Search - Frankie Avalon, Fabian :: Teen Idols: Very Best of

Al V. (Al) from HOOVER, AL
Reviewed on 11/24/2009...

These are the original cuts. That's a good thing. But they should have made this a double CD. I wanted to hear more from both singers, even if they'd had to put in a few album cuts to make a full cd of Fabian's stuff. This is fine for the person who doesn't really remember the singers when you heard them every day on the radio, But for those of us who remember 1958-60 radio, know that while "B" sides are "B" sides, they did get some air play...and I would have enjoyed a few more of those. Give this one four stars

Some great hits geared mostly toward the casual fan

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 01/16/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Teen Idols: The Very Best of Frankie Avalon & Fabian gives us a generous portion of great songs by these two super artists who were huge in America before "The British Invasion." The quality of the sound is quite good and newcomers or casual fans of Frankie Avalon and Fabian will love this CD.



"Dede Dinah" by Frankie Avalon begins the CD with a peppy little number; Frankie never sounded better and the musical interlude rocks! The backup vocalists do a great job, too. "I'm A Man" by Fabian has that Elvis style rockin' ballad to it; Fabian never misses a beat. The guitars and percussion carry the musical arrangement and Fabian's excellent diction bolsters his performance, too.



Listen also for "I'll Wait For You" by Frankie Avalon. Frankie sings this with all his heart and soul; and the musical arrangement is rather lush. The male backup vocalists harmonize to perfection. "I'll Wait For You" is a very beautiful romantic ballad and I predict you'll enjoy it very much.



Frankie also does his sublime "Venus;" he delivers this without a superfluous note and this truly remains one of Frankie's best hits. Not to be outdone is Fabian doing his awesome "Come On And Get Me." Fabian sounds great and he sings in a romantic way that is suggestive without being raunchy or crude.



"Bobby Sox To Stockings" is another huge hit from Frankie Avalon who sings this with passion and a great deal of style. "Hound Dog Man" is a ballad by Fabian that just about any young man could relate to--this should bring back some memories for the people who heard this way back when it was a hit on the radio.



"Why" by Frankie Avalon has a stunning musical arrangement that makes good use of the guitars and percussion; and "About This Thing Called Love" sounds great and passionate when Fabian performs this. Fabian gives "About This Thing Called Love" the royal treatment; that's for sure!



The album ends with "String Along" by Fabian; this is another energetic number that makes a strong ending for this album. It has that rockin' flavor to it from those early rock and roll days. Great!



Overall, this album has a solid combination of great tunes by Frankie Avalon and Fabian. This album makes it quite clear why these men were so popular in their day and it's also a great starter CD for the casual fan.

"