If the tenth volume of Bear Family’s Street Corner Symphonies captured doo wop at perhaps its commercial peak, the moment when dreamy ballads and swinging novelties vied for the top of the charts, Street Corner Symphonies, Vol. 11: 1959 marks where the style started to evolve far away from the street corner harmonies that provided much of its beginning. Those creamy harmonies are still evident here, particularly in the Flamingos‘ “I Only Have Eyes for You,” which is a strong contender for greatest doo wop single ever, but there are also interesting permutations of this style, whether it’s Huey Smith & the Clowns bringing it down to New Orleans for “Dearest Darling,” the Dells laying the groundwork for smooth soul on “Dry Your Eyes”…
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…or the Shirelles spinning it into girl group gold on “Dedicated All the Way Home.” There are also a number of rousing numbers driven by rock & roll rhythms and layered with interwoven harmonies — the Impalas’ “Sorry (I Ran All the Way Home)” being a prime example of this — and there are other touches of rock & roll, such as Dion & the Belmonts’ “A Teenager in Love” which brings to mind the sweet ballads of Ricky Nelson, and Little Anthony & the Imperials also are given a grand, grooving production on “Shimmy, Shimmy Ko-Ko-Bop,” a style that would grow stronger early in the ’60s. Then there were the novelties, driven by the peerless Coasters — here represented by one of their greatest, “Charlie Brown” — who were lovingly mimicked by the Clovers on “Love Potion No. 9,” but there are also such oddities as the Boss-Tones’ “Mope-Itty Mope” and, separately, the down-and-dirty dance craze “(Baby) Hully Gully” by the Olympics. It’s a great variety of sounds and, consequently, one of the most entertaining volumes in this excellent series.
Street Corner Symphonies: The Complete Story of Doo Wop vol. 11
01. The Flamingos / I Only Have Eyes For You [0:03:20.65]
02. The Clovers / Love Potion No. 9 [0:01:52.66]
03. The Skyliners / This I Swear [0:02:40.44]
04. The Crests / The Angels Listened In [0:02:01.86]
05. The Sheppards / Island Of Love [0:02:22.08]
06. The Falcons / You’re So Fine [0:02:25.58]
07. The Impalas / Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home) [0:02:33.26]
08. The Channels / My Love Will Never Die [0:02:22.89]
09. The Accents / Wiggle, Wiggle [0:02:02.54]
10. The Shirelles / Dedicated To The One I Love [0:02:03.02]
11. The Impressions / Senorita I Love You [0:02:33.05]
12. Dion and The Belmonts / A Teenager In Love [0:02:38.04]
13. Little Anthony and The Imperials / Shimmy, Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop [0:02:08.93]
14. The Mystics / Hushabye [0:02:31.86]
15. The Rivieras / Moonlight Serenade [0:02:52.44]
16. The Genies / Who’s That Knocking [0:02:15.62]
17. The Passions / Just To Be With You [0:02:22.92]
18. The Coasters / Charlie Brown [0:02:21.30]
19. Huey Smith (and The Clowns) / Dearest Darling [0:02:29.10]
20. The Dells / Dry Your Eyes [0:02:23.65]
21. The Olympics / (Baby) Hully Gully [0:02:06.04]
22. Little Jimmy and The Tops / Puppy Love [0:02:37.08]
23. The Eternals / Rockin’ In The Jungle [0:02:31.58]
24. The Fireflies / You Were Mine [0:01:57.62]
25. The Fiestas / Good News [0:02:26.66]
26. The Boss-Tones / Mope-itty Mope [0:02:03.97]
27. Phil Phillips with The Twilights / Sea Of Love [0:02:24.02]
28. The Desires / Let It Please Be You [0:02:18.53]
29. The Fantastics / There Goes My Love [0:02:05.49]
