Elvis Presley's first LP was called Elvis Presley, and his second Elvis. In stark contrast, Ricky Nelson's first LP was called Ricky, and his second Ricky Nelson. Nelson remained a slavish imitator of the Sun Records rockabilly style on his sophomore long-player, but he had improved enormously in the endeavor. The production was closer to the Sun Studio sound, with the same kind of vocal echo, and in James Burton, Nelson had found the real article, a classic rock & roll guitarist with a style that was both distinctive and perfectly attuned to the essentials of the sound. But the improvement over the first album was also attributable to Nelson himself, who had become a far more involved singer. He may have been turning out carbon copies of Presley ("There's Good Rockin' Tonight") and Roy Orbison ("Down the Line") from Sun, as well as old favorite Fats Domino ("I'm in Love Again"), whose "I'm Walkin'" had launched his career, and even Little Walter ("My Babe"), but he executed these approximations with the fervor of a true believer. And he was beginning to write his own material ("Don't Leave Me This Way") and introduce the writing of his band (Burton and bass player James Kirkland's "There Goes My Baby"). As usual, there was a complement of tricked-out pop covers from the past — the 1940 copyright "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)," the 1944 song "I'll Walk Alone," the recent movie hit "Unchained Melody" — songs that Nelson also managed to be comfortable singing. And there was his latest (and biggest) hit, "Poor Little Fool." Ricky Nelson thus marks a distinct advance over Ricky, even if was not embraced as enthusiastically as its predecessor, peaking only in the Top Ten and remaining in the charts only a couple of months.

RICK NELSON

(Imperial LP-9050)

July/1958


1.
SHIRLEY LEE
(Bobby Lee Trammell)
« © '58 Jamie Music, BMI »

Well I got a gal her name is Shirley Lee
Yeah I got a little woman her name is Shirley Lee
Well Shirley Lee you're the one for me
Well Shirley Lee you know Shirley Lee yeah Shirley
Lee, well Shirley Lee yeah Shirley Lee you're the one for me yeah
[ guitar ]
Well come to me baby come to me baby now
Yeah come to me baby come to me baby now
Well come to me baby I'll love you somehow
Well Shirley Lee...
[ guitar ]
Well I got a gal...
**********
2.
SOMEDAY (YOU'LL WANT ME TO WANT YOU)
(Jimmy Hodges)
« © '54 Songs Of Universal, BMI »

I know that someday you'll want me to want you when I'm in love with somebody new
You expect me to be true and keep on loving you
Though I am feeling blue you think I can't forget you
Until someday you'll want me to want you when I'm in love with somebody new
Although you don't want me now I'll get along somehow and then I won't want you
[ guitar ]
I know that someday you'll want me to want you when I'm in love with somebody new
Although you don't want me now oh I'll get along somehow and then I won't want you
**********
3.
GOOD ROCKIN' TONIGHT
(Roy Brown)
« © '58 Brown Angel Music, BMI / Trio Music, BMI »

Well I heard the news there's good rockin' tonight
Well I heard the news there's good rockin' tonight
Well I'm gonna hold my baby as tight as I can
Tonight she'll know I'm a mighty mighty man
I heard the news there's good rockin' tonight
Well I say meet me in a hurry and don't be late
The band starts to rockin' up by eight
I want you to bring along my rockin' shoes
Cause tonight I'm gonna rock away all my blues
I heard the news there's good rockin' tonight
Well we're gonna rock we're gonna rock let's rock come on and rock
We're gonna rock all our blues away
[ guitar ]
Well I say meet me in a hurry...
**********
4.
I'M FEELIN' SORRY
(Jack Clement)
« © '58 Songs Of PolyGram, BMI »

I told a little lie baby you nade me cry that's why I'm feelin' blue
I'm feelin' sorry I lied to you
I took your little heart I too it all apart now I'm missin' you
I'm feelin' sorry I couldn't be true
I should have known better I should have been truer
Well I know that you're blue but baby I'm bluer
Uh I want to find a way baby to make you stay but I know I'll never win
I'm feelin' sorry that I'm just a friend
[ guitar ]
You gave to me true love but I didn't take it
Got a way to forgive me but I'll never make it
Uh I want to find a way...
**********
5.
DOWN THE LINE
(Roy Orbison - Sam Phillips)
« © '58 Hi-Lo Music, BMI »

