Bill Haley & His Comets discography

Last updated

Bill Haley & His Comets recorded many singles and albums. The following list references only their original release and generally does not include compilation albums (with a few exceptions) or single reissues. This list does not include releases on which the Comets worked as session musicians, and primarily focuses on releases during Haley's lifetime.

Contents

Studio albums

Live albums

In addition, two previously unissued live recordings were included on the 1973 soundtrack album for the concert film Let the Good Times Roll (Bell 9002), recorded in Detroit, Michigan.

Above list does not include live recordings issued after Haley's death.

Notable compilations

Other

Singles

As Bill Haley and the 4 Aces of Western Swing

1948

1949

As Bill Haley & the Saddlemen (and variations of the name)

Note: Haley recorded several singles with other groups prior to the Saddlemen that are not listed here.

1950

1951

1952

As Bill Haley & His Comets (and name variations thereof)

YearTitles (A-side, B-side)
Both sides from same album except where indicated
Chart positions
US
[3]
US R&B
[3] [4]
AUS UK
1952"Stop Beatin' Round The Mulberry Bush"
b/w "Real Rock Drive"
64
1953"Crazy Man, Crazy"
b/w "What'cha Gonna Do"
1266
"Pat-A-Cake"
b/w "Fractured" [B-side charted]
2454
"Live It Up!"
b/w "Farewell, So Long, Goodbye"
2562
"I'll Be True"
b/w "Ten Little Indians"
65
1954"Chattanooga Choo Choo"
b/w "Straight Jacket"
24
"Yes Indeed!"
b/w "Real Rock Drive"
78
"Rock Around the Clock" 1954/1955
b/w "Thirteen Women"
1311
"Shake, Rattle and Roll"
b/w "A.B.C. Boogie"
7184
"Dim, Dim the Lights (I Want Some Atmosphere)"
b/w "Happy Baby"
1110
1955"Birth of the Boogie"/
"Mambo Rock"
26
18
14
14
"Razzle-Dazzle"
b/w "Two Hound Dogs"
1513
"Burn That Candle"/
"Rock-A-Beatin' Boogie"
9
41
9

4
1956"See You Later, Alligator"
b/w "The Paper Boy (On Main Street, U.S.A.)"
67377
"R-O-C-K"/
"The Saints Rock 'N' Roll"
16
42
15
36
5
"Hot Dog Buddy Buddy"/
"Rockin' Through the Rye"
60
78
25
3
"Rip It Up"/
"Teenager's Mother"
30
68
204
"Rudy's Rock"
b/w "Blue Comet Blues"
3426
"Don't Knock the Rock"/
"Choo Choo Ch'Boogie"
1957"Don't Knock the Rock"
b/w "Calling All Comets"
7
"Forty Cups of Coffee"/
"Hook, Line and Sinker"
70
"(You Hit the Wrong Note) Billy Goat"
b/w "Rockin' Rollin' Rover"
6030
"The Dipsy Doodle"
b/w "Miss You"
"Rock the Joint"
(re-recording of their 1952 track)
b/w "How Many"
"Rock The Joint"
(UK-only reissue of original 1952 track)
b/w "Yes Indeed!"
20
1958"Skinny Minnie"
b/w "Sway with Me"
22
"Lean Jean"
b/w "Don't Nobody Move"
6786
"Whoa Mabel!"
b/w "Chiquita Linda"
86
"Corrine, Corrina"
b/w "B.B. Betty"
1959"I Got A Woman"
b/w "Charmaine"
"A Fool Such As I"
b/w "Where'd You Go Last Night"
"Caldonia"
b/w "Shaky"
"Joey's Song"
b/w "Ooh Looka There, Ain't She Pretty"
461
"Skokiaan (South African Song)"
b/w "Puerto Rican Peddler"
70
1960"Tamiami"
b/w "Candy Kisses"
"Chick Safari"
b/w "Hawk"
"Music! Music! Music!"
b/w "Strictly Instrumental"
"So Right Tonight"
b/w "Let the Good Times Roll, Creole"
1961"Flip, Flop and Fly"
b/w "Honky Tonk"
"The Spanish Twist"
b/w "My Kind of Woman"
"Riviera"
b/w "War Paint"
1963"Dance Around the Clock"
b/w "What Can I Say After I Say I'm Sorry"
"Tandy"
b/w "You Call Everybody Darling"
"Tenor Man"
b/w "Up Goes My Love"
1964"The Green Door"
b/w "Yeah! She's Evil"
"Lean Jean"
b/w "Skinny Minnie"
1965"Burn That Candle"
b/w "Stop, Look and Listen"
"Tongue Tied Tony"
b/w "Haley A Go Go"
1968"Rock Around the Clock" (re-release)
b/w "Shake, Rattle and Roll"
420
1969"That's How I Got To Memphis"
b/w "Ain't Love Funny, Ha Ha Ha"
1971"A Little Piece At A Time"
b/w "Travelin' Band"
1974"Rock Around the Clock" (re-release)
b/w "Shake, Rattle and Roll"
3912
"See You Later, Alligator" (re-release)
b/w "Rudy's Rock"
52
1978"Yodel Your Blues Away"
b/w "Within This Broken Heart of Mine"
1981"Haley's Golden Medley"
b/w "A.B.C. Boogie"
50

