On a roll now with posts that are R&B related but can still find a place in the main musings section of this site. Well, no-one said I couldn’t include a little contemporaneous R&B material and post it on the main site without detracting from the older R&B material I ported over from the old Shades Of Blue website of yester year. So, along with the previous post, here comes another one.
I often wondered about the place of Doo-Wop in the annals of the R&B genre and when I was running the old Shades site I was surprised to learn that for many it was considered to be a subgenre of rhythm and blues. Even then, I did little more than merely acknowledge its existence all those years ago. Moreover, on the R&B Primer, Doo-Wop is all but relegated to one entry on the Twenty To Try section of the site where the admittedly first rate but now wateringly expensive Doo Wop Box Set resides. To summarise (and to plagiarise Wikipedia shamelessly) it features vocal group harmony that carries an engaging melodic line to a simple beat with little or no instrumentation. Lyrics are simple, usually about love, sung by a lead vocal over background vocals, and often featuring, in the bridge, a melodramatically heartfelt recitative addressed to the beloved. Harmonic singing of nonsense syllables (such as “doo-wop”) is a common characteristic of these songs. Gaining popularity in the 1950s, doo-wop was commercially viable until the early 1960s and continued to influence performers in other genres. So now you know.
Now firmly in both the affirmative and supportive camp (always loved the form, was previously less sure about its relevance to R&B) and now that I’ve remedied any misrepresentation, I thought it might be useful to make some more Doo-Wop recommendations to my faithful and loyal retinue. The problem with doing so is twofold.
- Firstly there are a fairly high number of compilations on the market that purport to showcase the best of this vocal harmony group singing, but they often tend to mix the excellent with the second rate or, perhaps more fittingly, showcase the popular rather than the authentic, invariably superior original version
- Secondly, did I mention that there are a fairly high number of compilations on the market that offer excellent value for money. So cheap in fact, it’s often worth just taking a punt and investigating what they’ve got to offer. Below you’ll find a few for your delectation. Maybe one or two will encourage you to part with your money. Each has a link to a well known on-line retailer where the box can be purchased….
I’ll start with the elephant in the room. This is the recommendation I proffer on the web site and it does indeed offer a great choice of tracks, accompanied by a very informative booklet giving the low down on the songs, recording details and the make up of the various groups. Rhino is a label well known for the quality of its reissues and this is no exception. The only two issues I have with it is that it’s very expensive and now quite difficult to get hold of in the UK. Also, be aware there are now two more releases, Volumes Two and Three, so your new passion could get a little pricey!
The next offering is my current pick – that is, it’s safely tucked onto the shelves in my own collection. Another 4CD anthology, it is priced very competitively and offers a fine mix of the very well known and the more obscure. If you’re already a fan then you might have most of these tracks, although there are still one or two surprises. A good choice for anyone wishing to be introduced to this wonderful music without breaking the bank. Docked one star for omitting The Five Satins’ ‘To The Aisle’ but it does include ‘In The Still Of The Night’. I can speak for the quality, which varies from good to excellent
I could have continued and listed another twenty or so compilations, but alas this is my final offering and is a very slightly different take on the doo-wop genre. This is a 3CD set and it’s called “Doo Wop The R&B Vocal Group Sound 1950 to 1960”. There have been numerous vintage vocal group collections issued over the years, many of which have claimed to highlight the greatest hits of the so-called ‘Doo Wop’ style, but in truth other than the best-selling Rhino box sets, none have really lived up to the billing. Now, at long last, there is a set that actually fulfils that promise, with the selection here based purely on their placings on the R&B music charts of the period. The direct connection to R&B being the ‘slightly different’ take, for those irked by my rambling. Maybe it’s just semantics at the end of the day but here you get the tracks ordered sequentially by release/chart date so there is a much more overt reference to the importance of R&B in the development of its sub genre. Anyway if the wonderful music on this hit-filled 3CD collection wasn’t enough, there is also the extensive and hugely informative sleeve notes from fifties vocal group guru, Marv Goldberg in the 24 page booklet that comes with the set. Good value as well!
Happy hunting – keep your preconceptions to the side and your ears open and I hope you’ll be in for a pleasant surprise. Then again…❓