01. There Goes The Boy - The Ly-Dells
02. The Wind - Nolan Strong & The Diablos
03. Doctor Baby - The Five Dollars
04. Late Rising Moon - Earl Curry And The Blenders
05. Moments Like This - The Baltineers
06. Sindy (Aka Cindy) - The Cobras
07. True Love Gone - The Enchanters
08. Love Me My Darling - The Sharps
09. No One To Love Me - The (Chapaka) Sha-Weez
10. It'll Be Easy - The Sultans
11. Carolyn - The Five Kids
12. These Four Letters - The El Pollos
13. Counting My Teardrops - The Jayhawks
14. I Do Believe - The Crystals
15. Glory Of Love - The Velvetones
16. Are You Lonesome Tonight - Elvis Presley
17. Ten Commandments Of Love - Harvey & The Moonglows
18. Bring Back Your Love (To Me) - The Smoothtones
19. My Love And Your Love - The Spinners
20. Letter To A School Girl - The Delacardos
21. The Lonely Telephone - The Quintones
22. Just For You And I - The Supremes
23. Please Come Home - The Five Embers
24. Love Call - The Ebonaires
25. The Letter - The Medallions
26. Memories Of El Monte - The Penguins
27. The Wind - The Jesters
28. A Lonely Island - Peter Pete & The Lovers
29. There Goes - The Enchanters
30. I Found My Love - The Velvetones
31. I Understand - The G-Clefs
32. The Drunkard - The Thrillers
33. When You Love - Cliff Butler And His Doves
34. A Prayer At Gettysburg - The Velvitones
35. A Letter To An Angel - The Five Shillings
36. Promise Me - The Tempos
37. Teen Prayer - The Velveteens
38. When You Come To The End Of The Day - The Ink Spots
It's a welcome return to the blog for Joan as she gives us this compilation which showcases the phenomenon of the "talking bridge" in vocal group harmony records. Quite a few of these tracks have featured already in some of Joan's compilations (especially Encore Appearance Volume 2) but doo wop fans will appreciate this carefully collated treasure trove where they can indulge their weakness for heartfelt spoken pleas to their hearts' content. Some of these talking bridges may be intended to be taken seriously, while others are perhaps more tongue in cheek (I'm thinking of "The Glory Of Love" by The Velvetones as an example of the latter).
There's plenty to appreciate here. Nolan Strong & The Diablos ethereal "The Wind," Elvis' immortal "the world's a stage" rap on "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" and perhaps my favourite, the genuinely moving "Memories Of El Monte" by The Penguins, a 1963 Frank Zappa / Ray Collins composition which beautifully evokes an already fast disappearing world. And that isn't even scraping the surface of this collection.
There is a folder of label shots included in the download and a track list (reproduced on the post) with release details. Bitrates vary and there is surface noise on many of the tracks, but as I always say, "baby that IS rock and roll!"
Over to Joan:
This new release of Joan Selects (volume 23) is a collection of group harmony songs primarily from the heyday of group harmony, 1950-1962. The theme here with all these songs is that each features what has been called the "talking bridge", first used by the Ink Spots with Orville "Hoppy" Jones providing the spoken or talking bridge in the 1930's and 1940's, wherein one of the verses, or a poem or a love letter is recited by a member of the group over the background harmony. The Ink Spots are represented (appropriately) with their 1954 opus - "When You Come To The End Of the Day" released on King Records.
Elvis Presley is included because his talking bridge closely resembles the talking bridge from The Velvetones "Glory Of Love". The selection presented here by The Penguins "Memories of El Monte" was written by Frank Zappa. Also it is fun to note that with the Harvey and the Moonglows "Ten Commandments Of Love" that there are less than ten commandments recited in the song. Lead vocalist of The Shaweez (Chapaka Shaweez) was James "Sugarboy" Crawford of New Orleans.
