Doo Wop: An eMusic Guide
Doo Wop is as uniquely American a musical art form as jazz or the blues or hip-hop. But over time it has been cast aside, identified as "old people music" and thus profoundly unhip. This kind of dismissal ignores not just the genre's influence—R&B would never be the same after doo wop's mannered thunderclap style came along—but also its vivid and naked emotionalism, performed in a uniquely consonant style of singing created in the 1940s. It's a music that doesn't scream or cry but is still drenched in feeling. Love and cars and candy—all basically the same precious but disposable thing in a teenager's eyes—lies at its heart. Typically its men are fools for love; never rapacious, just confused and tender. That's why they sing in harmony. And they're solid citizens, too—just listen to Frankie Lymon's "I'm Not A Juvenile Delinquent," a head-scratching plea for his own goodness. It crossed racial boundaries—consider the multi-cultural composition of a group like the Crests—and bridged the gap between young and old. Below you'll find a wealth of bedrock music, the spine of early rock 'n 'roll, collecting the hits of heroes, has-beens, how-come-they-didn'ts. There is more essential music here than you'll know what to do with. One more thing to sing about.
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In early 1956, Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers -- Herman Santiago, Jimmy Merchant, Sherman Garnes, and Joe Negroni -- achieved international stardom with the song "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?." Lymon, as lead singer (and all of 13 years old), was the star of the act, and they remain one of the finest examples of New York vocal group singing. All of the essentials are on this album, which, among its numerous highlights also includes "Love Is a Clown" and the group's later hits, "Little Bitty Pretty One," "Portable on My Shoulder," and "Thumb Thumb." At the time of its release, this CD collection was notable not only for its generous programming -- 20 songs deep into the group's catalog -- but also for its sound quality. Previous LP compilations of the Teenagers' work, issued either through Roulette Records or labels of dubious legitimacy (such as Guest Star), had suffered from very poor quality mastering and sources; and even the commonly available U.S. LP reissue of the 1958 album The Teenagers Featuring Frankie Lymon -- which boasted one of the coolest covers of the 1950s -- offered miserably poor sound. This collection, either as a 20-song CD or a 16-song LP, was the first decent sounding Frankie Lymon reissue heard in decades; it's been supplanted for audio quality since then, but 20 years later, it's still worth hearing and owning, for the uninitiated.
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Under the Boardwalk appeared very quickly after the Our Biggest Hits compilation, which was then deleted. The two LPs originally had the same cover jackets and one difference to the music inside -- the "Under the Boardwalk" single replaced "Drip Drop" on the Under the Boardwalk LP. With the music on this album, the Drifters began a new era in their history under tragic circumstances, given the sudden and still mysterious death early in 1964 of Rudy Lewis, who had been the group's lead singer since 1960. Lewis was succeeded by Johnny Moore, who had rejoined as lead tenor in 1963 and had previously been Clyde McPhatter's successor in the old Drifters in 1955. This album mixes songs cut when Lewis was still with the group, but on which Moore sang lead, along with some of Lewis' last successes such as "Up on the Roof" and "On Broadway." It's a superb example of pop-oriented soul, with two excellent singers given equally fine material to work with. Much of the music was made under the direction of producer Bert Berns, who was to guide the Drifters to their very last period of major recording success. This album, the last of the Drifters' LPs to resonate with huge hits, is also considered a classic for the very cool cover image on its second version, a multicolored overlay depicting the five-man Drifters lineup led by Johnny Moore, complete with guitarist Billy Davis, who was a key (if understated) component in the group's sound.
![Who Wrote The Book Of Love? [Digital Version] album cover](http://images.emusic.com/music/images/album/117/547/11754796/300x300.jpg)
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The Four Seasons are often overlooked when lists of important bands of the 1960s are made. That really shouldn't be the case. With Frankie Valli's amazing bray of a voice backed by the solid harmonies of the other Three Seasons singing simple, powerful songs with great hooks and lots of musical surprises, they were really quite special. And Bob Crewe knew how to produce records that sounded great on car radios: the drums snap, the guitars crunch, and the voices jump out of the mix. The Four Seasons had a lot of really big hit songs: "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry," "Dawn (Go Away)," and "Working My Way Back to You." This compilation rounds up all their chart smashes from their original incarnation in the 1960s plus two tracks ("Who Loves You" and the disco-fied "December, 1963 [Oh, What a Night]") from the mid-'70s. One could question the inclusion of solo tracks by Frankie Valli on a Four Seasons compilation. "Can't Take My Eyes Off You," "My Eyes Adored You," "Swearin' to God," and "Grease" are all fine songs and hits as well, but sound out of place, as his solo style is nothing like the classic Four Seasons sound. It seems like a disservice to the group. Surely Rhino could have found a few more Four Seasons tunes to round out the disc -- maybe a song from their weird concept album, The Genuine Imitation Life Gazette, or the should-have-been-a-smash "Silence Is Golden." Ignoring all that, this is still the best single-disc Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons compilation on the market (since Rhino has deleted their superior Anthology, which had more tracks and only one Frankie Valli solo number) and could easily be recommended to the casual fan.
MORE DOO WOP FROM RHINO RECORDS
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Ray Charles may have jump-started the soul revolution by fusing secular lyrics with gospel mannerisms, but Sam Cooke paved the way for legions of religious stars to enter the secular market. Cooke sacrificed some intensity and lyrical integrity making crossover hits. His singing was no less honest and striking, but the pop sides couldn't match the fury and energy of his sessions with the legendary Soul Stirrers gospel quartet.
more »This 25-cut anthology showcases prime anthems from his tenure with the Soul Stirrers. Rather than try matching the legendary R.H. Harris' spiraling leads, Cooke swooped, smeared and dipped while perfecting a creamy yet tough delivery and dynamic, charismatic sound. Whether singing prophetic narratives ("Peace in the Valley" and "Touch the Hem of His Garment"), seeking answers to tough questions ("Mean Old World," "Must Jesus Bear The Cross Alone," "How Far Am I From Canaan") or supplying reassurance of faith's ultimate rewards ("It Won't Be Very Long,' "He'll Make A Way," "I'm So Glad (Trouble Don't Last Always,"), Cooke's vocals were routinely remarkable, often incredible. Sam Cooke both built his reputation and developed his skills on these songs, which remain timeless examples of praise and worship music in its purest form.
![Ramones [Expanded] album cover](http://images.emusic.com/music/images/album/117/494/11749477/300x300.jpg)
