Search - Golden Age of American Rock 'n Roll :: The Golden Age Of American Rock & Roll, Vol. 4

Ace is on a (rock and) roll

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 08/19/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Has Ace gone off the deep end with this volume in their series that resurrects the lost and found hits of early American rock and roll? Not at all. While only 7 of the 30 tracks here were top-10, there's enough familiar music to hum along with while getting acquainted or reacquainted with lots of forgotten gems and how-did-that-ever-get-into-the-top-100 songs. To keep the repertoire fresh and comprehensive, Ace has now started to mine the vaults of the majors with sides from the likes of Columbia-Epic-Okeh, Atlantic and RCA in this volume. Now we get memory-stirring tunes like "High School USA", the jumping energy of "Don't Let Go" and the long-forgotten "Life's Too Short". And while Ace continues to pursue the vaults for the best available tape sources, they do offer a challange in this volume. There is one cut that was dubbed from disc by the renowned Little Walter DeVenne and they dare you to determine which one it is. And as with previous volumes, the 16-page liner notes booklet is loaded with musical backround notes, pics and promo reproductions. Absolutely fabulous."

It is not done better than this

Martijn13Maart1970 | Husavik Iceland | 01/15/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am a enthousiastic collector, and have almost all the Time Life rock n roll stuff, as well as Eric Records cds of this era. Although they are essential to any 50s 60s collection, nothing can top ACE series.

I could comment like this on all the 50s remasters of this fabulous record label, not only their other editions, but especially the Golden Age of American Rock n roll. I can not add anything to the positive reviews than simply summing up my personal view:

30 tracks per cd! (Time life is also excellent, but you get 15 per cd!)

excellent booklets with background info (not surpassed by any label).

not the same old songs over again, but many rare and still excellent tracks!

last but not least amazing sound quality.

So although you might have some songs there on other collections, it is for above mentioned points alone worth it to always have an ACE copy as well."

Hidden Aces - And Certainly No "Drop Off"

Charles R. Denman | 08/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Eight if the tracks presented here made it into the lucrative Billboard Pop Top 10 (5, 8, 9, 17 - the only # 1 - 22, 24 and 30), joined by another five that found their way into the Top 20 (6, 10, 19, 23 and 29), seven more that finished Top 30 (3, 13, 15, 16, 18, 20 and 21), and one that just made the Top 40 (track 11). That's 21 out of the 30 tracks which were solid hits by any standard, so I would hardly describe this volume as a "drop-off" in that regard.



Many were also R&B chart cross-overs, and most of the songs presented here were distributed by the small independent labels springing up all across the U.S. in the period covered (1954 - 1963). Most simply did not have the funds for publicity and promotion at the disposal of giants like Columbia (and their Okeh and Epic subsidiaries) and RCA, the mid-range outfits like Atlantic, Roulette and Scepter, or even some of the better-known small operations such as Swan, Guyden and Josie.



So, when you look at the rankings of these non Top 40 offerings you have to keep that in mind, as well as the fact that, for every song that made it into the Top/Hot 100 in any given year, there were upwards of four that did not (indeed, in 1959 Billboard introduced a Hot 100 "Bubbling Under" charts to chronicle those that finished from # 101 to # 125): Linda Lu by Ray Sharpe (# 11 R&B and # 46 Hot 100 in summer 1959 on Jamie); Flamingo Express by The Royaltones )# 82 Hot 100 in January 1961 on Goldisc); Lonely Saturday Night by Don French (# 72 Hot 100 in June 1959 on Lancer); The Hlory Of Love by The Roommates (# 49 Hot 100 in May 1961 on Valmor); (Do The) Mashed Potatoes (Part 1) by Nat Kendrick & The Swans (# 9 R&B and # 84 Hot 100 in spring 1960 on Dade); and Why Don't You Write Me? by The Jacks (# 3 R&B and # 82 Top 100 in summer 1955 on Gee).



Two that might be regarded as "drop offs" since both were released by major labels and failed ro climb very high in spite of that backing were Life's Too Short by The Lafayettes (# 87 in summer 1962 on RCA Victor), and Here I Stand by The Rip Chords (# 51 in spring 1963 on Columbia).



As always with an Ace Records production it's sometimes difficult to decide which feature you like best - the music, much of it never before heard on CD and certainly never with this superb sound quality, or the wonderful trivia-filled artist-by-artist liner notes [here 12 pages written by noted U.K. music historian Rob Finnis in 1994], complete with vintage poster/label reproductions, and photographs. In that regard you get The Temptation (NOT the 1960s/1970s Motown group, but the original Temptations, a One-Hit Wonder white doo-wop quartet from Flushing, New York), The Dubs, Little Anthony & The Imperials, Tommy Facenda, Gene Vincent, Little Joe (Cook), another One-Hit Wonder and lead of The Thrillers, The Lafayettes, Sal Mineo, Barbara Lynn, The Rocky Fellers, and Billy And Lillie.



On the reverse of the jewel case is a listing of the contents showing original label numbers as well as Billboard Pop Top/Hot 100 performances in North America and, where applicable, the U.K. (just 3 charted there - tracks 5, 8 and 17).

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