
Also, the majority of these tracks do NOT feature the original artists. Instead, sound-a-likes have been used to re-create these classic tracks. Some are good, most are passable but some just don't do it for me. Of course, there is a reason for using uncredited vocalists. Obtaining licenses to use the original artists doesn't come cheap, and since there's songs on this CD originally sung by The Beatles and Elvis to name but a few, to use the REAL performers would be financially astronomical (as the Master Mixers found out after the success of "Swing The Mood").
The Master Mixers were able to get away with this back in the days when they produced 4-minute megamixes. It didn't matter if the artist used was a sound-a-like because the samples were so short, you didn't notice. "Non-Stop Juke Box",on the other hand, sees each song used last for (on average) two minutes - almost the entire length of the original tracks. The limitations ARE there for ALL to see, and the end product is somewhat amateurish. Or in other words, you know these aren't the original performers (although Jive Bunny and the Master Mixers never once said they were).
The tracks used are bona-fide classic though. You can't help but think 'rock n roll' while listening to legendary songs such as "Rave On", "All Shook Up", "Great Balls Of Fire", "Summertime Blues", "Rock Around The Clock", "Be-Bop-A-Lula", "At The Hop" and "Hello Mary Lou (Good Bye Heart)" to name just a few found here. I suppose those wanting to discover how magical 50s rock n' roll was will enjoy listening to these inferior versions, but the purists out there will no doubt be up in arms. Still, you know WHY the Master Mixers were unable to use the original artists.
Another reviewer quite rightly mentioned the poor quality of mixing found on "Non-Stop Juke Box". There's just no 'life' put into this medley, and without that added 'oomph' (evident on Jive Bunny's earlier work), rock n' roll tracks from the 1950s sound quite bland today. And that's what this album is, unfortunately. One for the collection, maybe. But this won't be an album you play over and over again.
Jon.