30. The Satintones / My Beloved [0:02:24.97]
31. The Fascinators / Oh Rose Marie [0:02:20.16]
32. The Sonics / This Broken Heart [0:03:01.93]
33. The Drifters / There Goes My Baby [0:02:10.13]
34. The Isley Brothers / Shout [0:04:33.57]
Street Corner Symphonies: The Complete Story of Doo Wop vol. 12
The fracturing of a signature vocal harmony sound so evident on the 11th volume of Bear Family’s Street Corner Symphonies continues on Street Corner Symphonies, Vol. 12: 1960, whose 35 tracks boast nearly the same number of sounds and styles as its predecessor. There are a handful of sides that are recognizable as traditional doo wop harmonizing, but more and more, the records are heavily produced, a trend that suited not only the string-drenched heartbroken love songs of the Drifters (“There Goes My Baby” plays like a mini-symphony) but also the hard-rocking, funny “Big Boy Pete” from the Olympics. There are still a number of Coasters-styled novelties, burgeoning girl group harmonies (the Shirelles’ “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”), coolly grooving pop tunes like Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs’ “Stay,” but there are some new wrinkles arriving via the testifying of Hank Ballard & the Midnighters (“Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go”), and, especially, Detroit’s Four Tops and Miracles, the latter of whom contribute “Who’s Lovin’ You,” a song that pushes doo wop toward what became known as soul. It was the birth of Motown and it’s fascinating to hear that, along with uptown soul, surface among what in retrospect looks to be the twilight of doo wop, and hearing all the styles blend together makes this a rather wonderful volume in this excellent series.
01. Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs / Stay [0:01:36.22]
02. The Flamingos / Nobody Loves Me Like You [0:02:15.70]
03. The Chimes / Once In A While [0:02:29.06]
04. The Clovers / Easy Lovin’ [0:02:04.69]
05. Hank Ballard and The Midnighters / Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go [0:02:26.56]
06. The Pentagons / To Be Loved (Forever) [0:02:25.78]
07. The Shirelles / Will You Love Me Tomorrow [0:02:42.06]
08. The Drifters / This Magic Moment [0:02:26.86]
09. The Coasters / Besame Mucho (Part 1) [0:02:16.20]
10. The Miracles / Who’s Lovin’ You [0:03:03.85]
11. The Olympics / Big Boy Pete [0:02:28.10]
12. The Demensions / Over The Rainbow [0:03:17.10]
13. The Spaniels / I Know [0:02:15.01]
14. The Fiestas / Dollar Bill [0:02:47.54]
15. Rochell & The Candles / Once Upon A Time [0:02:52.88]
16. The Crests / Step By Step [0:02:29.57]
17. The Paradons / Diamonds And Pearls [0:02:16.48]
18. The Skyliners / Pennies From Heaven [0:02:08.84]
19. The Chaperones / Cruise To The Moon [0:02:14.13]
20. The Four Tops / Ain’t That Love [0:01:47.45]
21. The Sevilles / Charlena [0:02:48.38]
22. The Five Dollars / My Baby-O [0:02:44.21]
23. The Jesters / Sally Green [0:02:13.20]
24. The ’5′ Royales / I’m With You [0:04:24.29]
25. The Blue Notes / My Hero [0:02:40.73]
26. The Distants / Come On [0:02:18.22]
27. The Danleers / If You Don’t Care [0:02:00.12]
28. The Vibrations / So Blue [0:02:05.24]
29. The Falcons / The Teacher [0:02:48.81]
30. The Cadillacs / I’m Willing [0:02:19.66]
31. The Starlites / Valarie [0:02:26.84]
32. The Moonglows / Mama Loocie [0:02:28.85]
33. The Desires / Rendezvous With You [0:01:52.80]
34. The Dubs / Don’t Laugh At Me [0:02:24.40]
35. The Five Satins / I’ll Be Seeing You [0:02:41.12]
