It startd for me in the early eighties, in the parking lot of the Tastee Freeze in Chicago. I heard Wolfman Jack on the radio in the cool of the night, playing the oldies as I ate my banana split. Eventually, I studied more about Rock N’ Roll, and in exploring its origins and influences I learned about jazz, country, R&B, blues, gospel, folk and soul. And after all these years of exploring all of these genres, I was suprised to find myself led right back to Doo-Wop, only now with an understanding and appreciation that I couldn’t have fathomed as a child. Sure, it’s often fatuous, over-sentimental, cliche, and sometimes a mockery of the best crooners of a previous generation. But I love the stuff, from best to worst. And when I look at the current state of vocal harmony, I’m sad and sometimes angry. They gave up the sun and the moon when this stuff went out of style.
Met him on a Monday and my heart stood still … da doo ron ron ron a doo ron ron
Somebody told me that his name was Bill … da doo ron ron ron da doo ron ron
Yeah, I’m with you. I’ve got all three Doo-Wop box sets from Rhino, and I love 'em. Some of the vocals are so gorgeous they almost tempt me to believe in God (but it passes, of course). And none of them felt the need to do the show-off, eight-octaves-in-one-bar type of singing that’s fashionable nowadays with the “talented” “soul” singers. The voice was used in service to the song, albeit more beautifully than in any other rock/pop form. In fact, I think I’ll listen to some right now.
I’ve always maintained that The Flamingos’ “I Only Have Eyes for You” may be the finest pop single in history. Gorgeous production, perfectly balanced vocals and vocal effects.
It’s in my IMHO list of top ten greatest songs…the only entry from the 1950s.
Well, it’s full to the brim with cliche, and it’s sappy, but the Penguins’ “Earth Angel” is one of the best damn slow dance songs ever…and “In The Still of the Night” by the Doo-Wop Group Whose Name I Can’t Remember is one of my favorites. I’m with ya. Doo-Wop was just cool.
“In the Still of the Night” was done by the Five Satins featuring the lead vocals of Fred Parris…yeah i ahve a weakness for Doo-Wop, and it annoys me to no end when a modern a capella group mucks up the basic harmonies of Doo wop by tricking it up with reverb and sound effects.
Right now the song I would love to hear is “Speedo” by the Cadillacs…"Well they often call me Speedo but my real name is Mr. Earl…
I confess – I used to sing in a doo-wop group. And we were damned good, too. Even better, I got to sing bass: Dom dom dom dom dom, dom bee doo bee dom dom dom dom dom… But then I graduated from college and had to get a life, alas.
While it’s not exactly the highest quality stuff in the world, doowop is a helluva lot of fun to sing, it’s peppy, and unlike a lot of currrent pop crap it requires actual singing talent.
There are, as it happens, still a cappella groups in business, not all of whom originated in the doowop era (although not all sing what you would necessarily call doo wop), such as The Bobs, Rockapella, The Flying Pickets, etc.
My sister was eleven when I was born, with two brothers in between us. Needless to say, I was listening to REAL rock and roll when I was in the womb, and nothing ever changed. I have very eclectic tastes in music, and the major influences on them were formed as a young child, listening to my siblings music.
I guess it is no surprise that I LOVE this stuff. I can sing along with almost any of the songs mentioned. I love harmony, too, which was a major component of oodles of doo-wop music.
What I would like to know is, when did rock-and-roll come to mean the hard stuff? For me, r&r is Elvis, Bobby Vee (LOVE that man) and Bobby Darin. I could go on and on here.
"Take good care of my baby…please don’t ever make her blue. Just tell her that you love her, make sure you’re thinking of her in everything you say and do…
And if you should discover, that you don’t really love her, just send my baby back home to me."
::Sigh:: Can’t beat that for angst.
Scotti
Changing the CD’s currently in her CD player to her extensive collection of oldies!
IN THE STILL OF THE NIGHT is the ULTIMATE “doo wop” record.
My age is showing, but; in the mid-50s we listened to the “race” music station in Chi. It came to be called R&B.
BTW—SPEEDO by THE CADILLACS is available on NAPSTER.
SCOTTICHER----the current stuff is NOT “TRUE rock & roll”. Check back several days here. There quite recently was a thread about—“is rock and roll dead?”
Personally, I just can’t quite get over Try the Impossible by Lee Andrew and the Hearts. Not that I’m trying too hard.
Try the impossible,
Try to understand the way I feel about you
Try the incredible,
For in trying all our dreams might come true,
Try to understand you’re everything I ever hoped for,
And if you try to make it divine, take my heart
It will be yours,
I really mean it
When I tell you I’ll be at your beck and call
Tell me you want me,
And our love will conquer all
Oh, the need for you
Just to be with you
Is the reason why I plead to you
Make the impossible, the incredible
And all of my dreams come true.
Obviously, the standbys deserve their reputations – The Moonglows, The Orioles, The (1950’s) Drifters, and even some of the ones that are not so deeply R&B, like the Del-Vikings. Some lesser-known groups also did some excellent work. The Riveras did a great rendition of Moonlight Serenade, which I didn’t even know there were words to until I heard their version. The Nutmegs did some impressive songs that really should get more attention, especially Down in Mexico. Lillian Leech and the Mellos could sing diamonds into jelly, most certainly with Smoke from Your Cigarette or Loveable Lily.
And in spite all the teeny-bopper bands they put together, there’s no hope of ever seeing the likes of The Teenagers or the Six Teens again in this world.
OMG. This really happened: I was taking the Greyhound from Pittsburgh to Cleveland, one January eve in 1991. Well, the bus had a mechanical problem, and we were stuck at a rest area near King of Prussia, PA or one of those wide spots in the road. What could we do to entertain ourselves? Sing, of course! “In the Still of the Night”, “The Great Pretender”, “Only the Lonely”, and later Motown stuff like “My Girl” and “The Way You Do the Things You Do”. The old school people, and the college students, like me, knew these songs cold. We’d do each about three times, so by the last repetition, the others were able to pick it up. I like to think that there are high-school students now, who were kindergartners then, who have a Pavlovian reaction to doo-wop.
“As we stroll along together/Holding hands, walking all alone (oo-ooh, wee-ooh)/So in love are we two/No one else but me and you/So in love…”
