I’ve been listening to some serious Doo-Wop via these two compilations lately, and I’ve found that the innocent style, smooth sounds, and pre-soul melodies compliment the still summer evening like a mojito on a foreign beach.  You too should give it try.

50 tracks of classic Doo-Wop from what was to be the genre’s finest year ever. This was the year that Doo-Wop’s popularity reached its peak, and the tracks on this great collection demonstrate why they were so well received. A must for any fan of the genre with informative notes.

Tracklist:

CD1

[02:13] 1. The Five Keys – Ling Ting Tong
[02:51] 2. The Penguins – Earth Angel
[03:12] 3. The Moonglows – Sincerely
[02:21] 4. The Spiders – 21`
[02:19] 5. The Five Keys – Close Your Eyes
[02:35] 6. The Charms – Two Hearts
[02:42] 7. The Hearts – Lonely Nights
[02:48] 8. Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters – Whatcha Gonna Do
[02:38] 9. The Clovers – Blue Velvet
[02:16] 10. The Danderliers – Chop Chop Boom
[03:05] 11. The Moonglows – Most Of all
[02:59] 12. The Cardinals – The Door Is Still Open
[02:20] 13. The Nutmegs – A Story Untold
[02:39] 14. The Platters – Only You
[02:29] 15. The Five Keys – The Verdict
[03:02] 16. The Four Fellows – Soldier Boy
[02:54] 17. The Midnighters – Its Love Baby 24 Hours A Day
[02:37] 18. The El Dorados – At My Front Door
[03:07] 19. The Nutmegs – Ship Of Love
[02:43] 20. The Drifters – Adorable
[02:28] 21. The Drifters – Steamboat
[02:58] 22. The Turbans – When You Dance
[02:37] 23. The Spiders – Witchcraft
[02:39] 24. The Platters – The Great Pretender
[02:47] 25. The Robins – Smokey Joe’s café

CD2

[02:21] 1. The Caddilacs – Speedo
[02:39] 2. The Regals – Got The water Boiling
[02:29] 3. The Cardinals – Come Back My Love
[02:49] 4. The Sensations – Yes Sir That’s My Baby
[02:25] 5. The Clovers – Devil Or Angel
[03:05] 6. The Four Fellows – Angels Say
[02:37] 7. The Diablos – Daddy Rockin Strong
[03:04] 8. The Diablos – The Way You Dog Me Around
[02:27] 9. The Empires – Make Me Or Break Me
[02:16] 10. The Heartbeats – Crazy For You
[02:37] 11. The Heartbeats – Your Way
[02:17] 12. The Barons – Eternally Yours
[02:43] 13. The Harptones – Life Is But A Dream
[02:41] 14. The Solitaires – The Wedding
[03:17] 15. The Cleftones – The Masquerade Is Over
[02:27] 16. The Spaniels – Painted Pictures
[02:45] 17. The Penguins – Be Mine Or Be A Fool
[02:03] 18. The Diablos – Route 16
[02:57] 19. The Leaders – Stormy Weather
[02:32] 20. The Rainbows – Mary Lee
[02:40] 21. The Flamingos – (That’s My Baby) Chicka Boom
[03:11] 22. The Orchids – You’re Everything To Me
[03:00] 23. Andre Williams & The Don Juans – Going Down To Tijuana
[02:51] 24. The Flamingos – I Want To Love You
[02:17] 25. The Valentines – Lily Maebelle

2 whole records full of tracks that still somehow retain a freshness and rarity that has yet to be duplicated.

This from the press release, “from the Primordial Musical Ooze to the Birth of Doo-Wop. What is this glorious music we call Doo-Wop? It’s a style conveying naivete and young love in a way no genre did before. It’s an attitude harking back to the birth of the teenager in the 1950s. For a lot of us, it represents nostalgia for an era we may or may not have experienced. Technically, Doo-Wop is an amalgam of five key characteristics that are explored in the 24-page booklet that accompanies this CD and richly evidenced in the choice of recordings. This CD, the first in a set of six, covers the formative years of Doo-Wop, offering astonishing vocal harmonies, vibrant instrumentation and a fun collection of songs that will not fail to please the amateur while being of interest to the serious collector. Compiled and annotated by Anthony J Gribin & Matthew M Schiff, the Doctors of Doo-Wop.”

