Customer Reviews

Cameo Parkway 1957-1967

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

After at least 10 years of internet rumors, scuttlebutt, and teeth-gnashing, oldies collectors finally got what they wanted: well over 100 of the best of the Cameo & Parkway Records labels' hits of the late 1950s and early 1960s. None of these songs have been legitimately available until now, and they're a welcome addition to die hard collectors and 1960s fans alike, including over 50 major Top 40 hits of the era.

The set is smaller than I had imagined -- just a 5" cardboard box with four CDs and a color booklet -- but at least it exists, and it's real. Abkco pressed these discs very much like they did with the Rolling Stones SINGLES box set, on black "45RPM" CDs in retro-cardboard sleeves, which was a stylish touch. Also, most discs have a very generous 30+ songs, which is very unusual for a U.S. compilation.

Jeff Tamarkin's liner notes are very entertaining and well-written, and the sound quality of nearly every song is a revelation. Every song is mono, save for Patti LaBelle's "You'll Never Walk Alone," but some will prefer the "single authenticity" of the time. Most collectors have never heard songs like "96 Tears" or "You Can't Sit Down" without any distortion; some tracks sound so good, you'd swear you were right in the Philadelphia studio as they were being recorded.

The set omits nearly a dozen hits by major C-P artists like Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell, but one hopes we'll get individual greatest hits packages for these artists before the end of 2005. My kudos and profound thanks to Mr. Klein & company for finally getting this out. It's about time!

Wow.

Who said that rock 'n' roll was dormant dull and ordinary between the time Buddy Holly crashed and the Beatles landed? Strap your ears onto this collection and find out that rock 'n' roll was very much alive and thriving, courtesy of those crazy cats running the Philadelphia-based Cameo Parkway record label.

Oh sure, Cameo Parkway released albums, but for them, the single was the bull market. The kids were flush with cash and they knew how to separate them from it.

Gloriously unfocused, they tried to sell America every sort of dance trend possible. Let's all do the Wah-Watusi. The Popeye Waddle. The New Continental. The Bristol Stomp. Mashed Potatoes? How about some gravy on it? No problem, Dee Dee Sharp!

There's Bobby Rydell! Not only did he possess one heck of a head of hair, he rocked in his own sort of smooth teeny-bopper way. Ya gotta love him.

Chubby Checker! Finally The Twist is available for real on a CD! Digital respectability at last! I will overlook (for the moment) that you ripped off my man Hank Ballard.

Three tracks from ? and the Mysterians, the fellows who set the blueprint for the garage movement (and unfortunately, also Smashmouth).

The Dovells! You Can't Sit Down! You're right! I can't!

The beautiful pop, rock (even some jazz) sounds go on and on and on. So much familiar and so much obscure and all of it great fun. Witness the last gasp of rock 'n' roll innocence before those four Liverpudlians touched down and made everything suddenly respectable.

I don't care what your age is, you need to listen to this astonishing collection. Too bad we can't run this through an old transistor radio.

Then I'd surely be in Heaven.

As the other reviewers have noted, finally these recordings appear on domestic release, rather than the expensive Record to CD copies you see in Europe.

Best cuts? (To me anyway)

Dinner With Drac Part One: EXCELLENT. I have been looking for this one for a while, (He has a TV show in the 50's, 60's, and had a top ten wih this one).

? And The Mysterians "Can't Get Enough Of You Baby": Smashmouth did a cover of this a few years ago, and the original is great! Also, "96 Tears" finally on CD in its original form.

Senator Bobby (Kennedy) singing "Wild Thing" is one of THE highlights. This originally issued in 1967 at the time he was assassinated. Needless to say, it was pulled from the airwaves almost immediately. The flip side, (I wish they issued!), was the late Senator Everitt Dirksen singing the same song. (They are both impersators not the real deal). At the time, they were priceless and are historical artifacts of their time.

"I (Who Have Nothing" By Grand Funk Railroad Manager Terry Knight is included. The original Bob Seger tune "Heavy Music" before he signed with Capitol is a real find. Early Kinks (Long Tall Sally) and Peter Best singing "Boys" (Former Original Beatle) are other great selections. The Tymes "Wonderful Wonderful" and "So Much In Love" are finally to be had.

