I've just been listening again to some Fifties Doo Wop (courtesy of my friend Stephen, who has provided me with a goldmine of musical treats over the years) and was reminded of how wonderful so much of that music is.
Like most of you young things out there, I was Born Too Late to have enjoyed these tunes first time around, but there's a kind of timeless innocence about them that never fails to move me. They all map the ecstasies and agonies of teenage love. I love the harmonies, even when they don't always quite come off (in fact, sometimes because they don't quite come off). But what particularly draws me is the sheer joy that leaps out of so many of these songs. Some of them sound like they're being performed by a group of young kids who probably perfected their act singing on street corners, and who had probably never been in a recording studio before. For me, there's a real sense of liberation to these performances: the songs seem to leap out of the singers' mouths, as if this is their one chance to shine.
You may well know some of the acts, the ones who had hits, such as Dion ('A Teenager In Love') and The Platters ('The Great Pretender'). But there are lesser-known beauties by groups (often with bird-related names, trivia fans) such as The Orioles (the original 'Crying In The Chapel'), The Flamingos ('I Only Have Eyes For You'), The Cadillacs ('Speedoo'. Great title!), The Capris ('Morse Code Of Love'. Another one!) and The Excellents – The Excellents, mark you! ('Coney Island Baby'). How could you not want to hear a song by groups with names such as Little Anthony & The Imperials, The Quotations, Randy & The Rainbows or Johnny Maestro & The Brooklyn Bridge?
Dip in, go on. It's for anyone who's ever been a teenager.
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Very nicely put, our Rob.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, have you checked out 'spotify' yet?
And good to hear the men and women in white coats have finished with you for now.
love cressx
Im not alone, I can come out of the closet, im now dont feel so alone in enjoying the Ink Spots "whispering grass" ever since it was covered by Sergeant major Williams and 'Lofty' Willie Sugden and my conversion when John Peel played "When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano" one night that and Cradle of Filth
ReplyDeleteAlways a pleasure to read, Rob.
ReplyDeleteThis one's very timely for me; I went to my daughter's uni on Saturday, to see her production of Return to the Forbidden Planet. Although most of the songs are 60s, it does feature Teenager in Love, and Phoebe's version had three girls stationed on the "Doo-Wop" stage on the spaceship. They performed three-part harmony throughout - especially effective on Monster Mash.
Once again, though, your blog manages to highlight my old age to me. I am at exactly the age where the songs I now do love to listen to from that era (anyone ever hear Mark Lamarr's great Radio 2 show, Shake Rattle & Roll?) were those I rejected firmly as a young child, as they represented the old guard, and I was welcoming in the new. But maybe there's a direct line from the three-oart backing-girl harmonies of the 50s, to the Detroit trios that backed the likes of Martha Reeves in the 60s?
Keep 'em coming chum!