Search - Del Vikings :: 20th Century Masters: Millennium Collection

+1/2 -- Introduction to multi-personality doo-wop group

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 04/07/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"While the Del Vikings can stake a claim to fame as one of the first racially integrated groups in rock history, their more lasting legacy is the difficulty of collecting their music. Having splintered into two groups shortly after the success of the signature "Come Go With Me," their catalog is confusing to even the most savvy collectors. Members moved between the two groups (and the labels to which they were signed), hit versions were authored by one group and recorded by the other, and early demo recordings of hit singles were refurbished and issued on the tails of the groups' chart successes. Conveniently, Universal Music (Hip-O's parent) owns both the Dot and Mercury catalogs, providing this sampler the high points from both groups' output.Among these twelve tracks are the group's hits ("Come Go With Me" "Whispering Bells" and "Cool Shake"), and a sketch of the doo-wop that the splintered group never managed to launch onto the charts. Lesser known highlights include the boppin' tempo, honkin' sax and twangin' guitar of "The Big Beat," the bass lead vocal of "The Voodoo Man," and the Drifters-styled arrangement of "Bring Back Your Heart." Two of the tracks, "Come Along With Me" and "I Hear Bells (Wedding Bells)," do little more than reprise the group's previous hits, "Come Go With Me" and "Whispering Bells." They're interesting historical novelties, but on such a brief collection it would have been nice to get a bit more breadth.With so many compilations available on this band, including their earliest demo materials, it's difficult to complete a collection without duplicating tracks. This is a good introduction to the group's singing at a good price; anything deeper will require purchasing multiple discs and sorting out which group's take of which tracks you have.3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings."