Various artists in Oldies Music

"Best of Oldies But Goodies Vol. 7: Classic Collection" (06/06/2001) Oldies Various Artists, Original Sound Entertainment

"WCBS FM: Motown, Soul and Rock N Roll - Motown" (03/14/2006) Oldies Various Artists, Collectables RecordsThis third installment in the series specially crafted by Collectables for WSNI FM focuses on the greatest hits of one of the most revered labels in pop music: Motown. With every single one of the 25 songs contained herein being either a chart-topper or a major hit, it's hard to refute this as nothing more than an extremely well-sequenced compilation covering Motown's glory years, and at an economically sensible price, it serves as an ideal starting point to those unfamiliar with Motown's vast arsenal of soulful hits. Simply outstanding from start to finish.~ Rob Theakston Collectables' 2003 compilation WCBS FM: Motown, Soul and Rock n Roll - Motown delivers 25 tracks of pure Motown gold. It was put together by Joe McCoy from WCBS FM and plays like what one might hope the radio would sound like in heaven. Every song is a hit and the disc flows like a river of sweet champagne. The songs are a fine mix of up-tempo dancefloor fillers like the Marvelettes' "Please Mr. Postman" and the Contours' "Do You Love Me" and heartbroken ballads like the Temptations' "Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)" and Jimmy Ruffin's "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted." The only flaw in the presentation is the duplication of "I Heard It Through the Grapevine." Both Gladys Knight's and Marvin Gaye's version are included at the expense of some other Motown classic. Still this is a set that is destined to get listeners up on their feet and dancing or at very least singing along at the top of their lungs. There are tons of Motown collections out there but this is one of the best. ~ Tim Sendra KFRC Oldies - Motown, Soul & Great Rock n' Roll: Rock n' Roll is a varied and quite solid 25-song collection of chart-toppers from the '60s compiled by Joe McCoy of WCBS. Now why a DJ from WCBS compiled a disc that is billed as a presentation of KFRC oldies is a question that will only nag at the most retentive of music fans. The rest will just be happy to enjoy the music, as it is first-rate from beginning to end. McCoy draws tracks from many different styles: folk-rock (the Mamas & the Papas' "Monday, Monday," Scott Mackenzie's "San Francisco"), girl group (the Angels' "My Boyfriend's Back," Lesley Gore's "It's My Party"), British Invasion (Manfred Mann's "Do Wah Diddy Diddy," the Troggs' "Wild Thing"), and good old American pop (the Beach Boys' "Help Me Rhonda," the Turtles' "Happy Together," the Lovin' Spoonful's "Do You Believe in Magic?"). Any disc with those last three songs on it is worth owning, but wait, there's more! Len Barry's jubilant "1-2-3," the Guess Who's moody "These Eyes," Spiral Starecase's "More Today Than Yesterday," and Tom Jones' "She's a Lady" are some additional highlights. There is nothing here that would provoke a second look from a collector, but anyone looking for an action-packed hour of great "good-time oldies" from the '60s could do a lot worse than picking this collection up. ~ Tim Sendra KFRC Oldies - Motown, Soul & Great Rock n' Roll: Motown is a fine 25-song collection of some of Motown's greatest hits compiled by Joe McCoy of WCBS. Now why a DJ from WCBS compiled a disc that is billed as a presentation of KFRC oldies is a question that will only nag at the most retentive of music fans. The rest will just groove along to a very well selected batch of some of the best pop and soul music ever recorded. All the big names -- like Marvin Gaye, Mary Wells, the Jackson 5, and the Temptations -- are represented, and you can't go more than one song without hearing a huge smash hit. This disc is a very nice introduction to Motown for neophytes, and is also a disc that is perfect for road trips, pool parties, or any place you want a refreshing blast of good-time oldies. ~ Tim Sendra KFRC Oldies - Motown, Soul & Great Rock n' Roll: Soul is a fine 25-song collection of some of soul music's best-known songs compiled by Joe McCoy of WCBS. Now why a DJ from WCBS compiled a disc that is billed as a presentation of KFRC oldies is a question that will only nag at the most retentive of music fans. Everyone else will just get down to the

"California Doo Wop" (03/14/2006) Oldies Various Artists, Collectables RecordsLiner Note Author: Ed Engel. Logically, the Penguins' legendary "Earth Angel" opens Collectables' California edition of their region-specific doo wop series, and while not every track stands up to the test of time as well, it is surprising how many of the obscure artists on this collection -- and indeed the entire series -- rank closely to the standard that continues to make "Earth Angel" strike such a chord in romantic hearts all over the world. As one might suspect, the doo wop that came out of California's scene is brighter than similar recordings made elsewhere; in fact, a case could be made that many of the specific recordings on California Doo Wop provided material that influenced the early Beach Boys. ~ Gregory McIntosh

"The Knockouts Meet the Genies" (03/14/2006) Oldies Various Artists, Collectables RecordsThe Knockouts and the Genies were doo-wop groups based in the New York/New Jersey area in the late '50s. They each had their biggest hit single -- The Knockouts' "Darling Lorraine," The Genies' "Who's That Knocking" -- in 1959, and followed it with a handful of similar-sounding releases. Neither group really had national fame, but they each made a couple of good records that should be of interest to hardcore doo-wop collectors. And that's the reason why this disc is of interest -- despite its uneven material, haphazard packaging and indifferent sound, it has a couple of gems from both groups that makes it worth seeking out. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

"History of Rock: The 60s, Pt. 2" (03/14/2006) Oldies Various Artists, Collectables Records2 LPs on 1 CD. History of Rock: The 60's, Pt. 2 - WCBS FM 101 is a better than average single-disc collection highlighting 24 pop singles released in that decade. Along with the original versions of tried-and-true radio classics by the Lovin' Spoonful, Dion, the Shangri-Las, the Archies, and the Turtles are less than obvious inclusions by the Blue Jays, the Paradons, and Mercy. ~ Al Campbell Collectables' History of Rock: The 60s, Pt. 2 is a random but wonderful 20-track collection of pop and rock gems. It touches on doo wop (the Jive Five's "What Time Is It?," the Paradons' "Diamonds and Pearls"), garage rock (the Music Explosion's "Little Bit of Soul," the Five Americans' "Western Union Man"), bubblegum (the Archies' "Sugar, Sugar"), soul (Lee Dorsey's "Ya Ya," Aaron Neville's "Tell It Like It Is"), girl group (the Shangri-Las' "Give Him a Great Big Kiss," the Chiffons' "One Fine Day"), AM pop (the Brooklyn Bridge's "The Worst That Could Happen"), and just plain great songs (the Beau Brummels' "Laugh, Laugh," the Soul Survivors' "Expressway to Your Heart," the Turtles' "Happy Together"). The collection plays like an hour or so of really fun and diverse oldies radio, something that is getting harder to find on your radio dial every day. The only thing that makes the disc less than ideal is having two songs by some of the artists (the Turtles, the Shangri-Las, the Brooklyn Bridge). As great as the songs are, it would have been nice to add three more artists. That is a minor point, however, and shouldn't keep anyone from picking up this entertaining disc. ~ Tim Sendra

