Hell Bent For Leather! – FRANKIE LAINE****

Wanted Man/High Noon/Gunfight At The OK Coral/Bowie Knife/Along The Navajo Trail/The Cry Of The Wild Goose/Rawhide/City Boy/Cool Water/The 3:10 To Yuma/The Hanging Tree/Mule Train

Balladeer Frankie Laine here performs what he does best - rousing songs of the Old West. Hell Bent For Leather! includes the UK top ten hit single Rawhide, the theme song to the TV western series. (US:71 UK:7)

“A one-of-a-kind record. Frankie's big, booming, lounge singer voice mixed with archetypal tales of the old west set to a thundering orchestral score. If only he'd made a career out of this.”

“Nobody could put across a song of the Old West better than Frankie. To me he is one of the 'All Time Greats'.”

“One of the best country albums ever. My favourite track is The 3:10 To Yuma but there are no weak spots on this album. A masterpiece.”

“Frankie Laine was a dramatic singer, composer, musician and accomplished big band crooner who later sang pop, jazz and blues. He hit his stride singing ballads and songs with western and adventure themes, although he was not a mainstream country & western artist.”

“Brought back memories of the old time country music. He had a good voice and the songs are typical of the era. The music is clear and it is fun to sing along with Frankie. This is a must have for anyone who enjoyed the westerns of the 1950s.”

“Singing with raw power and emotion, Frankie was at the top of his game here. The urgent Bowie Knife building to a great climax, the chorus of the song and the story have been bouncing around in my mind for decades. The Hanging Tree with its unusual and unexpected twist, and the very beautiful 3:10 To Yuma with its tremendous arrangement, chorus, and Frankie delivering a poignant performance about a determined cowboy. City Boy could have been the weak song of the group, but not in Frankie's hands.”

“Hell Bent For Leather has terrific, rousing western songs, done in a rich style that makes you feel you are back in the Old West.”