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RHYTHM & BLUES, SOUL & DOO-WOP
The Falcons -> The Four Buddies
| THE FALCONS | Relic 7012 | I Found A Love | ● CD $13.98 |
| THE FALCONS: Anna/ Billy The Kid/ Feels Good/ Fine Fine Girl/ Has It Happened To You Yet/ I Found A Love/ Let's Kiss And Make Up/ Lonely Nights/ Oh Baby/ Part Time Love/ She's My Heart's Desire/ Take This Love I Got/ That's What I Aim To Do/ What To Do/ You Must Know I Love You/ You're On My Mind | |||
| THE FASCINATORS | Eagle 90409 | Featuring Tony Passalacqua | ● CD $18.98 |
| 30 tracks, 69 min., highly recommended. Considered by many
50's doo-wop aficionados to be the best white lead singer of them all,
Tony Passalacqua herein gets the career overview treatment from this
German import label. The program opens with his stellar sides for the
Capitol label, including Chapel Bells, Oh Rose Marie, Who
Do You Think You Are, and the originally unreleased Recess and Teenage
Wedding. Next up are the four Colpix sides issued as by Tony and the
Twilights, including Paper Boy and Please Believe in Me.
Remaining numbers are made up of one early group record (unreleased?)
featuring Tony on lead and later recordings with a variety of backup
groups, among them the Angels. It's all good material, even the mid-60's
cuts. Sound quality is solid, and the notes are reprinted from the
September 1972 issue of Bim Bam Boom. (DH) |
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| H-BOMB FERGUSON | Earwig 4926 | Wiggin' Out | ● CD $14.98 |
| THE FIESTAS | Ace CDCHD 382 | The Oh So Fine Fiestas | ● CD $18.98 |
| 29 tracks, 70 min., recommended. An expansion of the Ace
compilation originally released on vinyl in 1986, this disc now contains
almost every track that this pivotal group recorded for Hy Weiss's Old
Town label. Spanning the years 1959 to 1965, these numbers make it clear
that even though they could ably look back to the sound of doo-wop, the
Fiestas were really a first wave soul group pretty much from the start.
Tracks include the title tune, plus the quality ballad Our Anniversary,
the jumpin' Try It One More Time, a fine version of Arthur
Alexander's Anna, and even a few Coasters' styled cuts like Mr.
Dillon, Mr. Dillon. It's all convincingly done, with most numbers on
the up tempo side. Nice cover photo, slightly updated 1986 notes, and fine
stereo sound on most numbers. (DH) THE FIESTAS: All That's Good/ Anna/ Broken Heart/ Come On And Love Me/ Dollar Bill/ Foolish Dreamer/ Good News/ I Felt Good All Over/ I Gotta Have Your Lovin'/ I'm Your Slave/ It Don't Make Sense/ Last Night I Dreamed/ Look At That Girl/ Love Is Good To Me/ Mr Dillon, Mr Dillon/ Our Anniversary/ Rock-A-By Baby Don't Cry No More/ So Fine/ So Nice/ That Was Me/ The Gypsy Said/ The Hobos Prayer/ The Lawman/ The Party's Over/ The Railroad Song/ Things We Can't Forget/ Think Smart/ Try It One More Time/ You Could Be My Girlfriend |
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| THE FIVE CROWNS | Relic 7081 | The Rainbow Sessions | ● CD $13.98 |
| 14 tracks, 36 min., highly recommended. Clearly influenced by
the sinuously slow numbers of the Orioles, this family vocal group,
composed of the three Clark brothers - James, John, and Claude - plus Dock
Green and Wilbur Paul, put out these extraordinarily rare and wonderful
sides between 1952 and 1953 for New York's small but important Rainbow
Records. Their entire output for that label is here, including A Star/
You're My Inspiration, Ooh Wee Baby, Again, The Man from the Moon, Keep It
a Secret, and At the Fair. The very stuff that experienced
vocal group collectors crave, this time out featuring extraordinarily good
sound quality, several great photos, and Relic boss Donn Fileti's usual
authoritative notes. Simply too good to miss. (DH) THE FIVE CROWNS: $19.50 Bus/ A Star/ Again/ Alone Again/ At The Fair/ Good Luck Darling/ I Don't Have To Hunt No More/ Keep It A Secret/ Ooh Wee Baby/ The Man From The Moon/ Who Can Be True/ Why Don't You Believe Me?/ You Came To Me/ You're My Inspiration |
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| THE FIVE DISCS | EMGE 1000 | I Remember | ● CD $18.98 |
| 20 tracks, 45 min., recommended A nice compilation of the
output of this Brooklyn doo-wop ensemble. Originally formed as an all
Italian group called the Flames, the group became interracial when it and
the all-black Love Notes from the same neighborhood disbanded at pretty
much the same time. Two members of the Love Notes joined three former
Flames, and the Five Discs vocal group was born. This overview of their
late 50's to early 70's career includes Never Let You Go, My
Baby Loves Me, Unchained Melody, My Chinese Girl, Roses,
It's Christmas Time, Oh Lana, I Remember, and Adios.
