The Golden Age Of American Rock 'n' Roll, Volume 5: Hot 100 Hits From 1954-1963 [Import]

The Golden Age Of American Rock & Roll (Series) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 3, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Ace Records UK
• ASIN: B0000009JP
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #86,720 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Wiggle Wiggle - The Accents

2. Love Potion No. 9 - The Clovers

3. I'm Leaving It Up To You - Dale & Grace

4. You Cheated - The Shields

5. It Will Stand - The Showmen

6. Sleep Walk - Santo & Johnny

7. Nothin' Shakin' - Eddie Fontaine

8. Happy, Happy Birthday Baby - The Tune Weavers

9. Heart and Soul - Jan & Dean

10. What's Your Name - Don & Juan

11. Little Bitty Pretty One - Thurston Harris & The Sharps

12. Darling Lorraine - The Knockouts

13. Tallahassee Lassie - Freddy Cannon

14. Tell Me Why - The Belmonts

15. Over The Mountain, Across The Sea - Johnnie & Joe

16. Ka-Ding Dong - The G-Clefs

17. Underwater - The Frogmen

18. She Cried - Jay & The Americans

19. Just A Little Bit - Rosco Gordon

20. Sometime - Gene Thomas

See all 30 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

30 hot hits from 1954-1963 in superb sound quality from original master tapes, with Gene Chandler, Jay & The Americans, Jan & Dean, Santo & Johnny, Freddy Cannon, The Belmonts, The Jayhawks, and many others.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fine installment in this CD series, April 12, 2008

By 

Matthew G. Sherwin (last seen screaming at Amazon customer service) - See all my reviews
(TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Golden Age Of American Rock 'n' Roll, Volume 5: Hot 100 Hits From 1954-1963 (Audio CD)

The Golden Age Of American Rock & Roll, Volume 5 gives us thirty hits that made the airwaves sizzle back in the day! The sound quality couldn't be better; and we get a nice mix on this album of tunes both famous and somewhat more obscure. I love the artwork as well.

The Accents kick off the track set with their hit, "Wiggle Wiggle." This has an excellent `50s rockin' beat and they harmonize to perfection. The Accents really ace this number and it deserves a place on this CD. The Clovers also weigh in with their "Love Potion No. 9;" this classic rock hit sounds fresh and new--the sound is very good. The Clovers wee able to harmonize particularly well and the horn solo work is very impressive. Excellent! Listen also for Dale & Grace on their "I'm Leaving It Up To You;" this is a special type of love song in which they wonder if their partners will choose them--or leave them. Dale & Grace sound strong together and they sing this with all their hearts and souls. "I'm Leaving It Up To You" is a major highlight of this album.

"You Cheated" by The Shields played a lot on the radio back in the day; and The Shields were really very talented. The Tune Weavers also throw in their "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby;" this was a huge hit for The Tune Weavers and I still enjoy this ballad after all these years! Don & Juan also sound their best on `What's Your Name;" this has a touch of doo wop to it that enhances the beauty of this love song.

"Over The Mountain, Across The Sea" by Johnnie & Joe has a distinct doo wop flavor to this early rock and roll ballad; Johnnie & Joe were especially talented and I don't know why I don't see too many of their songs selling these days. Jay & The Americans also perform the song entitled "She Cried." "She Cried" has interesting minor keys but this makes it work well--it's a very memorable tune.

"Hey Little Girl" by Dee Clark is an excellent tune that is both playful and relentlessly optimistic at once. Dee Clark sings this with all his might; he really belts this one out! The music that goes with his vocals fits perfectly, too. The Valiants also sound great on their tune "This Is The Nite;" the drums and percussion enhance the musical arrangement and The Valiants really open up and let this one straight out of the ballpark! I'm very impressed.

Gene Chandler's "Duke Of Earl" is one of my very favorite tunes from this era; Gene possessed a rare talent for singing and just one listen proves it! The album also ends very nicely with The Spaniels performing their hit "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight." "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" shines like gold even today and I'm sure you'll enjoy this ballad.

This CD is an excellent installment in the CD series of "The Golden Age Of Rock & Roll." I highly recommend this album for fans of this genre of music.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Smashes, Minor Hits, And Obscure Treasures, July 22, 2000

By 

Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Golden Age Of American Rock 'n' Roll, Volume 5: Hot 100 Hits From 1954-1963 (Audio CD)

Volume five in ACE Records exhaustive survey of the early rock 'n' roll years (1954-1963) in America suffers from the same problem that volume four did in that the song selection gets a bit too obscure at times. A third of these songs barely dented Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart. Songs like the Accents' "Wiggle Wiggle," the Knockouts "Darling Lorraine" or the Ribbons' "Ain't Gonna Kiss Ya" didn't exactly burn up the charts and even the most ardent fan of the period will not recognize many of these. That is not to dismiss these minor hits entirely. For example, the Showmen's "It Will Stand," which only reached No. 62, is a classic song that lyrically proclaims the longevity of rock 'n' roll because it has something important to say. [And forty years later rock 'n' roll DOES still stand!]

Also, keep in mind that with ACE's generous 30 tracks, they can afford to give the listener an extensive sampling of the minor hits of the period and still provide plenty of the more popular hits. "I'm Leaving It All Up To You," "Sleep Walk" and "Duke of Earl" all topped the charts, and an additional eight songs hit the Top Ten, including such treasures as Don and Juan's "What's Your Name," Jimmy McCracklin's "The Walk" and Travis and Bob's "Tell Him No."

But what makes this whole series such a treat are those Top 40 hits that were fairly big hits when initially released, but radio and record labels have since completely forgotten. It's probably been years (if not decades) since most people have heard the Clovers' original version of "Love Potion No. 9" (as opposed to the Searchers'), or the Belmonts' (sans Dion) "Tell Me Why," the G-Cleffs' "Ka-Ding Dong," or the Jayhawks' "Stranded in the Jungle." When taken as a whole, this entire series (eight volumes so far) does a stellar job of recapturing the era with the big hits and lost gems. If you were a teenager in the Fifties, or simply love the music, you will find much to enjoy here. RECOMMENDED

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It is not done better than this, January 15, 2005

By 

Martijn13Maart1970 (Husavik Iceland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Golden Age Of American Rock 'n' Roll, Volume 5: Hot 100 Hits From 1954-1963 (Audio CD)

I am a enthousiastic collector, and have almost all the Time Life rock n roll stuff, as well as Eric Records cds of this era. Although they are essential to any 50s 60s collection, nothing can top ACE series.
I could comment like this on all the 50s remasters of this fabulous record label, not only their other editions, but especially the Golden Age of American Rock n roll. I can not add anything to the positive reviews than simply summing up my personal view:
30 tracks per cd! (Time life is also excellent, but you get 15 per cd!)
excellent booklets with background info (not surpassed by any label).
not the same old songs over again, but many rare and still excellent tracks!
last but not least amazing sound quality.
So although you might have some songs there on other collections, it is for above mentioned points alone worth it to always have an ACE copy as well.