The Crickets featuring Buddy Holly – Four More

The Crickets Featuring Buddy Holly – Four More

A superb piece of Buddy Holly and The Crickets history, Four More is a four-track UK 7" EP released by Coral Records in May 1960, shortly after Holly's death. Issued as Coral FEP 2060, the EP brings together four recordings from The Crickets' celebrated late-1950s catalogue and was marketed in Britain as featuring the late, great Buddy Holly.

The EP opens with “Last Night”, followed by “Send Me Some Lovin'”, a song that had already become an important part of the Holly/Crickets repertoire. The second side features “You've Got Love” and “Rock Me My Baby”, giving the release a compact four-track snapshot of the group's melodic rock & roll style. The songwriting credits span Norman Petty, Bob Marascalco, Leo Price, Buddy Holly and other figures from the Crickets' recording circle.

Although the record is credited to The Crickets Featuring Buddy Holly, it is worth noting that the Crickets' recordings continued to be issued after Holly's death, with his name remaining an important part of the group's identity. The 1960 release therefore sits in an unusual period of the catalogue: Buddy Holly had already died in February 1959, but his recordings and the music he made with The Crickets continued to appear on new British releases for years afterwards. Contemporary Cash Box coverage specifically highlighted the late Buddy Holly's presence on the new Four More EP.

The record is also a great example of why the Crickets/Buddy Holly catalogue remains so important to the history of rock & roll. The band's combination of electric guitars, close vocal harmonies, concise songwriting and driving rhythm helped establish a blueprint that would influence the British beat groups of the 1960s. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and countless later rock bands drew heavily on the sound pioneered by Holly and The Crickets.

For collectors, Four More is particularly appealing as an original UK Coral EP, rather than simply another Buddy Holly compilation. The original Coral FEP 2060 issue has become a desirable piece of British rock & roll collecting, with contemporary and specialist record sources identifying it as a four-track 7" EP.

An essential addition for fans of Buddy Holly, The Crickets, early rock & roll and 1950s rockabilly, Four More captures the enduring appeal of Holly's recordings at a time when his music was still finding new audiences on both sides of the Atlantic.

Tracklist

Side A

1. Last Night
2. Send Me Some Lovin'

Side B

1. You've Got Love
2. Rock Me My Baby