Street Corner Serenade: Greatest Doo Wop
If you've never seen kids harmonizing on a street corner you didn't grow up in any major city in the 1950s. The music was pure, the lyrics understandable, and the theme was love--unrequited, lost, and found. Where classic doo-wop is concerned, the leader usually boasted the best voice, but his or her supporting cast was of equal importance when it came to vocalizing the likes of "Blue Moon," "I Wonder Why," "Barbara-Ann" and "Get a Job," performed here by theMarcels, theRegents, andDion & the Belmonts, respectively. Also included among the 20 artists featured on this hit-laden 22-song primer areFrankie Lymon & the Teenagers("Why Do Fools Fall in Love?"), theMonotones("Get a Job"), and theFlamingos("I Only Have Eyes for You"). Decades after these songs filled the airwaves, they still elicit memories and a desire to sing along--in the background, of course.--Cal Greilsamer