Most Helpful Customer Reviews
59 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Better than having access to Mr. Peabody's wayback machine!, May 1, 2000
Once again, the highest praise for Rhino Records. This box set, while pricey, is worth every dime. There is no place to find this much classic music in any one (or two or ten) disc package. These discs have a great range, from the finger popping rhythms of The Turban's "When You Dance" (which according to the extensive liner notes was the first recording of the background sound which gave the genre the name "doo wop"), and the Cadillac's "Speedo" to the Marcell's classic "Blue Moon". Of course, the many tributes to love are well represented too, with The Five Keys "Glory of Love", The Five Satin's "In The Still of the Night", and my personal favorite of this style, The Flamingoes timeless "Lover's Never Say Goodbye". Aside from these all well known gems, it is also a repository of some lesser publicized classics wonderfully interspersed with those songs now the staples of many oldies stations. It is also the only place I am aware of with the greatest named doo-wop group of all time: Vito and the Salutations, and their inimitable (and seldom heard) rendition of "Unchained Melody". It is so different from the Righteous Brothers and a wonderful piece of music. I grew up in New York listening to this music first on the corner and then on the radio. It brings back wonderful memories of warm summer nights, and the talented (and not so-talented) guys harmonizing on the streets.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Timeless Music, and Rare Treasures!!!, April 11, 2004
WOW! Well, after reading the reviews written here for this set, I went out yesterday and bought it, pretty much on a whim! But this was one of those rare occasions where my whim has actually paid off in spades! First of all, I should say that I'm 19 years old (okay, I'll be twenty in eleven days, but I'm still a teenager at heart!) so, needless to say, I never had the opportunity to sit at a Bronx apartment stoop, harmonizing with four other guys about lost love and moonlit nights. But sometimes, when I listen to this music, I feel like I could very well have been there in a past life! And as far as this set goes, well, it's pure magic! From the first note 'til the last, this box takes a thorough and enjoyable look at the entire doo-wop genre. I learned more about doo-wop's history from the amazing companion booklet than I ever have from any other source. I always used to think that all doo-wop was pretty much the same no matter what year it was released in. Not so! In fact, as it turns out, the doo-wop sound changed so rapidly that you can hear subtle changes in the musical approach from YEAR to YEAR! And in fact, doo-wop falls into three distinct sub-eras; the initial R&B movement of the late forties when groups like The Ravens splintered off from more traditional black vocal groups of earlier years, the acceptance of the music by white America in the mid-fifties and its fusion with rock & roll, and the early 60's doo-wop revival, due in large amount to Italian groups like Dion & the Belmonts, and conscientious record collectors who brought doormant singles to deejays, who made hits out of them YEARS after they were recorded! That means that doo-wop, in some form or another, existed actively in three decades! That's a lot of great music, and this set tackles all of it with outstanding gusto! As a bit of an early-rock historian myself (at least in my own mind ;-), I do have a small bone to pick with the head compiler of this set, who asserts that while groups like the Ink Spots were catering to a mostly white pop audience in the 30's and 40's, the Orioles recorded the first "real" doo-wop tune "It's Too Soon to Know" in 1948. As popular as that theory is and as widely-held as it is among doo-wop aficianados, I'm afraid I just don't see it. The Orioles don't sound any more "doo-wop" than the Ink Spots themselves did! In fact, in my mind, the Ink Spots have just as much doo-wop street cred as the Orioles do, and they started all the way back in 1939 with their countrified, harmonically-satisfying ballad "If I Didn't Care". The Orioles didn't really have any quality to distinguish them from the Ink Spots, so I'd have to say that the first "real" full-fledged doo wop tune was the SECOND song on this set "Count Every Star" by the Ravens, from all the way back in 1950! A beautiful song that gives me goosebumps every time I hear it, especially when I hear that soaring falsetto doing vocal loop-de-loops at the beginning! While this whole set is pure gold, I'd have to say that the first disc is my favorite because it encompasses the spirit of pure black streetcorner music, before it became commercialized and before it was fodder for novelty tunes. My favorites of this set are the really obscure old gems from the days when this was the stuff you REALLY didn't want your parents to hear, some of these that I had never even heard before, like "Gee" by The Crows, "Why Don't You Write Me?" by The Jacks (I wish to Heaven that I could find out who that lead vocalist is, he's fantastic!), "Mary Lee" by The Rainbows, "Come Back My Love" by the Wrens, "I" by The Velvets, "Hearts of Stone" by the Jewels, "Sh-Boom" by the Chords, "A Sunday Kind of Love" by the Harp-Tones, "Story Untold" by the Nutmegs, and OF COURSE "Count Every Star" by the Ravens! The later days of doo-wop are just as great to listen to and maybe even more developed stylistically, but never again was it at its purest, most emotionally tormented form. The later discs in this set are fabulous also, with all the feverish and fun doo-wop rockers that were to come along in the rock era and some truly classic and well-known tunes by the Skyliners, the Cadillacs, the Dell Vikings, the Capris, Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers etc. as well as some of the great white and Italian streetcorner groups that picked up and carried the torch of doo-wop in the revival period, but I think the last two discs are brought down just a TAD by one or two not-so-great novelty tunes that wouldn't have been missed if they had stayed in the doo-wop vaults (did we REALLY need "Pizza Pie" by Norman Fox & the Rob-Roys?! Uggh!). All criticisms aside, this is still THE set to buy! And even though it's a bit pricey, the informative and lovingly rendered booklet alone is worth half of the price tag just for what you'll learn from reading it, and you get some really rare songs here (from all three eras) that you WON'T find in other collections and, probably, many that you've never heard before and that you'll be glad you met! If you lived through this period, you'll relive some priceless memories, and if you're like me and you didn't see this music's heyday, now is the perfect chance to get it and create some priceless memories of your own! Keep rockin'!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Doo Wop Fever, March 1, 2000
I have purchased both boxes of this Doo Wop set and I am truly amazed at what I've bought. I am 50 years old, so I vaguely remember some of the songs and others I had never heard. This is some of the best music in the world. I grew up in the 60s with Motown, etc. and love that music to death. This is different and lets me know that I was a generation behind the truly great music. The way the vocalists use their voices to mimic instruments is truly amazing. I am not musically inclined - I just love good music and I rate these two box sets at the top of my list. What actually surprised me most of all was how high the quality was on these recordings. They are original recordings and I think they sound fuller than some of the recordings that are out today. If your age is fifty or older, I know you will enjoy these cd's. I can't stop listening to them. My old motto used to be "I'm stuck in the 60s" but for now I have to change it to "I'm back in the 50s". Enjoy!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