Tracklist:

CD1

[03:37] 1. Bing Crosby & The Rhythm Boys – Them There Eyes
[03:12] 2. The Boswell Sisters – When I Take My Sugar to Tea
[02:55] 3. The Three Keys – Wah-Dee-Dah
[02:58] 4. The Five Spirits Of Rhythm – I Got Rhythm
[02:57] 5. The Four Blackbirds – Black-Eyed Susan Brown
[03:08] 6. The Ink Spots – My Prayer
[02:48] 7. The Cats and The Fiddle – I Miss You So (A)
[02:46] 8. The Golden Gate Quartet – Stormy Weather (A)
[02:48] 9. The Five Breezes – My Buddy Blues
[03:27] 10. Tex Beneke and the Four Modernaires – Chattanooga Choo Choo
[02:56] 11. Lewis Bronzeville Five – Low Down Gal Blues
[02:45] 12. The Andrews Sisters – The Shrine of St. Cecilia
[02:22] 13. The Song Spinners – Comin’ in on a Wing and a Prayer
[03:18] 14. The Dinning Sisters – The Way You Look Tonight
[02:37] 15. The Mills Brothers – Till Then
[02:35] 16. Ella Fitzgerald – It’s Only a Paper Moon
[03:05] 17. Deek Watson & His Brown Dots – For Sentimental Reasons
[02:59] 18. The Cats ‘n’ Jammer Three – One Hundred Years from Today
[02:52] 19. Savannah Churchill & The Sentimentalists – I Want to Be Loved
[02:38] 20. The Delta Rhythm Boys – Just A-Sittin’ and A-Rockin’
[03:00] 21. The Basin Street Boys – I Sold My Heart to the Junkman
[03:03] 22. The Charioteers – Chi-Baba Chi-Baba
[02:59] 23. The Four Vagabonds – P.S. I Love You
[02:46] 24. The Cabineers – Whirlpool
[02:52] 25. Bill Johnson & His Musical Notes – You’re the Dream of a Lifetime
[03:02] 26. The Ravens – Lullaby
[02:56] 27. The Orioles – It’s Too Soon to Know

CD2

[03:08] 1. The Charioteers – A Kiss and a Rose
[02:47] 2. Little Esther and the Robins – Double Crossing Blues
[03:04] 3. The Four Jacks – I Challenge Your Kiss
[02:55] 4. The Ravens – Count Every Star
[02:45] 5. The Clovers – Yes Sir, That’s My Baby
[03:11] 6. The Blenders – The Masquerade Is Over
[02:57] 7. The Jive Bombers – Brown Boy
[02:36] 8. Ruth Brown and the Delta Rhythm Boys – Sentimental Journey
[02:44] 9. The Five Keys – The Glory of Love
[02:33] 10. The Clovers – Fool, Fool, Fool
[03:00] 11. The Swallows – Since You’ve Been Away
[02:39] 12. The Five Royales – Crazy Crazy Crazy
[03:02] 13. The Cardinals – Under a Blanket of Blue
[02:22] 14. The Larks – My Reverie
[02:30] 15. The Dominoes – Sixty Minute Man
[02:38] 16. The Four Buddies – Just to See You Smile Again
[03:03] 17. The Orioles – I Miss You So (B)
[02:33] 18. The Swallows – It Ain’t the Meat
[03:17] 19. The Moonglows – I Just Can’t Tell No Lie
[02:44] 20. Herb Kenny and the Comets – When the Lights Go on Again
[03:15] 21. The Five Keys – Red Sails in the Sunset
[02:20] 22. The Dominoes – Have Mercy Baby
[02:42] 23. The Five Sharps – Stormy Weather (B)
[03:13] 24. The Mello-Moods – Where Are You
[02:57] 25. The Royals – Every Beat of My Heart
[02:57] 26. The Diamonds – A Beggar for Your Kisses
[02:21] 27. The Four Knights – Oh Happy Day
[03:12] 28. The Vocaleers – Be True