Harmonica Beatlemania

AMG Review of Harmonica Beatlemania

Greg Adams
All Music Guide

Sonny Curtis announced "A Beatle I Want to Be," the Carefrees swooned "We Love You Beatles" -- even Ella Fitzgerald paid tribute to the "Ringo Beat." The years 1964-1965 saw a flood of Beatles /p>

ovelties and tributes from every field of music, and former Sun ockabilly cat Billy Lee Riley got in on the act, too. Harmonica Beatlemania was the third of three instrumental harmonica albums he recorded for Mercury Records in the mid-'60s; he may have hoped that the Beatles theme would be a sure-fire winner, but the album's sales were insufficient for Mercury to keep him on their roster. Harmonica Beatlemania has a dozen Lennon-McCartney songs interpreted as ock & roll instrumentals, with Riley's harmonica blazing in the lead. The repertoire focuses on the Fab Four's early hits but bypasses a few big ones such as "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Do You Want to Know a Secret" in favor of minor hits and album tracks like "Tell Me Why" and "Ringo's Theme (This Boy)." "I'll Cry Instead" is misidentified as "I Cry Instead," and "I Should Have Known Better" is split into two parts. Riley's performances are forceful and funky, but one can't help but wonder whether the project was foisted on him.