Search - Orlons :: Best of 1961-1966

Finally, a legit Orlons cd

James E. Bagley | Sanatoga, PA USA | 10/27/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Orlons (Rosetta Hightower, Shirley Brickley, Marlena Davis, and Steve Caldwell) were always my favorite group on Philadelphia's Cameo and Parkway labels. Lead singer Hightower had such a booming yet endearing voice. When she belted out "Don't Hang Up," you knew you'd better comply (or risk serious injury)!



Years ago I bought an Orlons cd that originated out of Europe. Apparently, the music wasn't properly licensed, as ABKCO has only allowed the Cameo-Parkway catalog to be released on cd recently. In addition, the sound was pretty bad (I'm sure they used some worn 45s as the source material). It is great to now have all of their notable recordings available again and sounding better than ever.



The recent Cameo-Parkway box set included their five biggest hits (Wah Watusi, Don't Hang Up, South Street, Not Me, and Crossfire!). This thorough collection includes them of course, as well as their first single "I'll Be True," the lesser charting hits (Bon Do Wah, Shimmy Shimmy, Rules Of Love - backed by a fierce rendition of Heartbreak Hotel that also got some airplay, and Knock! Knock!) and some of the better b-sides and album cuts. Even if you already own the Cameo-Parkway box set, you still gotta get this cd, as five tracks just ain't enough Orlons! The track lineup:



1. I'll Be True

2. Wah Watusi, The

3. Don't Hang Up

4. Conservative, The

5. South Street

6. Cement Mixer

7. Not Me

8. Crossfire!

9. Don't Throw Your Love Away

10. Bon-Doo-Wah

11. Everything Nice

12. Shimmy Shimmy

13. Rules Of Love

14. Heartbreak Hotel

15. Knock! Knock! (Who's There?)

16. Goin' Places

17. Envy (In My Eyes)

18. Don't You Want My Lovin'

19. Spinning Top

20. Mr. Twenty One

"

This one gets better & better with each listen!!!

Phil Rogers | Ann Arbor, Michigan | 11/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Note also, this is a great job of both mixing and mastering - the sound is terrific all way through.



"I'll Be True" It might be better off forgetting this is supposed to be the Orlons when listening to this one - it's an exceedingly beautiful and intense old-style doo-wop ballad. Still it's a fine introduction to the CD, and segues neatly into the next song. [5 stars]



"The Wah-Watusi" (Billboard #19) - what to listen for if you only remember this great tune and subsequent Top 5 hits from listening on a bargain-basement 6-transistor radio in 1963: the drums are unbelievably crisp sounding, the grooves are wonderful! [5 stars]



"Don't Hang Up" (Billboard #4) - infectious, infectious, infectious! [5 stars]



"The Conservative" - retro, kind of do-wop, with great melody, background harmonies/riffs, and very interesting lyrics in the form of a story-song. Another reviewer calls it lame probably based on the fact that he dislikes conservatives. Remember, this was 1963, and probably referred to a guy who dressed and acted like what used to be called "straight", but who was the type the singer was turned on by; i.e., not necessarily someone who would've voted for Barry Goldwater back in the day, or Rubber Dubya at present. [5 stars]



"South Street" (Billboard #3) - Probably the best of their three top 5's - note that the phrase "Where do all the hippies meet?" doesn't pertain to the usual meaning of the term - remember this was only 1963. Back then the word hippie was more likely a synonym for hipsters, jazz/dance aficionados, and the like. There also was a group on the same record label as the Orlons who were named the Hippies, but it's unlikely they made up the name, but themselves borrowed it from then-current urban subculture (Harlem, the Village, etc.). [5 stars at least]



"Cement Mixer" - a great novelty-party tune that verges on calypso. "See the mello-rooney come out! Slurp! Slurp! Slurp!" [5 stars]



"Not Me"(Billboard #12) - a remake of Gary U. S. Bonds' "New Orleans", with an entirely different set of lyrics - country-hopping rather than sticking to Louisiana - with one verse each for California, Alabama, and Virginia. [5 stars]



"Crossfire" (Billboard #19) - with a terrific storyline about happenings at a dance, melody with mournful touches and haunting backgrounds, great arrangement and hooks - this is possibly their best hit song. It also includes a recurrence of the aforementioned term in the phrase "like the hippies do". [5 stars at least]



