Various Artists - 25 All-Time Doo Wop Hits (CD)

Doo Wop royalty and rarities

By redtunictroll  Jun 3, 2002 | 1 out of 1 found this 25 All-Time Doo Wop Hits review helpful

With so many Doo Wop compilations available, it’s no easy task to pick one as a starting place. Rhino’s box sets (three four-disc sets, and counting) and Collectables’ eight disc series, "Doo Wop 45’s on CD," cover more ground than most buyers ne...ed as an introduction. Varese’s single-disc anthology provides a good jump-start, balancing genre standards with lesser known (but no less worthy) sides. This twenty-five track collection provides both an enjoyable doo wop spin, as well as a stepping stone into the world of doo wop collecting.Well-known highlights include "Get a Job" "In the Still of the Night" "Earth Angel" "There’s a Moon Out Tonight" "Over the Mountain; Across the Sea" "What’s Your Name" "16 Candles" "We Belong Together" and "Since I Don’t Have You." Interestingly, the familiarity of these songs isn’t always mirrored by their original popularity. Movie soundtracks such as "American Graffitti" and "Christine" (not to mention revival acts like Sha Na Na and the condensation of Oldies radio) have often rearranged our perspective on these songs. Also of note is how the R&B and Pop charts often disagreed on these memorable tunes.Lesser known highlights (not among afficianados, of course) include The Six Teens’ torchy "A Casual Look" (making its U.S. CD debut), The Tokens’ "Tonight I Fell in Love," The Genies’ "Who’s That Knocking" (featuring Claude Johnson, who’d shortly become Juan of Don & Juan, whose own "What’s Your Name" is also featured here), The Solitaires’ foot-stomping "Walking Along," and The Jive Five’s soulful "What Time Is It?"Every one of these songs is delivered with a passion and immediacy that’s mostly lost in this age of multitrack recording. Hours spent practicing on street corners turned these singers into performers, and the focus on singles provided a greater concertration of quality songs.Billy Vera’s liner notes provide valuable background on the artists, setting each among the music scene, and providing avenues to explore their histories and later associations. It would have been nice if his essay followed the same order as the track listing (or if they’d at least emboldened the song titles so they were easier to pick out). Mastering, release and chart information are all top-notch. Read more Less