Customer Reviews

Best of 1959-1963

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Why it took Cameo Parkway so long to release this muisc on CD is unclear to me, but it's nice to have the original recordings finally released after being unavailable for decades.

This 24-track collection presents 18 of his 21 hits that he recorded for the label. [The only missing hits are "Twenty Miles" (#15, 1963) and "Lazy Elsie Molly" and "Let's Do the Freddie" (both peaked at #40 in 1964).]

Checker's best known song is, of course, "The Twist." The song was so popular, it is the only song to reach No. 1 on the pop chart in nonconsecutive years (1960 and 1962). He also had million-sellers with "Let's Twist Again" and "Limbo Rock." Additional dance craze top ten hits included "Pony Time," "The Fly," "Popeye (The Hitchhiker)" and a duet with labelmate Dee Dee Sharp on "Slow Twistin'." Checker also had a holiday hit with labelmate Bobby Rydell on "Jingle Bell Rock."

My only quarrel with this collection is the sequencing. It should have been in chronological order, starting with his 1959 debut "The Class." And if you aren't going to do that, at least start with his signature song, "The Twist," not 1962's "Dancin' Party." With that aside, this is an enjoyable collection of dance songs. No serious lyrical content, just plain fun music. RECOMMENDED

The wait is over. This collection brings us the official release of the original Parkway recordings of one of the era's most successful male solo artists. The set consists of 24 tracks total, all in mono, including 22 that hit the Hot 100. Missing are three top 40 hits ("Twenty Miles" that peaked at #15 in 1963, "Lazy Elsie Molly" that peaked at #40 in July of 1964, and "Let's Do the Freddie" that hit #40 in May of 1965). However, the b-side to the original release of "The Twist" along with one album cut are thrown in. The tracks are not in chronological order, but the digital sound is supreme. A four page essay (written by Jeff Tamarkin, who also authored the essay for the Cameo Parkway box set released in May 2005) plus five pages of credits and chart info detail the career of the former chicken plucker turned king of the dance crazes. Most fans and collectors will be satisfied (you can't beat the price). Highly recommended.

I know you've been waiting 20+ years, like me, to find a CD with Chubby's ORIGINAL hit recordings. The wait is finally over. You can now toss out all those various old and woefully inferior "Greatest Hits" and "Best Of" Chubby Checker re-recordings in your CD collection that have proliferated the market for too many years. This disc has the hits the way you remember them (or the way you younger fans should hear them the first time) and some B-sides that should please most collectors. I give it 5 stars for containing a total of 24 selections and decent liner notes for a bargain price.

The Best of Chubby Checker: Cameo Parkway 1959-1963 gives us exactly that: the best music by Chubby Checker on Cameo Parkway records from 1959 to 1963. Chubby Checker made music fun; you could dance to his music and have a great time dancing to the "Limbo Rock" over and over again. Chubby always managed to sound so energetic, new and fresh when he sang; and just one listen proves it. The quality of the sound on this CD is nothing short of excellent. The artwork is great even if it is somewhat standard for this CD series from Cameo Parkway.

The CD starts with Chubby belting out "Dancin' Party;" "Dancin' Party" has one heck of a beat and I love every minute of it--what great music. It's electric! Chubby sings with lots of enthusiasm; and his excellent diction enhances his performance all the more. Terrific! Of course, "The Twist" was probably Chubby's biggest hit ever; and he again belts this out with lots of youthful enthusiasm--just what teenagers wanted back in the day. The backup vocalists add to the number and that melody is infectiously happy and catchy, too. "Twistin' U.S.A." is a fine variation on "The Twist;" it has every bit of the same positive vibe that made Cubby Checker a major household word. Chubby could bat these hits straight out of the ballpark; and he always did!

"The Hucklebuck" is another dance tune; and I really like "Pony Time." "Pony Time" is an excellent late `50s tune that should get your feet tapping when you hear it all these years later--it's all THAT good. "Let's Twist Again" is a strong sequel song to "The Twist;" the music has a beat that couldn't be better and again the melody is infectiously happy and catchy, too. Chubby specialized in making these dance tunes so very memorable; and he succeeded every step of the way. In addition, "Limbo Rock" was a song played at many a teenage party back in the day; those teens had fun with this number and I can't imagine why they wouldn't have liked it--Chubby does this to perfection and beyond! "Let's Limbo Some More" has something of a late `50s Latin beat to it that works very well for this song.

"Birdland" is a very dynamic tune that has Chubby in his natural element; and the backup vocalists make this even more exciting than ever! I love it. "Surf Party" remains an excellent example of Chubby's remarkably fun and wonderful music; if you like music from the late `50s you're sure to love this number. "Twistin' Round The World" has another signature Chubby Checker sound to it that I really like; and the album ends strong with a fun number thrown in for a good effect; we get Bobby Rydell at the helm as these artists perform "Jungle Bell Rock."

Chubby Checker will never be forgotten; he was a king amongst kings and one of the best artists to consistently turn out song after song that young people--and anyone with a beating heart, really--could dance to, even today. I love the work of Chubby Checker and I highly recommend this album.

Track list:

1. Dancin' Party
2. The Twist
3. Toot
4. The Class
5. Twistin' USA
6. The Hucklebuck
7. Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On
8. Pony Time
9. Dance the Mess Around
10. Good, Good Lovin'
11. Let's Twist Again
12. The Fly
13. Slow Twistin'
14. Popeye the Hitchhiker
15. Limbo Rock
16. Let's Limbo Some More
17. Hooka Tooka
18. Loddy Lo
19. Hey, Bobba Needle
20. Birdland
21. Surf Party
22. Twist It Up
23. Twistin' Round the World
24. Jingle Bell Rock

Two of these did not chart on the Billboard Top Pop Singles (Toot and Twistin' Round the World).

Chubby Checker had 26 tunes that did chart from 1959 through 1963.

I have bought over 500 CDs in my audio collecting "career". A while back I bought 4 ABKCO CDs from AMAZON.COM:

(1) Very Best of Bobby Rydell
(2) Very Best of Chubby Checker
(3) Very Best of The Orlons
(4) Very Best of Dee Dee Sharp

I have had virtually NO trouble with any of my 500+ CDs EXCEPT # (1) and #(2) above.

The last 5 or 6 tracks on BOTH CDs do not play but just skip around playing garbage.

It seems strange that my two problem CDs, out of
500+, come from ABKCO.

By the way .... over the last 2 months I have
ripped over 600 cuts from many many CDs into
my jukebox (my computer). No problems.
Except ... again, guess which two CDs ??

After waiting 20 years for Chubby Checker's original cameo-parkway hits to appear on cd, why did they have to leave off three of this top 40 hits? Too bad. I guess I STILL have to keep my old vinyl copies of the three missing songs: "Twenty Miles", "Lazy Elsie Molly", and "Let's Do the Freddie".

I would have rather had these than tracks that weren't hits (like "Toot" whose background music sounds like "Short Shorts" by the Royal Teens".

All the dance tunes he made famous from the sixties. You cannot go wrong with this CD. Only wish it had "Lazy Elsie Molly" on it to make it complete.

Nice song, My favorite song from when I was 4 years old - Let's twist again- doesnt have the rithym and the pounch of the original, not pleased either with the remasterization.

Welcome to my den have reviewed the cd The Best of Chubby Checker: Cameo Parkway 1959-1963 by the original artist. The songs are the original hits and are re-mastered so the sound is excellent put your dancin shoes on and go back to the 60's and dance the Twist, Hully Gully, the fly, the Limbo and many more have fun.