Solid music, offered with a cover photo of the group but no notes at all.
(DH) |
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| THE FIVE DOLLARS | Regency RR 114 | Motor-City Detroit Doo-Wops | ● CD $18.98 |
| 23 tracks, 67 min., recommended. Their sound was a bit more
raw than most, and they were adept at both hypnotic ballads and raucous
jumps. But perhaps the most interesting distinction of the Five Dollars
was that they managed to record not one, but two songs that virtually
define doo-wop minimalism. That is, neither Harmony of Love nor So
Strange has any real lyrics at all. The remaining numbers here -
including My Baby, Yellow Moon, Bacon Fat, You
Know I Can't Refuse, Going Down to Tia Juana, Weekend Man,
My Mama Said, That's the Way It Goes, and Just Because of
a Kiss - are rather more traditional in that regard. They have actual
words, not just nonsense syllables. Otherwise, the cover photo is nice,
the notes are very brief, and sound quality is decent. (DH) |
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| THE FIVE DU-TONES | Ring Of Stars 878 | The Five Du-Tones | ● CD $19.98 |
| 21 tracks, 52 min., recommended Best known for their 1963
soul dance hit Shake a Tail Feather, the Five Du-Tones, in fact,
recorded an impressive number of similarly energetic numbers for the One-Derful
label between the year of that hit and 1965. This Italian import disc
offers a comprehensive view of that output, offering, in addition to the
aforementioned hit, Dry Your Eyes, We Want More, Don't
Let Go (Parts 1 & 2), Monkee See Monkey Do, Get It, The
Woodbine Twine, Please Change Your Mind, Outside the Record
Hop, The Ghouster, and The Chicken Astronaut. Not a disc
for ballad collectors, to be sure, but a solid choice indeed for fans of
the early soul sound, St. Louis style, in this case. As for the other
relevant considerations: sound quality is fine; there is one vintage photo
of the group, and there are very brief liner notes. (DH) |
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| THE FIVE KEYS | Collectables 5472 | Golden Classics | ● CD $13.98 |
| 20 tracks, 48 min., recommended If you always meant to pick
up the Five Keys' Capitol CD that featured the groups' best work for that
label recorded between 1954-58, including Ling Ting Tong/ Out Of Sight,
Out Of Mind/ Wisdom Of A Fool/ Who Do You Know In Heaven/ She's The Most/
The Verdict/ C'est La Vie/ Dream/ One Great Love and others, it's too
late -- it went out of print. But wait! It's back again as a Collectable
Records release and it's cheap. I mean, inexpensive. Sure, you feel pretty
lucky, maybe even a tad smug. But how long can your luck hold out? Push it
at your own musical risk. (JC) |
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| THE FIVE KEYS | Collectables 5632 | The Aladdin Years | ● CD $13.98 |
| Originally issued on EMI 96056 in 1992 and deleted in 1994!
