"…Adorable…"
Hot
on the heels of their definitive "Blowing The Fuse" and "Sweet
Soul Music" CD Series (15 volumes to each genre of R'n'B and Soul) comes their
Vocal Group attack - 15 discs spanning 1939 to 1963. Volumes 1 to 10 hit the
shops in 2012 and the last five in the spring of 2013. And while critics will
argue that Vocal Group music has already been done to death by Rhino (3 x 4CD
Box Sets across the decades) and a mountain of other cheapo labels taking
advantage of the 50-year copyright law - this is the first time someone
reputable (other than Rhino) have had a go - and typically these Bear Family
CDs are gorgeous in all the right places - presentation and audio. Here are the
Fools in Love down at Smokey Joe's Café...
Released
October 2012 in Germany - "Street Corner Symphonies Volume 7: 1955" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Bear Family BCD 17285 AR (Barcode 4000127172853) breaks down as follows
(I've provided American single catalogue numbers on all tracks - 88:26
minutes):
1.
Why Do Fools Fall In Love - THE TEENAGERS featuring FRANKIE LYMON (Gee GG-1002)
2.
Most Of All - THE MOONGLOWS (Chess 1589)
3.
Speedo - THE CADILLACS/JESSE POWELL ORCHESTRA (Josie 785)
4.
Close Your Eyes - THE FIVE KEYS (Capitol F 3032)
5.
At My Front Door - THE EL DORADOS (Vee Jay VJ-147)
6.
Adorable - THE COLTS (Vita V-112)
7.
What'Cha Gonna Do - CLYDE McPHATTER and THE DRIFTERS (Atlantic 1055)
8.
Story Untold - THE NUTMEGS (Herald H-452)
9.
Only You (And You Alone) - THE PLATTERS (Mercury 70633)
10.
Don't Change Your Pretty Ways - THE MIDNIGHTERS (Federal 12243)
11.
Lonely Nights - THE HEARTS with AL SEARS ORCHESTRA (Baton 208)
12.
When You Dance - THE TURBANS (Herald H-458)
13.
Got The Water Boiling - THE REGALS (Atlantic 1062)
14.
The Way You Dog Me Around - THE DIABLOS featuring NOLAN STRONG (Fortune 518)
15.
Chop Chop Boom - THE DANDELIERS/DALLAS TAYLOR Vocalist (States S-147)
16.
Soldier Boy - THE FOUR FELLOWS/ABIE BAKER ORCHESTRA (Glory 234)
17.
Come Back My Love - THE WRENS (Rama 65)
18.
Why Don't You Write Me - THE JACKS (RPM 428)
19.
Witchcraft - THE SPIDERS (Imperial X 5366, B-side of "Is It True?")
20.
Life Is But A Dream - THE HARPTONES (Paradise 101)
21.
Smokey's Joe Café - THE ROBINS (Spark 122 and Atco 6059)
22.
Smoke From Your Cigarette - THE MELLOWS featuring LILLIAN LEACH (Jay-Dee 797)
23.
You Tickle Me Baby - THE ROYAL JOKERS with Orchestra (Atco 6052)
24.
Heaven And Paradise - DON JULIAN and THE MEADOWLARKS (DooTone 359)
25.
You Baby You - THE CLEFTONES/JIMMY WRIGHT & His Orchestra (Gee GG-1000)
26.
Burn That Candle - THE CUES (Capitol F 3245)
27.
It Wasn't A Lie - THE FI-TONES QUINTETTE (Atlas 1051)
28.
Rollin' Stone - THE MARIGOLDS (Excello 2057)
29.
Newly Wed - THE ORCHIDS (Parrot 815)
30.
Zindy Lou - THE CHIMES (Specialty 555, B-side of "Tears On My
Pillow")
31.
Lily Maebelle - THE VALENTINES (Rama RR-171)
32.
The Door Is Still Open - THE CARDINALS (Atlantic 1054)
33.
Red Hots And Chili Mac - THE MOROCCOS/Vocal by Ralph Vernon (United U-193)
[Note:
Track 10 by THE MIDNIGHTERS is co-written by and features Hank Ballard]
The
84-page non-detachable booklet is a feast of indepth liner notes on each
release by Grammy-winning writer and lifelong fan BILL DAHL. Let's put it this
way - there's a 'Photo Captions' index on Page 83 that tells who's who in the
black and white publicity shots that accompany most (not all) of the photos. It
actually lists the singer's names - who
else but Bear would do this? There are cool trade adverts from 1955 peppering
the text and some of those rare American 45 labels are even pictured in colour
(Rama, Vita, Mercury, Parrot, Imperial, States, Atco, Specialty and Herald).
The CD repros the rare "The Door is Open" 45 on Atlantic by The
Cardinals (a Chuck Willis song) and the spine makes up a single photograph of
the series name when you line up all 15 volumes alongside each other on a
shelf. Long-standing and trusted names like Walter DeVenne and Billy Vera have
been involved and MARCUS HEUMANN did the superb mastering. The sources (as you
can imagine) differ wildly and can at times be crude - but the sound quality to
my ears is improved on everything I've heard before. Some of these cuts are
amazing in their clarity - especially the Atlantic and DooTone sides. Rarities
include The Orchids ($400.00), Don Julian and The Meadowlarks ($200.00), The
Valentines ($200.00), The Wrens ($150.00), The Harptones ($150.00, The Fi-Tones
Quintette ($100.00) and many more.
In
between the ballads and crooners you get wicked Fifties R 'n' B dancers like
the "cooking your goose" song by The Regals ("Got The Water
Boiling") and "the spell's on me now" tune by The Spiders
("Witchcraft"). Another dancer is the guitar-driven "Don't
Change Your Pretty Ways" with Hank Ballard giving it some "baby
please" vocals out front. I've never heard the zippy "Red Hots And
Chili Mac" or the frantic "At My Front Door" by The Moroccos and
The El Dorados but they're tight. Mid-tempo tunes include "Chop Chop Boom"
by The Dandeliers and The Colts accurate cover of "Adorable"
(originally a hit for The Drifters) while vocal group magic comes in the shape
of The Moonglows, The Diablos, The Cardinals (what a tune) and the lovely
Lillian Leach vocal on "Smoke From Your Cigarette" - a bluesy lounge
lizard. Purists will love the gorgeous and classy "It Wasn't A lie"
by the obscure Fi-Tones Quintette - as good as example as you can get of a
Street Corner Symphony. Even the overly familiar "Only You (And You
Alone" sounds fresh - very nicely done.
Niggles
- they're too expensive as singles discs and perhaps they should have been
doubles because real collectors will have more than a few titles on offer here.
Bear Family will argue 'but not in this sound quality or presentation' - and
they'd have a point. Having said all of that - what is actually on here is
fabulous stuff and given to us with love and affection by a company that cares
about voices that would be forgotten without them. Gold standard as always from
Bear...
