Best of Flamingos

The Flamingos | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 10, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rhino
• ASIN: B0000032SY
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,888 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. That's My Desire

2. Golden Teardrops

3. Jump Children

4. Dream of a Lifetime

5. Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So)

6. I'll Be Home

7. A Kiss from Your Lips

8. The Vow

9. The Ladder of Love

10. Lovers Never Say Goodbye

11. I Only Have Eyes for You

12. Mio Amore

13. Nobody Loves Me Like You

14. Your Other Love

15. If I Can't Have You [*]

16. Love Walked In [*]

17. Goodnight Sweetheart [*]

18. Time Was [*]

Editorial Reviews

The first comprehensive collection to cover their recordings for the Chance, Parrot, Checker, Occa, and End labels.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rhino Flamingos' Collection Gathers Gold Standard Doo Wop, December 29, 2000

By 

Anthony G Pizza "trivialtony" (FL) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Best of Flamingos (Audio CD)

Most fans of classic rhythm and blues agree that its sound takes root in the Pentecostal church. There, call-and-response vocals, melismatic shouting and soloing, and dancable beats evolved into the sound that became (and to many, remains) rock and roll.

If the Flamingos' sound, heard here on this essential Rhino best-of, sounds more disciplined, intricate, flowing, it may have been because its members were (according to Donn Fileti's remarkable liner notes) Hebrews basing their seamless, breezy, minor-key harmonies on temple hymns. Their cooler, cohesive approach remains a doo-wop gold standard, bridging the 30s-40s harmonies of the Ink Spots and Ravens with the Motown 60s soul to follow.

Listen to the wordless vocal interplay introducing "Golden Teardrops," or the perfect dictation of "Please...wait...for me," starting one of their best-known hits, "Lovers Never Say Goodbye" (Not to mention the vocal trade-off between "Buzzy" Johnson and Paul Wilson, a rarity then on any pop record). Or hear Wilson whisper "So long 'till I'm home to start serving you" in "I'll Be Home," which writer Billy Altman said "...stands - at attention, of course - as one of the finest draft-age inspired rock and roll love songs of all time."

Nor was the Flamingos' attention to vocal detail limited to ballads (although their signature rendition of Harry Warren's "I Only Have Eyes For You" epitomises the style). Uptempo numbers from the Latin-flavored "Ko Ko Mo" to Doc Pomus-Mort Schuman's Drifters-sounding "Your Other Love" (which Dean Martin later covered in near-identical arranegemnt) share the group's vocal finesse.

The "Dream Of A Lifetime" here was released on Parrot Records in 1954 and (to these ears) is less satisfying that the Checker Records rendition released two years later. (It's found on the deleted MCA label compilation, "Best of Chess Vocal Groups.") Nonetheless, this collection, first to draw from all the Flamingos' 50s labels, remains necessary to 50s or harmony group fans. It collects peak performances not only from this beloved, long-lasting group, but from the genre they led, then symbolized.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Here's to one of the greatest vocal groups of all time, April 30, 2004

By 

Paul Tognetti "The real world is so much more... (Cranston, RI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Best of Flamingos (Audio CD)

What is the most perfect sounding single of all time? Many collectors would answer that question without hesitation. "Golden Teardrops" by The Flamingos was released on the fledgling Chance label in Chicago in late 1953. This is an unforgettable and truly elegant recording featuring the passionate lead of Sollie McElroy and the intricate harmonies of first tenor Johnny Carter, second tenor Zeke Carey, baritone Paul Wilson and bass Jake Carey. This record would establish the group as one of the top R&B vocal groups of the era. But the Flamingos were not content to be just an outstanding vocal group. They also played their own instruments and choreographed the act as well. Many of the Motown groups a decade later would emulate The Flamingos.

In the marvelous "The Complete Book of Doo Wop" authors Anthony Gribin and Matthew Schiff list what they feel are the top 1000 doo wop records of all time. There are 10 records by the Flamingos on that list. 9 of these songs appear on this wonderful CD. Once again, Rhino has done a masterful job with this compilation. There is an informative 8 page booklet featuring a history of the group as well as a complete discography. This is an especially important feature for doo wop groups since most tended to wander from label to label. The Flamingos were no exception in this regard. Sit down relax and enjoy tunes like "That's My Desire" from 1953, "I'll Be Home" as well as tunes we all know and love like "Lovers Never Say Goodbye" and of course "I Only Have Eyes For You". I am confident that you will enjoy each and every one of the 18 tracks on the CD. One track I would have included here had it been up to me was the groups rendition of Patti Pages "Cross Over the Bridge". It is one of my favorites. Whether you are a long time fan of doo wop or someone just exploring the genre for the first time "The Best of The Flamingos" is a disc worth owning. Very highly recommended.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What's Not to Like?, January 4, 2005

By 

Eclectic Revisited "Charlie" (Arizona) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Best of Flamingos (Audio CD)

One early reviewer of this package says he only hears "Lovers Never Say Goodbye" by these guys on the oldies stations. That has not been my experience, but I do hope that Terry Johnson of the group is collecting royalties as he wrote it and went on to write my favorite Miracles' song, "Baby, Baby, Don't Cry" with Smokey Robinson. Surely the most popular of the Flamingos' tunes is "I Only Have Eyes for You" written in the 1930s and covered by the group in 1959 with a knock-you-dead arrangement that is a classic; Art Garfunkel copied the arangement for his solo version some years later. This is a very good package and I recommend it. The Flamingos were rightfully inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame AND the Doo Wop Hall of Fame (no, really) in 2001. Is there any wonder why?