Customer Reviews

Trying [ORIGINAL RECORDINGS REMASTERED] 2CD SET

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This collection of Hilltopper's hits and near hits is a great example of what good singing groups used to sound like before the sound engineers and the technology overtook the talent. The Hilltoppers, very much in the style vein of one of their contemporaries, the Four Aces, preferred the romantic ballads over the up tempo or novelty tunes, favored the shuffle rhythm and featured a very strong solo tenor in the voice of Jimmy Sacca. Jimmy, in my opinion, was one of three great lead singers with vocal groups that should have had a long successful solo career. The other two being Al Alberts with the Four Aces and Ed Ames of the Ames Brothers. Ed Ames was the most successful lead singer with a group that parlayed the groups success into a great solo career. Whatever the reason that Jimmy Sacca never had the great solo career, his group, the Hilltoppers, were one of the best that emerged in the '50's. Their first hit, "Trying", is one of their all time best. Other great romantic ballads featured are "Time Waits For No One", "P.S. I Love You", "To Be Alone" and 57 other great or near great songs. The sound is strictly monaural but the digital re-engineering is clean and crisp. If you want to hear what great singing was all about this album will delight you and certainly bring back the memories of the '50's.

How wonderful to have ALL the Hilltoppers hits from 1952's TRYING straight through to THE JOKER.

I've enjoyed many of these songs on the original 45s and a number of albums but the digital transfer of these recordings was worth the wait.

For years I've tried to find a compilation that included THE DOOR IS STILL OPEN. The Hilltoppers, like many of the other artists during the mid 50s, often had great records which were in the top half of the Cashbox charts but never made those in Billboard. Many times this was because Billboard was only listing 20 to 25 titles while Cashbox was listing 50. So here are the OTHER hits like D-A-R-L-I-N-G.

Hats off to the fine people at Jasmine who put together this great compilation. Now I'm waiting for them to do the same thing for the Fontane Sisters....a complete collection of the original DOT recordings from the masters. Most present collections have inconsistencies and often sound like they were mastered from old 78s or 45s.

Back in the pre-R&R early part of the decade of the 1950s most of the major labels had, among their stable of vocalists, an all-male group. At Decca/Coral were The Four Aces, The Mills Brothers and The Ames Brothers; at Columbia/Epic were The Four Lads and The Four Coins; at Mercury you had The Crew Cuts, The Gaylords and The Diamonds; at Capitol there were The Four Freshmen, Four Knights, Four Preps and The Five Keys; and at RCA Victor/"X" were The Three Chuckles (which included Teddy Randazzo), The Four Lovers (who later went on to greater fame elsewhere as The 4 Seasons, and The Ames Brothers, who joined them in 1953 after a long run with Decca/Coral.

Among the many small independent labels popping up, Randy Wood's Dot Records turned to a foursome that had formed up at Western Kentucky College in Bowling Green, named The Hill Toppers after the school nickname, with lead Jimmy Sacca, Don McGuire, Seymour Spiegelman, and one Billy Vaughn, who would later lead a very successful house orchestra at Dot and also take over as their musical director.

And, from 1952 on into the first years of the R&R era, they would more than match their contemporaries at the major labels, chalking up 25 hit singles, and also doing well in album sales. Here, courtesy of Jasmine of the UK (where else?) you get all 25 as well as all but three of their flipsides! The missing B-Sides are: All I Need Is You - which backed the 1955 # 81 Searching (Dot 15415), The Last Word In Love - which backed the late 1955/early 1956 # 31 My Treasure (Dot 15437), and Footsteps - which backed the 1957 # 58 A Fallen Star (Dot 15594).

By the time Vaughn took over as musical director at Dot in 1955, he had been a part of 19 of their hit singles, with all but the first release (Trying/You Made Up My Mind - Dot 15018 in 1952), which came out as by The Hill Toppers, showing Hilltoppers. His replacement was Chuck Schrouder with the first 1956 release (Ka-Ding-Dong/Into Each Life Some Rain Must Fall - Dot 15489) billed as The Hilltoppers featuring Chuck Schrouder. Every release after that would show The Hilltoppers featuring Jimmy Sacca.

They don't come any more complete than this, with excellent sound reproduction and informative notes by Rex Strother.

The Hilltoppers were a great sensation in the 50's-early 60's with terrific recordings in that period. Truly a treat to have most of their songs on this cd issue. Have fun and get out your saddle shoes.

I relived memories of over 50 years ago! The collection of so many hits from so long ago was great

Although I have forgotten this great group, I was amazed at the amount of remembering that came back to me. This CD is well worth having if you are a 50's-60's person or a younger one that wants to hear good music.

This CD is a must for all Hilltopper fans. Virtually all their great hits are included plus several never before released. Great listening for fans of the 1950's groups.

This is a great recording by The Hilltoppers.

Great songs, & Jimmy Sacca beautiful voice.

THE GREATEST SINGING GROUP OF ALL TIME. THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER LIKE THEM.