Now on Collectables. Here dwell some of the finest sides by the quintet
from Newport News. Culled from their seminal Aladdin years (1951 through
1953), twenty-five cuts featuring some of the group's finest hours. The
Glory Of Love/ Red Sails In The Sunset/ My Saddest Hour/ With A Broken
Heart/ Rocking And Crying Blues are included. All-star lineup with
Rudy West - lead, Bernie West, Maryland Pierce, Ripley Ingram and Dickie
Smith. Borrowing from The Orioles' style and that of various popular
gospel groups of the time, The 5 Keys came up with a riveting style
unmatched by most. Indispensible collection by one of the greatest. (OLN) THE FIVE KEYS: (There'll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover/ Be Anything But Be Mine/ Can't Keep From Crying/ Deep In My Heart/ Hold Me/ I'll Always Be In Love With You/ If You Only Knew/ Mama (Your Daughter Told A Lie On Me)/ Mistakes/ My Saddest Hour/ Oh! Babe!/ Red Sails in the Sunset/ Rocking and Crying Blues/ Someday, Sweetheart/ Story of Love/ Teardrops In Your Eyes/ The Glory of Love/ There Ought To Be A Law/ These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)/ When You're Gone/ Will My Heart Stand a Chance/ With A Broken Heart/ Yearning/ Yes Sir, That's My Baby |
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| THE FIVE KEYS | Lamp 7-11 | Hucklebuck With Jimmy | ● CD $17.98 |
| 26 track collection by this great group - most not
previously on CD and 10 previously unissued. Includes the title song plus Do
I Need You/ Goin' Downtown/ Darling/ Love My Lovin'/ I Cried For You,
etc) |
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| THE FIVE RED CAPS | Flyright 60 | 1943-1945 | ● CD $16.98 |
| These early Joe Davis recordings (cut before the Mercury,
RCA or ABC-Paramount stuff), rest firmly in the jive vocal group tradition
that made stars of The Cats & the Fiddle and The Three Peppers.
Influenced greatly by the Mills Brothers and The Ink Spots, the sound of 5
Red Caps was infused with a comedic element that carried over to their
shows. And while they could turn a ballad--usually led by Jimmy
Springs--as sweetly as you please, the sillier jive jolts--usually led by
Steve Gibson or Romaine Brown-- of Mary Had A Little Jam, Grand
Central Station, Lenox Avenue Jump, Mama Put Your Britches
On, Boogie Woogie Ball, and others will keep this on your play
rotation for a long time. (JC) |
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| THE FIVE ROYALES | Eagle 90415 | The Real Thing | ● CD $18.98 |
| 28 tracks, 73 mins, highly recommended Great collection of early 60s sides by this outstanding and influential vocal group. Recorded for Home Of The Blues and ABC there are no hits here but there is great soulful, gospel flavord lead vocals from Lowman Pauling, the creative center of the group, who also provides some great stinging guitar accompaniments and even takes a few solos. There are a number of alternate takes, unissued songs and bits of studio chat to make this set even more invaluable. Includes Please, Please Be Mine/ Show Me/ Teardrop/ Send Me Somebody/ The Real Thing/ Stompenin' Stomp/ Get Something Out Of It/ Goof Ball/ I Don't Need Nobody/ Don't let It Worry Your Mind, etc | |||
| THE FIVE ROYALES | King 580 | Dedicated To You | ● CD $9.98 |
| 12 great sides - Think/ Just As I Am/ Come On And Save
Me/ Dedicated To The One I Love/ Say It/ Tears Of Joy, etc. |
|||
| THE FIVE ROYALES | King 616 | Sing For You | ● CD $9.98 |
| THE FIVE ROYALES | King 678 | The Five Royales | ● CD $9.98 |
| 12 tunes, not quite on par with their essential Apollo
recordings, but still right up there with the best 50's R&B. I Know
It's Hard But It's Fair/ When You Walked Through The Door/ Women About To
Make Me Go Crazy. |
|||
| THE FIVE ROYALES | Purple Pyramid CLP 835 | Take Me With You Baby | ● CD $15.98 |
| 16 tracks, 40 mins, highly recommended Great collection of
1960-62 sides by this outstanding and influential vocal group. Recorded
for Home Of The Blues (some originally issued by ABC) there are no hits
here but there is great soulful, gospel flavord lead vocals from Lowman
Pauling. Pauling,the creative center of the group, also provides some
great stinging guitar accompaniments and even takes a few solos. The group
is accompanied by the great Willie Mitchell Band on songs like SHow Me/
What's In The Heart/ She Did Me Wrong/ If You Don't Need Me/ Not Going To
Cry/ They Don't Know/ Talk About My Woman/ Goof Ball and others
including a stunning version of James Brown's Please, Please, Please.
