Search - Various Artists :: The Doo Wop Box, Vol. 2

Court D.
Reviewed on 12/13/2011...

Songs are good, lots here to enjoy. I may keep to have on hand for my enjoyment. Recordings are not as clear as one might like, but to have some of the songs this can be overlooked.

The memories keep rolling on!

05/27/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought both Doo Wop sets - 202 Vocal Group Gems, and I'm not in the least bit disappointed. These groups and their songs brought back so many good memories of my growing-up years in Staten Island, New York City, in the '50s. I'm 62 years old and still can remember my childhood pal telling me all about the "Moon Dog Show," carried by a New Jersey (Newark, I think) radio station. It was a black oriented music station playing something called Rhythm & Blues. We listened to our radios late into the nights - without our parents knowing about it - and began to "connect" with the new sounds in no time at all. Entering high school in 1952, we were at the right place and time for the Rock 'n Roll explosion soon to come. Allan Freed had yet to "hit" the town, but the groups surely had. We were rocking and bopping throughout our four years, and of course, were members of a doo wop group of our own - The Seniortones of Port Richmond High School.Rhino has done an outstanding job of compiling these songs and putting together two great 79-page books to go along with the collections. Listening to the originals always means so much more in that what those sounds bring back in terms of good feelings and vibes is just a bit difficult to describe. Anticipating a sound here or there from the originals is also a treat, something definitely missed with so many other collections purported to be "the best," etc. These collections ARE the best. Whether listening to the "A" or "B" sides, you just cannot escape being brought back to another place and time when life was defined quite differently for all of us. For so many of us back then, it was the music that helped us cope and propelled us into what was to come. Looking at the pictures of the groups and catching up on the assorted memorabilia and recording details adds yet another dimension to these collections - great idea!As these years have passed on by, I still find myself drifting back to my favorite sounds - before (and in spite of) the "pretenders" - before Elvis - before Frankie Avalon (ugh) - before the "pop culture" ran the real Rhythm & Blues based Rock 'n Roll aground. Thank you, Rhino, for putting these groups and their songs all together for us in what will be a cherished keepsake of so many years gone by."

Quite good, but not quite up to the level of the first set

12/01/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Still well worth having for dedicated Doo Wop nuts, but not quite as good a value overall as the first box set, especially in the pre-1958 selections. The quality level of these tracks is just a tad lower overall, though Rhino does pick up a few of the well-known and a few of the obscure later gems they probably tried unsuccessfully to get the first time around. Still a first-rate booklet and first-rate sound. If money's no object, you'll enjoy both box sets."