The Tex-Mex Fireball (1998)

About this title: A 30-song anthology of Tomsco's career, culling together tracks by the Fireballs (including their first hit, "Torquay," and a raw previously unissued demo cover of Little Richard's "Rip It Up"), scattered cuts he did in the 1960s under his own name and as half of "George & Babs," and a wealth of items from the late '50s and '60s on which he worked as a session guitarist. The scope of this material is impressive; as a listening experience, it's inconsistent. At the top of the pile are Buddy Holly classics like "Crying, Waiting, Hoping" (the Fireballs posthumously overdubbed some Holly demos), ... read more

Tracks:

1. I Don't Know [Tomsco/Tharp]
2. Oh Little Girl [Craig]
3. Bo Diddley [McDaniel]
4. You Don't Care [Willis/Ryals]
5. Little Bitty Lover [Roberts/Gibson]
6. Don't Stop [Petty/Venneri]
7. Go Right Ahead [Petty/Tomsco]
8. Peggy Sue Got Married [Holly]
9. Lyin' Ways [Carter]
10. That's My Song [Tomsco/Tomsco]
11. Little Bitty Man [Hulan Bass/Solley]
12. Goin' Away [Tomsco/Tomsco]
13. Like All the Others [Tomsco/Tomsco]
14. Walkin' [Tomsco]
15. Sugar Shack [Voss/McCormack]
16. Fiero [Tomsco]
17. Mexican Fun [Tomsco]
18. Crying, Waiting, Hoping [Holly]
19. You Don't Need Me [Tomsco/Tomsco]
20. Come on Home [Tomsco/Tomsco]
21. Learning the Game [Holly]
22. It's Springtime Baby [Wasson]
23. Bandit Boy [Tomsco]
24. Drum Riot [Tomsco]
25. Say I Am (What I Am) [Tomsco/Tomsco]
26. Las Vegas Scene [Tomsco]
27. Let's Take the Long Way Home [Tharp]
28. Tell Me [Carter]
29. Rip It Up[Demo Version] [Blackwell/Marascalc]
30. Torquay [Tomsco/Petty]

Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is further described below.