This is a collection of rockabilly tracks released by RCA Records between 1956 and 1959 (Elvis not included). None of these songs were hits, but most of them are really good. The real revelation here is Joe Clay. He has the most tracks here (nine), and they are really amazing. He sings like a rockabilly wildman! Ric Cartey has the second most tracks, with seven. He isn't as wild as Joe Clay, but his performances here are good. He even does decent covers of two Little Walter blues songs. The rest of the material is by a variety of artists, and it's all super rare (even the Roy Orbison song is hard to find). Some of the performers here are country artists moonlighting as rockabilly performers, but almost all the tracks are a lot of fun. Fans of '50s rockabilly should try to find this out of print CD.

Most record labels trying to cash in on the rockabilly craze sent the country boys (and girls) signed by their talent scouts to Nashville, and they were there recorded backed by the same session pros who worked on honky-tonk country records from the same period. For some reason Joe Clay never made it to Nashville. His first session was in Houston, and it's not all that special. What makes the small body of Joe Clay's recordings remarkable is the results of his second session, for which RCA sent him to New York. There he was backed by an all black team of session musicians led by legendary guitarist Mickey Baker. This band absolutely blows away the Nashville bands you hear on almost all other rockabilly recordings from the 50s. The drumming is especially ferocious. I think producers in Nashville were still a little afraid of drums at that time (in the 30s and into the 40s Nashville recordings typically didn't use any drums, because many radio stations in the Bible-belt wouldn't play any record that featured that "satanic" instrument.) The other stuff on this comp is fine, but it's generic rockabilly; the tracks from the Joe Clay New York session are the real reason to buy this.

"Get Hot or Go Home", put out by the Country Music Foundation, is one of the best rockabilly compiliations to come out of the U.S. period. It features darn near every song by the once rockabilly maniac/now bus driver Joe Clay. You'll be boppin your feet off with hits like "Ducktail", "Sixteen Chicks", "Get on the Right Track", etc..

Other standouts on the CD are Homer and Jethro- "Two Tone Shoes" (a parody of Carl Perkin's "Blue Suede Shoes"), Rick Carty - "Ohh Eee" and Pee Wee King - "Catty Town". Pick it up if you can find this scarce one!

This is a great compilation of some great RCA vintage Rock'A'Billy music. It was great to find Joe Clay which makes this cd worth buying. Especialy his version of "Doggone it" which is truly a lost gem! The rest is incidental background rock'n' roll. This compilation also has incredible liner notes. All comps should be done in this fashion. Only 4 stars and thats due to the other groups or individuals in this collection.

The first half of this cd, which is dominated by Joe Clay and Ric Cartey, are some of the best rockabilly ever created. Janis Martin & Tommy Blake are also great highlights, but the rest of the tracks are rather tame. I'm giving this 5 stars because the mentioned artists make this cd fantantic. You could buy this cd, or the more expensive Bear Family versions. You decide.