Search - Various Artists :: The Golden Age of American Popular Music: Hard-to-Get Hot 100 Hits From 1956-1965

Probably the best ACE compilation ever!

Ronald Van Scherpenzeel | Madrid, Spain | 03/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I luckily own the complete ACE series on Golden Age of American Rock

& Roll, that means 10 CD's + the special editions on Country and Novelty

which make it 12 + the 4 CD's called "Teenage Crush" Vol, 1,2,3 and 4.

This special Golden American Popular Hits is the best of them all.

First, because the song selection is out of sight since quite a few

songs (hits) never made it to Europe (I call them "new oldies"),second

reason because of its quality, that always have been unbeatable on all

ACE records, but this time at least 13 songs are in wonderful full

stereo including recordings from 1959. Third and lastly, many of these

songs were never available on any other Rock and Roll compilation not

even in the USA. Thanks to this UK label (ACE)a lot of dreams have

come true especially for people like me who were kids during those

wonderful years (decade from 1955 till 1965)."

First Of A Spin-Off Series From Golden Age Of American Rocl

Larry R. Watts Jr. | 09/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This first of a spin-off series from Ace's Golden Age Of American Rock 'n' Roll was launched with trepidation, as some within Ace weren't too sure that the wide range of material making up the 28 tracks would appeal to a large enough audience. I don't know details of their sales, of course, but I can say that, to inveterate collectors like myself, it is a gold-mine of extremely hard-to-find hits, something embellished by Ace's usual high quality in both sound and packaging (a complete discography is on the reverse).



Also, producer Trevor Churchill made certain there were just enough familiar songs/huge hits to grab the attention of those not heavily into collecting, such as those by The Four Preps, Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Earl Grant, Billy Grammar, Jerry Wallace Dorsey Burnette and Vic Dana. Each would be instantly familiar to anyone who lived in that era and loved the music being played. A bit less familiar, but still significant hits, are those by a pre-Dawn Tony Orlando, Paul Petersen, The Duprees, The Playmates, Gene McDaniels, The Rover Boys, Adam Wade, and Dicky Doo & The Don'ts.



But what attracted me were the One-Hit Wonders and several with just a couple of hits that, to this point at least, just never seemed to be available in a quality CD. The first of the One-Hit Wonders in order of appearance are The Dolphins, a trio backed by The Driving Wind Orchestra, who had a # 69 Hot 100 in late 1964/early 1965 with Hey-Da-Da-Dow on the Fraternity label. Next up is My Lucky Love by Doug Franklin with The Bluenotes, a release in 1958 by Colonial Records that hit # 73 Hot 100 in September, followed by one that you do see now and then on compilations, See You In September by The Tempos, a quartet from Pittsburgh backed by the Billy Mure orchestra. It reached # 23 Hot 100 in summer 1959 on the Climax label (in 1966 The Happenings would have a # 3 cover hit).



In early 1957, Roulette picked up Hey! Little Girl, a release on the small Stars label by The Techniques, and it made it to # 29 Top 100, while in December 1958/January 1959, Teasin' by the Philadelphia string band calling themselves The Quaker City Boys made its way to # 39 Hot 100 on Swan Records. Another from that label, and backed by Earl Sheldon & His Orchestra, were The Upbeats who had their only hit, Just Like In The Movies, stall at # 75 Hot 100 in August 1958.



Continuing with the One-Hit Wonders, some might remember Pete Drake And His Talking Steel Guitar do his 1964 hit version of Forever, but four years earlier, in February/March 1960, a quartet calling themselves The Little Dippers had their original rendition go to # 9 Hot 100 on the University label. In early 1958, the NY City quintet, The Voxpoppers, had Wishing For Your Love come out on Amp 3 1004, but it wasn't until Mercury picked it up did it start to climb the charts, finishing at # 18. And finally there is Tony Perkins, made famous as Norman Bates in Psycho, whose only hit record, Moon-Light Swim, hit # 24 late in 1957 backed by the Frank DeVol orchestra on RCA Victor.



Those with more than one hit, but no less easier to find, are: Bob Beckham, an erstwhile Country singer who had a # 32 Hot 100 with Just As Much As Ever in September 1959 for Decca; The Rivieras (not to be confused with a group of the same name who had a 1964 hit with California Sun), whose cover of the Glenn Miller hit, Moonlight Serenade, reached # 47 Hot 100 in early 1959 for Coed; The Highlights, whose first of two hits, City Of Angels, finished at # 19 Top 100 in late 1956 for the Bally label (their second hit, To Be With You, would be billed as The Highlights featuring Frank Pisani - both were backed by the Lew Douglas orchestra).



The 15-page booklet, which contains artist- and track-by-track notes written by Brian Gari and Rob Finis, is full of pictures of things like vintage radios, posters, 45 rpm records, and photos of a young Tony Orlando, Billy Grammar, The Dolphins, Paul Petersen, The Tempos, Bob Beckham, The Rover Boys, The Rivieras, Dorsey Burnette, The Little Dippers, The Voxpoppers, Adam Wade, The Highlights, The Playmates, Bobby Darin, Johnny Mathis, Gene McDaniels, Jerry Wallace, and Earl Grant."