Customer Reviews

Golden Groups: Time Life Music's Glory Days of Rock 'N' Roll

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4 star:		(2)
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Glory Days of Rock 'N' Roll-Golden Groups is a two CD set that is one hour, sixteen minutes, and thirty-five seconds. I just could not bring myself to give it five stars like I have on the other CDs in the series of Glory Days of Rock 'n' Roll. Most of the music that you hear you can find on any oldies station or any CD compilations. I guess it would have more golden if more unknown groups were on it. Glory Days of Rock 'N' Roll-Golden Groups get a B+.

Disc One
38 minutes and 39 seconds

Remember Then-The Earls
#23 U.S. Billboard Pop Singles
Oh, What a Night-The Dells
#4 U.S. Billboard Rhythm & Blues Records
Love Potion No. 9-The Clovers
#23 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
At My Front Door-The El Dorados
#1 U.S. Billboard Rhythm & Blues Records
#17 U.S. Billboard Pop Singles
Daddy's Home-Shep and the Limelites
#2 U.S. Billboard Pop Singles
Gee-The Crows
#2 U.S. Billboard Rhythm & Blues Records
#14 U.S. Billboard Pop Singles
Over the Mountain, Across the Sea-Johnnie and Joe
#3 U.S. Billboard Rhythm & Blues Records
#8 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Once in a While-The Chimes
#11 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
The Great Pretender-The Platters
#1 U.S. Billboard Rhythm & Blues Records
#1 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Hushabye-The Mystics
#20 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Ten Commandments of Love-Harvey and the Moonglows
#22 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
You're So Fine-The Falcons
I'll Be Home-The Flamingos
#17 U.S. Billboard Pop Singles
Buzz-Buzz-Buzz-The Hollywood Flames
#5 U.S. Billboard Rhythm & Blues Records
#11 U.S. Billboard Pop Singles
Happy, Happy Birthday Baby-The Tune Weavers
#5 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles

Disc Two
37 minutes and 56 seconds

I Wonder Why-Dion and the Belmonts
#22 U.S. Billboard Pop Singles
Could This Be Magic-The Dubs
#23 U.S. Billboard Pop Singles
Heart and Soul-The Cleftones
#18 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
You Cheated-The Shields
#12 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow-The Rivingtons
#48 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Tonite, Tonite-The Mello-Kings
#77 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Rama Lama Ding Dong-The Edsels
#21 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
We Belong Together-Robert and Johnny
#12 U.S. Billboard Rhythm & Blues Records
#32 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Sincerely-The Moonglows
#1 U.S. Billboard Rhythm & Blues Records
#20 U.S. Billboard Pop Singles
Peanuts-Little Joe and the Thrillers
#22 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Long Lonely Nights-Lee Andrews and the Hearts
#45 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Shimmy Shimmy Ko-Ko Bop-Little Anthony and the Imperials
#14 U.S. Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues Sides
#24 U.S. Billboard Pop Singles
Since I Don't Have You-The Skyliners
#5 U.S. Billboard Rhythm & Blues Records
#12 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Whispering Bells-The Dell-Vikings
#9 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Singles
Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight-The Spaniels
#5 U.S. Billboard Rhythm & Blues Records
#24 U.S. Billboard Pop Singles

In the midst of their massive Rock `n' Roll Era, Your Hit Parade, and Big Band mail-order only series which got under way some 12-15 years ago, Time-Life/Warner Special Productions came out with the start of a sub-series around 1999 under the generic heading The Glory Days Of Rock 'N' Roll, each with a sub-title indicating the theme of the volume in question.

I'm not certain as to the extent of that series but, in addition to this volume (all of which are becoming increasingly hard to find), other sub-titles I know for certain are: One Hit Wonders 1; One Hit Wonder 2; Dance Party; Doo Wop; Doo Wop Oldies But Goodies; Girl Group Sound; Golden Classics; Great Love Songs; Great Rockers; Great Vocals; Hard-To-Find Hits; Instrumentals; Legendary Artists; New Orleans; # 1 Hits; R&B Classics; R&B Legends; Rockabilly; Teen Ballads; and Teen Idols.

Most of the selections, shown in the Product Description above, have since been released on countless other such compilations, but if what you're looking for is listed, or in the event you're among the younger set seeking to experience the early days of R&B and R&R, then rest assured these are the originals, and with wonderful clarity of sound, augmented by informative background notes and discography of contents. Several nice photos of some of the artists are also included.

This is also one of the series that contains a fair number of still reasonably hard-to-find oldies, led by You Cheated by The Shields, an LA group that included the late, great Jesse Belvin, Johnny "Guitar" Watson, Mel and Buster Williams and Frankie Ervin. In early fall 1958 it went to # 11 R&B/# 12 Billboard Pop Hot 100 on the Dot label. Another is Gee by the Harlem-based group The Crows, touted by many as the first R&R song (# 2 R&B/# 14 Pop in spring 1954 on Rama).

Oddities in this collection are Once In A While by The Chimes (# 11 Hot 100 late 1960 on Tag), Could This Be Magic by The Dubs (# 23 Hot 100 late 1957 on Gone), and Tonite, Tonite by The Mello-Kings (# 77 Hot 100 late summer 1957 and # 95 Hot 100 January 1961 on Herald). I say oddities since these were all basically R&B groups, the songs are now considered classics in the Doo-Wop genre, and yet not one of them cracked the R&B Top 100.

I'm always looking for the 50's music that's so hard to find these days. This 2 CD set won't disappoint you.
If you're just starting out on a 50's music search, this is a great CD for your collection. Even if you already have some of these hits, it's worth it to get the ones you don't have.
Two examples are "You're So Fine" by the Falcons and "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" by the Tune Weavers. Both songs are hard to find anywhere else. There's also the original version of "Love Potion #9", not to be confused with the British Invasion version some years later.
You really can't go wrong with this one.