User Reviews

The study of the influence of the British modern jazz movement of the mid 1950s on the development of rock 'n' roll in this country could be a fruitful field for future pop music historians.Much of the music in "Rock you sinners" is closer to jazz than it is to rock.The rimshot off beat,the screaming tenor saxophones pouring out endless honking choruses come straight from the Lionel Hampton band of the time or,heresy of heresies,Duke Ellington's classic "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue" at Newport in 1956.There may be a further connection here because some of the background music,particularly in the opening sequence is distinctly Ellingtonian. The best band in the film by a country mile is led by Tony Crombie ,one of the few "naturals" the jazz scene in Britain has ever produced."The Baron" was a shrewd,clever and witty man .Seeing an opening in the newly developing rock 'n' roll scene he took a group of like-minded jazzers ,dispensed with the music's harmonic and rhythmic subtlety and formed "The Rockets",heavily influenced by Bill Haley's Comets.He did have some success but with the best will in the world could not have been described as a "Best selling Artist" as he is referred to in the film. Nor indeed could Don Sollash,a Brighton - based jazz drummer who later managed Dobell's Jazz Record shop for many years.A fine drummer,he was a dreadful singer as he proves with the lugubrious "Rock 'n' Roll Blues".He looks as if he earnestly wished he were somewhere else - anywhere else actually.He later cheers up and appears in several crowd scenes grinning manically. Art Baxter,like Tony Crombie an associate of Ronnie Scott led "The Rockin' Sinners" from the front,enjoying himself hugely as befits a man who once missed the Scott bandbus and took a taxi from London to Cheltenham at a cost of several times his fee for the gig.Not the shy and retiring type,he never took himself seriously - a virtue some of today's rockers distinctly lack. Messrs Sollash and Crombie also wrote some of the songs,although I doubt Cole Porter would tremble in his shoes at the thought of that. In the same spirit of keeping things "In - House" as it were ,the leading lady Miss Adrienne Fancey was presumably related to the film's producer B.C.Fancey and she appeared in "Fighting Mad" and "Flight from Vienna" two other films by "Rock you Sinners" director Dennis Kavanagh both of which were produced by a certain Ed Fancey. Of all the other acts on show only Joan Small displays what used to be called "Star quality" despite being lumbered with a quite appalling song called"You can't sing I love you to to a rock and roll tune".Sadly I have no idea what happened to her,but she is the one performer in the film whose subsequent obscurity I consider a cause for regret rather than relief . Co Producer Jeff Kruger was later decorated for services to British jazz.He founded the "Flamingo Club",started "Ember Records" with his father,Sam,and was a well-known face on the scene from the early 50s. I hesitate to mention the - well, I suppose "plot" is the word.A disc - jockey at an unnamed radio station in London (not too many guesses required in 1957) "discovers" rock 'n' roll and puts a show together for an equally unnamed TV station.He looks and speaks like he just landed his Spitfire after a dice with the Hun.His more hep friend whose job appears to be turning a gramophone on and off,has a quasi - American accent ,can neither sing nor dance but unwisely attempts both in a coffee bar,and is courting a young Jackie Collins.He also has a dog which,for some unfathomable reason he carries about with him at all times.Perhaps it was related to one of the producers. The aforementioned Miss Fancey is comprehensively out - acted by the DJ,his friend,Jackie Collins and the dog.How fortunate for her then that she later bought the distribution rights to the "Emanuelle" franchise.At no time during "Rock you sinners" does a Duchess in an evening dress and lorgnettes,diamonds sparkling on her bosom,begin to tap her feet to the music,but yo feel that's only because the producers couldn't afford to hire one.