really sound like he was raving on, and the Kids were too punk for me. I would like to hear more of Marshall in future, if possible.

  13. 13 Bevnut said at 9:31 pm on January 31st, 2010:

    If I were going to purchase another besides Buddy it would have to be Sonny’s version. Marshall did a great tribute though.

  14. 14 Ted said at 1:30 am on February 5th, 2010:

    Never thought I’d hear the Real Kids on this show. I love those guys! Still had to vote for M. Ward–what a creative interpretation.

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