Search - Various Artists :: Oldies But Goodies, Vol. 11

Excellent hits from years past

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 05/21/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Oldies But Goodies, Vol. 11 is a fine CD in this series of CDs chock full of "oldies but goodies." The quality of the sound is very good considering the age of these recordings and the artwork is nicely done as well. This is a pure delight for fans of the oldies!



The Diamonds starts things off with a strikingly beautiful rendition of "Little Darlin'." "Little Darlin'" always tugs at my heartstrings, yet it's good music for dancing as well! The early rock and roll flavor mixes with just a dash of doo wop to make "Little Darlin'" a huge classic hit that I personally will never forget! The Kingsmen also do a perfect job on their hit entitled "Louie Louie;" "Louie Louie" is good, solid early rock and roll and this makes this tune a special treat indeed! The Angels also do a smash-up job as they perform "My Boyfriend's Back" with lots of feeling and positive energy. "My Boyfriend's Back" has a great beat and the handclapping is a creative way to use percussion in a song. There's also Freddy Cannon doing more than just his best on the classic "Palisades Park." "Palisades Park" tells the story of a young couple on a date and as they become fond of each other we can easily identify with this couple as we think back on our own experiences with falling in love.



The Righteous Brothers do "Soul And Inspiration" to perfection--and beyond! The Righteous Brothers were always able to harmonize right alongside the best of them and tunes like this one prove it. In addition, The Dixie Cups do a wonderful job with "Chapel Of Love." I can't quite verbalize it but the sweet love and I guess the relative innocence from the era make this one of my very favorite tunes from the early days of rock with its girl groups. The Dixie Cups perform "Chapel Of Love" with grace and style and it's truly a major highlight of this CD. Bobby Hebb also makes good with his hit entitled "Sunny;" this ode to his woman named Sunny represents his joy over being in love with someone who appreciates him for the person he is. Jimmy Reed does his best on "Baby What You Want Me To Do;" although I actually have never heard this tune before it's really very good. "Baby What You Want Me To Do" has a fine early rock beat that I find very pleasing; and the harmonica enhances the melody quite a bit.



"I'm Leaving It All Up To You" gets the royal treatment by Dale And Grace as they perform this flawlessly; and "Traces" is a huge classic hit from The Classics IV. The Classics IV sing and play this so beautifully; it's a very sensitive and melancholy love song that always moves me when I hear it. The CD also ends strong with Harvey & The Moonglows doing "Ten Commandments Of Love." "Ten Commandments Of Love" used to get more airplay on the oldies stations and I hope they bring this number back for more airplay soon.



Overall, Oldies But Goodies, Vol. 11 is a CD with much to offer fans of early rock and roll. If you like this genre of music you'll be smiling all the way through--and it will leave you wanting more, too!

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