Classic Soul – STREET CORNER ESSENTIALS
The Eagles Tryin
One of the things that I typically do at this time of the years is begin to start thinking about what are the best newly released CD’s of the year.
(well, this is going to be one of them for the year 2001!)
It is often said that people tend to like the music that they grew up with the best.
For me personally, that would be the music of the 20 year time span of 1960 – 1980. That is the music that I have some first hand recollection of and can trace significant “life events” to.
It is also been said that for many people, that the next type of music that people will gravitate to is the music from the period just prior to whatever they grew up with. This is because the music of the previous generation contains the ROOTS and INFLUENCES of the music that the person likes best.
In my case that would be the music of the 1950’s.
This would be the music of my parents generation.
My parents were teenagers in the 1950’s and grew up hanging out on Brooklyn street corners and project stairwells, doing the things that ghetto teenagers did at that time.
My own lifelong quest to understand the music/culture that my parents grew up in, parallels the lifelong quest to understand my parents.
I do this for selfish reasons because ultimately, gaining a deeper understanding of my parents will lead me to gaining a deeper understanding of myself.
One of the questions that I often get via email from people who visit our severely underdeveloped (one of my objectives for 2002 is to seriously upgrade that site with material that ONLY Soul-Patrol could provide) DOO WOP web page that Soul-Patrol has at:
Link for DOO WOP ON THE SOUL-PATROL
is… “What the hell is THIS doing here, I thought that you guys were about classic soul/funk.”
To me the answer to that question is obvious.
For me one of the BEST moments in hanging out at the recent R&B Foundation Pioneer Awards was standing and talking with the LEGENDARY HARLEM DOO WOPPERS: THE HARPTONES and then looking just a few feet away and seeing FUNK MUSIC SUPERSTAR: LARRY GRAHAM and thinking to myself.
“If I could just pull these folks just a little closer together and have them sing accapella (along with associated finger snaps/hand claps, etc.)
“We’ve been waiting, for so long
Waiting to sing for you, some of our songs
We’ve been waiting, for so long
We want to play for you, some of our songs
We’ve been waiting, for so long
Graham Central Station is the name of our group
And we’re making this record, especially for you”
And now that you have indulged my ramblings, more on this fabulous CD package from our friends at HIP-O records.
A few days ago I talked about the “genre” CD compilation series from HIP-O entitled:
“THE ESSENTIAL SERIES”
At that time I referred to this series as CONCEPT ALBUMS”
The CD release called STREET CORNER ESSENTIALS IS QUITE SIMPLY THE BADDEST DOO WOP CONCEPT ALBUM I HAVE EVER HEARD!!!!!!
(the bootleggers are going to HATE this one)
It’s composed of two CD’s:
DISC ONE – THE HITS
The first CD is comprised of 25 DOO WOP songs that were hits at the time they were released. These are songs that most of us, regardless of our age would recognize, because they are the “staples” of modern day “oldies radio”. Even if we don’t recognize the song titles or the artists, we know the songs as soon as we hear them. As such the first CD represents a group of fundamental songs that are an absolute requirement for the casual fan, who doesn’t currently have ANY DOO WOP music in their collection, but wants to just “dip their big toe into the waters of DOO WOP”
1. The Coronets – Nadine
2. The Counts – Darling Dear
3. The Moonglows – Sincerely
4. The Marigolds – Rolling Stone
5. The Flamingos – I’ll Be Home
6. The Del Vikings – Come Go With Me
7. The Tune Weavers – Happy, Happy Birthday Baby
8. The Gladiolas – Little Darlin’
9. Lee Andrews & The Hearts – Long Lonely Nights
10. The Monotones – Book Of Love
11. The Pastels – Been So Long
12. The Original Casuals – So Tough
13. The Crescendos – Oh Julie
14. Norman Fox & The Rob-Roys – Tell Me Why
15. The Shirelles – I Met Him On A Sunday
16. The Danleers – One Summer Night
17. The Elegants – Little Star
18. The Shields – You Cheated
19. The Platters – Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
20. The Impalas – (Sorry) I Ran All The Way Home
21. Phil Phillips & The Twilights – Sea Of Love
22. The Demensions – Over The Rainbow
23. The Sensations – Let Me In
24. The Stereos – I Really Love You
25. The Quotations – Imagination
DISC TWO – THE RARE SIDES
The second CD is where HIP-O turns on the magic.
