Hip-O re-chisels some stone rock 'n' roll tablets with Bo Diddley's first 36 masters for Chess, augmented with 12 alternate takes. Like Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Elvis and the Everly Brothers' early works, you can hear Diddley transforming his roots into the newly christened rock 'n' roll. In Diddley's case both the rhythm and blues stay close at hand, and his inventions can be heard throughout the next 50 years of rock music. Listening through the masters in chronological order, interspersed with alternate takes, gives a sense of Diddley's evolution. In particular, the refinements from early to master takes, particularly in the vocal approach, shows Diddley to be surprisingly experimental in the studio. It's rare when you can point to something as a pillar of invention, but Diddley's music – his beat, his audacious rhythm guitar playing and his vocals are just that, a foundation of rock 'n' roll. [©2007 redtunictroll at hotmail dot com]