As stated by others, its great to see Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell on CD. "Limbo Rock" and "Volare" respectively are favorites.

With the hits of Dee Dee Sharpe (Mashed Potato), The Orlons (Don't Hang Up) and Len Berry's Dovells (Brisol Stomp) and more songs now available, many collections will now be complete.

This is simply a MUST for any DJ or music affectionado. These include some of the biggest hits of all time that cannot be gotten elsewhere. (The Twist for example)

Sound quality, liner notes, and economical packaging is a plus. Here's hoping that they start issuing catalog albums too!

Sure, there some things missing, and sure this cd collection will require you to put down a lot of change to get it, however, despite a few missing songs and digging deep inside your piggy bank, this compilation is worth every penny. I'm surprised at the number of places that sell cd's that are not stocking it. When you can find it (like amazon.com) GET IT! I will almost guarantee that it won't be available for long. Think about this: When was and when will be the next time that you'll hear, on your local oldies station, the following:
1.Silhouettes by the Rays
2.Daddy Cool by the Rays
3.Back To School Again by Timmy "Oh Yeah" Rogers
4.The Class by Chubby Checker
5.Dinner With Drack Pt.1 by John Zacherie
6.Mexican Hat Rock by The Applejacks
7.Kissin' Time by Bobby Rydell
8.We Got Love by Bobby Rydell
9.The Twist by Chubby Checker
10.Wild One by Bobby Rydell
11.Swingin'School by Bobby Rydell
12.Pony Time by Chubby Checker
13.Teach Me To Twist by Bobby Rydell and Chubby Checker
14.Let's Twist Again by Chubby Checker
15.Bristol Stomp by The Dovells
16.The Wah-Watusi by The Orlons
17.Slow Twistin' by Chubby Checker w/Dee Dee Sharp
18.Mashed Potato Time by Dee Dee Sharp
19.Gravy by Dee Dee Sharp
20.Don't Hang Up by The Orlons
I could go on and on and on. Sure, it might be a little pricy for some and it might have left out an occasional hit, but folks, I don't think that this is going to be on the market for long and your local oldies stations "ain't gonna play these songs that are on this cd set". I have the feeling that once it's gone, it's gone. Order it from Amazon.com or find a store that's carrying it (there aren't many) and get it. This is worth every penny that you'll pay. I believe that the jewels contained here are worth every penny. You're already on the amazon site. Go ahead and get it while you're here. Like I said, your local oldies stations aren't going to play this music. Most of the dj's on oldies stations have never heard of The Orlons, Dee Dee Sharp or many within this collection. If they've heard of Bobby Rydell, they won't play him. Get it, put all of the four discs within your cd player, program it to play the ones that you want to hear, relax in a comfortable chair and it's 1962 again and Dee Dee Sharp is belting out "Mashed Potato Time" and here's Bobby Rydell singing "The Cha Cha Cha". You're already here at amazon. Go ahead and get it!

I have to admit this was probably the one box set I had been waiting for since the advent of the CD. Cameo and Parkway were two co-owned independent labels out of Philadelphia which brought us such artists as Chubby Checker, Bobby Rydell, Dee Dee Sharp, The Dovells, and several other great artists of the late 50's and early 60's. The songs and the artists took the nation by storm, thanks in part to Dick Clark and American Bandstand, which at the time originated from the studios of WFIL-TV Channel 6 in Philly. The Cameo-Parkway artists were "on call" if another artist couldn't show up for a guest appearance. This exposure pretty well guaranteed the C-P artists' success. And successful they were. The hits are here; the sound quality is amazing, and all tracks are presented in the original mono. Abkco chose to use Sony's DSD process to master these tracks for CD, and it pays off in spades. There are some blemishes, however. Two particular songs were excluded from this set that should have definitely been included. These tracks are "Sway", by Bobby Rydell, and "Hully Gully Baby" from the Dovells. Also, since Abkco went to the trouble of using DSD for the digital mastering, they could have taken it a step further and released this set on hybrid SACD discs. Still, I heard things I hadn't heard on the 45's. Listen to "Rock-A-Conga", by the Applejacks. There's a cowbell that couldn't be clearly heard on the original single. It's clear as a, well, bell here. For anyone who remembers these great hits, or for anyone who's interested in the roots of rock and roll, don't miss this one.

