Search - The Flamingos :: Dream Of A Lifetime 1953 - 59 [ORIGINAL RECORDINGS REMASTERED]

You wanted the best...

David A. Bede | Singapore | 04/13/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Along with the Ravens and Sonny Til and the Orioles, Chicago's Flamingos occupy the highest echelon of doo-wop's greatest groups. (Naming your group after a bird was a fad of the early fifties, but in this case the elegant name is a perfect fit.) They were also among the genre's most prolific groups, recording for five different labels in the six years covered here. That makes compiling a best-of collection tricky at best, but this is the best Flamingos retrospective to date.



First up are the six singles the Flamingos recorded for Chance Records in 1953. All twelve sides are here, plus one rare recording from the same period. "Golden Teardrops" is the most famous of these. Although not a hit in its own time, it now often makes the top five in doo wop fan polls. One listen and you'll hear why. "If I Can't Have You" and "That's My Desire" are nearly as beautiful, while "Someday Someway" and "You Ain't Ready" show the Flamingos could also rock when they wanted to.



Next on tap are their three singles (and two then-unreleased recordings) on Parrot Records from 1954. The second of these, "I Really Don't Want to Know," is probably their rarest record, and was no picnic to find on CD either until now. That alone makes it a thrill for us collectors to have it included here, but it's also a lovely ballad in its own right. The even scarcer B-side, "Get With It," is a scorching sax-driven rocker and a revelation to those who know the Flamingos mostly for their ballads. But the real crown jewel of the Parrot recordings is "Dream of a Lifetime".



1955-56 found the Flamingos at Chess Records, and their recordings from those years reflect the harder rocking style of both the label and the era. Still, the classic from this period is once again a love song: the Korean War weeper "I'll Be Home". They recorded two versions of that one; both are included here. If you only know Pat Boone's version of that one, you haven't really heard the song yet. The uptempo "That's My Baby (Chick-a-Boom)" is more representative of their Chess catalogue as a whole, and it's one of their catchiest songs. Elsewhere, "Please Come Back Home" and "The Vow" are other classic examples of the Flamingos sound. This collection digs awfully deep on the Chess recordings, actually, featuring re-recordings of "Dream of a Lifetime," "If I Can't Have You" (now retitled "Nobody's Love"), "When" and "Get With It". I don't like the re-recordings very much, but at least they're here for completeness' sake. After Chess, the Flamingos recorded several singles for Decca in 1957-58. Inexplicably for an otherwise-thorough collection, only one Decca side is included here. That one song, "The Ladder of Love," is nice enough, in any case.



Last but not least are the first of their recordings for End Records, from 1959. "I Only Have Eyes for You" needs no introduction. The other seven End sides are just as well-crafted and timeless. I'm not sure why this collection stops when it does, as the Flamingos continued to record for End until 1963 (copyright issues?). But while a few later classics are missing, what we do get here is top notch. The Flamingos really are worth wanting every last recording that's out there. While this collection won't give you that, it's as comprehensive as anything available at this point. Highly recommended for all early rock and R&B fans!

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