What A Surprise! And Now Hopes For A Volume 12
09/14/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Some of us who have submitted reviews on this wonderful series from Ace of London assumed, after the issue of Volume 10, that that was the end of the series. We were wrong, and am I happy we were. When I saw this advertised a few weeks back I immediately pre-ordered a copy, and now here it is in front of me - once more with perfect sound quality, loads of liner notes (27 pages written by Rob Finnis in 2007) and liberally sprinkled with vintage photos and poster/album cover/45 rpm reproductions). And, as always, the reverse provides a North American and a U.K. label/chart performance discography.
As with the previous 10 volumes the contents range from relatively easy-to-find to some that just simply were not available anywhere else before this in CD format. Among the former are items like LaVern Baker's immortal Jim Dandy (# 1 R&B/# 17 Billboard Pop Top 100 in late 1956/early 1957 - but don't miss the opening notes in the insert on the reason for its inclusion); Dion's cover of the 1956 Drifters' hit Ruby Baby (# 2 Billboard Pop Hot 100/# 5 R&B in early 1963 and one of two stereo cuts here); Sammy Turner's Lavender Blue (# 3 Hot 100/# 14 R&B in summer 1959); One Track Mind by Bobby Lewis (# 8 R&B/# 9 Hot 100 in the fall of 1961 and the second stereo cut); Love Is Strange by Mickey & Sylvia (# 1 R&B/# 11 Top 100 early in 1957); Let The Good Times Roll by Shirley & Lee (# 1 R&B/# 20 Top 100 in later summer 1956); I'm Stickin' With You by Jimmy Bowen with The Rhythm Orchids (# 9 R&B/# 14 Top 100 in April 1957); Jack Scott's Goodbye Baby (# 8 Hot 100 in late 1958/early 1959); This Little Girl's Gone Rockin' by Ruth Brown (# 7 R&B/# 24 Hot 100 late in 1958); Clyde McPhatter's Without Love (There Is Nothing), which hit # 4 R&B/# 19 Top 100 early in 1957; Nathanial Mayer & The Fabulous Twilights' Village Of Love (# 16 R&B/# 22 Hot 100 in June 1962 for this One-Hit Wonder); Smokey Joe's Cafe by The Robins (# 10 R&B/# 79 Top 100 for the precursor of The Coasters); Charlie Gracie's Fabulous (# 16 Top 100 in June 1957); and Finger Poppin' Time by Hank Ballard & The Midnighters (# 2 R&B/# 7 Hot 100 in summer 1960).
Now, while the above may indeed be available on any number of other compilations, what you can be certain of is that nowhere else will you find them presented with the same quality of sound. Which is even more delightful when it comes to these selections which are appearing, if not for the first time on CD in every instance, then certainly the first time in a perfect setting: White Bucks And Saddle Shoes by Bobby Pedrick, Jr. (# 74 Hot 100 in late 1958 for Robert John Pedrick, who would go on to post 9 more hits as Robert John; Transfusion by Nervous Norvus (# 8 Top 100 novelty hit in summer 1956 for former truck driver and DJ Jimmy Drake); You're The Apple Of My Eye by The Four Lovers (# 62 Top 100 in June 1956 for the group that would become The Four Seasons and hit the charts with Sherry in 1962); Mathilda by Cookie & His Cupcakes (# 47 Hot 100 in early 1959 - Swamp Pop heaven here); Henrietta by Jimmy Dee & The Offbeats (# 47 Top 100 in early 1958); I Need Your Lovin' by Conway Twitty (# 93 Top 100 in May 1957 and just over a year before It's Only Make Believe); Tennessee Waltz by Bobby Comstock & The Counts (# 52 Hot 100 late in 1959); Pretend by Carl Mann (# 57 Hot 100 late in 1959); Chills And Fever by Ronnie Love & His Orchestra (# 72 Hot 100 in January 1961 after having been released in 1960 as by Johnny Love - this was his only hit); Miss Fine by The New Yorkers (# 69 Hot 100 in May 1961 and the only hit for the group led by Fred Parris, formerly with The Five Satins); Breaking Up Is Hard To Do by Jivin' Gene & The Jokers (# 69 Hot 100 in in September 1959 and their only hit); Last Chance by Collay & The Satellites (# 82 Hot 100 in 1960); Record Hop Blues by The Quarter Notes (# 82 Hot 100 in March 1959); Peanut Butter by Vibrations named by others as Marathons (# 20 Hot 100/# 25 R&B in June 1961 - you won't want to miss the liner notes on THIS one); and Come On Over by The Strollers (# 91 Hot 100 in April 1961).