After years and years of searching for the song Silhouettes by the Rays,this set has arrived & my expectations have been more than fullfilled. The music is " FANTASTIC " . Just got this set yesterday from Amazon and immediately listened to all 4 cd's. Being able to here Silhouettes by the Rays & the real obscure Memory Lane alone made this set worth while. Every song sounds great. I highly recommend this box set and you won't be disappointed. The only minus is the small box the set comes in. A little better packaging and a larger book to read would have been nice--- HOWEVER this is only minor for the music is great and that is what counts. I would really like to see a 2nd box set in the future for there is still lots of more great music to easily fill another box set.

CAMEO/PARKWAY/WYNCOTE records will forever be associated with Philadelphia, Dick Clark's American Bandstand (which popularized so many of the company's early 45s), and teen dances like the Twist, Watusi, Fly, Mashed Potato, Bristol Stomp and others. The set CAMEO PARKWAY 1957-1967 chronicles all those great dance tunes and so much more! The hits just keep on comin' here...

Chubby Checker's cover of "The Twist" made Billboard history when it reached #1 in 1960, then dropped off the charts completely only to return to the top spot in January of 1962. No other song has ever hit #1 twice. Other surprises abound, like a cowboy song by Clint Eastwood, a calypsoish number by The Temptations (nope, not the Motown group), Chubby Checker doing spot-on imitations ("The Class") in his first single release from 1959, and a Bob Dylan impersonator, who gives the 3 o'clock weather report ("White Christmas").

Much of the material on disc three and four was released after CAMEO/PARKWAY was sold to a consortium of Texans, and well after American Bandstand departed Philly for Los Angeles. This company's glory days were behind them, yet a few outstanding sides are here, notably "Cast Your Fate To The Wind," "96 Tears" and songs by The Kinks, Pete Best, and "Senator Bobby."

The "Senator Everett" version (not included here) was actually the 'A' side of "Wild Thing." At the time of this single's release, sonorous Everett McKinley Dirksen had a spoken word LP on the Billboard charts, which is what prompted The Hardly Worthit Players (three radio jocks) to lampoon him. The "Senator Bobby" 'B' side was supposed to be the Democratic party response to Senator Everett. With the passage of 40 years and a tragic death, our memory of the Republican senator has dimmed, while his counterpart continues to grow in stature.

This stylishly compact box set houses a treasure of still-great teen tunes-- sound quality is top-notch. The 44-page well written booklet provides lots of insights and details. CAMEO PARKWAY 1957-67 is a terrific opportunity to hear the music that dominated American airwaves in the late '50s and just prior to 1964's British Invasion. Highest recommendation.

TOTAL PLAYING TIME--
DISC ONE: 73:56
DISC TWO: 74:29
DISC THREE: 73:48
DISC FOUR: 71:48

With this Abkco release the one remaining missing piece of the history of early rock `n roll is finally officially available domestically on compact disc. With a generous 115 tracks (about half hitting the top 40) on this long overdue four disc set many fans and collectors will certainly be pleased (at least for now). This box covers a decade of recordings by some of the most popular artists on the radio and record charts before rock `n roll drastically changed forever.

The packaging will never please everyone. Because this box set is small (slightly larger than the size of two standard jewel cases) storage is easy. I recommend getting the four discs in jewel cases right away (instead of using the retro cardboard sleeves included in this set). The re-mastering is excellent! Great sound is what every fan of these songs would demand and most will not be disappointed. Of course since every track is in mono (with the one exception being the stereo version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" by Patti LaBelle and her Blue Belles on disc three) some will argue that the label could have released the stereo mixes where available. Since every track sounds incredibly clean, crisp, and clear (better than it did coming out of your AM transistor radio) that issue is minor. Only four of the tracks were dubbed from vinyl (the original master tapes were used for all of the remaining tracks). The 44 page booklet includes a seventeen page essay detailing the history of the label. Of course the booklet includes liner notes on each track along with credits, Billboard chart info, etc. The booklet is just barely over the size of a 4.5 inch square and I had no problems reading the small print. Harder on the eyes are the pictures, picture sleeves and samples of the original labels that were included. The four discs look like your old vinyl thanks to the black color used on both sides of the discs.