"Don't Throw Your Love Away" - before the sublime Searchers version went top 20 in '64, there was the Orlons version, every bit as good after you've listened to it a number of times. Check out the matchless piano accompaniment, and their spunky doo-wop ending with its killer ground-shaking harmonies. [5 stars at least]



"Bon-doo-wah" (Billboard #55) - Another infectious tune/arrangement - call-and-answer song - the instrumental and vocal riffs/bridges are incredible here; and there's great rhythm/meter interplay. [5 stars at least]



"Everything Nice" One of the best mid-to-uptempo feel-good songs I've ever heard - with heartwarming singing and wonderful riffing organ. [5 stars at least]



"Shimmy Shimmy" (Billboard #66) - Good up-tempo dance tune. [4 stars]



"Rules of Love" (Billboard #66) - Thinly-disguised version of "What I Say" - with different lyrics that gradually take on a sinister aspect: if you do what I say, "I'll let you graduate" - echoes of Lennon-McCartney's "Run For Your Life". [4 stars]



"Heartbreak Hotel" - It's hard to imagine an arrangement/recording that rivals the one by Elvis, but this one does it, as it gets better and better with each listen. It may end up being my favorite on this CD. There are a few slight alterations of melody and rhythm as compared with the original, but it's basically the overall arrangement (background vocals, etc) that sends this one into the High Heaven of rock and soul. [5 stars at least]



"Knock! Knock! (Who's There?)" (Billboard #64) - nice uptempo doo-wop dance tune, with great spoken statement and answer format at the end fade-out. [4 stars]



"Goin' Places" terrific feel-good "travel" song, with very inventive melodies. [5 stars]



"Envy (In My Eyes)" This is the song that sounds the most like Motown, specifically Martha and the Vandellas (more specifically "Dancing in the Streets", "Nowhere to Run"), though not quite. It retains a lot of that NYC feel, and keeps giving me chills all the way through. [5 stars at least]



"Don't You Want My Lovin'" - the groove has the drive of Blondie's "Call Me" from fifteen years later, though at a slower tempo; similarly, the singing has the intensity of Ike and Tina with the Ikettes. An unbelievably expressive sax section is the main compositional force behind the band, and dirty organ licks and the occasional piano chord provide subtler punctuation. [5 stars at least]



"Spinning Top" - more Ike and Tina sound, more uptempo, amalgamated with a Four Tops feel (fitting in terms of the song title) - unbelievable arrangement, vocals, vocals, vocals, with a bit of "Sugar Pie Honey Bunch" style piano riffing mixed in subtly with a Stax-Volt lilt. [5 stars at least]



"Mr. Twenty One" - old style doo-wop, recorded earlier in '61 and thus out of sequence chronologically. Somewhat inferior to the rest. [2-3 stars]

"

Where do all the Hippies meet? South Street! South Street!

sixties4ever | Salinas, CA | 02/19/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yes, Abkco Records, who have owned the Cameo & Parkway master tapes since 1967 have finally released these hits on CD!

The Orlons had a highly recognizable sound. Not just because they had great harmonies and lead singer, Rosetta Hightower sang with such conviction.....but they also had sole male member Steve Caldwell chiming in with a "oh baby!" here and there.

This Philadelphia quartet gave Cameo Records some serious hits from 1961 to 1964! Their first chart hit, "Wah Watusi" hit # 2 on Billboard; followed by "Don't Hang Up" at # 4 and "South Street" at # 3. Very few groups can claim that their first three chart hits were all in the national Top 5!

The Orlons hits had a funky, light hearted, feel-good groove to them.

Besides their big hits, this CD also includes the noteable "B" side: "Don't Throw Your Love Away". It was covered successfully by British Invasion rockers, The Searchers in 1964.

By the way...in their hit "South Street" the Orlons were not referring to the Haight Ashbury love children "hippies"....with their line"...where do all the hippies meet? South Street! South Street!..." The Hippies were another recording act on Cameo/Parkway Records, who had their single "Memory Lane" reissued in 1963..........so The Orlons hit had a built it plug for their label mates "The Hippies".

Get this Orlon's collection! It swings!"