Customer Reviews

16 Golden Classics

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The doo-wop quintet of lead Phil Cracolici, baritone Albee Cracolici, first tenor Bob Ferrante, second tenor George Galfo and bass Al Contrera, were one of the few such groups from the area to escape the clutches of producer Hy Weiss and his Old Town label. Instead their manager, Jim Gribble, hooked The Mystics up with Laurie Records of New York, run by Gene Schwartz and Allan I. Sussel.

At their first sessions late in 1958, the group cut a cover of Wimoweh, the 1952 hit by Gordon Jenkins & His Orchestra & The Weavers, and something called Adam And Eve (not the same song as the later Paul Anka minor hit). Feeling these weren't worthy of release, Schwartz and Sussel had the song-writing team of Mort Shuman and Doc Pomus write something new and suitable for group harmony, but when they came up with A Teenager In Love that was, instead, turned over to THE premier Laurie group, Dion & The Belmonts.

Back to the drawing board, the writers then produced Hushabye which was rehearsed, recorded and distributed as Laurie 3028 in the early spring of 1959 b/w Adam And Eve, and everyone marvelled as it rose to 20 Billboard Pop Hot 100 by June. Indeed, the ill-fated and renowned DJ/promoter Alan Freed liked it so much he began using it as his closing theme for his Big Beat Show. Unfortunately, that big hit was the apex of their recording career as the follow-up Don't Take The Stars could only manage a weak # 98 Hot 100 in October b/w So Tenderly on Laurie 3038.

It was around this time that Phil left the group and so, to maintain it as a quintet, Gribble added a 19-year-old named Paul Simon - destined for much greater things - for the sessions producing All Through The Night and (I Began) To Think Of You Again which, with no distinct lead, came out on Laurie 3049 early in 1960. Without impact on the charts. Then Simon left, and his replacement was John "Jay" Traynor - himself destined to have a huge hit in a couple of years as lead for Jay & The Americans - for the recording of The White Cliffs Of Dover and Blue Star, coupled on Laurie 3058 later in 1960. Again, with no chart success.

The revolving door then continued when Traynor was replaced as lead by Eddie "Shots" Falcone for the taping of Star Crossed Lovers and Goodbye Mister Blues, released early in 1961 on Laurie 3086. It too failed commercially, whereupon Ralph Lizano took over as lead from Falcone for the recording of Darling I Know Now , which he had composed, and a cover of A Sunday Kind Of Love, released later in 1961 on Laurie 3104. With the same disappointing result. And that, essentially, was it insofar as recordings were concerned.

Here you get all these sides, as well as Let Me Steal Your Heart Away, which included Simon, Over The Rainbow with Traynor at lead, and Again, with Lizano as lead. None of these were released at the time.

Not a bad compendium by Collectables with good sound and certainly worth having if Doo-Wop is among your tastes when it comes to Golden Oldies.

This is a very good cd with excellent songs included on this cd. They are a very good doo woop group and very enjoyable to listen to.
John from Palmdale