Customer Reviews

Street Corner Essentials

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Now for this unique collection from Universal/Hip-O Records, featuring fifty selections from the mid '50s...classic songs remastered for quality sound (clear as a bell)...for some fans unforgettable favorites.

On Disc One, what we could call "The Hits", then on Disc Two "The Rare Sides", many of these I have not heard since my school days, they sound better than ever...a question for the older crowd, where were you when you heard "COME GO WITH ME"(The Dell-Vikings)..."SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES"(The Platters)..."BOOK OF LOVE"(The Monotones)...this collection is only the tip of the iceberg, a number of forgotten treasures...so pick this one up, spin it and sit back, remember those days when this genre was coming into its own ~ STREET CORNER ESSENTIALS!

Total 2-CD-Set ~ Universal Music/Hip-O 314-556-264-2 ~ (2001)

Even though a lot of collectors will have many, if not most, of the tracks on Disc One, what sets this one apart is the SOUND QUALITY. It is truly phenomenal, and sounds as though it could have been recorded yesterday. Yeah, there are exceptions that couldn't be helped ("White Cliffs Of Dover", which starts off Disc Two, has a saxophone which distorts in the microphone, but it was recorded in 1953). Many classic cuts from the Chess and Checker (and associated) labels benefit here from the original session tapes being used, so there is no hiss or creakiness common on other reissues. While Disc One contains The Hits (some bigger than others), Disc Two boasts the CD debut of all 25 of its tracks, with several previously unreleased, including a 1956 vintage beauty by the Four Tops (yes, the Motown hitmakers), as well as many other super rare doo wops that would easily command three-to-four figure prices on original vinyl. And a half-dozen of these tracks appear in stunning, unexpected straight-from-the-vaults stereo. Hunt this down at any price, it will immediately take center stage in your collection.

This is a lean and mean compilation with some very rare but GREAT cuts I.E."My heart belongs to only you"-by the Standards, is the best version I`ve ever heard of that song,but forget about finding this on any other collection,`cause it won`t be easy.The second disc is phenomenal, since most of the creative and street-corner friendly hits reside there and not on disc 1 which is more of classic doowop(still very good but this is not why we bought this CD, SINCE ANY DOO WOPP AFFICIONADO WORTH HIS SALT ALREADY OWNS MOST OF THE TUNES ON DICS 1!)BUT DON`T get the wrong impression:THIS IS PHENOMENAL STUFF, WITH MORE THAN A FEW RARITIES, TO ENJOY!