13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ron Dante and the Detergents are the leaders of parody., December 13, 1999
This review is from: Many Faces of (Audio CD)
Anyone who is familiar with The Archies, the animated musical group who laughed in the face of convention with their million-selling single, "Sugar Sugar," is probably aware of the voice behind the group, Ron Dante. And, those aware of Ron Dante may or may not be surprised to learn that, pre-Archies, Ron was a member of a trio with the unlikely name of The Detergents. But, come on, what else would you call a group whose debut single was entitled, "Leader of the Laundromat?" This silly, funny parody of the then-recent hit by the Shangri-Las, "Leader of the Pack," was written by the crack songwriting team of Vance/Pockriss, who were also responsible for somewhat obscure ditties like "Catch a Falling Star" (you may have heard this one sung by a man named Perry Como). "Leader" is the first song on the CD and the whole thing just takes off straight to heck from there! "Mrs. Jones ('ow About It?)" is a brilliant takeoff on the Herman's Hermits single "Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Daughter," British accent and all! "The Little Old Doctor From Ipanema" (guess which song this is based on), parts 1 and 2, obviously alternate takes, had me in stitches. There are others in this vein which are really funny also, but I enjoyed the "serious" songs on the album as well, like "From L.A. to New Orleans" and "Life Goes On" as well as the concluding track, an upbeat instrumental entitled "Tea and Trumpets." For awhile in the late Fifties and early Sixties, parody songs were something of a rage in themselves, and this CD is great for collectors as well as for fans like me of Ron Dante and the Archies and the sound which came to be known by the place it originated, the Brill Building in NYC. I recommend it!
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