Notes look interesting but I won't know for sure until I get some new
glasses - you think our newsletter type is small?! (FS) |
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| THE FIVE ROYALES | Relic 7010 | Baby Don't Do It | ● CD $13.98 |
| CD issue of Relic 8015. The first of 2 stone crazy
collections by this gospel-based quintet who started out as The Royal Sons
in 1948. The Royales, who were the model for James Brown's Famous Flames,
included lead, founder and songwriter Lowman Pauling, Jimmy Moore,
Clarence Pauling, Obediah Carter & Johnny Tanner. Of the 14 cuts, 2
are by The Royal Sons. Includes classics like Crazy, Crazy, Crazy
& Help Me Somebody. Indispensible doo-wop collection. (OLN) THE FIVE ROYALES: All Righty/ Baby Don't Do It/ Baby Take All Of Me/ Crazy, Crazy, Crazy/ Cry Some More/ Help Me Somebody/ I Am Thinking/ I Do/ I Like It Like That/ I Wanna Rest/ Let Me Come Back/ Let Nothing Separate Me/ Put Something In It (with All Your Heart)/ Too Much Of A Little Bit |
|||
| THE FIVE ROYALES | Relic 7011 | Laundromat Blues | ● CD $13.98 |
| 13 prime cuts made at Bess Berman's New York-based Apollo
studios between 1951 & '55. Included are two gems by them as The Royal
Sons (gospel group), the blues classic Six O'Clock In The Morning
& Too Much Lovin' featuring the unstoppable "Little
Jazz" Fergusson on tenor sax. The Royales took The Apollo by storm in
the mid-fifties. If you dig the blues you will love this group. Amazing
sound reproduction, great notes, and 2 unreleased gems. A necessary
collection, same as LP. THE FIVE ROYALES: Come Over Here/ Courage To Love/ Give Me One More Chance/ Good Things/ I Wanna Thank You/ Laundromat Blues/ Nothing/ See, Hear, And Know/ Six O'clock In The Morning/ So God Can Use Me/ Too Much Lovin'/ What's That!/ With All Your Heart/ You Know I Know |
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| THE FIVE SATINS | Collectables 5017 | Sing Their Greatest Hits | ● CD $11.98 |
| THE FIVE SATINS | Cub 9001 | Memories Of Days Gone By | ● CD $19.98 |
| 25 later sides from the 60s and 70s by this great group
featuring the lead vocals of Fred Parris - Can I Come Over Tonight?/
Remember Me/ No One Knows/ Your Memory/ Downtown/ On A Lover's Island/
Raining In My Heart/ Lonely Hearts/ You Can Count On Me/ Bring It On Home
To daddy/ Dark At The Top Of My Heart/ I'll Be Hanging On, etc. |
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| THE FIVE SATINS | Relic 7001 | In The Still Of The Night | ● CD $13.98 |
| Choice set by this major New Haven quintet led primarily by
Fred Parris, and occasionally by the soulfully smooth pipes of Bill Baker.
Original members included Parris (lead), Al Denby, Jim Freeman, Ed Martin,
and Jessie Murphy on piano. Covers the years 1956 through 1960 when the
outfit shone brightly on the Ember, Standard and First labels. Memorables
include Shadows/ Paradise On Earth/ When Your Love Comes Along/ Weeping
Willow/ Zippety Doo/ All Mine, the unforgettable Wonderful Girl
from 1956, and the group's swan song In The Still Of The Night,
which must have topped the two million sales mark since its birth in 1956.
Collection also issued on Relic LP 5008 - essential collector's material.
