Customer Reviews

When

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This pair had only a couple of hits --- "When" being their
biggest, making it to # 5 on Billboard's Top Pop 100 chart
and well known and easily recognized by oldies music fans;
"Forget Me Not" making it to # 12, but seldom played on the
oldies stations so it's been largely forgotten in spite of its
title.
Their only other two charted songs ("It's Only The Beginning"
at # 42 and "Sweet Sugar Lips" at # 97) have been mostly
forgotten over the years.
I always liked "Jumpin' Jack", though it never made the charts.
The rest of the songs on this CD are basically just album
filler, many of them being OK, but overall just "So-So".
I bought a copy of this CD without regret. It has 30 tracks
and I recommend that anyone interested in it not pay over $15
for it, since it is available below that price.
Enjoy it --- I do!

This album contains the best examples of bubble gum pop. The arrangements are super and the performances are first rate.

Of the 30 songs on this CD I can only wonder why several, instead of just "When", didn't become top ten hits. I was a teen during the fifties and enjoyed "When" at that time. I still enjoy it but I have to wonder how "Moody", "Bye,Bye Blackbird", and "It's Only The Beginning" never made it to the airwaves, at least as best I can remember. These guys are every bit as good at harmony as the Everly's! What I would most like to get is get the song "All I Have To Do Is Dream" by the Kalin Twins so that I could hear how they did with that number compared to Don and Phil. I have no doubt that they were at least as good, and I'm an Everly Brother's admirer!

This CD contains tracks from a variety of musical genres, but overall it is an excellent example of early Rock n Roll, sometimes referred to as "Bubblegum". But even the "teenybop" material is done with an adult or pop focus. There are several strictly pop selections from the early fifties (Make Love To Me, Sail Along Silv'ry Moon, True Love, etc) and a few things from the first part of the 20th century. (Bye Bye Blackbird, Zing Went The Strings, I'm Forever Blowing Bubbles, etc). Most of the tracks were recorded in New York with Jack Pleis and many were produced by Owen Bradley in Nashville.

Vocals are good, two-part harmony with some single lines here and there, showing that the Kalins are a "pop" big city version of other duos of obvious regional or ethnic musical origins such as The Everly Brothers (Country) or Marvin and Johnny (R&B).

Several of their chartmakers are included, tracks such as "Forget Me Not", It's Only The Beginning", Sweet Sugar Lips" and their 1958 million seller "When". "When" has always been difficult to categorize. It is not really rock n roll, not really country and not really pop. (It hit the top ten in all three markets, Pop, Country and R&B.)

This CD shows the broad spectrum of the Kalin Twins talent. The brothers recorded for Decca Records from 1957 to 1961 and scored with four chart makers. All of them are included in this 30 track collection. (When, Forget Me Not, Sweet Sugar Lips and It's Only The Beginning)

The arrangements (Mostly by Jack Pleis) are pop but commercial for the period. The harmony and basic thrust is pop with evidence of early R&B. Some later tracks were cut in Nashville and show the producing talent of Owen Bradley.

The Kalin Twins were essentially "one-hit wonders", but this song was immensely popular (1958, I think). It was quite contrary to the R&B or rockabilly sounds of that period. It really didn't fit into any catagory, the Everly Bros coming the closest. The song still sounds great!

I only had the privelege to meet one of the twins; Herb. He was a very humble and great guy. After having a conversation with him, I learned who he was and as soon as I got home, I went online to listen to the sample song. I was impressed. Even though I was even born yet and my parents were kids, I appreciate classic tunes. They were great. Unfortunately, I found out the Herb passed away last Friday. His brother passed away within this last year. I can see by these reviews their music will live on.

Ordinary except for "When" & "Three O'clock Thrill", the rest have very basic Rock & Roll rhyming lyrics. The history of the Twins is interesting.