James Dean Rebel with a Cause

by Various Artists

'Rebel Without A Cause' was the just too "grown up" sounding title of the second James Dean movie. Of course they knew what they were doing, they were doing it on purpose. And so was James Dean, not only in his movie roles, but in his life. He was a 'Rebel With A Cause'. Now, on the occasion of his 90th birthday, this unique compilation is released within Bear Family's new Memorial Series, designed not only to pay tribute to contemporary icons and events, but to propagate their unforgettable nature.

This CD compilation tells the story and progression from a 'Jimmy Unknown', as sung by Lita Roza, to a Giant, title of James Dean's third picture, who became a cult icon with only three movies to his credit. Of course, selected tracks from all three film soundtracks are included, as well as tracks from the 1957 documentary film 'The James Dean Story', recorded by Jimmy's friend and jazz musician Chet Baker together with Bud Shank. A rarity comes from Pier Angeli, close friend and confidante of James Dean at the time, with a recording from her native Italy. A number of genre-spanning tribute songs, mostly released posthumously after Dean's death, can be heard, as can Jimmy himself, whose voice can be found in interviews and whose rhythmic talent is striking in the conga playing of rare private recordings that were also immortalized on a single release in 1957. The fact that James Dean's popularity never waned is also evidenced by the recordings of The Jets (1978) and Bonnie Tyler (1993). The CD in the Digipak comes with a color 36-page booklet with accompanying text by renowned Chicago music journalist Bill Dahl.