Anyone lucky enough to have caught these sultans of bop on a hot night (see concert review in this issue) knows that history has been served well. Among rockabilly purists, Rocket 88 is virtually peerless in their reverence for rock ‘n’ roll’s formative years, when jump swing, country blues, and grindin’ rhythm ‘n’ blues began to collide in the mid-50’s.

Not only do these Rocketmen look the part in their swank two-tones and slicked-back pomps, but also they live for the thrill of taking the music wa-a-a-y back to its wildest, primal origins. With Chuck Zayas climbing the case of his upright bass and Sean Hartman smashing some boot-heeled runs on the ivories, as guitarist Bob Patterson elicits some of Scotty Moore’s biting twang and drummer Steve Platnick keeping the meter in precision. While the band’s last couple of albums tried to capture some of their spontaneous performance commotion, their current disc is a clinic in recreating the sounds of the early rock classics in a sterling set of cover tunes.

So while they may have sacrificed some of the rambunctious ramblings of their live shows, there is more attention paid here to the distinguishing production touches such as the combination of brush and stickwork by Platnick on a defining version of “Rocket 88,” that’s urgent, yet subtle.

Or the quick trills by Patterson that launch Carl Perkins’ “Matchbox” into the new millennium. Or the off-kilter piano figure Hartman delivers during Louis Jordan’s “Whiskey Do Your Stuff,” that gives just the right amount of jazzy, Thelonious Monk-like dexterity to the tune. Now, not only do Rocket 88 look the part, but the sound connected to their era (covering such classics as “Drinkin’ Wine Spodee Odee,” “The Girl Can’t Help It,” and “Rockin’ At Midnight”). Grab your suedes and kick off the night in style.