Cream of the Crop
Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 11/23/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This second installment in Ace Records' "Teenage Crush" series continues to prove their unequalled status in bringing classic American rock and roll to the CD medium. Packed with 28 tracks from the golden age of American pop, this CD has five number ones, 18 top-20 hits, four that made it into the top-40 and one, Bobby Curtola's "Fortune Teller" that was just out of the top-40 (41) on the charts. While mining the top-40, the repertoire here does not just regurgitate the same old stuff found on so many other oldies compilations in the market. While there're lots of familiar tunes here to hum along to, you won't find tracks like Billy Storm's "I've Come Of Age", Larry Hall's "Sandy" or Gary Miles' "Look For A Star" in many, if any, other comp CDs, especially with the sound quality presented here. As has come to be expected, Ace has secured better sources for many of these tracks and sound quality is the best encountered so far for virtually all of these tunes. Many of the tracks appear in true stereo (6,12,13,15,16,19,22-24,26-28) with the remainder in clean mono. Completing the package is a 16-page booklet with many pics, promo shots and detailed backround notes on the artists represented on the disc. Another outstanding effort by Ace - it just isn't done any better than this."
A Well Chosen (And Generous) Anthology
Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 01/06/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Over the past decade England's ACE label has become one of the recording industry's leading rerelease giants. In fact, in my book they've outdistanced Rhino Records, who I long considered the standard bearer for reissues. Both labels do a superb job of tracking down the best source tapes available. However, where Rhino generally puts about twenty tracks (or less) on a disk and includes a booklet with only six or eight pages, ACE packs 28 songs onto the disk and includes a 20-page booklet loaded with photos and artist information on every song.In addition to such No. 1 hits as "Come Softly to Me," "The Three Bells," "Honeycomb," "Venus" and "The Theme from 'A Summer Place,'" you also get seldom anthologized hits like Brook Benton's "Endlessly," Larry Finnegan's "Dear One," Jimmy Elledge's "Funny How Time Slips Away" and Gary Miles' "Look for a Star."Along with volume one, these are some of the greatest teen ballads of the era--roughly 1957 to 1962. [Only "End of the World" (1963) and "Letter from Sherry" (1964) fall outside this time frame.] So what you're getting are some terrific pre-British Invasion American pop. If you enjoyed the first volume as much as I did, this is an equally superb companion volume. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED"
Track Listings (28) - Disc #1