Songwriters Kal Mann and Bernie Lowe formed the Cameo label in Philadelphia at the end of `56. In 1957 Dick Clark was hosting from Philadelphia his popular dance show "American Bandstand" on the ABC network. These local artists were on the national show frequently and their songs were often played over and over again on the show. Soon the artists on Cameo (Bobby Rydell, the Orlons, Dee Dee Sharp, etc.) and Parkway (Chubby Checker, the Dovells, the Tymes, etc.) were household names. Opportunities for future "best of " discs that cover the individual careers of Bobby and Chubby would help complete the story that this box set only begins (some would argue that the Dovells, the Tymes, the Orlons, and Dee Dee merit their own hits collections as well). Abkco may release these highly anticipated compilations before the end of 2005 (stay tuned).

The first disc starts off with a couple of big hits from `57. Charlie Grace's number one hit "Butterfly" and the follow-up top 20 hit "Fabulous." The Rays big chart hit "Silhouettes" along with the flip side "Daddy Cool" are also included (both tracks are vocal group harmony classics). Then comedian Timmie Rogers hit the top 40 with "Back to School Again." 1958 brought more success with local horror movie host John Zacherle's "Dinner with Drac" and Dave Appell's Applejacks. Both of the Applejacks' top 40 hits are included. Dave Appell was one of Cameo's most important signings, as he went on to co-write hits for many of the other artists. In `59 Bobby Rydell (born Robert Ridarelli) had his first of eighteen solo top 40 chart hits with "Kissin' Time." That tune plus his six top ten hits are included in this set.

Chubby Checker scored his first top 40 entry with "The Class" in the summer of '59. Just over a year later Chubby (the former chicken plucker known as Ernest Evans) had all of America dancing to his version of "The Twist." Those two recordings plus three more of Chubby's twenty solo top 40 hits are included in this set. Chubby's hit duet with the teenage Dee Dee Sharp ("Slow Twistin') plus two more duets with Bobby Rydell can also be found here. Dee Dee was the label's most successful solo female artist. All of Dee Dee's four top ten solo recordings are on disc two. The Orlons (all five of their top 20 hits) and the Dovells (with three top 40 hits) are well represented. Disc two even has minor chart entries by Jo Ann Campbell, Candy & the Kisses and Clint Eastwood (years before he won his first Academy Award).

The third disc includes three top 40 hits by the Tymes plus the top ten instrumental hit "Caste Your Fate to the Wind." We're also treated to the top 20 novelty hit version of "Wild Thing" recorded by Senator Bobby (voice impressionist Bill Minkin) from early '67. Disc three also has tracks by Johnny Maestro (after he left the Crests), the Kinks (with two tracks they recorded before they scored with "You Really Got Me"), and former Beatle Pete Best. The fourth and final disc includes three chart hits by ? and the Mysterians (the punk-rock quintet from Saginaw, Michigan). Rounding out the collection are several tracks by artists that all went on to bigger success elsewhere (Bob Seger, the Delfonics, the Five Stairsteps, and Eddie Holman) plus minor top 40 entries by Chris Bartley, the Ohio Express and Bunny Sigler. By this time Thom Bell and Kenny Gamble were at the label writing and producing, but their talents would blossom elsewhere.

Once the British Invasion (the Beatles, the Stones, the Animals, etc.), the powerful R&B sounds on the Stax, Volt, and Atlantic labels (Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave, Aretha Franklin, etc.), and the sound of young America coming out of Detroit's Gordy, Motown and Tamla labels (the Miracles, the Supremes, the Four Tops, the Temptations, etc.) took control of the airwaves (and the charts) there was no room for the Cameo-Parkway label. Of course Dick Clark moving his national dance program to the west coast in the mid sixties did not help either. Mann and Lowe sold the label in 1965 and the company eventually moved to New York. By the summer of 1967 the label was sold to Allen Klein. All these years latter we finally get to revisit these recordings in glorious re-mastered original mono. Worth the wait in deed!

