Search - Don & Dewey :: Jungle Hop

Are you kidding me?

COMPUTERJAZZMAN | Cliffside Park, New Jersey United States | 11/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"anybody who would give this CD less than 5 stars obviously is either braindead or ready to be embalmed. These two guys from Pasadena, California, are what early rock n' roll is all about. I have NEVER played this CD for anyone who didn't absolutely love it! If you like fast, uptempo r&b, then you're in for a treat. This may sound absurd, but I would describe Don and Dewey as a cross between Little Richard and the Everly Brothers. You would have to give it a listen to know what I am talking about. Since I love both Brother Richard Pennimen and Don and Phil Everly this was a must for me. There was so much great r&b music coming from L.A., Specialty records at the time, that so many people from the East Coast aren't really familiar with a lot of the stuff. This is a great place to jump in. I would also recommend any of the old stuff from Johnny Otis that was recorded at the time, he truly was a genuius that had his finger on the pulse of what was really hip at the time. It's funny how years later, Don "Sugarcane" Harris ended up playing with Johnny. Maybe not so funny, considering that Don was from Pasadena, and Johnny lives in AltaDena, which is just spitting distance away. Don also played with Frank Zappa on some great recordings, which is also not too strange, considering how Frank loved old r&b music, was originally from Lancaster, California, probably grew up listening to this stuff on the local radio station (along with another great L.A. musician, Johnny Guitar Watson, who would also record later on with Frank), and knows good music when he hears it. Anyway, this is great stuff, you need to get it. TODAY."

This BLOWS AWAY most other 50's rock n' roll!

T. Schreiber | 08/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am surprised by the reviews given thus far about this Don and Dewey CD. Who cares if they never had "hits" on their own? Proves that they were rawer and more primally rock n' roll than the others because they wouldn't gloss their own versions over with sugar-coating. Don and Dewey, in my opinion, are one of the long lost treasures of early rock n' roll. There is more energy in one of their performances than anyone who ever tried to cover their songs. Their original version of "Justine" wipes the floor with the ... Righteous Brother version. When they wanted to rock, they put the petal to the metal... saxes honkin' and Don and Dewey ecstatically screamin' out their wild jive with possessed abandon! The songs: "Jungle Hop" is a great 50's roarin' stomper. The original of "Farmer John" is more driving and bouncier than the Premiers version. "Koko Joe" is much more enthusiastically performed by Don and Dewey than any one else who could have done justice to a Sonny Bono song. "Little Sally Walker" is great and tells everyone to 'Put yo' hand on yo' hip and let cho backbone slip!' How could you dare resist? For fans of driving 50's R&B screamers with just as much enthusiasm and drive as Little Richard.... check this CD out. They deserve a lot more credit than they have gotten in the past. They shouldn't simply be tossed aside as a footnote to other musicians' half-assed covers of their songs which were more "popular"."