(OLN) THE FIVE SATINS: A Million To One/ A Nite Like This/ A Nite To Remember/ Candlelight/ I'll Be Seeing You/ In The Still Of The Night/ Love With No Love In Return/ Pretty Baby/ Shadows/ Skippity Doo/ The Jones Girl/ The Time/ To The Aisle/ Toni My Love/ When The Swallows Come Back/ When Your Love Comes Along/ Wonderful Girl/ You Must Be An Angel |
|||
| THE FIVE STAIRSTEPS | Collectables 5023 | Greatest Hits | ● CD $11.98 |
| 14 tracks, 40 min., good. Family band from Chicago, who hit
the charts with You Waited Too Long/ World Of Fantasy/ Come Back/ We
Must Be In Love/ Danger! She's A Stranger/ Ooh Child/ Behind Curtains/ Ooh
Baby Baby/ Don't Waste Your Time/ Baby Make Me Feel So Good plus Because
I Love You/ Stay Close To Me/ The Touch Of You/ Playgirl's Love. |
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| THE FIVE WILLOWS | Allen SCD 6000 | The Best Of The Five Willows | ● CD $18.98 |
| 24 tracks, 60 min., recommended Certainly best known for
their one solid hit, Church Bells May Ring, from 1956, the Willows,
with lead singer Tony Middleton, had actually been recording for a
succession of small labels since 1953. And their total output, most of
which is featured here, reveals a vocal group of considerable depth and
journeyman consistency. Selections include the group's clear hit mentioned
above, My Dear Dearest Darling, All Nite Long, With These
Hands, The White Cliffs of Dover, Love Bells, Lay
Your Head on My Shoulder, Look Me in the Eyes, My Angel,
Don't Push Don't Pull Don't Shove, The First Taste of Love, Only
My Heart, and Now That I Have You. A particularly nice slice of
vintage Harlem doo-wop, complete with informative liner notes, a vintage
cover photo, and enviable sound quality. (DH) THE FIVE WILLOWS: All Nite Long/ Baby Tell Me/ Baby, Come A Little Closer/ Church Bells May Ring/ Delores/ Do You Love Me?/ Don't Push, Don't Pull, Don't Shove/ Lay Your Head On My Shoulder/ Let's Fall In Love/ Little Darling/ Look Me In The Eyes/ My Angel/ My Dear, Dearest Darling/ Now That I Have You/ Only My Heart/ Please Baby/ Rock Little Francis/ Say Yeah/ So Help Me/ The First Taste Of Love/ The White Cliffs Of Dover/ This Is The End Love Bells/ With These Hands |
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| THE FLAIRS | Stompin' Tide 9206003 | She Loves To Rock | ● CD $18.98 |
| 30 tracks by this great L.A. group including recordings
originally issued as by The Ermines, 5 Hollywood Blue Jays and others - I
had A Love/ Hey La Bah/ Rock 'n' Roll Drive In/ Sha-Ba-Da-Ba-Do/ Peek,
Peek-A-Boo/ How Can I Tell You/ (Pretty Baby) I'm So Used To You Now/ Keep
Me Alive, etc. |
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| THE FLAMINGOS | Chess CHD 9378 | The Complete Chess Masters- Plus | ● CD $14.98 |
| 20 tracks, 55 min., essential As part of the Chess Records
50th anniversary celebration, MCA has at long last issued the complete
Checker recordings of this superlative Chicago quintet. Included are all
of the group's single and album releases, plus both original and alternate
versions of When and I'll Be Home. Remaining numbers include
Chick-A-Boom (That's My Baby), Need Your Love, I Want to
Love You, Just for a Kick, Cry, A Kiss from Your Lips,
Stolen Love, Dream of a Lifetime, Nobody's Love, and Would
I Be Crying (If I Were Lying to You). Surely some of the most
ethereally beautiful music produced by any 50's vocal group, packaged here
with reasonably high standards. Sound quality is excellent. Cover graphics
are acceptable. The notes by Peter Grendysa are solid. And there are two
vintage photos, one of the Flamingos (on the front cover fortunately) and
one of Bill Baker (once of the Five Satins) and one his later groups (on
the inside). A minor point, I suppose. But it does make me particularly
glad that they got the right music on the disc. (DH) |
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| THE FLAMINGOS | Collectables 5424 | Flamingo Serenade | ● CD $13.98 |
| Yet a second CD reissue of the quintet's End album (LP 304).
