Press Archives

10. November 2004 - Acher Buhl Courier

Rock'n'Roll celebrates its glamourous rebirth

"Bill Haley's New Comets" took care for best mood in the hall since ever

Im Bühler Bürgerhaus Neuer Markt feierte der "Rock'n'Roll" der 50er Jahre eine glanzvolle Reanimation. "Bill Haley's New Comets" heizten dem Publikum bedingungslos ein und sorgten für heitere Hochstimmung.

Nach der Meinung vieler Chronisten fällt der 50. Jahrestag des Rock'n'Roll bereits auf den 14. Juni 1951. Damals überredete ein Musikverleger Bill Haley und seine Band " The Saddlemen", eine Coverversion von "Rocket 88", eine Mischung von Country und Rhythm & Blues, zu spielen. Die Platte wurde jedoch nur ein lokaler SeIler. 1952 hängten die Saddlemen ihre bis dahin mit Stolz getragenen Cowboyhüte an den Nagel und wagten den radikalen Neuanfang. Sie gaben sich den Namen Bill Haley and the Comets, warfen sich in großkarierte rote Sakkos und landeten 1953 mit "Crazy Man Crazy" ihren ersten Millionenhit.

Am 12. April 1954 fuhr die Band nach New York City, um unter anderem "Rock Around The Clock" aufzunehmen. Es wurde die Titelmusik für Richard Brooks' Film "Saat der Gewalt" (1955) über eine von Jugendlichen terrorisierte Schule in der New Yorker Bronx. Die Filmmusik wurde über Nacht zur Hymne der Jugendbewegung und schlug mit 25 Millionen verkauften Exemplaren alle Verkaufsrekorde. Die Filme "Rock Around The Clock" (1956) und "Don't Knock The Rock" (1956) sowie die Livekonzerte Haleys lösten Randale und verwüstende Aktionen in ganz Amerika und Europa aus. Während seiner Deutschlandtournee 1957 kam es zu Zuschauertumulten. Der Sänger wurde von den Medien als "Jugendverderber" und "Radaumusiker" tituliert, seine Platten wurden in den USA als "Teufelswerk" abgelehnt und zeitweise sogar verboten. Mit Skinnie Minny (1958) landete Bill Haley seinen letzten großen Hit, der junge Frauenschwarm Elvis Presley verdrängte den Erfinder des Rock'n'Roll von seinem Thron. Haley starb am 9. Februar 1981 in seiner mexikanischen Villa in Harlington, Texas, völlig überraschend an einem Herzinfarkt.

"Bill Haley's New Comets" wurde bereits 1989 von den Original "Comets" zu einem Konzert eingeladen und als offizielle Revival-Band autorisiert. Marshall Lytle schwärmte: "Ich sah Bill und mich auf der Bühne wie vor 40 Jahren". Das Quintett erhielt im gleichen Jahr den Titel "Beste Deutsche Double-Band" und 1993 die Auszeichnung "Beste Revival- Band". Im Bühler Bürgerhaus saßen die Gäste an gedeckten Tischen und wurden auch während des Konzerts bedient. Kein Wunder, haben doch die jugendlichen Rockenthusiasten der 50er Jahre längst das Rentenalter erreicht.

Und obwohl der deswegen ironischerweise leicht irritiert wirkende Bandleader Joe Clifton beruhigend feststellte, dass die Stadthalle gegen alle Randale gut versichert sei, blieb das Mobiliar natürlich unverrückt. Die "Oldies" und die begeistert mitfeiernden Enkel und Urenkel der "Ur-Rock-Generation" ließen sich vielmehr ganz von der großartigen Show hinreißen. Da stiefelte der Saxofonist über die Tische, der Schlagzeuger verfolgte seine Trommel durch den ganzen Saal und trommelte dabei aus allen Lagen, und der Bassist legte sich beim Spiel der Länge nach auf dem Boden oder stellte sich auf sein Instrument.

Neben der toll choreografierten und trotzdem spontan wirkenden Show war aber auch die musikalische Leistung vom Feinsten. Alle Standardtitel der Rocklegende erklangen in bester Qualität und originalem Arrangement. Besonders die Soli des Saxofonisten begeisterten das Publikum. Bill Haley jr. alias Joe Clifton war natürlich nicht zu toppen. Er agierte als eine stets auf Hochtouren laufende Dampflokomotive, die den "Never-Ending-Rock'n'Roll-Express" kraftvoll vorantrieb und dabei seinen Übervater würdig vertrat.