Well if you can't be my lovin' baby you ain't got the style
I'm gonna get some real gone love that will drive the cool cat wild
I wanna move move on down the line
Yeah I wanna get some loving love that's truly fine
Yeah I wanna move on down the line I wanna get some love that's truly fine
She'll be cool and do me right she'll be cool and twice as gone
We're gonna roll on roll on down the line oh do right do right all the time
Yeah I'm gonna move on down the line...
[ guitar ]
Uh I'm gonna show it ain't so hot I'm gonna get what you ain't got
She'll be cool and do me right she'll be cool and twice as gone
We're gonna roll on roll on down the line yeah I'm gonna do right do right all the time
Well I wanna move on down the line...
**********
6.
UNCHAINED MELODY
(Hy Zaret - Alex North)
« © '55 Frank Music, ASCAP »

Oh my love my darling I've hungered for your touch alone lonely time
Time goes by so slowly and time can do so much are you still mine
I need your love I need your love God speeds your love to me
My darling I've hungered...
**********
7.
I'M IN LOVE AGAIN
(Antonio Domino - Dave Bartholomew)
« © '55 Unart Catalog, BMI »

Yes it's me I'm in love again had no lovin' since you know when
You know I love you yes I do and I'm saving all my lovin' just for you
I need your lovin' and I need it bad just like a dog when he's goin' mad
Woo-ee baby woo-oo-ee baby won't you give your love to me
Eenie meenie and miney-mo you don't want me around no more
Woo-ee baby woo-oo-ee baby don't you let your dog bite me oh yeah
[ guitar ]
Yes and me I'm in love again...
**********
8.
DON'T LEAVE ME THIS WAY
(Antonio Domino - Dave Bartholomew)
« © '53 Unart Catalog, BMI »

When you came along oh happy was I when you went away I thought I would die
Oh baby don't leave me this way
You know how much I needed your touch baby I loved you a little too much
Oh baby don't leave me this way
I thought you said our love was true you loved me and I loved you
But now you're gone and I am blue oh what am I gonna do
I just can't see why you wanted to go you knew all along it hurt me so
Oh baby don't leave me this way
[ ac.guitar ]
I thought you said our love was true...
Oh baby don't leave me this way
**********
9.
MY BABE
(Willie Dixon)
« © '58 Hoochie Coochie Music, BMI »

Well my babe don't stand no kissin' my babe
Oh yeah she don't stand no kissin' my babe
Well my baby don't stand no kissin' cept when I'm the one she's kissin'
My babe true little baby my babe
Oh my babe I know she love me my babe oh yeah I know she love me my babe
Well my babe I know she love me she don't do nothin' but kiss and hug me
My babe true little baby my babe oh babe
[ guitar ]
Yeah my baby don't stand no foolin' my babe
Oh yeah she don't stand no foolin' my baby
Well my baby don't stand no foolin' when she's around she's so darn coolin'
My babe true little baby my babe yeah baby
[ guitar ]
Well my baby don't stand no foolin'...
Well my babe true little baby my babe well my babe true little baby my babe
**********
10.
I'll WALK ALONE
(Sammy Cahn - Jule Styne)
« © '58 Cahn Music, ASCAP / Morley Music, ASCAP »

**********
11.
THERE GOES MY BABY
(Jesse Kirkland - Gary Burton)
« © '58 Unart Catalog, BMI / Matragun Music, BMI »

There goes my baby going for a ride yeah there goes my baby going for a ride
Well I know she's lonesome if I'm not by her side
She's always talking on that telephone oh she's always talking on that telephone
Well she must be lonely cause she's at home alone
Well time's a wasting talkin' bout this gal
I love her so much but I'll get along somehow
Yeah we used to fight and she'd call me a dirty dog
Oh we used to fight and she'd call me a dirty dog
Well talking to that woman is like talking to a hollow log yeah
[ guitar ]
There goes my baby...
**********
12.
POOR LITTLE FOOL
(Sharon Sheely)
« © '58 Unart Catalog, BMI / Matragun Music, BMI »

I used to play around with hearts that hastened at my call
But when I met that little girl I knew that I would fall
Poor little fool oh yeah I was a fool uh huh
(Uh huh poor little fool I was your fool oh yeah)

She played around and teased me with her carefree devil eyes
She'd hold me close and kiss me but her heart was full of lies
Poor little fool...

She told me how she cared for me and that we'd never part
And so for the very first time I gave away my heart
Poor little fool...

The next day she was gone and I knew she'd lied to me
She left me with a broken heart and won her victory
Poor little fool...

Well I'd played this game with other hearts but I never thought I'd see
The day that someone else would play love's foolish game with me
Poor little fool...
**********

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Rick Nelson Discography