After cutting for Parrot, Chance, Chess, and Decca, and with Zeke Carey's
return from the service in 1958, The Flamingos signed to End, where they
enjoyed four major charted successes. The one included here, I Only
Have Eyes For You, was the biggest hit of all. Personnel at this time
were Zeke, Nate Nelson, Jake Carey, Tommy Hunt, and Terry Johnson. This
group sings a set of Mantovani-type standards in a wistful, dreamy
echo-chambered style, a kind of hypnotic trance they snapped themselves
out of in the mid-sixties when they hitched up with Philips and started to
boogaloo. (OLN) THE FLAMINGOS: As Time Goes By/ Begin the Beguine/ But Not For Me/ Goodnight Sweetheart/ I Only Have Eyes For You/ I'm In the Mood For Love/ Love Walked In/ Music Maestro Please/ The Breeze and I/ Time Was/ Where or When/ Yours |
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| THE FLAMINGOS | Collectables 5425 | Requestfully Yours | ● CD $13.98 |
| Reissue of End 308 circa 1960, incorporating original hip
sleeve notes aimed at jukebox operators and record salesmen. So much of
the Goldner material from this period in The Flamingos' career smacks of
commercial schmaltz. Orchestral arrangements of tired old standards, sung
as is by wailing somnambulists in the wee hours on a freeway underpass, do
little to match the soul and excitement of earlier Chess masterpieces. The
best of the dozen songs include Beside You/ Everybody's Got A Home But
Me/ I Was Such A Fool, plus their best effort on the label Nobody
Loves Me Like You. (OLN) THE FLAMINGOS: At Night/ Beside You/ Every Time I Think of You/ Everybody's Got A Home (But Me)/ I Was Such A Fool (To Fall In Love With You)/ In The Still of the Night/ Never In This World/ Nobody Loves Me Like You/ Tenderly/ When I Fall In Love/ You'll Never Walk Alone/ You, Me and the Sea |
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| THE FLAMINGOS | Collectables 5426 | The Sound of The Flamingos | ● CD $13.98 |
| CD equivalent of End LP 316 (1962) together with sleeve
notes. The quintet at this time (1959) consisted of Jake and Zeke Carey,
Tommy Hunt, Terry Johnson, and Nate Nelson, who had by now become a Las
Vegas lounge act. This was reflected in the evergreen mush the guys did of
Porter, Gershwin and Rodgers standards, which may prove more effective
than Nyquil but comes nowhere close to the glory days of the past. Only
two of ten songs on this album pass muster - the beautiful I Only Have
Eyes For You and I'm In The Mood For Love. The rest would even
put houseplants to sleep. (OLN) THE FLAMINGOS: As Time Goes By/ Everybody's Got A Home (But Me)/ Goodnight Sweetheart/ I Only Have Eyes For You/ I'm In the Mood For Love/ In The Still of the Night/ Love Walked In/ When I Fall In Love/ Where or When/ You'll Never Walk Alone |
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| THE FLAMINGOS | Collectables 5428 | Flamingo Favorites | ● CD $13.98 |
| Straight reissue of the group's second End LP from 1960,
when their musical aim was continuing to shift towards the pop market.
Perhaps the shift was caused by the then-popular notion that 45's were for
the kids, while LP's were for the adults. Whatever the reason, these 12
cuts show a further suppression of the group's solid R&B roots.
Compare, for example, their version of Dream Girl with the original
by Jesse & Marvin. Other tracks include Besame Mucho/ That's Why I
Love You/ Mio Amore/ Maria Elena and Bridge of Tears. It's not
bad stuff at all, just a bit pale in comparison to their earlier
recordings. Fine sound quality; original cover and liner notes. (DH) THE FLAMINGOS: Besame Mucho/ Bridge of Tears/ Crazy, Crazy, Crazy/ Dream Girl/ Heavenly Angel/ Maria Elena/ Mio Amore/ My Foolish Heart/ Sweet &Lovely/ Tell Me How Long/ That's Why I Love You/ You Belong to My Heart |
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| THE FLAMINGOS | Collectables 5429 | Fabulous Flamingos | ● CD $13.98 |
| THE FLAMINGOS | Collectables 8803 | For Collectors Only | ● CD $24.98 |
| Most everything here was recorded for End Records between
1958-62, including their biggest hit I Only Have Eyes For You.