It is comprised of 25 DOO WOP songs that I have never heard of, mostly by artists that I have never heard of (with just a few exceptions). This CD contains 25 BADD AZZ RARE DOO WOP songs, none of which I have ever heard before! In fact, some of these songs are so rare that they are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED. Some of these artists may have only released one 45 and then disappeared or in a few cases we have a famous artist (4 Tops) singing in a style that most of their fans could never have imagined. This second CD is like finding a “lost historical document” (a “rosetta stone” if you will)
1. The Blue Jays – White Cliffs Of Dover
2. The Eagles – Tryin’ To Get To You
3. The Barons – My Baby’s Gone
4. The Five Notes – Show Me The Way
5. Four Tops – Woke Up This Morning*
6. Jimmy Castor & The Juniors – I Promise To Remember
7. The Sentimentals – I Want To Love You
8. The Orbits – Sugar Mama
9. The Dream Kings – M.T.Y.L.T.T
10. Norman Fox & The Rob Roys – Dance, Girl, Dance
11. The Tornadoes – That’s The Way I Feel*
12. The Quintones – Ding Dong
13. The Bay Bops – Joanie
14. Lee Scott & The Windsors – My Gloria
15. The Hi-Fives – Dorothy
16. The Five Satins – Your Memory
17. The Explorers – Don’t Be A Fool
18. The Dubs – If I Only Had Magic
19. The Emotions – Echo
20. The Dubs – Two Hearts Are Better Than One*
21. The Standards – My Heart Belongs To Only You
22. The Crests – You Blew Out The Candles
23. The Chateaus – Honest I Will
24. The Four-Evers – Be My Girl (Please Be Mine)
25. The Ocapellos – The Stars
So what we are left with in effect are two CD’s which are:
· CD 1: A SUPER BADD AZZ “A SIDE” (for nostalgia buffs and those who want to “remember, what they thought they forgot”)
· CD 2: A SUPER BADD AZZ “B SIDE” (for people who want to explore deeper the big city/urban roots of Rock n’ roll music or who just want to gain a deeper understanding of their own parents)
You wanna learn about DOO WOP???????????????
Go to your “local dealer of Funky Music” and pick up on it, and while you are there, suggest to your “local dealer of Funky Music” that they might want to stock this badd boy next to the Graham Central Station CD’s, just so that folks make the HISTORICAL CONNECTION
(what a concept)
THANKS HIP-O
–Bob Davis
Click here to listen to a Soul-Patrol.Net Radio WORLD PREMIRE of STREET CORNER ESSENTIALS
Featuring RARE DOO WOP like: The Eagles – Tryin’ To Get To You, The Barons – My Baby’s Gone, Four Tops – Woke Up This Morning, Jimmy Castor & The Juniors – I Promise To Remember, The Orbits – Sugar Mama, The Quintones – Ding Dong, Lee Scott & The Windsors – My Gloria, The Ocapellos – The Stars and more!
On Thursday January 17 2002, at 10pm est be sure to join us in the Soul Patrol Chat room when we have an online listening party for this CD, featuring some surprise special guests ans we discuss the CD as well as the continuing legacy of DOO WOP!
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From our friends at HIP-O Records Link for HIP-O RECORDS
On Thursday January 17 2002,at 10pm est be sure to join us in the Soul Patrol Chat room when we have an online listening party for this CD, featuring some surprise special guests ans we discuss the CD as well as the continuing legacy of DOO WOP! |
