VA - The Golden Age Of American Popular Music 1956-1965 (2006)

This series on Ace Records, subtitled "Golden Memories" focuses on the MOR hits in the strict timeframe of 1956 - 65. Contains hits, obscurities and plenty of tracks appearing on CD for the first time. 28 including 'What Is Love?' (The Playmates), 'Things' (Bobby Darin), 'It's Not for Me to Say' (Johnny Mathis) and many more. ~Ace Records~
Although Ace's extensive Golden Age series is the best such series of compilations ever undertaken for the golden age of rock & roll (covering approximately the mid-'50s to just before the Beatles had their first U.S. hit), this is weaker and more ill-defined than any previous volume. According to the blurb on the back cover, these 28 tracks are "mainstream American popular music that transcended rock'n'roll and the British Invasion," though the verb "transcended" seems ill-fitting here. More accurately, these are chart pop hits -- some big, some only reaching the bottom half of the Top 100 -- from 1956-1964 that were only tenuously related to early rock & roll, and were so quaint in style that they'd be totally washed out to sea by the British Invasion. These aren't non-rock-related "pop" hits, however, in the sense that Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin's were; by and large, they have some links to rock & roll and the teen audience, if only faint ones. So you get hits by also-ran teen idols (Tony Orlando's "Bless You," Paul Petersen's "My Dad"); forgotten hits by celebrities more known for acting than singing (Petersen, Anthony Perkins); pop balladeers who nonetheless crossed over to teen-oriented radio (Johnny Mathis, with "It's Not for Me to Say"); and harmony groups and solo singers with the mildest of R&B doo wop influences. Truth be told, it's pretty wimpy stuff for the most part; when the Tempos' "See You in September" and Gene McDaniels' "Tower of Strength" stand out as by far the most memorable, forceful tunes, you know you're not exactly dealing with hard-hitting rock & roll, even of the poppiest sort. To its credit, this compilation does include numerous chart hits that aren't commonplace on CD anthologies (or oldies radio), Billy Grammer's "Gotta Travel On" and the Rover Boys' "Graduation Day" (which charted one place higher than the Four Freshmen's much more famous version) being among the most well-known such items. The annotation, as is customary for Ace, is thorough and informed as well. In general, though, it (perhaps unintentionally) summarizes the limpest, most forgettable pop to hit the radio during the golden age of rock & roll, and epitomizes the worst of the kind of music that drove many young adults away from rock & roll until the British Invasion, folk-rock, and soul lured them back in.
~Review by Richie Unterberger~
Release of this CD: 2006, July, 10 [CD Ace Records Ltd. (EU), Cat.# CDCHD 1111 / UPC: 029667019323]
(p)(c) 2006 Ace Records Ltd.
Maed in Germany

Credits:

Compiled By - Tony Rounce, Trevor Churchill
Design [Front Cover] - Barrie Smith
Liner Notes - Brian Gari, Rob Finnis
Mastered By - Duncan Cowell

Tracklist:

01. The Four Preps - 26 Miles (Santa Catalina)
02. Tony Orlando - Bless You
03. Billy Grammer - Gotta Travel On
04. The Dolphins - Hey-Da-Da-Dow
05. Doug Franklin with The Bluenotes - My Lucky Love
06. Paul Petersen - My Dad
07. The Tempos - See You In September
08. Vic Dana - Red Roses For A Blue Lady
09. The Duprees - My Own True Love
10. Bob Beckham - Just As Much As Ever
11. The Rover Boys featuring Billy Albert - Graduation Day
12. The Rivieras - Moonlight Serenade
13. Dicky Doo & The Don'ts - Leave Me Alone (Let Me Cry)
14. The Techniques - Hey! Little Girl
15. The Quaker City Boys - Teasin'
16. The Upbeats - Just Like In The Movies
17. Dorsey Burnette - (There Was A) Tall Oak Tree
18. The Little Dippers - Forever
19. The Voxpoppers - Wishing For Your Love
20. Adam Wade - As If I Didn't Know
21. The Highlights featuring Frank Pizani - City Of Angels
22. The Playmates - What Is Love
23. Tony Perkins - Moon-Light Swim
24. Bobby Darin - Things
25. Johnny Mathis - It's Not For Me To Say
26. Gene McDaniels - Tower Of Strength
27. Jerry Wallace - In The Misty Moonlight
28. Earl Grant - The End 1958

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