Unreleased versions of their only chart successes for Checker, I'll Be
Home/ A Kiss From Your Lips are interesting enough, but the liner
notes don't mention if these came from Checker or End. Aside from an
unissued demo of Lovers Never Say Goodbye, everything here has been
reissued before. The first disc is much better that its companion, which
moves from ballad to ballad, and for a change of pace, to another ballad. Ko
Ko Mo is here, as is Mio Amore/ I Was Such A Fool/ I Shed A Tear At
Your Wedding/ It's Too Soon To Know. Lovers Gotta Cry, which
sounds like an Aaron Neville vocal, is fine, but nothing makes up for the
overblown Ol' Man River. Buy it for the great music on disc #1, and
throw away the aimless liner notes. (JC) THE FLAMINGOS: A Kiss From Your Lips/ At Night/ At The Prom/ Besame Mucho/ Beside You/ Bridge of Tears/ But Not For Me/ Crazy Crazy Crazy/ Dream Girl/ Everybody's Got A Home But Me/ For All We Know/ Goodnight Sweetheart/ Heavenly Angel/ I Only Have Eyes For You/ I Shed A Tear At Your Wedding/ I Want To Love You/ I Was Such A Fool/ I'll Be Home/ I'm In The Mood For Love/ It's Too Soon To Know/ Jump Children/ Ko Ko Mo/ Love Walked In/ Lovers Gotta Cry/ Lovers Never Say Goodbye/ Lovers Never Say Goodbye (demo)/ Maria Elena/ Mio Amore/ Music Maestro Please/ My Foolish Heart/ My Memories of You/ Nobody Loves Me Like You/ Ol' Man River/ Sweet &Lonely/ Tell Me How Long/ That Love Is You/ That's Why I Love You/ Time Was/ When I Fall In Love/ You &Me &The Sea/ You'll Never Walk Alone/ Your Other Love |
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| THE FLAMINGOS | Rhino 70967 | The Best Of The Flamingos | ● CD $15.98 |
| Terrific 18 track CD featuring a cross
section of their Chance, Checker, Decca and End recordings - Golden
Teardrops/ I'll Be Home/ The Vow/ I Only have Eyes For You/ Mio Amore,
etc. |
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| THE FLAMINGOS | Westside 532 | Flamingo Serenade/ Flamingo Favorites | ● CD $13.98 |
| Two classic End LPs from 1959 & '60 on one CD. Includes
their biggest hit I Only Have Eyes For You plus Love Walked In/
Time Was/ Dream Girl and others. Some tracks in stereo for the first
time. THE FLAMINGOS: As Time Goes By/ Begin the Beguine/ Besame Mucho/ Bridge of Tears/ But Not For Me/ Crazy, Crazy, Crazy/ Dream Girl/ Goodnight Sweetheart/ Heavenly Angel/ I Only Have Eye For You/ I'm In The Mood For Love/ Love Walked In/ Marie Elena/ Mio Amore (My Love)/ Music Maetrso Please/ My Foolish Heart/ Sweet and Lovely/ Tell Me How Long/ That's Why I Love You/ The Breese And I/ Time Was/ Where Or When/ You Belong To My Heart/ Yours |
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| THE FLAMINGOS | Westside 537 | Requestfully Yours/ The Sound Of The Flamingos | ● CD $13.98 |
| Two albums from 1960 and '62 on one CD. Includes In The
Still Of The Night/ Beside You/ Ol' Man River/Moonlight In Vermont and
more. THE FLAMINGOS: At Night/ Beside You/ Danny Boy/ Every Time I Think Of You/ Everybody Knew But Me/ Flame Of Love/ I Know Better/ I Was Such A Fool/ I'm Coming Home/ In the Still of the Night/ Moonlight In Vermont/ My Lovely One/ Never In This World/ Nobody Loves Me Like You/ Ol' Man River/ Tenderly/ The Sinner (El Petador)/ Too Soon To Know/ When I Fall In Love/ When You're Young/ Without His Love/ You'll Never Walk Alone/ You're Mine/ You, Me and the Sea |
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| EDDIE FLOYD | Atlantic 80283 | Knock On Wood | ● CD $11.98 |
| Reissue of Stax 714 from 1967. This wonderful LP highlights
Eddie's great songwriting talents, not only on the title classic and the
follow up, Raise Your Hand plus his hit for Wilson Pickett 634-5789
