Customer Reviews

Golden Classics

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Ignore Amazon.com's photo above.......it's wrong. This has nothing to do with Terry Stafford. Please fix it, Amazon.com!

Anyway, don't let the mistaken photo discourage you from ordering one of the biggest forgotten treasures of the 50s/early 60s era of R&B! The Jarmels are terrific......you'll find their sound is very similar to The Drifters. Their vocals are absolutely staggering in their talent and delivery. It amazes me this group disappeared at all, because you'd be hard pressed to find better r&b from this period, and that includes Motown and Stax.

"A Little Bit of Soap" gets most of the pub, but don't overlook "The Way You Look Tonight" which was the group's other hit. It is an amazing piece, from the great chanted-style opening to the terrific phrasing of the lead singer. Classic. The rest of the tracks are pretty strong, too.

When I was a kid, my father played all of his old r&b 45s constantly......and the Jarmels were among them, right alongside The Flamingos, Platters and Drifters. If you collect any of the following: r&b, soul, 50s doo wop, beach........then this is a must-have.

There are nights when the only song that gets me through till morning is "A Little Bit of Soap." I'm in complete agreement with Gaylord Sartain, who once said: "It's a cool cut. And if you don't know it, you SHOULD." The Jarmels never got the exposure they deserved; and that doesn't sit well with me. Their amazing "One By One" remains one of the most beautiful doo-wop songs ever recorded. And "A Little Bit of Soap" is a classic. This collection is uneven only because, well, this is pretty much all that remains of the Jarmels. I love this CD for what it is -- something rare that makes me dance and smile and remember something I thought I lost a long time ago...

If you enjoyed the song "A little bit of soap"
you should definitely treat your self to this bit of joy!
I am amazed the Jarmels only had one hit.
They are certainly much more tatented then to have only been a one hit wonder.
Well thats what history says they are.
But to me this compilation is one of the most enjoyable C.D.'s I own.

These 14 tracks are a nice variety of great music.
And with the Jarmels sensational harmony there are no sleepers here.

The Jarmels one hit in 1963 that just missed the top 10,
yet it has hung on over the decades as a classic.
"A little bit of soap" b/w "The way you look tonight"
are both here among some great album cuts.
All these tracks had the potential to be a hit.

This is a upbeat set of rhythm and blue songs,
with clever and intertaining lyrics.
Delivered by a group with exceptional voices and talent.
This 60's R&B collection is highly recommended
to remind you of how good music USED to be in the early 1960s!

Let's get one thing clear right away. The Jarmels only had one hit single - A Little Bit Of Soap - which reached # 7 R&B and # 12 Billboard Pop Hot 100 on Laurie 3098 in 1962. It was produced by the legendary Bert Berns [aka Bert Russell and Russell Byrd] whose accomplishments included Under The Boardwalk by The Drifters. The Way You Look Tonight was the B-side to that single and it did not chart.

Nor did anything else they attempted, including their first release in 1961, Little Lonely One b/w She Loves To Dance on Laurie 3085, and every release following their one hit which, in order, were: I'll Follow You b/w Gee Oh Gosh on Laurie 3116, Red Sails In The Sunset b/w Loneliness on Laurie 3124, and Little Bug b/w One By One on Laurie 3141, all in 1962 and, in 1963, Come On Girl b/w Keep Your Mind On Me on Laurie 3174. Two tracks, Why Am I A Fool For You and You Don't Believe A Word I Say, were unreleased until many years later (1986) in a compilation.

Named for a street in the Harlem portion of New York, despite originating in Virginia, the original group, heard on the hit single, consisted of Nathaniel Ruff, Ray Smith, Earl Christian, Tom Eldridge, and Paul Burnett. Later, Major Harris would become a member without being able to contribute to a hit record, before moving on to The Delfonics, where he was part of 9 R&B and 5 pop hits from 1971 to 1974. He then went solo and had 7 R&B and 3 pop hits from 1975 to 1983.

While the lone hit by The Jarmels is available on numerous multi-artist compilations, this Collectables release does give you both sides, which is appreciated by completist collectors like myself, and adding to the bonus is superb sound quality.