Search - Various Artists :: Radio Gold Volume 5

Finally got them after 40 years!

Ronald Van Scherpenzeel | Madrid, Spain | 11/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although I purchase almost all ACE compilations dedicated to the American

Rock & Roll era and usually classify them with 5 stars, this particular

fifth volume of Radio Gold was a must-buy because it holds 2 songs I

have never been able to find on any Golden Era compilation since the late

60's and I sure am a record collector! These are "If A Man Answers" by

Bobby Darin and "Language of Love" by John D. Loudermilk. Even on

specific Bobby Darin collections this song was never there and for John D.

you were forced to buy a "greatest hits" album with a lot of unkown

songs and rather expensive probably too much of a risk for only one song.

Now I've got them + another 28 songs some of which were also lacking in

my collection. A special mentioning for the original Lucky Lips by Ruth

Brown which sounds even better than the well known Cliff Richard version.

It's a lot more Rock & Roll like. The Drifters' "When My Little Girl Is

Smiling" can be heard for the first time in Stereo; the well known

"Burning Bridges" by the original artist (Jack Scott) is absolutely

beautiful and some other "rare" songs like Perry Como's Kewpie Doll and

Doris Day's "Everybody Loves A Lover" had to catch up with the "tough"

1958 hits by Elvis, Everly's, Fats Domino etc etc. and still made it

to the top 10. Another hint in the Rock & Roll era at its best was the

Frankie Laine hit "Moonlight Gambler". The rest are well known hits

especially if you were there during those wonderful years.

"

Ace aces again

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 01/04/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With digital downloads eating away at the CD reissue market, for those who appreciate the packaging, sound quality and "hold-in-my-hand" satisfaction of the "traditional" CD, it is even more rewarding when a new quality reissue of oldies music comes to market. And Ace Records of the U.K. has been doing it as long, and most times, far better, than anyone else. With this, the fifth installment of their popular "Radio Gold" series, they maintain the pace. Here are 30 more tracks of top-40 American pre-invasion tunes that also, with two exceptions, made the British charts. And while there are no chart failures here, the selection is not just the same old stuff heard ad nauseam on oldies radio. Johnny Preston's "Running Bear" follow-up hit "Cradle Of Love", Johnny Burnette's "Little Boy Sad" with its hint of a throwback to his less polished rockabilly tunes and the rarely found "Look For A Star" from Garry Mills (runner-up to Garry Miles' version) are just a few examples of the refreshing track selection here. Living up to Ace's reputation for quality, these 30 tracks are in top-notch sound with half appearing in stereo (tracks 2,6,8-10,13,15,16,18,19,21,22,27-30) and are accompanied by a massive 24-page booklet packed with track info and pics. Even the booklet cover of vintage table radios is a fascinating memory trip. For the casual fan of the pop-chart music of the era, this piece is a keeper and for the hard-core collector, while many of these tracks are out there in other places, this collection offers all the extras that no mere downloads could ever duplicate. While the notes state that this is the last in the series, they do leave open the possibility of further volumes. Let's all hope, as they did when they resurrected the "Golden Age of American Rock 'n' Roll" series, Ace will not let us, the insatiable collectors of the genre, suffer musical d.t.'s. Meanwhile, everyone can enjoy this (and other!) top-notch compilations from Ace."

I'm a Believer

Tin Tan | Chicago, IL | 01/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Radio Gold series is my desert island oldies collection. I got really excited when I saw the latest volume is out- it's been a long time coming. Every volume is just as good as the previous one, in its own way. The selection, the sound and the packaging are exemplary. The variety- rock, r&b, country, rockabilly, easy listening- takes you back to the time before radio was niche marketed. Don't know Ace does it, and I don't expect it will be any different with Vol. 5. That's right, I haven't heard the CD, but one look at the playlist tells me I'm going to love it."