Street Corner Symphonies: The Complete Story of Doo Wop vol. 13
The 13th volume of Bear Family’s ongoing doo wop series kicks off with the Marcels’ “Blue Moon,” which is one of the handful of doo wop singles instantly recognizable to listeners of any age. This gives the suggestion that the old street-corner sound was still going strong in 1961, but that’s not quite the case. Look at the closing song on this 25-track collection for proof: it’s Little Caesar & the Romans’ “Those Oldies But Goodies (Remind Me of You),” and those oldies are the earliest doo wop singles, fueled by the sweet, rich harmonies Little Caesar & the Romans explicitly replicate here. It’s not the only number nostalgic for the years that came just before, either. Shep & the Limelites croon “Daddy’s Home” and the Showmen stake a claim for rock & roll on “It Will Stand,” two singles that sound slightly old-fashioned compared to what surrounds them. Here, there are plenty of highly charged, gospel-inflected grooves in the style of Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, dance crazes like “The Watusi,” and invigorating novelties like the Regents’ “Barbara Ann,” but what’s really important is the rise of the cool Chicago soul of the Impressions (“Gypsy Woman” is here, and it’s a pretty definitive break from doo wop) and, especially, the rise of Motown, heard in part with early singles from the Temptations and the Spinners (their early “That’s What Girls Are Made For” sounds like groundwork for smooth soul more than Motown) but flourishing with the Marvelettes’ “Please Mr. Postman.” That single was the birth of Motown’s Sound of Young America and, heard in context of 1961 as it is here, it’s a startling, invigorating step forward. And part of the reason why this series is so valuable is that it can replicate culture shocks like that while doling out plenty of prime hits and worthy cult items, as this satisfying entry surely does.
01. The Marcels / Blue Moon [0:02:16.12]
02. The Dreamlovers / When We Get Married [0:02:28.38]
03. The Marvelettes / Please Mr. Postman [0:02:30.53]
04. Shep and The Limelites / Daddy’s Home [0:02:53.90]
05. Dion (with The Del-Satins) / Runaround Sue [0:02:41.42]
06. Gene Chandler / Duke Of Earl [0:02:27.73]
07. The Jive Five / My True Story [0:02:34.88]
08. The Regents / Barbara-Ann [0:02:15.10]
09. The Pips / Every Beat Of My Heart [0:02:02.62]
10. The Stereos / I Really Love You [0:02:17.60]
11. The Impressions / Gypsy Woman [0:02:20.77]
12. The Sensations / Let Me In [0:03:03.28]
13. The Sheppards / Glitter In Your Eyes [0:02:45.21]
14. The Flares / Foot Stompin’ – Part 1 [0:02:22.85]
15. The Jarmels / A Little Bit Of Soap [0:02:11.08]
16. The Corsairs, featuring The Voice Of Jay ‘Bird’ Uzzell / Smoky Places [0:03:00.05]
17. The Drifters / Some Kind Of Wonderful [0:02:18.74]
18. The Dovells / Bristol Stomp [0:02:20.30]
19. The Blue Jays / Lover’s Island [0:02:20.48]
20. The Vibrations / The Watusi [0:02:39.29]
21. The Larks / It’s Unbelievable [0:02:17.77]
22. The Cleftones / Heart And Soul [0:01:52.42]
23. The Chantels / Look In My Eyes [0:02:18.49]
24. The Showmen / It Will Stand [0:02:22.89]
25. The Valadiers / Greetings (This Is Uncle Sam) [0:02:45.90]
26. Hank Ballard and The Midnighters / Nothing But Good [0:02:43.46]
27. The Spinners / That’s What Girls Are Made For [0:03:09.94]
28. The Halos / Nag [0:02:56.14]
29. The Tokens / Tonight I Fell In Love [0:01:44.61]
30. The Temptations / Check Yourself [0:02:43.65]
