Customer Reviews

Doo-Wop Forever 2

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DOO-WOP FOREVER VOL. 2, issued by EMPIRE in 2006, is a great anthology of 1950s and early '60s music. The songs (even the "cover" versions) all have a fresh and vivid sound. The majority of sides here, although little-known to the casual fan, are fine examples of vocal group harmonies. An accompanying 12-page booklet is packed with details about the performers and their works.

If you're curious about this genre, DOO-WOP FOREVER Vol. 2 is a great place to begin your explorations. And for those already familiar with the vocal group "classics," this set provides different takes on several, plus some rarities seldom found in such compilations.

TOTAL RUNNING TIMES:
DISC ONE - 48:03
DISC TWO - 49:39

Whereas Volume 1 gives you a mix of some familiar Doo-Wop hits, a few rarities and two hits that weren't really in that genre (a total of 15), combined with quite a number of cuts by obscure groups, this one only has seven even remotely recognizable hits, including three considered hard to find.

hose would be In My Heart by The Timetones, a # 51 Billboard Pop Hot 100 in May 1961 on the Times Square label, Coney Island Baby by The Excellents, which also hit # 51 Hot 100, but in late 1962/early 1963 on Blast Records, and Remember by The Velours. You almost always get their one big hit, Can I Come Over Tonight? (see Volume 1), whenever they are included in a multi-artist compilation, but here you get their only other hit, Remember, which hit # 83 Pop Top 100 in March 1958 with the backing of the Sammy Lowe orchestra on the Onyx label. They even give you the flipside on Disc 2, Can I Walk You Home?

Another rarity, although I questions its inclusion in a Doo-Wop collection, is High On A Hill, a # 77 Hot 100 in March 1964 for Scott English on Spokane Records. Perhaps they felt it warranted inclusion by the fact he was backed by a group calling themselves The Accents. Not so the Maxine Brown cut, however, (All In My Mind - # 2 R&B/# 19 Hot 100 in early 1961 on Nomar) which is not only available in many other collections, but is not Doo-Wop.

Three more easily obtainable are Rama Lama Ding Dong by The Edsels (# 21 Hot 100 May/June 1961 on Twin, Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind by The Five Keys (# 12 R&B/# 23 Pop Top 100 late 1956 on Capitol, and Kokomo by The Famingos (# 92 Hot 100 March 1961 on End).

The really obscure groups, and known only to devoted collectors of Doo-Wop, are: The Blendtones, Carnations, Pelicans, Decoys, Orchids, Elchords, Five Discs, Collegians, Chuck A Lucks, Videos, Chalets, Five Thrills, Dreamtones, Performers, Nightcaps, and Arcades. None of the songs made any impact on national charts.

These groups may be familiar to some as each had at least one national hit to their credit, although none were the songs included here: The Harptones, Five Satins, Nutmegs, Videls, Jive FIve, Colts, Crests, Clzssics, Eternals, Dante & The Evergreens, and Te Belmonts (Searching for a New Love was the uncharted B-side to Don't Get Around Much Anymore (# 57 Hot 100 fall 1961 on Sabrina). The other tune by The Flamingos, I'm Yours, was also never a hit.

The sound quality is very good and there are minimal liner notes.

An even better selection than Vol. 1 for hearing (and discovering) songs beyond the standard collection.
This is a 'made-to-order' item. The sound is fine. However, the jacket song list is only of disc one. I copied the disc 2 titles from the Amazon page.

In this, the second installment of Empire Musicwerk's mining of Doo-Wop genre recordings, things get a bit more obscure. There are a few major hits recognizable by most baby boomers scattered among the mostly unfamiliar tunes. The diverse mix includes tunes that never made the national charts but were popular in local, mostly eastern, metropolitan markets, non-hits by groups that were successful with other songs and some outright obscurities. A few surprises are here as well, such as the CD-debut of Scott English's "High On a Hill" (although one could debate its suitability in this set) and the stereo version of the Eternals' "Babalu's Wedding Day".

Technically, this two-CD set with a generous 40 tracks is very well executed with overall excellent sound quality including a few stereo tracks (track 20 on disc 1, tracks 6,14,17 on disc 2). The esteemed Walter DeVenne had a hand in the mastering illustrating the attention to quality given this set. Finishing off the piece is an informative liner notes booklet with background on the included tracks and groups.

Overall, while geared towards the more avid fan of the genre, this is a very worthwhile piece, both as a stand-alone and as a follow-up volume to the first. Though on the market for a relatively short time, as of this writing, this CD is out-of-print and the future of Empire Musicwerks is somewhat in doubt as well. An unfortunate turn of events should this quality label fall victim to the waning fortunes of the CD music marketplace.

I was back in the 50's, with my high school friends, and American Bandstand, and dancing at the hop. It is awesome!!!