Newsgroups: bit.listserv.allmusic
Date:         Thu, 21 Jan 1993 18:48:48 EST
From:         RTURNBUL@TOROVM1.VNET.IBM.COM
Subject:      A cappella, A cappella, A cappella, A cappella, A cappella

Did I get your attention Marsha? Good, because what follows is a review of the
two tape a cappella compilation you sent me many moons ago. Sorry for being
long overdue with this, but I'm not getting around to anybody else quickly, so
why should you be any different!!??

OK, first off general impressions...Excellent! Really, I enjoyed all 4 sides
of your tapes much more than I expected. I thought I'd get more of an idea
about a cappella and hear a few good tunes, but what I got was quite a range
in styles and a lot of GREAT tunes! A few bad ones too, but we'll get to
that...I found overall that the live performances were some of the strongest.
Maybe it was because some of them were by done by students having a blast
singing in front of their peers or maybe it's the stage bringing a certain
amount of power to one's voice...

I overall preferred the upbeat melodies that had the feet tapping away (I
sure didn't think that a cappella would be top-tappin' music!), but there
were a few that surprised me by how much just the sound of the voices
together could get my attention.

Let me take a stab at what I thought of some of the groups and then I'll go
through some of the individual songs...

The Nylons - kind of inconsistent overall. Had some great songs, some OK songs
             and a few dull songs...Best if they don't force the singing as in
             "Kiss Him Goodbye".

The Bobs - Great! At times quirky, but never dull. Probably the most original
           of the groups here and one of the most fun.

Harpur Harpeggios - There's a real joy of singing that comes across from them.
                    Not always the best voices, but they really know how to
                    deliver a song.

Binghamton Crosbys - Seems like there's some real talent here. Some real good
                     arrangements of covers and great melding of voices.

Tufts Beelzebubs - They certainly don't chicken out when it comes to selecting
                   cover material. Interesting attempts at Bowie's "Space
                   Oddity" and Gabriel's "In Your Eyes". I think they reached
                   a little too far on these, but it certainly was a valiant
                   try!

Manhattan Transfer - Yuck. I never liked them with music. I hate them without
                     it. Dull arrangements, no joy, bland, etc.


OK some fave tunes...

Hodja - Binghamton Crosbys : The first tune and I was already snapping along.
                             Wonderful combination of voices...

You Won't See Me - Harpur Harpeggios : Great. I always liked this song anyway
                                       and their cover brings that joy of
                                       singing to it...

Looking For An Echo - The Persuasions : Classic stuff. These guys knew the
                                        real way to do a cappella. Love the
                                        wonderful reminiscing of the lyrics.

Me And The Boys - The Nylons : Nice use of bongos here. One of their strongest
                               songs on the tape.

Zombie Jamboree - Rockappella : Yeah! Fun stuff! "Back to back, belly to
                                belly..." I love their Carmen SanDiego song
                                as well.

Homeless - Ladysmith Black Mambazo : I knew this already. So harmonious...Why
                                     would you want to clutter this up with
                                     instruments?

Good Old A Cappella - The Nylons : This is their best tune. They don't overdo
                                   the vocals and make it a great bouncy ride.
                                   The deep voice sounds fabulous live.

12 1/2 Days Of Christmas - Pennsylvania 6-5000 : I love it, I love it, I love
                                                 it! Best song on both tapes!
                                                 Cracked me up first time I
                                                 heard it and now I really
                                                 like the way they've weaved in
                                                 all the other Christmas carols
                                                 without missing a step.

And So It Goes - Harpur Harpeggios : A very pretty, flowing song. I kinda just
                                     drifted off with it.

Trickle Trickle - Binghamton Crosbys : Another great foot-tapper! I'm really
                                       amazed at how much fun comes through in
                                       their singing. Maybe it's only a "ditty"
                                       but how come I can't help but hum along?

Banana Love - The Bobs : WEEHOOO! Ranks with the tapes' best. Every vocal piece
                         fits so well together no matter how strange they get.

Perfect - U of R Vocal Point : Just a wonderful arrangement of vocals. Isn't
                               this one of the songs you like to sing? I can
                               see why...

One More Minute - Binghamton Crosbys : Hysterical stuff! "Stranded alone in the
                                       gas station of love, and I have to use
                                       the self-service pumps..." Had me
                                       laughing all the time I was caught up by
                                       its infectiousness.

Sittin' In Limbo - The Bobs : Great way to end it. These guys are consistently
                              cool.


OK, here's a few not so faves...

A Nightingale Sang In Berkely - Manhattan Transfer : Like I said, yuck. They're
                                                     only popular because they
                                                     are bland...Nothing to it,
                                                     hate the voices and it's
                                                     way too long!

Under The Boardwalk - The Nylons : I thought this was kind of an obvious cover.
                                   Wasn't too thrilled with the arrangement or
                                   the "pings".

Naturally - Huey Lewis and The News : Not bad, but just kinda boring. I guess
                                      that's why it fit in with the rest of
                                      _Fore_.

Kiss Him Goodbye - The Nylons : Maybe it's because I hear this at every
                                sporting event I go to or because I think of
                                Bananarama's version, but I just don't see the
                                point of it. They do far too much screaming at
                                the end.

Walk Down That Lonesome Road - U of R Yellowjackets : Just nothing to grab
                                                      a hold of here. Kinda
                                                      dull.

I Need You - True Image : I can barely remember this (even after just listening
                          to it). Ambivalent.

Another Night In Tunisia - Manhattan Transfer & Bobby McFerrin : I like Bobby's
                                                                 trunkful of
                                                                 noises, but
                                                                 loathe the
                                                                 rest.

Eli's Coming - The Nylons : No structure to this one. Where are they going?
                            Even a wee bit pretentious at the end...


OK, I hope that covers the ground well enough. If I didn't mention the song,
that's because I liked it, but just not as much as my faves. Thanks again
chicklet...Let me know if you wanted other opinions on the rest of the tape.
Looks like I should go find that A Cappella sampler you were talking about.

Bob Tee
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