Rockin’ At The Topside: A Wild Ride Through Rockabilly Heaven
Alright, so you’ve probably stumbled across Rockin’ At The Topside by Various at some point if you’re into that raw, unfiltered rock ‘n’ roll vibe. Released back in ’98 via Vampirella Music (outta Germany, no less), this album is a proper throwback to the golden days of rockabilly and good ol’ rock & roll. It’s not perfect—heck, it doesn’t even try to be—but man, does it pack a punch when it counts.
Let me break it down for ya. The tracklist has all these gems like “Lies,” “Sittin’ On Top Of The World,” and “King Bee.” But two songs really stuck with me after spinning this record a few times: “Money Money” and “T-Dodel Boogie.”
“Money Money” hits hard right outta the gate. It’s got this greasy, swaggering groove that just screams sleazy diner vibes. You can almost picture some slick dude leaning against his hot rod while lighting up a cig and smirking. The vocals are raspy as hell, but they work here—it’s not supposed to sound polished anyway. It’s about attitude, baby, and this tune oozes it from every pore. Plus, who hasn’t felt salty about cash troubles? Relatable AF.
Then there’s “T-Dodel Boogie.” Oh man, where do I even start? This one feels like someone took Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, and maybe a dash of Elvis, threw ‘em in a blender, and hit puree. It’s fast, frantic, and ridiculously fun. There’s something infectious about the way the guitar riffs bounce off the pounding piano chords—it’s impossible not to tap your foot or bob your head along to it. Honestly, I think I wore out my speakers replaying this track alone. It’s just stupidly catchy.
One thing that struck me about Rockin’ At The Topside is how loose and live it feels. Like, you can tell these musicians weren’t obsessing over perfection—they were just letting it rip. Sure, that means there are moments where things get a little messy, but honestly? That’s part of the charm. It’s real, y’know? No auto-tune nonsense here.
Now, here’s the kicker—the whole thing wraps up with “Honey Be Mine,” which is basically the cherry on top of this greasy sundae. And lemme tell ya, listening to this album made me realize something kinda funny: we don’t make music like this anymore. Not because we can’t, but because we’re too busy trying to sound cool instead of actually being cool. These cats didn’t care about trends—they cared about making people move their feet and shake their hips.
So yeah, Rockin’ At The Topside might not change your life, but it’ll sure as heck brighten your day. If nothing else, it reminded me that sometimes, all you need is a killer riff, a stompin’ beat, and zero chill. Cheers to that!
