Search - Various Artists :: Teen Dreams

So weird, you'll think you dreamed it.

Lee Hartsfeld | Central Ohio, United States | 12/23/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Don't you just love budget productions?  Chintzy jewel-case art, no liner notes, and ten (always ten) tracks.  On the other hand, Sony Music Special Products sure puts out some interesting, and oddball, compilations, such as (for example) this one.  Can anything top this lineup  for sheer unusualness?  To wit: Sal Mineo, Champ Butler, The Four Coins, George Maharis, and Beach Boy Bruce Johnston, among others.  Certainly, "Teen Dreams" answers any number of pressing pop-music questions, such as: Can "Rebel without a Cause" supporting actor Sal Mineo sing?  (No.)  Can George Maharis imitate Frank Sinatra to the point of sounding almost exactly like him?  (Yes.)  Is the Leiber and Stoller song "Destination Love" a good one, and is it performed quite well by the Four Coins?  (Yes.)  Does Champ Butler, in spite of his name, sound more like Buddy Clark than, say, Hank Snow?  (Yes.)  Is the Carole King song "Am I the Guy" more or less a clone of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"?  (Yes.)  Did the Duprees, in 1966, sound up to date?  (Not if track number 7 is any indication.)  Does Roy Hamilton do justice to "Since I Fell for You," 1953-style?  (Yes.)  These are important pop-music questions, and the answers are all here.  Buy this, and maybe Sony will put out "Teen Dreams, Volume 2."  We can dream, anyway."