Search - The Spiders :: The Imperial Sessions (Complete Imperial Recordings)

SOME GOOD STUFF!!!

Ken Rogers | Easley, SC USA | 10/07/1998

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Spiders were New Orleans only male vocal group in the 50's...CHUCK and CHICK CARBO were the group leaders and songs like "Witchcraft" (later done by Elvis), "I didn't want to do it" and "Slippin' In" are classics. The group is backed by Dave Batholomew's band on all the cuts and if you love early R&B. This is a must. The price is hefty, but the music is worth it. This is a solid dose of the GOOD STUFF from the 50's by a legendary group. THE SPIDERS were fabulous."

Even better than I expected.

Timothy C. Beasley | Crawfordsville, IN | 07/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I wanted the song 'Didn't wanna do it' because it's a solid, fun, bouncy rocker....a great song!! I was kind of bummed out that I had to spend 40 bucks to buy a 2 disc collection of a group that I didn't know a whole heck of a lot about....just to get one song! I'm sure glad I did. This is an excellent set. It's so good that it gets a 5-star rating, mainly becuase I was surprised that there were as many good songs as there were. If you like the 50's vocal R&B sound, you need to grab this one. Btw, I'm really glad to finally be spinning 'Didn't wanna do it'!"

Least Remembered Of The Mid-50s Black Vocal Groups

Timothy C. Beasley | 09/07/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ask a R&B fan to name the top black vocal groups of 1954/55 and you'll definitely get names of mega-hit groups like The Clovers, Dominoes, Drifters, Moonglows, and Midnighters ,,, and maybe some will mention The Five Keys, The "5" Royales, The Cardinals, The Cadets/Jacks, The Robins, The Spaniels, and The Charms. Seldom, if ever, will anyone mention The Spiders.



Which is kind of sad because, with the exception of the mega-hit groups mentioned above, these five guys - brothers Hayward & Leonard Carbo, Joe Maxon, Oliver Howard, and Mathew West - put five songs into the Top 10 of R&B in those two years - more than some of the other groups mentioned.



Their first was the double-sided hit I Didn't Want To Do It [# 3] and You're The One [# 8] in the early spring of 1954. Later that summer I'm Slippin' In [b/w I'm Searching] reached # 6, and in January 1955 they were back with "21" which, b/w She Keeps Me Wondering, peaked at # 9. Their last charter then came in December 1955/January 1956 when Witchcraft topped out at # 5 b/w Is It True?



Why the hits did not continue - at least on into 1956 - is anyone's guess. After all, they had the backing of a powerful label in Imperial and the band of the great Dave Bartholomew. Another mystery is why none of their hits crossed over to the pop charts, particularly I Didn't Want To Do It.



The only drawback to this CD is the fact that they expect you to buy a 2-CD set with 47 selections by a group that had limited commercial chart success. A nice 16-selection set which includes all their hits, plus the B-sides, and a few selected non-charters would be much more preferable. And easier on the pocketbook.

"