A very good collection of a very underrated group's work
Bruce R. Gilson | Wheaton, MD United States | 08/11/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The Crew Cuts were a Canadian group which had a number of hits back in the 1950s. The songs were, by and large, "covers": songsthat had been done by rhythm & blues groups,which they redid in a style better suited to the majority's tastes of the day. As such, they are badly vilified by r&b devotees, who seem to treat the cover versions as desecrations of holy objects. Well, I was, back then, one of that big majority that preferred the covers to the r&b original, and I still, 50 years later, do. This CD includes all the big Crew Cuts hits, including "Sh-Boom" and "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)" which were the biggest. It also includes aome covers that never charted (where other artists had the hit version) like "Young Love" and "Two Hearts, Two Kisses (Make One Love)." And it includes some songs I've never heard by any artist before. I've always liked the Crew Cuts' sound, and as I've already said here, thought their covers were better than the originals, so, no surprise, I like this album. If you're into r&B, you won't. But if your taste agrees with mine, you'll be happy if you buy this CD."
Best of the Crew Cuts
Ellen J. Barrett | Little Egg Harbor, New Jersey United States | 04/29/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Actually, I have the best of the Crew Cuts. My Husband, Pat Barrett, is one of them and, of course, I think he is the best.
I was very happy to be able to find a CD as I have not been able to do that in this area
We both enjoyed listening to the tape. There are a few songs that Pat was not crazy about, but, all in all, it was great.
I am going to order more for my friends and relatives.
."
FANTASTIC CREW
john szotowski | ottawa, ontario Canada | 04/22/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"GO NORTH YOUNG MAN (AND LADY), UP TO CANADA, AND YOU WILL BE TREATED TO SOME OF THE GREATEST VOCAL GROUPS OF ALL TIME. THE DIAMONDS, THE FOUR LADS, THE CREW-CUTS, JUST TO NAME A FEW. THIS COMPILATION OF THE CREW-CUTS IS ABSOLUTELY FIRST RATE. WHEN ROCK WAS YOUNG, THESE GUYS WERE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT ALL. HIGHLY POLISHED, DANCABLE, AND JUST PLAIN GOOD ROCK HARMONIES TO LISTEN TO."
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john szotowski | 03/17/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When the Crew Cuts played Liverpool, a fan who stood outside their stage door for autographs was a pre-Beatles Paul McCartney. He got their autographs, they talked to him, and he's loved them ever since."
Covers Yes - But Professional And Polished
john szotowski | 07/30/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When the subject of "covers" from the mid to late fifties is broached, more often than not the Crew Cuts will be mentioned as the leading proponents of this "unspeakably evil" practice - as the critics would like you to believe. Hogwash.
That's like saying they [along with Pat Boone, The Diamonds, and other villified artists and their record companies] should have been "better sports" and allowed the small labels to slowly spread their offerings without competition. In other words, while it was OK for Columbia to compete with RCA or Decca on any given song, it was wrong for them and their artists to do so if the song came from a small label like Cat, for example. Somehow, this just doesn't ring true in the land of free enterprise.
Yes, The Crew Cuts did cover a number of small label hits, among them the immortal Sh-Boom in 1954, but for the most part their covers were better, and that first one was no exception. I don't dislike the original version by The Chords, but then again I didn't live in L.A. and, given the ability of Cat to cut and distribute increased quantities internationally, it might have been 1956 before any reached Canada, never mind the East Coast of the U.S. Sure, some big company could have negotiated a deal to buy out The Chords' contract from Cat, but that takes time and since Mercury had just signed a group to a contract, why not let them cut the record?
The second male quartet to emerge from St. Michael's College in Toronto [The Four Lads preceded them], lead John Perkins, brother Ray (bass), tenor Pat Barrett and baritone Rudy Maugeri had started out as The Canadaires, and it was Crazy 'Bout Ya Baby, penned by Pat and Rudi, that had caught the ears of Mercury executives. Peaking at # 8 Pop in the summer of 1954 it was quickly followed by Sh-Boom which stayed on the charts for 20 weeks, including 9 straight at # 1. It couldn't have been all due to promotion.
Their next cover was of a Shirly Gunter tune, Oop-Shoop, which enjoyed modest success, going to # 13 in October 1954. Again, Shirley's label, Flair, simply lacked the ability to compete with Mercury. But by the time 1955 rolled around, and following the rise of black artists like Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and Little Richard, the buying public was more aware and on the lookout for small label artists.
The Penguins proved that to some extent with their original version of Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine) on DooTone. Released late in 1954, it soared to # 1 R&B and # 8 Billboard Top 100 in the early part of 1955. Even so, The Crew Cuts' version went higher in the Top 100, peaking at # 3 and, just for good measure, the flip-side, Ko Ko Mo (I Love You So) topped out at # 6, losing out only to the Perry Como cut. Once more the loser in pop sales was the original Gene & Eunice offering on the small Combo label, which hit # 6 R&B and, to me at least, was the better of the three.
Three more covers emerged in 1955, Don't Be Angry (# 14 Top 100) which justifiably beat out the Nappy Brown Savoy original (# 2 R&B/# 25 Top 100), A Story Untold (# 16) which admittedly wasn't quite as good as The Nutmegs' version on Herald (# 2 R&B), and Gum Drop (# 10) with which Otis Williams & The Charms couldn't even dent the R&B charts Top 100.
The next release, Angels In The Sky b/w Mostly Martha, covered no one and still went to # 11 and 31 Top 100 respectively early in 1956. Several artists then covered Clyde McPhatter's Seven Days in 1956, but while Dorothy Collins had the highest ranked version at # 17, followed closely by The Crew Cuts at # 18, Clyde's, released on Atlantic, was the better one for my money, hitting # 2 R&B and # 44 Top 100.
The group's final Top 40 hit was Young Love in 1957. Not a bad rendition, and while nowhere near Country singer Sonny James' offering which went to # 1 Top 100, # 1 Country AND # 3 R&B, it was certainly better than the Tab Hunter record which also - inexplicably - went # 1 Top 100.
Please don't be swayed by the anti-cover hype. This was a very good singing group that deserves more credit for their fine efforts than most historians are willing to grant. You will also enjoy quality sound reproduction, not to mention the 4 pages of liner notes written by Joseph F. Laredo in the insert, which also contains a complete discography of the contents and a great shot of the quartet at work in the studio."
Track Listings (22) - Disc #1