First thing, thanks to Abkco and everyone involved for getting off their lazy butts and finally releasing this box set - 'bout time, doncha think?

If you've ever searched the net over the years looking for any scraps of information about why the Cameo/Parkway catalog has never seen the CD light, you'd discover a truckload of reasons, excuses, promises, and rumours ranging from owners Alan & Jody Klein's greed/reluctance/laziness (Abkco's Phil Spector box wasnt a big seller though it recieved a lot of press), a never-paid tape storage bill, missing/destroyed master tapes, unpaid royalities to artists (I hope they get paid this time!) plus other legal tangles that kept this great music from being re-released on CD for over 20 years.

The Cameo-Parkway box is finally here and oldies fans should rejoice (and throw a limbo party!)

Like other reviewers I'm a little disappointed with the packaging - I was expecting a LP sized box with jewel cases simular to Abkco's Spector and Rolling Stones box sets, not a small CD case with paper sleeves. This legendary material deserved a better packaging job. The all-black CD's are good looking, though I think reproductions of the original C/P labels (simular to Rhino's Nuggets boxes) would have been cooler than the basic design they used. The liner notes are well written, giving a general informative overview of the label's history and producers with a extensive track list for each CD. But there is precious little information here about the famous and obscure artists who created this music. Hopefully that will be made up on the individual artist CD's coming out later this year, maybe.

But this music is something else! (BTW: None are cheap K-Tel remakes!) The remastering quality of all this material suprasses any unauthorized "import" CD's or even the original 45's which many were poorly mastered and pressed on cheap vinyl or styrene (hard brittle plastic that wore out quick under a heavy tonearm). To hear the Ray's doo-wop classic "Silhouettes" from the original master tapes after all these years of noisy vinyl is simply breathtaking! Many other cuts benefit as well, especally the cheaply recorded "dance craze" material. Everything's in it's pure un-remixed monophonic glory, except for one track: Patti Labelle And Her Blue Belles "You'll Never Walk Alone" which is in true stereo.

All the big Top 40 C/P hits are here with many rarities - I think the tracks licenced from UK Pye could have been removed for other worthy American tracks. The early Kinks, Ivy League and Sounds Orchestral tracks have all been re-released overseas by Castle UK and other labels, so it seems a little redundant to have them here, unless you havent heard them before and don't have them in your collection.

The track listing on CD's 3 and 4 get a little haphazard for anyone who wants to hear these songs chronologicly, it's strange to hear tracks from 1967 right after 1964 (even if its "Bobby the Poet"). C/P had quite an eclectic catalog of artists.

Besides having future compilations on Chubby, Dee Dee, Bobby (and I hope) ? And The Mysterians, The Orlons and Len Barry's Dovells, I hope Abkco will release compilations based on a theme (dance crazes, garage bands, rare R&B and UK northern soul). Abkco should also "open the vaults" to other reissue labels like Rhino, Sundazed, Eric, Collectables, Ace and Castle so they can licence the C/P catalog. C/P released many fine rarities that realy need to be reissued. If Abkco doesnt want to do this, please allow other labels do the research and digitizing work so future generations of music fans and pop culture historians can benefit!

Despite some flaws (Where's the Bronzettes "Hot Spot"?), this box set is fantastic. Right now this is the ONLY place youre going to find this material in it's original form, from the best available master tapes. It's a must-buy for any 50's-60's oldies fan to complete his/her collection, especally if you love to dance.

I agree with all the other reviews except I have no problem with the songs all being in mono. This is the way we originally heard them. The sound is top notch

I'll just add that the really important song (for me anyway) is the Rationals version of Respect. This song was big in my part of the country (Northwest Ohio) and, for me at least, is the definitive version. When I hear it, I am taken right back to my fraternity house at Bowling Green State University.