Search - Golden Age of American Rock 'n Roll :: The Golden Age of American Rock 'N' Roll, Volume 8

All Good Things Must Come To An End

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 09/15/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is the eighth (and probably last) in ACE's remarkable series of musical snapshots of America's pre-British Invasion rock and roll landscape. If you bought all eight volumes, that's just over 10 hours of music and 240 songs--yes, vol. 8 has 30 tracks like all the others, even though Amazon.com doesn't list them all.And as always, ACE serves up a healthy dose of hits, obscure gems and lost treasures. Nine of these songs were Top Ten hits, like the Dell-Vikings' doo-wop classic "Whispering Bells," Freddy Cannon's update of a 1922 jazz hit "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans," the Danleer's gorgeous "One Summer Night," Dick and Dee Dee's moody "The Mountain's High" and Johnny Preston's million-selling "Running Bear."Then there are the minor hits like Robert & Johnny's "We Belong Together," Little Joey & The Flips' "Bongo Stomp" and Nappy Brown's Don't Get Angry"--all which languished in the bottom half of the Top 40.Although it did almost nothing on the pop charts (No. 53), the Heartbeats' "A Thousand Miles Away" was a huge R&B hit. [Lead singer James "Shep" Sheppard would later form Shep and the Limelites and five years later score a Top Ten hit with the answer song "Daddy's Home."]Among the pleasant surprises--for me anyway--was the instrumental "Bullwhip Rock" by the Cyclones with its rockabilly guitar and boogie-woogie piano.As always the 20-page booklet is informative and entertaining. Ernie Maresca, who hit the Top 40 only once with "Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out)," also wrote hits for other artists, including "Runaround Sue" and "The Wanderer" for Dion. Not only did J.P. "Big Bopper" Richardson discover Johnny Preston, he wrote his first hit, "Running Bear," and provided the "Indian" sounds on the recording with George Jones. The Pastels, whose lone doo-wop hit was "Been So Long," formed in Greenland where they were stationed while in the Air Force.ACE is to be commended for its thoroughness in compiling this series. While no means complete (remember we're talking a ten-year period), it is a satisfying look at the early years of popular music. [If you're also looking for a great anthology series covering the second half of the Sixties, check out ACE's Chartbusters series.] So whether you're looking to relive your youth or simply exploring the history of rock and roll, this series is an excellent place to begin that journey. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"

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."

Ace keeps 'em coming

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 12/29/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After seven volumes you might think there wouldn't be much left in the vaults but Ace continues to find more rarities from the American top-100 during the pre-British invasion rock and roll years. With just enough top-10 tunes to keep things familiar, there are lots of truely rare sides in this volume that tickle the musical memories of those who grew up during those years. Even among the big charters, many of the tracks included here are those not often found on other collections. "The Mountain's High" by Dick and Dee Dee, Thomas Wayne's "Tragedy" and "The Fool" from Sanford Clark are seldom found, in good quality anyway, on other oldies comps. Hammocked between these familiar tunes are such extremely rare finds such as the Cyclones' pain(!)fully ignored instrumental "Bullwhip Rock", Little Joey's me-too Bristol Stomp, "Bongo Stomp" and the Graduates' over-the-top-anguish on "Ballad Of A Girl And A Boy". Part of the fun of hearing some of these rarities is wondering how they ever made it into the top 100 at all. As has come to be expected from these Ace CDs, sound quality is generally very good although the compression on some tracks make it evident that these few have come from either vinyl or low-generation tapes. All tracks except "Shout Shout" are in mono. The 24-page liner notes booklet contains an amazing amount of backround info on the included tracks along with pics of the artists and promo materials. This installment adds another ace to Ace's pocket of incredibly well-produced oldies compilation CDs."