Billboard Year-End performances

YearSongYear-End
Position
1954 "Shake, Rattle and Roll"26
1955 "Rock Around the Clock"2
1956 "See You Later, Alligator"33

Other

As The Down Homers:

As Johnny Clifton and His String Band:

As The Kingsmen:

"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

Unreleased recordings

As with Elvis Presley and other contemporaries of the 1950s, a large stock of previously unreleased recordings by Bill Haley exist and have been released periodically in the years following his death. Many of these are early country and western tracks recorded as demos or, for some reason, unreleased. However, occasionally tracks from the 1950s and 1960s have emerged, as have live recordings. Since the early 1990s several European labels have released a number of previously unreleased recordings, including Hydra Records, Rollercoaster Records, Rockstar Records, Buddah Records, and Bear Family Records.

Notable discoveries that have been commercially released have included:

Later Comets recordings

Several of the post-Haley contingents of Comets had their own single and album releases:

The group has also appeared as guest stars on a number of other recordings by Andy Lee Lang, Schurli Weiss and others.


Chart positions (US and UK)

1953

1954

1955

1956

1957

1958

1959–1960

1974 plus...

American chart toppers (Top 100)

British chart toppers (Top 20)

Mexico, India, and Australia

In addition, Bill Haley and the Comets also scored chart hits in Latin America, Mexico, and India during the period 1961–1966 with recordings such as "Twist Español", "Florida Twist", "Spanish Twist", "Caravan Twist", and "Land of a Thousand Dances". Reportedly, "Chick Safari", a 1960 recording, reached the No. 1 position on the Indian musical charts. Both the single "Florida Twist" and the Twist LP Record went to No. 1 in Mexico.

Based on the Billboard Hits of the World chart, Bill Haley and the Comets had the following chart hits in Mexico and India in 1962:

In 1964, "Rock Around the Clock" on the Festival label reached no. 8 on the Australian chart:

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">R-O-C-K</span> 1956 single by Bill Haley and His Comets

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References

  1. Billboard Record Review Aug 14, 1948 page 121
  2. Billboard Advance Folk Record Releases Mar 19, 1949 page 38
  3. 1 2 "Bill Haley : Chart Singles Discography".
  4. "Hot R&B Sides". Billboard . April 25, 1960. p. 156.
  5. "Week ending JUNE 27, 1953". Cashboxmagazine.com. 1953-06-27. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
  6. "10.2011". Cashboxmagazine.com. 1955-11-26. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
  7. Song artist 114 – Bill Haley & his Comets.
  8. "Cash Box Top Singles 11/19/55". Cashboxmagazine.com. 1955-11-19. Retrieved 2011-11-04.
  9. Billboard, June 13, 1964, Hits of the World chart, Australia.