Kurz: Das war eine Show vom Feinsten, die das Publikum mit riesigem Applaus bedachte. (Wolfgang Winter)

7 SEPTEMBER 2004 – ACHER-RENCH Newspaper

Haley Band highlights "Night of the Legends" once again. Rock'n'Roll nostalgia excite at the Wine Fest in Oberkirch.

Everything is as usual on Friday night at 7:30pm, the start of the »Night of the Legends«. The tent is filled with people, and the air is stifling. The first band has already begun playing.

»Bill Haley and His Comets« perform good old Rock'n'Roll – funny as ever, never lost for jokes, the stage reflecting the flair of the 60s.

(…)

During their performance, the heroes of Rock'n'Roll get the audience going. With their acrobatic acts, they are robbing on the stage or turn their red-checked jackets into Scottish kilts. After one and a half hours the last tone fades out.

Although the band's performance is the first during that night, the mood does not rise any more after they leave the stage. Perhaps not everybody in the tent knows 50s Rock, however, it gets almost everyone carried away.

24 May 2004 - New Osnabrucker Paper

Haley’s Comets heat up the cold

The locals in Bramsche do not warm up easily, let alone on a cold night in May. For this, comets are needed.

"Bill Haley's New Comets" provide breath-taking Rock'n'Roll-Show to top City Fest.

(...) Who are the Comets? Those who had expected an outdated combo clinging to an ancient legacy were quickly enlightened: fresh, exciting, musically skilful and quite on top of things, the band led the audience back to the days when Bill Haley wrote music history. It soon becomes clear why the original "Comets" have honoured the lively German quintet around Joe "Bill" Clifton by deeming them their only legitimate European successors.

Only a few from the audience were present when the movie "Rock around the Clock", featuring the famous song with the same title, came to Germany in 1956 causing an unequalled wave of enthusiasm for a new kind of music. A far greater part of listeners was not even born when Haley died in 1981. But his music is livelier than ever due to its presentation by virtuoso musicians as enthusiastic as the Haley’s were.

In addition to this, "Dennis Teabone", the saxophonist, is „waiting on tables” in the beer car, Joe “Bill” Clifton and his drummer mingling with the crowd together, dancing and acting skilfully. All this fuses to create the perfect act. Haleys Rock 'n' Roll is alive, and even the teenagers go wild and join in to sing "See You Later Alligator".

23 February 2004 - Baden Daily News

Lying down does not stop one from playing music…

"Bill Haley's New Comets Band" performs music for high-spirited fancy dress ball in the assembly rooms

Baden-Baden. Right at the beginning of the night, and with up-tempo Rock'n'Roll rhythms, Bill Haley and his Comets supplied enough stuff for dancing. But also the more passive onlookers were given the best entertainment, for the full-blood musicians proved that virtually every instrument can be played when lying down on stage and that a double bass can be plucked when standing on it. (...)

They brought more than just lively 50s Rock'n'Roll rhythms to listen to. These guys know how to present a funny, stimulating show using comic and acrobatic elements as well as skill with which they include the audience, and yet keep the "good tone". "Really great" marked all the Rock'n'Rollers in fancy dresses who were getting their share of entertainment that night.

21 July 2003 - Thuringer Newspaper

Second Rock'n'Roll Party in the Wandelhalle really got audience going

Bill Haley's New Comets giving everything to drive them wild

Eisenach. A huge crowd of Rock'n'Roll fans were coming together in the Wandelhalle. For the second time, Rock Around The Clock was featuring the “Bill Haley Revival Band” as the highlight on Saturday night, the band to whom the original "Comets" have granted special permission to use their name.

(...)

The band, which had just come back from a US-tour, gave everything to the 1,500 listeners, creating a mood of high spirits. (...) After midnight, the Rock'n'Rollers from our neighbour county got it going once more with "See You Later Alligator" and "Rock Around The Clock".

20 May 2003 - Mannheim Morning

"Night of the Legends" brings back memories

600 guests dancing to "oldies" in the Heddesheimer Nordbadenhalle

Heddesheim. "Night of the Legends" – that was how the SG Heddesheim announced its big musical event. In a state of high spirits, more than 600 guests were proof that the organizers had not exagerated one bit as they were hitting for the dance floor in the Nordbadenhalle, rocking to numerous oldies until right after midnight.