"WJMK: Great Ladies of Rock 'N' Roll 50's" (03/14/2006) Oldies Various Artists, Collectables RecordsThis CD was packaged for and promoted by WJMK, Chicago, Illinois. Liner Note Author: Al Fichera. Including 25 tracks of the biggest female-fronted pop of the decade, Great Ladies of Rock & Roll: The '50s is a good compilation choice for fans attempting to fill in the gaps, as well as those who are simply historically curious. It must be granted that a gaping stylistic chasm separates some of the material here; after all, the same disc takes in Gogi Grant's faux-epic "The Wayward Wind," Brenda Lee's raucous "Sweet Nothin's," and Dinah Washington's refined "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes." Still, nearly every track is a classic in its respective field, from adult vocal (Julie London's "Cry Me a River") to teen pop (the Teen Queens' "Eddie My Love") to somewhere in between (Connie Francis' "Lipstick on Your Collar"). Especially intriguing for vocal fans are the obscurities, many of which point out how the '50s was, for female pop, a decade focused on regret and heartbreak: "The Big Hurt" by Miss Toni Fisher, "Alone (Why Must I Be Alone)" by the Shepherd Sisters, and "Lonely Nights" by the Hearts. ~ John Bush Including 25 tracks of the biggest female-fronted pop of the decade, Great Ladies of Rock & Roll: The '50s is a good compilation choice for fans attempting to fill in the gaps, as well as those who are simply historically curious. It must be granted that a gaping stylistic chasm separates some of the material here; after all, the same disc takes in Gogi Grant's faux-epic "Wayward Wind," Brenda Lee's raucous "Sweet Nothin's," and Dinah Washington's refined "What a Diff'rence a Day Makes." Still, nearly every track is a classic in its respective field, from adult vocal (Julie London's "Cry Me a River") to teen pop (the Teen Queens' "Eddie My Love") to somewhere inbetween (Connie Francis' "Lipstick on Your Collar"). Especially intriguing for vocal fans are the obscurities, many of which point out how the '50s was, for female pop, a decade focused on regret and heartbreak: "The Big Hurt" by Miss Toni Fisher, "Alone (Why Must I Be Alone)" by the Shepherd Sisters, and "Lonely Nights" by the Hearts. ~ John Bush WJMK: Great Ladies of Rock 'N' Roll 50's includes 25 pop and R&B tracks combining outstanding material from Dinah Washington, LaVern Baker, and Ruth Brown, along with one-hit wonders Gogi Grant ("The Wayward Wind"), Dodie Stevens ("Pink Shoe Laces"), and Bobbettes ("Mr. Lee"). While the packaging is horrible, the sound quality is decent, making this an affordable way to pick up these tunes on the Collectables label. ~ Al Campbell

"Where the Girls Are" (06/24/1997) Oldies Various Artists, Ace Records (UK)Twenty-four girl-group rarities from all over the place, released between 1961 and 1968 (the track by Reparata and the Delrons was previously unissued). This will have pretty limited appeal beyond the hardline girl-group collecting market. The level of production expertise is high -- indeed, there are little-known efforts by Leiber & Stoller, David Gates, Goffin-King, and future early Byrds producers Terry Melcher and Allen Stanton. Yet the songs aren't really too special, with a higher innocuousness quotient than is the norm in an already innocuous genre. It does have a couple of semi-forgotten classics (though they actually hit the Top 40) in Ruby & the Romantics' 1963 original of "Hey There Lonely Boy" (which would be reworked into a number two hit by Eddie Holman in 1970 as "Hey There Lonely Girl"), and Patty & the Emblems brassy'n'sassy "Mixed-Up, Shook-Up Girl" (co-written by Leon Huff). Curiosity seekers, it must be said, will find plenty here, including barely known girl-group-style singles by Joey Heatherton, Doris Day, and Dolly Parton; a 1961 single by Erma Franklin, Aretha's sister; and a 1962 single by Idalia Boyd, sister of Little Eva of "Loco-Motion" fame. ~ Richie Unterberger

"The Best of Doo Wop, Vol. 7" (03/14/2006) Oldies Various Artists, Collectables RecordsLike others in Collectables' The Best of Doo Wop series, this volume includes a parade of doo wop classics, but an unaccountably brief running time (there are only ten tracks). This may fool a few older listeners, unaware that the CD medium allows more than twice that amount of material or simply content with its 25-minute length, but unless it's available for under five dollars, the collection simply isn't worth the price. Among the inclusions fitting the bill for entry are "Tonite Tonite" by the Mello-Kings, "Whispering Bells" by the Del-Vikings, and "What's Wrong" by the Avalons. ~ John Bush