Choice indeed
Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 03/24/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"While the decade of the 1950s is most immediately thought of as the time when rock and roll took over popular music, this collection of vocal group songs shows that the 50s were, in fact, the decade of vocal groups, following the demise of the big-band era of the 40s. Here in this 2-CD collection is a wealth of performances that anthologize that vocal group dominance of the 50s. Of the 44 tracks here, all but one were top-30 with the majority making the top 10 so there's lots of familiar music to tickle the memories of listeners who heard these tunes emanating from the juke boxes, table radios and early transistor portables of the era. While not strictly chronological in sequence, there is a something of a stylistic grouping here with the first CD dominated by the earlier groups such as the Mills Brothers, Weavers, Gaylords and the Four Freshmen. Disc two integrates the late-50s groups, some of whose music segued into the new rock and roll-dominated sound represented by the Playmates, Four Preps and the Skyliners. Given the vintage of these recordings the sound quality here is outstanding with little noise or suppression allowing maximum enjoyment in listening to these classic tunes. Since most of these tracks are pre-stereo era they by necessity appear in mono but some of the later tracks are presented in their stereo version (disc 2, tracks 13-21). Though not an actual bonus track, disc one ends with a few seconds of some false starts to "Teach Me Tonight". The liner notes booklet provides a loosely correlated commentary on the music of the included artists along with track details and an assortment of artists' photos. All in all, this is a superb collection of some of the best pop music to come out of the 50s and is one of, if not the best, compilation pieces of the genre to be had. While it is a definite must-have for fans of the genre, it also provides a great way for early rock and roll fans to explore the music that preceded it. Since, at the time of this review, the artists were not provided in the track listing, they appear below:Disc 1:1 - Mills Brothers
2 - Four Aces
3 - McGuire Sisters
4 - Four Knights
5 - Weavers
6 - Four Lads
7 - Platters
8 - Hilltoppers
9 - Crew-Cuts
10 - DeCastro Sisters
11 - Four Coins
12 - Gaylords
13 - Rover Boys
14 - Four Freshmen
15 - Ames Brothers
16 - Vince Martin & Tarriers
17 - Four Tunes
18 - Chordettes
19 - Terry Gilkyson & Easy Riders
20 - Dream Weavers21 - Billy Ward & Dominoes
22 - SunnysidersDisc 2:1 - Fontane Sisters
2 - Gaylords
3 - Diamonds
4 - Hilltoppers
5 - Four Aces
6 - McGuire Sisters
7 - Four Preps
8 - Crew-Cuts
9 - Tarriers
10 - Fleetwoods
11 - Chordettes
12 - Three Chuckles
13 - Ames Brothers
14 - Billy Ward & Dominoes
15 - Platters
16 - Poni-Tails
17 - Kingston Trio
18 - Browns
19 - Kirby Stone Four
20 - Tempos
21 - Playmates
22 - Skyliners"
Great Music and Great Memories
C. W. Emblom | Ishpeming, Michigan USA | 12/03/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I love the rock and roll songs of the 1950's, but those songs made up only part of the decade. Included on these two CD's are 44 songs, many of which I have memories of from this fabulous decade of music. A great variety of artists are included enough to please anyone. You will find a number of these songs on other CD's, but I would still suggest you buy this set since so many of the decade's finest are right here. The $30.00 price tag is well worth it."
Track Listings (22) - Disc #1