31. The Velvets featuring Virgil Johnson / Tonight (Could Be The Night) [0:02:06.50]
32. The Crystals / There’s No Other (Like My Baby) [0:02:30.37]
33. The Rollers / The Continental Walk [0:02:21.14]
34. The Carnations / Long Tall Girl [0:02:20.69]
35. Little Caesar & The Romans / Those Oldies But Goodies (Remind Me Of You) [0:03:27.08]
Street Corner Symphonies: The Complete Story of Doo Wop vol. 14
Ever since the ’50s gave way to the ’60s it seemed that doo wop was fracturing and, certainly, by 1962, it wasn’t quite as big a commercial force as it was five or six previously. That said, history is not tidy: Motown, uptown soul, girl groups, and Chicago soul may all have been taking hold in 1962, but doo wop hadn’t disappeared, as this 14th volume of Bear Family’s Street Corner Symphonies series illustrates. There are plenty of those aforementioned sounds, sounds that are loosely identified as doo wop due to their vocal group harmonies — the Supremes have their first hit, the Miracles have a breakthrough with “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me,” the Marvelettes are here, the Exciters’ exuberant “Tell Him” is pure early-’60s pop, as is the Orlons’ “Don’t Hang Up,” while the Drifters’ “Up on the Roof” — and that’s enough to keep this varied, entertaining, and interesting (and Beatles fanatics will also be happy to find the original versions of “Chains” (by the Cookies), “Devil in His Heart” (by the Donays), and the Isley Brothers’ “Twist and Shout” on one disc). But what’s striking is how many pure doo wop songs are still here — there’s the rollicking “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” by the Rivingtons, the Earls’ nostalgic “Remember Then,” the Belmonts’ swinging street corner “Come on Little Angel,” the Valentinos’ groovy “Looking for a Love,” and the creamy “Coney Island Baby” by the Excellents, a song so iconic Lou Reed later borrowed its title for a song of his own. This messiness makes this 14th volume of Street Corner Symphonies as great as the three that preceded it.
01. Remember Then / The Earls [0:02:07.56]
02. What Time Is It / The Jive Five with Eugene Pitt [0:02:47.34]
03. Do You Love Me / The Contours [0:02:54.21]
04. Soldier Boy / The Shirelles [0:02:40.00]
05. You’ve Really Got A Hold On Me / The Miracles [0:03:12.72]
06. A Wonderful Dream / The Majors [0:02:02.10]
07. I Love You / The Volumes [0:02:37.65]
08. Forever / The Marvelettes [0:02:27.41]
09. You Belong To Me / The Duprees [0:02:44.88]
10. Sherry / The 4 Seasons [0:02:32.49]
11. Coney Island Baby / The Excellents [0:02:12.41]
12. Devil In His Heart / The Donays [0:02:35.69]
13. Come On Little Angel / The Belmonts [0:03:02.85]
14. Village Of Love / Nathaniel Mayer and The Fabulous Twilights [0:02:01.04]
15. Untie Me / The Tams [0:02:24.90]
16. Tell Him / The Exciters [0:02:34.61]
17. Little Young Lover / The Impressions [0:02:15.45]
18. Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow / The Rivingtons [0:02:22.13]
19. I Sold My Heart To The Junkman / The Blue-Belles [0:02:27.78]
20. Up On The Roof / The Drifters [0:02:36.86]
21. Paradise / The Temptations [0:02:51.72]
22. Chains / The Cookies [0:02:31.81]
23. Oh What A Way To Be Loved / The Daylighters [0:02:48.74]
24. Don’t Hang Up / The Orlons [0:02:18.97]
25. Arabia / The Delco’s [0:02:31.04]
26. Your Heart Belongs To Me / The Supremes [0:02:36.74]
27. Hully Gully Baby / The Dovells [0:02:34.80]
28. I Wish That We Were Married / Ronnie and The Hi-Lites [0:02:51.85]