01 The Ly-Dells - "There Goes The Boy" - Released On: Pam P-103 Release date: 1961
02 The Diablos - "The Wind" - Released On: Fortune 511 Release date: 1954
03 The Five Dollars - "Doctor Baby" - Released On: Fortune 821 Release date: 1955
04 The Blenders (Earl Curry) - "Late Rising Moon" - Released On: R and B RB-1304 Release date: 1954
05 The Baltineers - "Moments Like This" - Released On: Teenage 1000 Release date: 1956
06 The Cobras - "Sindy" - Released On: Modern 45x964 Release date: 1955
07 The Enchanters - "True Love Gone" - Released On: Coral 9-61736 Release date: 1956
08 The Sharps - "Love Me My Darling" - Released On: 2 Mikes 2M-101A Release date: 1954
09 The Sha-Weez - "No One To Love Me" - Released On: Aladdin 45-3170 Release date: 1952
10 The Sultans - "It'll Be Easy" - Released On: Tilt 45-782-V Release date: 1961
11 The Five Kids - "Carolyn" - Released On: Maxwell 101 A Release date: 1955
12 The El Pollos - "These Four Letters" - Released On: Studio St.999 Release date: 1958
13 The Jayhawks - "Counting My Teardrops" - Released On: Flash CR-105-A Release date: 10/1955
14 The Crystals - "I Do Believe" - Released On: Aladdin 45-3355 Release date: 1957
15 The Velvetones - "The Glory Of Love" - Released On: Aladdin 45-3372 Release date: 1957
16 Elvis Presley - "Are You Lonesome Tonight" - Released On: RCA 47-7810 Release date: 1960
17 Harvey and the Moonglows - "Ten Commandments of Love" - Released On: Chess 1705 Release date: 1958
18 The Smoothtones - "Bring Back Your Love (To Me)" - Released On: Jem 412-45 Release date: 1955
19 The Spinners - "My Love and Your Love" - Released On: Rhythm 125 Release date: 1958
20 The Delacardos - "Letter To A School Girl" - Released On: Elgey 1001 Release date: 1959
21 The Quintones - "The Lonely Telephone" - Released On: Jordan 45-1601-B Release date: 1955
22 The Supremes - "Just For You and I" - Released On: Ace 534 Release date: 1957
23 The Five Embers - "Please Come Home" - Released On: Gem 224-X45 Release date: 1954
24 The Ebonaires - "Love Call" - Released On: Lena L-1001 Release date: 1959
25 The Medallions (Vernon Green) - "The Letter" - Released On: Dootone 347-B--45 Release date: 1954
26 The Penguins - "Memories Of El Monte" - Released On: Original Sound OS-27 Release date: 1963
27 The Jesters - "The Wind" - Released On: Winley 242-A Release date: 1960
28 The Lovers - "A Lonely Island" - Released On: Derby 1030 Release date: 1960
29 The Enchanters - "There Goes" - Released On: Coral 9-61832 Release date: 7/1957
30 The Velvetones - "I Found My Love" - Released On: Aladdin 45-3391 Release date: 1957
31 The G-Cleffs - "I Understand" Released on Terrace 45-7500 Release date: 1961
32 The Thrillers - "The Drunkard" - Released on Big Town 45-109 Release date: 8/1953
33 The Doves (Cliff Butler) - "When You Love" - Released on States S-123 Release date: 1953
34 The Velvitones - "A Prayer At Gettysburg" - Released on Milmart 113 x 45 Release date: 1959
35 The Five Schillings - "A Letter To An Angel" - Released on Decca 9-30722 Release date: 1958
36 The Tempos - "Promise Me" - Released on Rhythm 121 Release date: 1958
37 The Velveteens - "Teen Prayer" - Released on Stark ST 102 Release date: 1961
38 The Ink Spots - "When You Come To The End Of The Day" - Released On: King 45--1425 Release date: 1954
Just a few of the label shots included in the download:
With many, many thanks to Joan K.
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6 comments:
Joan, thank you for sharing this unique collection...appreciate your work and taste.
Joan thanks for the latest installment. Always a welcome pleasure. Thanks Woody too.
Cheers Marlon
Big thanks Joan & BW for another excellent comp. I can remember listening to some of these tracks on my crystal radio when I was a wee boy.
Thank You Joan. Another outstanding addition to an already fantastic collection. And many thanks to woody for providing a platform for yet another Volume of Joan Selects.
enoch
Another fine collection of doo-wop and a welcomed addition to the series!!!
Thank you very much Joan & BW.
Chi-Town
Thanks for this “fine, fine, super-fine” collection, Mr. B.
And, no, before anyone asks, these are NOT the “First ever rap records”(!)
I “Somehow” knew that this one would just HAVE TO contain the Velvetones’ Aladdin classic.
The “recitation” on it was “inspired by” Larry Darnell's “I'll Get Along Somehow” . . .
Here’s the Velvetones’ “version”!:
I hold in my hand, dear, three letters
Three letters from the stage of your fine, fine, super-fine career
The first began "Eddie, darling, sweetheart, my wonderful one,
I will always be grateful for the things that you've done"
The second letter came right after I gave you your start
Yes, it came from your pen, dear, but not from your heart
The third became the joker of the deck
You ended your letter enclosed "please sign my cheque"
Why you fool! You poor, sad, worthless, foolish fool
If you think that money can pay me
For the hard years I've suffered till things broke your way
Yes, I'm answering your last letter that says we must part
I'm tearing it to pieces the way you tore up my heart
I smile when you kiss me and I thrill at your touch
My only sin was, I love you much too much
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