Customer Reviews

Teach Me Tonight

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

the decastro sisters early in the 1950's literally took american music by storm with their throaty tight knit harmony giving the queens of boogie woogie "the andrew sisters" a run for their crowns. for forty years I have not been able to come across the sisters recordings but now thanks to amazon.com I have not one of their hits but all of them and in the space age technology of digitally remastered compact disc. paying also far less than the orginal $1.00 for each of the 31 tracks within. I highly recommend this cd to anyone who loves the music and singers of the 40's and fabulous fiftys.

Fabulous! A dream come true. 31 of the DeCastro Sisters greatest recordings in one low-priced package. And what sound! The 45's if you could find them, never sounded like this. Some are even in real stereo and there are even some unreleased tracks never heard before. What a treat for their many fans. Long overdue!

Please ignore the petulant reviewer so upset that some ABC-Paramount sides by the DeCastros are not included here. Obviously, he is not aware that Bear Family has to license these things and they are not always made available to the producers. Those singles are easily available from several online dealers on Musicstack if you really want to obtain them (and they are worth obtaining). What we have here is the nearly-complete output of the DeCastros on Abbott (missing only the wonderful "Snowbound for Christmas," seek it out!) and RCA. Not all of the songs (especially on RCA) are gems, but the unique vocal blend of the sisters, and the great arrangements by Skip Martin on the Abbott sides, are wonderful and worth hearing. Kudos to Bear Family for making available the American pop, jazz, early rock and country music that our own domestic labels who own the masters have neglected completely.

Three sisters - Peggy, Babette and Cherie DeCastro - went from their father's sugar plantation in Cuba, to The Montmartre Club in Havana [where they met a young Fidel Castro], to brief recording stardom in the U.S. The whole story is told in the excellent 24 pages of liner notes [replete with stunning photographs, including two with Carmen Miranda] written by Todd Everett in 1999. There is also a complete Abbott/RCA Victor Discography.

So why, you ask, only three stars? Because, in a collection of 31 songs by a group whose CDs are as rare as palms in Antarctica, they include just four of their seven charted singles. That is anathema to any completist collector. Which is what I am.

As indicated by the title, their first, and biggest, hit is here as is its flipside. In late 1954 Teach Me Tonight b/w It's Love [tracks 7 and 1] began its climb to # 2 and a 20-week stay on the charts. Nothing else would even come close.

Their next hit came in May 1955 when the novelty tune, Boom Boom Boomerang [with bass voice by Thurl Ravenscroft] peaked at # 17 Billboard Pop Top 100 b/w Let Your Love Walk In [tracks 2 and 11]. That December their version of Too Late Now, from the film Royal Wedding, only reached # 66 b/w Give Me Time [tracks 9 and 8], while a Christmas release, Snowbound For Christmas, made it to # 84 b/w Christmas Is A-Comin'. Neither side is included in this set. On all of the above Abbott recordings the Skip Martin Orchestra provided backing.

In 1956 they moved over to RCA Victor, but only one hit emerged - I'm Yours - which, with Joe Reisman's Orchestra, settled at # 74 in October b/w Don't Call Me Sweetie [tracks 18 and 21]. After being shut out in 1957, they barely made the Top 100 in 1958 when Who Are They To Say? struggled to reach # 99 in August despite the backing of hit-maker Don Costa & His Orchestra. Neither that, nor the flipside, When You Look At Me, are included in this compilation.

Nor is their last charter, Teach Me Tonight Cha Cha, an attempt to meld their biggest hit with the cha cha craze, which reached # 76 Billboard Pop Hot 100 in January 1959, b/w The Things I Tell My Pillow - both backed again by Costa.

If you only wish to sample the offerings of one of the secondary girl groups of the mid-1950s [which also includes The Shepherd Sisters and The DeJohn Sisters] then this is recommended. If, on the other hand, you're looking for some of the premier girl groups of that era, then go to The Chordettes, The Fontane Sisters, or The McGuire Sisters.

This was a good cd to listen to the old time music. But they could have done a better job with making it sound better.

Judy Reppart

It's a shame that a fine group like The De Castro Sisters didn't get much more of their work transferred to CD; but for De Castro Sisters fans this may have to do as one of the very few available CDs for now. Perhaps that will change with continued sales of albums like this one; I certainly hope so! The quality of the sound is rather good and the artwork is very nicely done.

There are many wonderful songs on this album even if they didn't hit number one on the charts. The album starts with the three sisters singing "It's Love" along with a big musical arrangement that works wonders for the number. "Boom Boom Boomerang" is a energetic song with great harmonizing; and I also enjoy "To Say You're Mine" with that terrific arrangement; "Wedding Song" which is a classic; "If I Ever Fall in Love" which gets the royal treatment from this sister act; "I'm Bewildered" which showcases the sisters' ability to handle complex tempo and key changes like pros; the lovely "Teach Me Tonight" which has them squarely in the spotlight with beautiful music to accompany them as they sing; the memorable "Cry Baby Blues;" the dynamic "Let Your Love Walk In" and "Cuban Love Song."

"I Can't Escape from You" is very well done; and listen for "No One to Blame But You" and "Cowboys Don't Cry" which are real gems in these sisters' capable hands! "It's Yours" has backup even though The De Castro Sisters never really needed it; "I Never Meant to Hurt You" with its excellent melody; "I Hear a Melody" with some great piano work to go along with that brass as the sisters perform this faultlessly; "Don't Call Me Sweetie;" the poignant "Flowers on the Hillside" and there's also the wonderful "I Know Plenty" as well as the melancholy "Blue and Broken-Hearted." The De Castro Sisters ace all of these songs as effortlessly as if it were mere breathing--but of course we know it really wasn't all that easy. Their talent always carried them through.

"Where Have You Been My Love" charms me with its natural beauty; and "That Little Word Called Love" is a romantic, sensitive number despite some not so happy lyrics. The De Castro Sisters prove their versatility when they perform "Biddle-Dee Bop" very well; and "What a Relief (Hoop Ah Hoop Ah, Bah Dah Dah)" is also impressive. The album ends with two sublime tunes, "You Take Care of Me (I'll Take Care of You)" and "My Sweetheart Left Me Behind."

Fans of The De Castro Sisters would do well to get this for their collections; and people who enjoy excellent pop tunes by girl groups from the mid 20th century will value this CD as well.

Thank you, ladies!

The DeCastro Sisters are absolutely the best! It's just fabulous to finally have all their best original recordings in one package--31 of them in a wonderfully-priced CD with incredible sound. Those old 45s, if you ever could find them, never sounded like this and there's unreleased stuff too! Some are even in real stereo! What a bargain. Really a must-have for any collection!