29. Mind Over Matter (I’m Gonna Make You Mine) / Nolan Strong (with The Diablos) [0:03:11.57]
30. There’s A Love / The Del-Rios [0:02:18.33]
31. The (Bossa Nova) Bird / The Dells [0:02:45.53]
32. I Found A Love / The Falcons [0:02:58.30]
33. Twist And Shout / The Isley Brothers [0:02:33.49]
34. Looking For A Love / The Valentinos [0:02:28.38]
Street Corner Symphonies: The Complete Story of Doo Wop vol. 15
Street Corner Symphonies, Vol. 15 chronicles 1963, a year where doo wop still existed in its purest form but only in pockets across the country. Usually, these vocal harmonies could be heard in permutations, within the explosive Sound of Young America coming from Motown, the girl group singles cut all over the US, the wave upon wave of dance novelties, and the gorgeous gossamer uptown soul. Unlike the previous handful of volumes in Street Corner Symphonies, Vol. 15 isn’t heavy on hits from some of these sounds — there are no iconic Motown singles, although there are cuts by the Miracles, the Temptations, and Martha & the Vandellas — but there are only a handful of throwbacks to traditional doo wop, such as the Rivingtons’ glorious “The Bird’s the Word” and Randy & the Rainbows’ “Denise.” Instead, this is heavy on girl group classics — the Ronettes’ “Be My Baby,” the Jaynetts’ “Sally, Go ‘Round the Roses” — and dance songs (“Shake a Tail Feather,” “You Can’t Sit Down”). It’s not a monumental shift in style, but it’s clear that things have changed, that doo wop was in its sunset, but there is still a bounty of wonderful songs from all different vocal harmony styles to be heard here.
01. The Tymes / So Much In Love [0:02:08.42]
02. Randy & The Rainbows / Denise [0:01:57.98]
03. The Duprees / Have You Heard [0:02:30.58]
04. Vito & The Salutations / Unchained Melody [0:02:01.66]
05. Patti La Belle and The Blue Belles / Down The Aisle [0:03:34.18]
06. The Tams / What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am) [0:02:01.41]
07. The Chiffons / He’s So Fine [0:01:52.68]
08. The Classics / Till Then [0:02:17.44]
09. The Dovells / You Can’t Sit Down [0:02:20.30]
10. The Drifters / I’ll Take You Home [0:02:36.40]
11. The Cookies / Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad (About My Baby) [0:02:48.32]
12. The Rivingtons / The Bird’s The Word [0:02:11.74]
13. The O’Jays / Lonely Drifter [0:02:37.76]
14. The Olympics / The Bounce [0:02:38.01]
15. The Essex / Easier Said Than Done [0:02:06.44]
16. The Impressions / I’m The One Who Loves You [0:02:25.57]
17. The Orlons / Not Me [0:02:32.08]
18. The Earls / Never [0:02:21.68]
19. The Jaynetts / Sally, Go ‘Round The Roses [0:03:05.25]
20. The Five Du-Tones / Shake A Tail Feather [0:02:25.40]
21. The Shirelles / Foolish Little Girl [0:02:16.61]
22. The Ideals / The Gorilla [0:02:17.36]
23. The Ronettes / Be My Baby [0:02:40.25]
24. The King Pins / It Won’t Be This Way (Always) [0:02:22.34]
25. The Drew-Vels / Tell Him [0:02:15.72]
26. Donald Jenkins & The Delighters / Elephant Walk [0:02:56.18]
27. The Miracles / A Love She Can Count On [0:02:36.06]
28. The Artistics / I Need Your Love [0:02:17.94]
29. The Temptations / May I Have This Dance [0:02:12.64]
30. The Sapphires / Who Do You Love [0:02:42.02]
31. Billy Butler & The Four Enchanters / Found True Love [0:02:30.66]
32. Martha & The Vandellas / A Love Like Yours (Don’t Come Knocking Everyday) [0:02:30.57]
33. The Norvells / As I Walk Alone [0:02:23.52]
34. The Falcons / Let’s Kiss And Make Up [0:02:33.13]
35. Anthony & The Sophomores / Play Those Oldies, Mr. Dee Jay [0:02:28.68]