Since no self-respecting distributor would end a series with Volume 11, I have hopes that there now will be a Volume 12. In The meantime, you should also check out their single-volume off-shoots of this series, Special Doo Wop Edition 1953 - 1963, Special Novelty Edition, Special "Bubbling Under" Edition, and Special Country Music Edition. You will NEVER be disappointed with an Ace product."
And the nostalgia continues...
Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 12/11/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Golden Age of American Rock 'n' Roll, Volume 11 has a whopping thirty (yes, thirty) tracks on the album--and several are really quite rare as other reviewers have noted. The sound is very, very good and the selection couldn't be better.
The CD starts strong with Lavern Baker's classic hit "Jim Dandy." She sings this song with all her might and it's clear and sassy when you hear her belt it out. The melody is appealing and the male backup singers enhance the number. "Jim Dandy' has a great beat to it, too. "Ruby Baby" by Dion has this singer crooning his best and Dion never misses a note! This number has great guitar and the backup singers are cool. I also like The Four Lovers singing out "(You're The) Apple Of My Eye;" this awesome 1950s tune rocks well!
The hits continue. Listen for Conway Twitty's "I Need Your Lovin';" and Bobby Comstock & His Counts do a great job with their rendition of the classic "Tennessee Waltz." Shirley & Lee do their huge hit "Let The Good Times Roll;" I really like this classic number. There's also the immortal Ruth Brown performing a rockin' tune called "This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'." Listen for some great brass on "This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'!"
One of the most beautiful ballads on this album is Clyde McPhatter's "Without Love (There Is Nothing);" he sings this passionately and it really impresses me a lot. Yet another solid number you just might recognize is "Smokey Joe's Café" by The Robins. Awesome!
The liner notes come in the form of a generous 28 page booklet with lots and lots of information about these hits. I love the cover art with all those 1950's cars on the front!
This CD is practically indispensable for anyone who loves pop hits from the mid 1950s to the early 1960s. The sound is excellent; you get a whopping thirty tracks; and the liner notes are bursting at the seams with info about the hits. You won't regret this purchase.
"
Do my eyes (and ears) deceive me???
Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 09/27/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Several years ago when Ace Records of the U.K. announced the end of the "Golden Age of American Rock and Roll" series, a collective moan was heard throughout the world of the collectors of pre-invasion, aka "golden age" of, American top 100-music. With stunning surprise, Ace has relaunched the series with this, volume 11. And what a debut! As in past volumes, within the massive thirty tracks are a few top-ten tunes nestled in among many hard-to-find recordings and a sprinkling of new-to-CD top-100 charting tunes. And as in past volumes in the series, Ace has gone to great lengths to obtain the best possible sources for these tracks. One of the CD debuts, a fairly obscure track on an even more obscure label, namely Collay and the Satellites' "Last Chance" on the Sho-Biz label, comes up with the studio-chatter take number intro leading one to conclude that this is an original recording session tape source! Amazing what Ace is able and still willing to do twenty-five years into the CD music era. Other CD debut tracks include Ronnie Love's version of the more well-known Tom Jones tune "Chills and Fever", the New Yorkers (Fred Parris of the Five Satins) with "Miss Fine", the rough-cut instrumental "Record Hop Blues" by the Quarter Notes and the Strollers "Come On Over". Beyond the content and sonic superiority, a 28-page booklet with photos and illustrations and an incredible amount of fascinating background on the included tracks make the read as rewarding as the listening. This is an absolutely extraordinary addition to the most revered collection of golden-age American r'n'r music of the CD-era. Do we even dare to hope for a volume 12???"
Track Listings (30) - Disc #1