Search - Dion & Belmonts :: Reunion: Live At Madison Square Garden 1972

Not just a live album!!!

Dr.D.Treharne | Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom | 03/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Quite apart from the performance, this must be rated alongside some of the classic "live" albums of all time.There are three main ingredients, the crowd who are so clearly up for enjoying themselves, and of course know all the tunes off by heart. Then there's the recording engineer/producer who hasn't attempted to edit out the "liveness' of the occasion.The group sound is terrific. There are false starts, with Dion shouting "let me start this one" at one point, with all the performers coming in at wrong times. All this adds to the atmosphere. Finally, of course, there's Dion and the Belmonts who gave everything. It must have been electrifying to have been there.The real bonus of the CD of course is that unlike the vinyl version it doesn't end on one side in the middle of a song, and you don't have to turn it over! By any standards this is a great album, and if you've never heard it,,, go get!!"

Add A Little Doo Wop To Your Day

Balcony Bunny | Where am I? . . . I'm Right Here! | 04/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first played "Dion & The Belmonts Live" as a college radio disc jockey in 1972. It blew me away then. Nothing's changed in 30+ years. If I was marooned on an island with ten CDs - this would be one of them.



It's a recording of one of those magic nights when artist and audience become one. On "That's My Desire" and "Where Or When" the group is nothing short of breathtaking, with the Madison Square Garden crowd hanging on Dion's every note.



The Belmonts are supported by a savvy R&B band featuring none other than the great Billy Vera.



At a time when underground radio was belching forth megawatt bands like Alice Cooper, Deep Purple, Uriah Heep and Bloodrock - the '50s vocal group sound of Dion DiMucci and his Belmont Avenue buddies would seem blatantly out of place on a disc jockey's turntable. And yet, for myself, and many other DJs - there was something almost revolutionary about playing this album.



It was an attitude of, "You hippies think you've heard it all? Well, dig THIS!" Strangely enough - they did."

The Sound of Angels

Michael J. Melen | Severna Park MD | 04/04/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Vocal harmony. No sound is more liberating or exciting than the sound of the human voice, and when several people join to intertwine their voices there is the potential for greatness. Dion and the Belmonts were one of the great doo-wop harmony groups of the 1950's. For a variety of reasons they went their separate ways in the 1960's and beyond, and it was not a harmonious parting. When they finally agreed to get together for a one-concert (and one prior rehearsal) appearance after over a decade of not speaking to each other, some rust was to be expected. The first song, "I Wonder Why", makes it obvious that the guys hadn't sung together for a very long time. Dion is tenative and has a very limited range, and the Belmonts seem to be feeling their way around the song.



From that song, the album is a study in the power of music over history. After the first song, the group becomes increasingly comfortable with each other and they find their vocal range quickly. It is an exciting album not only because of the songs and the singers, but because the listener becomes a part of a metamorphasis from four nervous individuals to a group of brilliant singers overwhelmed by the power and beauty of what they can achieve together. You get a sense that, as they explore their past music further, they are taking it beyond what they ever achieved at their prime. Dion's vocal range explodes, and the Belmonts vie with him in pushing harmony to the limits. The NY crowd is with them throughout, and the bond is audible.



This is the one concert that I would give anything to have attended. The CD is the next best thing. If you love Dion & The Belmonts, or doo-wop music, or vocal harmony, or music in any form, I would recommend this CD strongly. I have bought over a dozen copies as gifts for friends, and most have been wowed by it.



I originally paid $18 for the record album (it was before CD's). That was cheap compared to the joy this music brought me. You'll probably pay less than $18... wouldn't you pay as much for the chance to be dazzled? (Hey gang.. trivia question: On the Winter Tour in Iowa 1958, Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, and the Big Bopper toured with a fourth act. The "Night The Music Died", that fourth act was on a bus with the Crickets and the rest of the musicians. Who was that fourth rock & roll group? No hints, other than their faces are on the front of this CD)."