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Till the Night Is Gone: Tribute to Doc Pomus
Various Artists
Till the Night Is Gone: Tribute to Doc Pomus
Genres: Country, Alternative Rock, Blues, Folk, Special Interest, Pop, R&B, Rock, Classic Rock, Metal
 
  •  Track Listings (14) - Disc #1

Born Jerome Felder in Brooklyn in 1925, Doc Pomus was stricken with polio at age nine and spent most of his life on crutches or in a wheelchair. That didn't stop him from imitating his hero Big Joe Turner in Manhattan club...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Various Artists
Title: Till the Night Is Gone: Tribute to Doc Pomus
Members Wishing: 6
Total Copies: 0
Label: Rhino / Wea
Original Release Date: 3/28/1995
Release Date: 3/28/1995
Genres: Country, Alternative Rock, Blues, Folk, Special Interest, Pop, R&B, Rock, Classic Rock, Metal
Styles: Americana, Hardcore & Punk, Electric Blues, Modern Blues, By Decade, 1990s, Adult Alternative, Tributes, Soul, Folk Rock, Country Rock, Roots Rock, Album-Oriented Rock (AOR), Glam
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPCs: 081227187828, 081227187842

Synopsis

Amazon.com
Born Jerome Felder in Brooklyn in 1925, Doc Pomus was stricken with polio at age nine and spent most of his life on crutches or in a wheelchair. That didn't stop him from imitating his hero Big Joe Turner in Manhattan clubs with musicians like Milt Jackson, Horace Silver, King Curtis, and Buddy Tate. He soon found he had a gift for writing witty lyrics to standard blues changes, and in 1955, a 17-year-old kid named Mort Shuman started hanging around Pomus's apartment as a sort of apprentice songwriter. Shuman wrote catchy pop/R&B tunes for Pomus's lyrics, and by '59 they had hits with Dion's "Teenager in Love" and the Mystics' "Hushabye." Before they broke up in '65, they had written 20 songs for Elvis Presley and at least half that many for the Drifters. After a 10-year retirement, Pomus started writing again with Mac Rebennack for albums by B.B. King, Jimmy Witherspoon, and Johnny Adams. Till the Night Is Gone: A Tribute to Doc Pomus reinforces the obvious point that Pomus's tunes should be considered American pop standards as much as Irving Berlin or Harold Arlen's compositions, and should be recorded again and again. The three greatest American songwriters of the '60s--Bob Dylan, Brian Wilson, and Lou Reed--are all on hand to pay their respects. Dylan turns in the disc's most surprising performance, a slinky, funky, country-swing version of "Boogie Woogie Country Girl." Reed injects a modern irony into "This Magic Moment" by contrasting a straightforward, optimistic vocal against grinding, apocalyptic guitars. Los Lobos and John Hiatt & the Guilty Dogs turn in invigorating, garage-rock demolitions of "Lonely Avenue" and "Mess O' Blues" respectively. In fact, the only misstep on the whole album is Shawn Colvin's ponderous, portentous take on "Viva Las Vegas." --Geoffrey Himes

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CD Reviews

Buy this CD for Shawn Colvin's Viva Las Vegas!
09/16/1999
(4 out of 5 stars)

"I simply want to say that, pace the Himes review above, Shawn Colvin's version of Pomus's Viva Las Vegas is far from a "misstep," but rather worth the price of the CD. I enjoy many of the other cuts too, but I could listen to that one till the night is gone, baby."
Great artists pay tribute to a great songwriter
Mr. RE Bareham | 09/27/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having owned and listened to this over 10 years I can say with absolute confidence this ranks as the best tribute CD I own by a stretch. The diversity of the music on this CD is a wonderful tribute to a terrific songwriter. (PS : The headline review couldn't be more wrong about Shawn Colvin's version of Viva Las Vegas - it's a stunner)."
Reasons to buy the Pomus tribute
G. Wallace | Hilliard, OH USA | 09/30/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)

"Los Lobos bluesy "Lonely Avenue" and Bob Dylan's rocking "Boogie Woogie Country Girl" get this tribute off to a flying start. But it gets better from there. There are two standout R&B tracks: a stem-winding "Must be a Better World Somewhere" from Irma Thomas and a sophisticated "Still in Love with You" from the rarely heard Solomon Burke. Dion's "Turn Me Loose" is also very strong. B.B. King, Shawn Colvin, and Roseanne Cash also deliver some fine performances. There's really no bad track. Highly recommended."