Heroes: Giants of Early Guitar Rock

You can call him Dion! You might even go as far as to call him FONZIE! Dion hasn't lost a beat and these songs sound even better now then they did then!

Wow this guy is awesome. I love the old songs but i hate the original low quality. Dion really did these songs justice. Great job!!

I, finally, saw Dion in Lancaster, PA two years back. He amazed me with this spot-on notation and incredible guitar work. His band was righteous. I hold nothing but admiration and respect for a man who's done it... gone to the dark side and returned. He's real. He should be highly respected as one of the 'originals' who've stayed the course. I bow down, my friend. You cleanse my soul with every listen.

Who would have thought that at the age of 69 that Dion would have this album in him? If his voice doesn’t have the full swagger earlier years, it’s still incredibly solid and filled with the spirit that lifted him onto the first wave of rock ‘n’ roll. Even more surprising is that Dion’s an accomplished guitarist, and together with Bob Richardson, he salutes the real giants of early guitar rock: Cliff Gallup, James Burton, Scotty Moore and other players whose six-strings provided the sting of many early rock ‘n’ roll classics. Dion’s picked 15 well-known hits from the catalogs of Eddie Cochran, Buddy Holly, Ricky Nelson, The Everly Brothers, Gene Vincent, Del Shannon, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison, Bill Haley and his own “The Wanderer,” and on each he and Richardson highlight their core guitar sounds. Given Dion’s first-hand experience with these songs and their original artists, these aren’t so much covers as personal renditions of the folk music of his adolescence. Most of us can hazily remember our teenage years, but few expressed it so fully at the time, night-after-night in song. Dion’s recitations of youthful pique, broken hearts, freewheeling joy, feverous love and adolescent braggadocio are obviously much more than distant memories. He cooks with the passion of a hormonal teenager on “Believe What You Say,” aches with longing on “Runaway” and rekindles his own young swagger on “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Who Do You Love.” This is both a stroll down a nostalgic street and a vital new work by an artist forever infused with the emotional fire of rock ‘n’ roll. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2008 hyperbolium dot com]

Fun record of early rock standards. Dion is still in great voice and the record sounds like it came out of 1958. Very honest.

First of all - I admit that I'm a "Boomer" and grew up on 50's and 60's music (aka "oldies") of the sort contained on this album. However, you have to understand that us boomers love our music because that's all we really had in the way of entertainment back then. The first thing you should know about this album is that it's FUN! You can't help tap your feet and break out the old "air guitar" when you're listening! Hey, remember "FUN"? The second thing is that Dion does a great job covering these big hits from the 50's by the likes of Elvis, Bo Diddley, Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, and many others. However, the thing that has made this album one of my all time favorites is the guitar work on every single track; it is exceptional! I have to confess that I did not realize Dion was such an accomplished guitarist, but he is. However, his back-up guitarist Robert Richardson provides much of the fireworks going on in the background. The DVD that accompanies this album is just as entertaining as the CD. Dion sheds some interesting light on the careers and personalities of the artists he is paying tribute to on the album. Word of advice to you young and aspiring rock musicians out there; this album should be required listening for you! The truly great composers and musicians over the years learned from the "Masters" that went before them....Listen and Learn my friends!

I too have followed Dion through all the change, growth, and maturation. He hasn't lost his freshness; he hasn't lost his fearlessness, he hasn't lost his love for the music and he hasn't lost his talent. There were three great voices in early rock 'n roll: Elvis, Roy and Dion.

Thank you Dion for performing these songs again! These recordings are not to be missed. Dion has given us a wonderful legacy with this - and all his - music over the years. He's the real deal! Listen to all the tracks - you won't be disappointed. Especially noteworthy is the outstanding guitar work throughout the recordings.

Not too many. Dion is definitely one. Everything he's done since YO, FRANKIE has been pure rockin' GOLD, and this album is no exception. Great songs, by a GREAT artist who deserves to have more people know that he is simply BETTER THAN EVER. Sample these songs. Buy this record. Then go back for YO,FRANKIE, DEJA NEW, the incredible NEW MASTERS, his Blues albums--BRONX IN BLUE, and SON OF SKIP JAMES, and the best Christmas album of all-time: ROCK N' ROLL CHRISTMAS. When you're done with all that, get the DION:LIVE IN CONCERT DVD, and then find a way to see him LIVE yourself. Yeah, I guess I like Dion. He's one of my very favorite artists, but it's not just some oldies nostalgia trip---I mean, sure--he was one of the greatest of the early rockers, no doubt. But all these albums, even the covers and re-dos of his own classics are a brand new experience that equal or surpass his early work. He's never sounded better, and he's got a hipper-than-ever, blues-laden approach that just electrifies his material. He's cool, he's honest, and he's fun.

it's a bit older but it caught my attetion nice change from screamo