From: rns@npg-sd.SanDiegoCA.NCR.COM (Rick Schubert)
Newsgroups: rec.music.misc
Subject: Re: Dion and the Belmonts + DooWop
Date: 30 Jul 92 01:31:59 GMT
Reply-To: rns@npg-sd.SanDiegoCA.NCR.COM (Rick Schubert)
Organization: NCR Corp., Network Products - San Diego


In <leo.711975890@galaxy> leo@ph.tn.tudelft.nl writes:

> Can someone give me a pointer to some good Dion and the Belmonts
> CD(s)? I am not really looking for ultra-complete collections, but
> more something of a very good, definitive 'best of' nature.

I haven't heard these, but Rhino Records' "A Guide To Oldies On Compact Disc"
lists a CD titled "24 Original Classics 1958-1978," Arista A2CD-8206.
It looks like an excellent selection, although it lists some songs I haven't
heard and skips some that I would have expected to be on there.  The guide
gives it an "A" rating for sound quality.  Many of the songs on it are
by Dion without the Belmonts, but, then, many of these songs are more
well-known than the ones done with the Belmonts.

The guide also lists "Dion's Greatest Hits," Columbia CK 31942, but doesn't
give a list of the songs on it and doesn't rate it.

Dion has a solo CD called "Bronx Blues: The Columbia Recordings (1962-1965).
I've heard much of it, and it is excellent.  I have seen it at Tower Records
(which probably doesn't help you much).  The guide rates this an "A."
It also lists something called "Dion Hits," Ace CHCH-176 (UK), which
looks pretty good, and "Runaround Sue: The Best Of The Rest,"
Ace CDCH 915 (UK), both of which are rated "A," but I haven't heard or
seen these.

> And while on the subject, I am also interested in good doo-wop
> compilation CD's. I am not afraid of obscure-but-good material, but
> since I know next to nothing about the genre, I think that I would
> like to start with a nice, more-or-less complete overview of the field,
> before I start on the really obscure stuff.

I think a more-or-less complete overview of the field might be hard to
come by.  There's a lot of doo-wop out there.  I haven't seen a lot of
doo-wop compilations, and most of the ones I have seen contain some
pretty obscure songs/artists.  The Rhino Records "Best of Doo Wop Ballads"
and "Best of Doo Wop Uptempo" that another poster mentioned are pretty
good for what you're looking for.  The Collectables label has
"WCBS FM101 History Of Rock: The Doo-Wop Era, Part 1" and "...Part 2"
that look like good overviews, too (I've never heard it or seen it
in stores).

Here are some of the artists that are out on CD (not compilations):

Lee Andrews & The Hearts
Hank Ballard & The Midnighters
Blue Jays
Bop Chords
Cadillacs
Channels
Chantels
Charts
Cleftones
Clovers
Coasters
Crests
Crickets (not Buddy Holly's)
Danny & The Juniors
Dell-Vikings
Diamonds
Don & Juan
Dreamlovers
Drifters
Dubs
Elegants
Falcons
Five Keys
"5" Royales
Five Satins
Flamingos
Fleetwoods
Vernon Green & The Medallions
Harptones
Heartbeats/Shep & The Limelites
Jackie & The Starlites
Jarmels
Jesters
Jive Five
Don Julian & The Meadowlarks
Kodaks
Lillian Leach & The Mellows
Little Anthony & The Imperials
Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers
Lewis Lymon & The Teenchords
Marcels
Moonglows
Mystics
Olympics
Orioles
Paragons
Penguins
Pentagons
Platters
Rivieras
Shells
Shep & The Limelights
Skyliners
Tokens
Valentines
Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs
Wrens


I hope this is of some help.  If you'd like more specific information,
please email me.

-- Rick Schubert (rick.schubert@SanDiegoCA.NCR.COM)
Organization: Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA