20 All-Time Greatest Hits [Original recording remastered]

Johnny Maestro & The Crests | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 24, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Varese Sarabande
• ASIN: B00005MK7V
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #22,240 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #59 in Music > Pop > Oldies > Doo Wop

Track Listings

1. 16 Candles

2. Pretty Little Angel

3. I Thank the Moon

4. Beside You

5. Six Nights a Week

6. Earth Angel

7. Flower of Love

8. The Angels Listened In

9. A Year Ago Tonight

10. Step by Step

11. Silhouettes

12. Trouble in Paradise

13. My Special Angel

14. Journey of Love

15. Isn't It Amazing

16. I Remember (In the Still of the Night)

17. Model Girl

18. What a Suprise

19. Mr. Happiness

20. It Must Be Love

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Sound Yet For Johnny Maestro, October 19, 2001

By 

Lee K. Rudnick - See all my reviews

This review is from: 20 All-Time Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

I have virtually every CD by Johhny Maestro both with the Crests
and with the Brooklyn Bridge.In fact I booked Johnny many years
ago.

This is THE BEST sound quality I have ever heard
for the Crests.Every song is crisp&clear.Mastered with love.

Carey Mansfield and the crew at Varese Sarabande deserve kudos.Mastering by Marty Wekser is crisp and warm unlike other Crests disc which are either muddy 4th Generation or overly boosted and tinney.

Lee Rudnick
NY Media Consultant

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ultimate Example Of Interracial Doo-Wop Brotherhood, February 17, 2011

By 

AvidOldiesCollector (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 20 All-Time Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

The caption is taken from the 5 pages of liner notes written by Bill Dahl for this wonderful offering from Varèse-Sarabande which, in addition to being virtually as complete a compilation of someone's "greatest hits" as any can be, has excellent sound reproduction and comprehensive liner notes.

To assign it just 2 stars, as did "New York City Historian" back in 2005, just doesn't wash. Besides, his comment regarding the omission of "the hit My Juanita from 1958" belies his claim to being a historian of any measure. That song happened to be the uncharted B-side of the # 86 Pop hit Sweetest One, billed to "The Crest's" on Joyce 103 in July 1957, with the backing of the Al Browne orchestra

Yes, that too is missing here, but likely because Varèse-Sarabande couldn't get publishing rights. Also, the group that sang that lost one member, 15 year-old Patricia Van Dross, before the then all-male group hooked up with Coed, which then covered all their subsequent hits. If he wanted to nit-pick he could have pointed out that the total number of actual "hits" compiled by the group was 14 - counting Sweetest One - and not 20 as claimed on the cover, and that the compilation leaves out 10 Coed B-sides in favour of some failed singles. But even that wouldn't have accounted for the deduction of 3 stars and would be quibbling to the nth degree.

All the Coed hits are here along with two B-sides, all detailed in the discography which appears on the reverse of the jewel case: 16 Candles (# 2 Pop/# 4 R&B in late 1958 on Coed 506), Six Nights A Week (# 17 R&B/# 26 Pop in spring 1959 on Coed 509), Flower Of Love (# 79 Pop in June 1959 on Coed 511), The Angels Listened In (# 14 R&B/# 22 Pop in September 1959 on Coed 515), A Year Ago Tonight (# 42 Pop in December 1959 on Coed 521), Step By Step (# 14 Pop in March 1960 on Coed 525), and Trouble In Paradise (# 20 Pop in June 1960 on Coed 531) were all billed as The Crests.

Journey Of Love (# 81 Pop in September 1960 on Coed 535), Isn't It Amazing (# 100 Pop in October 1960 on Coed 537) and I Remember (In The Still Of The Night) (# 102 Pop Hot 100 Bubble Under in December 1960 on Coed 543) were each billed to The Crests featuring Johnny Mastro (sic). Model Girl (# 20 Pop in March 1961 on Coed 545) was billed as Johnny Mastro The Voice Of The Crests, What A Surprise (# 33 Pop in May 1961 on Coed 549) was billed Johnny Maestro The Voice Of The Crests, while Mr. Happiness (# 57 Pop in August 1961) was billed Johnny Maestro with The Crests.

The only two B-sides offered are Beside You (b/o 16 Candles) and I Thank The Moon (b/o The Angels Listened In). The rest are either failed singles, or selections that never made it onto single releases.

But as I said, that's a quibble. This is a 5-star release in every way.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uniquely American Music, May 13, 2010

By 

Nancy Drew - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 20 All-Time Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

A fabulous CD for anyone who wants to understand what this important kind of American music was like (or to revisit the happy, golden moments of those days). It was just prior to the British Invasion whose enormous impact on music altered so much of what came after.
The lyrics on this CD are sweet and innocent, the harmonies heavenly and the lead voice of the late Johnny Maestro is smooth perfection.