1992 Top 20 Barbershop Quartets

Top 20 Barbershop Quartets (Intersound Series) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 30, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Compendia
• ASIN: B000000BK2
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #260,836 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Way Down Yonder in New Orleans/That Ain't Heaven, That's New Orleans - Keepsake

2. Roses of Picardy - Keepsake

3. I'm in Love Again/Them There Eyes - Gas House Gang

4. Bright Was the Night - Gas House Gang

5. If You Were the Only Girl - The Naturals

6. Alabamy Bound/Alabama Jubilee - The Naturals

7. Seaside Medley - 139th Street Quartet

8. Wait 'Til the Sun Shines, Nellie - 139th Street Quartet

9. If You Had All the World and Its Gold - Joker's Wild

10. Sweet Georgia Brown - Joker's Wild

11. Caroline, I'm Coming Back to You - Bank Street

12. I Don't Remember Her Name - Special Feature

13. Tell Me You'll Forgive Me - Bingo Brothers

14. Something to Write the Folks About - Knudson Brothers

15. Rose of No Man's Land - Tulsa Tradition

16. Mother's Boy - Nightlife

17. Broken Hearted - Standing Room Only

18. Last Night Was the End of the World - Ricochet

19. Best Times I've Ever Had (I Owe 'Em to My Good Old Dad) - Power Play

20. Sunny Side Up - Northwest Spirit

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Superbly executed, VERY traditional, October 31, 2001

By 

Robert - See all my reviews

This review is from: 1992 Top 20 Barbershop Quartets (Audio CD)

The tight ensemble, blend, and control these groups demonstrate ranges from excellent to astounding! You'd have to seek out the best classical chamber groups to hear anything comparable. But be advised, all 25 cuts on this disc really are authentic traditional barbershop. I suppose that the hardcore afficionados - and their numbers seem to be growing - will be thrilled. As a more casual fan, however, I found that the absence of the inventive harmonies, complex rhythms, and (cheap) humor of the more contemporary urban, collegiate, or jazz oriented acapella groups made this disc grow rather boring when played straight through.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 1992 was a good year, August 13, 2005

By 

David A. Beamer (Clawson, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 1992 Top 20 Barbershop Quartets (Audio CD)

First, a little background: Each July, Barbershop quartets from all over the USA (and a few from Canada) meet in some city for their annual convention. The most important part of the convention is the competition for the Gold Medal Quartet of the year.

Each year, SPEBSQSA puts out a recording of performances of the quartets who finish in the top 20. All the singing is live, and all part of the competition, so there is no studio touching-up here. (The cuts are arranged on the recording in order of where each quartet placed in the top 20.) This year, Keepsake won the Gold, but that doesn't necessarily mean that these performances are head-and-shoulders above the rest. The standard of excellence at this level of competition is very high, with some individual cuts ("Sweet Georgia Brown", "If You Were the Only Girl", and "Last Night Was the End of the World") being every bit as terrific as the performances by the winners.

I will readily admit that genuine barbershop music, as is found on all of these "Top 20 Quartets" CDs, is a bit of an acquired taste. You never hear this stuff on the radio. But if you get hooked, look out -- you'll be looking for every Barbershop CD you can get your hands on.