, along with fine covers of Something You Got/ If You Got To Make A
Fool Of Somebody & JJ Jackson's But It's Alright . |
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| EDDIE FLOYD | Stax 88013 | Rare Stamps/ I've Never Found A Girl | ● CD $15.98 |
| 25 tracks, 70 min., recommended Best known for Knock On
Wood, Floyd was a fine songwriter and a generally underrated singer in
the Stax family of stars. This excellent CD offers his 2nd and 3rd Stax
albums ("I've Never Found A Girl" & "Rare Stamps",
a hits package), recorded with Booker T. & The MGs between 1966-68,
and tosses in some singles for good measure. Aside from hits such as Raise
Your Hand/ I've Never Found A Girl/ Love Is A Doggone Thing/ On A Saturday
Night/ Bring It On Home To Me, you get a pair of duets with the always
amazing Mavis Staples, and some great lesser known album cuts. Oh, yeah, Knock
On Wood is here too. As with other volumes in this reissue series, the
lack of notes is regrettable, but the music makes the omission forgivable.
(JC) |
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| EDDIE FLOYD | Stax 88027 | Down To Earth/ California Girl | ● CD $15.98 |
| 19 tracks, 77 min., recommended Previously available as an
import. Floyd's best remembered Stax track is Knock On Wood from
'66, but his early 70s output for the finger snapping label is also quite
good. This 2-fer pairs California Girl and Down To Earth from '70 &
'71 respectively. Plenty of evidence here points to Floyd as a convincing
soul singer, but ultimately he will probably be remembered as a talented
songwriter. DTE includes Sir Mack Rice (Ex-The Falcons) on backing vocals,
as well as erstwhile Moonglow Chester Simmons. But CG has the better
tunes, including Laurie/ Love Is You/ Too Much Is Too Little For Me/ I
Feel Good. Luckily, you get them both. (JC) |
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| FRANKIE FORD | Westside 519 | Ooo-Wee Baby! The Very Best Of .. | ● CD $13.98 |
| 27 tracks, 66 minutes, Recommended. Produced by Johnny
Vincent, these Ace recordings have finally been remastered the right way -
loud and clear. Given that the musicians that played on these sessions -
Justin Adams, Lee Allen, Salvador Doucette, Frank Fields, Edward Frank,
Ernest McLean, Earl Palmer, Huey "Piano" Smith, Red Tyler and
Charles Hungary Williams - represents the cream of the crop of New
Orleans musicians, fans should rejoice. The highlights for me include the
early R&B- based tracks like Sea Cruise. Cheatin' Woman,
Roberta, Alimony, to oddities like Morgus The Magnificent
(with Jerry Byrne & Dr. John). His efforts on Danny Boy and St.
Louis Blues I find less interesting. Seven previously unissued tracks
have been included. (EL) |
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| THE FOUR BLAZES | Delmark 704 | Mary Jo | ● CD $14.98 |
| Reissue of early 50s United recordings including the title
song which was a big R&B hit. |
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| THE FOUR BUDDIES | Dipper 209 | Featuring Leon Harrison | ● CD $17.98 |
| 27 tracks, 72 mins, highly recommended Most welcome
collection ballads and jumps recorded between 1950 and '54 by this major
quartet out of Baltimore. Founders included John Carroll, Varnon Palmer
and Tommy Carter, plus the great Leon "Larry" Harrison. Their
laid-back ballad style was pretty and melodious, reminiscent of early
Clovers who are the group's regional and natural heirs. In addition to
tracks as The Four Buddies this set also includes them backing Dolly
Cooper on I'd Climb The Highest Mountain plus two cuts from 1954
from a Leon Harrison group that he called The Buddies. |
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