Customer Reviews

Billboard Top Rock'n'Roll Hits: 1960

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

 

 

In 1988/9 Rhino introduced its superb "Top Rock'n'Roll Hits" (1955-1974) series featuring 20 years of music on 20 CDs at 10 songs per year / per disc. (Hey, neat-o!)

Then in 1993 Rhino reissued the discs in the subset spanning 1960-1969 thus creating two different versions of each in the process. Because these discs are available via Amazon Marketplace, who knows which ones you'll get if you buy them used! If this is important to you, be sure to ask the seller(s) before placing your order(s).

The most obvious visual differences between the two editions are the song titles on both the front covers and the actual CDs. The 1988/9 editions feature mixed-case titles. The 1993 editions feature uppercase titles.

The 1993 editions also have the songs listed on the covers in the same order in which they appear on the discs. The 1988/9 editions list the songs in an almost random order which can be very frustrating while a disc is being played.

The song selections are also different; some moreso than others. For 1960 only tracks 1 and 6 were changed.

1988 (1) Elvis Presley, "It's Now Or Never"
1993 (1) Joe Jones, "You Talk Too Much"

1988 (6) Elvis Presley, "Stuck On You"
1993 (6) Brenda Lee, "Sweet Nothin's"

In this case, I prefer the 1993 edition because Brenda Lee's contribution kicks butt! :) I'd never even heard of it before. Meanwhile, Elvis' two hits are all-too-commonly available on many of the many Elvis compilations which exist.

[Note: To my knowledge, the CDs spanning 1955-1959 and 1970-1974 have not been revised. One may also surmise that Rhino believes rock-n-roll died with the advent of disco since the title used for the discs spanning 1975-on-up is simply "Top Hits" - not to be confused, of course, with Rhino's other, similar series, "Top Pop Hits".]

Billboard Top Rock & Roll Hits: 1960 gives us ten great rock and roll hits from 1960. The sound is excellent and the artwork is very good. This brings back memories for people who heard these tunes on the radio; and newcomers to this type of music will love it for sure!

Joe Jones kicks it off with his catchy hit "You Talk Too Much." Joe sings this very well with excellent diction; and the musical interlude is catchy and somewhat jazzy as well. The musical arrangement makes good use of the brass and percussion especially.

Listen also for Chubby Checker performing a smash hit, "The Twist." Chubby broke a lot of records when he came out with this tune. "The Twist" practically implores you to dance along with it as the melody is cool, catchy and very rhythmic. I predict that you'll enjoy "The Twist" time and time again; and the background vocalists do a great job of singing in perfect harmony. "The Twist" also uses the percussion very well; what a hit!

The Drifters turn in a romantic, beautiful number with their classic "Save The Last Dance For Me." There is excellent drums and percussion and this adds a subtle Latin twist to the arrangement. The Drifters perform "Save The Last Dance For Me" very well; and this is definitely one of the major highlights of this album.

"Sweet Nothings" by Brenda Lee gets the royal treatment as Brenda delivers this romantically without a superfluous note; and there's also The Hollywood Argyles doing their "Alley Oop." "Alley Oop" is quite catchy and very nicely done; I always enjoy hearing this number.

The CD ends well with "Stay" by Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs. Maurice Williams And The Zodiacs perform "Stay" with panache and it's a pretty awesome number. The falsetto singing enhances the natural beauty of the number.

Overall, this is one great album for people who want to remember some great tunes from 1960. Of course, people just becoming familiar with this style of rock and roll will like this, too.

A good selection of big pop hits from 1960, most in their original forms (only "The Twist" is a rerecorded version, but don't blame the folks at Rhino Records--it's the only available master of the song at this time).

I have bought several of these Rhino Top Rock 'n' Roll Hits compilations to get a song here and a song there that were otherwise difficult to find on CD. Generally, I have been rewarded with exceptionally clean, clear transfers at a decent price, and this 1960 compilation CD is no exception.

Still, Rhino could have made these CDs much better. First of all, the discs are short. This 1960 CD runs just over 23 minutes. I know that adding more tunes increases licensing and copyright costs, but I would be glad to pay a few dollars more for full CD's worth. As it is, the disc has hardly begun and already it's over. Second, the CD has no liner notes at all. A little background information on the musicians or their music would be welcome. In place of liner notes, we get a short list of memorable news stories and fads of 1960. Third--what's with the tiny photographs!? The fold-over insert includes a couple photographs of some of the featured musicians, but they are reduced to thumbnail-sized images. Meanwhile, we get vast expanses of rainbow-colored background with no content at all. Why not enlarge the photos so that we can actually SEE these people? Fourth, "The Twist" is presented in a re-recording by Chubby Checker--not the original. Admittedly, the re-recording sounds very close to the original, but why couldn't Rhino have licensed the original master? If the original tape was unavailable, why not restore a clean copy of an original pressing? It sold over a million copies...surely there must be a source for a clean-sounding original recording. Perhaps this is a small matter to complain about, but I typically associate re-recordings with cheap budget productions found in the bargain bin at Wal-Mart, not Rhino. Finally, while the sound quality of the disc is generally quite good, the transfer of "Stay" is disappointing. The opening is muddy and distorted with some heavy tape "warble." I have this track on Rhino's "Doo-Wop Box" and the transfer there is much better.

Overall, this compilation provides some classic rock 'n' roll hits in decent sound, however, it gives the impression of a project sloppily thrown together at the last minute to make a quick buck. It isn't expensive, but you get what you pay for.

I like the oldies. These are fun records. I love to listen to them when I do my housework. Thanks.

The reason that this collection is preferable to others is that it contains two of my all time favorite songs: "You Talk Too Much", and "Walk Don't Run." The others are also very good, which makes one of the greatest sixties transfers ever! These two favorite songs are a relieving break from the teenage "Man Loving Woman" subject matter.
The audio music transfer is crisp and easy to hear. There are no glitches or technical problems at all. This is also one of those CD's that you can listen to redundantly, and never get tired of them.
Thereof, the music is variable and contains different pop and rock n' roll hits. However, with only ten tracks, most people already own many of the songs here on other CD's. If you want a continuous, non stop party music, buy the Ultimate Seventies collection. But, if you just love old hits, devour these.
I also recommend: Billboard 1962, 1964, and Top Pop Hits of 1960.