Bo (and Buddy)

A while ago, I put together a playlist I called “Buddy and Bo”. It’s a personal tribute to two rock icons of the early days, and includes both originals, covers, and additional songs influenced by messrs Holly and Diddley (or, per the NYT stylebook, “Mr. Diddley”; my favorite examples of the Times stylebook go back to the Sex Pistols, when the music writers would scribe about Mr. Vicious and Mr. Rotten).

There’s more Buddy than Bo – he clearly had a wider range (Bo was not known for his ballads). But Bo’s instantly identifiable beat, and his pre-rap braggadocio – he walked 47 miles of barbed wire, wore a cobra-snake for a necktie – grabbed us early boomers by the nads, and never let go. So RIP Bo, and if there’s a rock ‘n roll heaven, you know they’re jamming this month to a Bo Diddley beat, pounded out on a square guitar.

Here’s the annotated playlist. Oh - one more thing - on the Pod, there's no limit on the length of a playlist; this one, though, was created to be burned to a CD, so it's constrained by that medium's size limitation. Think of it as a self-imposed aesthetic rule, like writing a haiku or an Elizabethan sonnet (yes, the playlist as artform).

Not Fade Away - Buddy Holly: I opened the set with this one because of its crossover nature - Buddy does the Bo Diddley beat, and gets it completely.

Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley: Bo does a vamp on a classic folk/blues theme that goes back to “Hush little baby, don’t say a word, daddy’s gonna buy you a mockingbird”.

Mona - Bo Diddley: Bo’s in love, and the beat keeps rockin’.

Oh Boy! - Buddy Holly: Buddy’s straight ahead rocker – “stars appear and the shadow’s a’fallin’”. Love that reedy twangy tenor.

That'll Be The Day - Linda Ronstadt: A solid cover from Linda’s early years.

Bo Diddley - Bob Seger: Growly Seger vocal makes it work, although the beat gets a little too transmuted for my taste.

Everyday - Buddy Holly: One of my favorite Buddy ballads.

Cynical Girl - Marshall Crenshaw: The best Buddy Holly song that Buddy never wrote, by one of our – sadly – most undervalued musicians. Crenshaw is the true heir to Buddy as singer and songwriter, and if you don’t know him, you should. The Rhino anthology “This Is Easy” is a great place to start.

Who Do You Love - Bo Diddley, Muddy Waters: Bo and Muddy do a sweet home Chicago blues band version of another Bo classic; love to see that house made of rattlesnake hide with the human skull chimney – maybe the new Hard Rock theme park will put one up (restroom? Food kiosk?).

Willie and the Hand Jive - Eric Clapton: Slowhand does a cool cover of a Bo-beat song.

Rave On - Buddy Holly: Another Buddy rocker that doesn’t let go.

Heartbeat - The Hollies: Gorgeous cover of a Buddy ballad. Only Buddy could make “piddly pat” sound cool.

Hey! Bo Diddley! - Bo Diddley: Who else could answer that call, and with the weirdest references to "Old MacDonald" and "Froggy Went A Courtin'" imaginable? Only Bo.

Maybe Baby - Buddy Holly: another rock classic from Buddy.

Rave On - John Cougar Mellancamp: A good cover by a good rocker; not on my top ten, but he's OK.

Maybe Baby - Paul McCartney: Paul loves classic American rock, and his affection shows through without affectation (Paul's personal curse).

Who Do You Love - George Thorogood: Yes, he knows how to play Bo with heart.

She's The One - Bruce Springsteen: The Boss does the Bo beat to good effect.

Crying, Waiting, Hoping - Steve Earle, Marty Stuart: Steve Earle, one of my personal favorites, can – like Buddy – go from rock to ballad without hesitation; this cover of one of Buddy’s loveliest songs does it justice.

Bo Diddley's A Gunslinger - Warren Zevon: Must be heard. One of Bo’s lesser known hits done by a man untimely lost to us who loved to sing about guns. I love this track.

Peggy Sue - Buddy Holly: Buddy’s in love again and it sounds unrequited - but it's got a machine gun shuffle beat that doesn’t quit.

Sheila - Tommy Roe: Peggy Sue’s cousin.

Peggy Sue Got Married - Buddy Holly: Yes, she did, and Buddy sang about it.

Mona (live) - Bo Diddley With Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Not Fade Away - The Rolling Stones: A hit cover of a hit song by one of the best bar bands ever.

Bo Didddley, Bo Diddley - U.S. Marine Corps Cadence: I learned to like cadence counts in my brief time in the military (liked the bugle calls, too). Seems there are albums of them, and this particular cadence fades out the set.