According to President Peter Weth, every effort was made "to invite the best to Heddesheim" when they had asked Bill Haley and His Comets Revival Band to come and play, and Christian Moles, the support group’s Vize President, was also grateful for the engagement of these full-blood musicians: "Fortunately, we had booked them a year in advance".

The musicians performed first-class Rock'n'Roll of the golden fifties, including comedy numbers as well as a variety of acrobatics to round off the exciting program. People will remember this "Night of the Legends" for a long time. Then again, everything around it was just perfect. (...)

02 May 2003 - West German News

Bill Haley's successors made many a toe tip

Noby Solback nailed it perfectly when he says: "We've had so much fun, and the audience, too. Can you ask for more?"

For the guitarist of "Bill Haley and his Comets Revival Band", the May dance in the Flottmann Hallen was just as perfect as for the 500 people who were attending the concert, tightly squeezed both inside the hall and the pub. They had a jolly good time with the hits from the 50s and 60s, and Bill Haley's successors did a fantastic job.

Even those who could not sing along at least got their toes tipping. And whoever was not exhausted after solid 150 minutes of Bill Haley alias Joe "Bill" Clifton had an opportunity to join in disco dancing in the Flottman Hallen from 11:00pm right into the month of May, listening and dancing to current music laid up by a DJ.

Frank Gauert, who organized the party for the local radio station, was more than happy with the sold-out evening, the great atmosphere and top musicians playing live on stage. Gauert sees the future in this event: "I’ve already got ideas for the next couple of years." (...) JoS.

10 February 2003 - Odenwalder Echo

From Rock'n'Roll Heaven right into the "Patat" Cellar

Performance of "Bill Haley's New Comets" brings a pioneer and an epoch of a musical genre back to life.

MICHELSTADT. Rock'n'Roll lives, and also his inventor, Bill Haley, are present right beyond his death 20 years ago.

"Bill Haley's New Comets", guest performers in the Michelstadt Patat-Keller, demonstrated this. The unforgettable music of the "undisputed King of Rock'n'Roll" was literally celebrated by the five gentlemen in red-checked Jackets and pigtail.

Lead singer Joe "Bill" Clifton talked double Dutch when making jokes and announcing the songs, Mani Lytle working the double bass, of course using the horizontal position, too. And "Bam Bam" Cellarhope proved to be an excellent drummer, as long as he was not given a hard time, having to run after his drum across the auditorium. On a more voluntarily basis, Denis "Rudy" and his saxophone was involved with the guests, and so did lead guitarist Nobby Soulback.

From "Rock around the Clock" to "See You Later Alligator", the legitimate successors presented an extensive part of the work of the pioneer and his companions. A lot of comedy is always part of it, because the Rock'n'Rollers do not take themselves too seriously. Also the audience was included, some of whom were picked from the crowd, either to be sung about, or those who voluntarily acted with the band on or in front of the stage. Rarely was such a high-spirited mood as on that week end experienced in the cellar.

Half a century ago, Rock'n'Roll made its way to the Old World across the „Big Pond“, and was loved and feared by both young and old. Bill Haley was born in Michigan in 1925. Back in 1951, he was the first to fuse Rhythm & Blues with Country-Music, thus creating a new musical style. The prohibitions that were imposed mostly in America promoted his triumph rather than stopping it. As from 1952, Bill Haley and his Comets filled the world with the sound of their "devils work" called Rock'n'Roll, impacting the awareness of an entire generation. In 1981, Haley died of a heart attack in his Mexican-style villa. Despite this, his band went back on stage in 1989.

The Haley-Revival-Band from the Ruhr Area in Germany was also invited to this unique concert in Bristol. Impressed by the authenticity of their German colleagues, the Americans declared them worthy successors and gave them permission to officially use of their name. The success story of "Bill Haley's New Comets" began. Tours throughout Europe followed. In 1989, the band’s work earned the musicians the title of "Best German Double Band" and received the title "Best Revival-Band" in 1993.

Bill Haley was known to be a master of moods. On the night of the premiere in the Patat Cellar, the reaction of the guests was proof enough that "Bill Haley junior" is just as good at it. Many had been trying hard to obtain the last remaining cards for the next day's show.