The Flamingos
This time around it’s the turn of … well, I was just about to use a term which I suspect I really shouldn’t use. I understand from certain inhabitants of these parts that it’s a term which wasn’t used until many years after the music to which I’m referring, was popular.
So I’m going to bestow up on it the catchy sobriquet “Fifties Vocal-Based Rhythm & Blues Music”, largely because I can.
I realise that I am getting dangerously close to RockingMitch/RollinDanny territory here – by the way, what is it with those guys? Are they brothers or something? I suspect it’s only a matter of time until their sisters HipSwinginHatty and FingerClickinFreda jitterbug their way into town – and, as with the other similar posts I’ve done in the past (featuring Hip-Hop and Jazz) the experts in the field may well feel that my selection is too populist for their liking.
And if that’s the case, then so be it. All I know is that this sort of music has given me many, many hours of pleasure over the years and that several of the tracks in this playlist would stand a good chance of making it into my Desert Island list.
I noticed while putting this selection together that I have a large amount of this sort of music on those one foot diameter vinyl thingies up in my attic. So I was limited to the few recordings I have on CD – which might just have added to the whole populist bent. Anyway, this is my offering – let me know what you think.
Oh What A Nite – The Dells
Blues In The Letter – The Flamingos
Maybe – The Chantels
There Is Something On Your Mind – The Hollywood Flames
Please Send Me Someone To Love – The Moonglows
For All We Know – The Orioles
Stay In My Corner – The Dells
Daddy\'s Home – Shep & The Limelites
Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight – The Spaniels
Just Walking In The Rain – The Prisonaires
There you go. I got all the way to the end of the post without mentioning the words Doo Wop.
Doh!
And here (thanks to makinavaja) is the whole playlist in one handy clicky thing …
If you need any help Toffee, just whistle!
Check your mail. I’ve only linked to tracks in the player as the titles are already in the post.
Maki: Playlist maker to the stars
He he, tin. I don’t make a lot of A lists but I make a lot of plAy lists!!
Each to his own, as they say!
Toffeeboy – I love everyone of these specially ’cause there’s a couple I don’t have. It’s real easy for me to while away an afternoon listening to this. The Moonglows version of Send Me Someone To Love is sweet but gotta say the Percy Mayfield original can’t be surpassed. The Flamingos & Hollywood Flames are new to me but fit quite tastily. Cheers!
fintan28 – excellent! Glad to have been of service.
I feel compelled to say something. Whilst it’s true that the phrase “doo-wop” was coined in 1969 (with a little help from Sha-Na-Na) I have no objection to its use! It is misuse of the term ‘rockabilly’ that gets my goat.
As for being too populist – not at all. I think you’ll find that many of the tracks listed here have been nominated by me or Danny at various times over the past few years of RR.
With regard to RollingDanny – aren’t we all brothers in the world of music? I met Danny (not his real name) about 10 years ago when he was on the comedy circuit and I was taking comedians to gigs. He is one of the few Afro-Caribbean people I know whose musical taste goes way back to the 30s and he liked the CDs I had in my car at the time. We’ve been mates ever since.
rockingmitch – I hope you didn’t feel that anything I wrote was at all disrespectful. You know how much I enjoy your posts and how much I admire your encyclopeadic musical knowledge. I was merely attempting a spot of light-hearted humour. It wasn’t meant to be at your expense (or RollinDanny’s) at all and if it came across that way, I’m truly sorry.
We are indeed all brothers (and sisters!) in music and long may it stay that way …
Toffeeboy.
Please don’t think I have taken offence (or the front gate). I do realise it was a light hearted ‘dig’ at us.
If my response looks huffy it certainly wasn’t meant to be.
PS. If Danny and I are brothers, the milkman must have had a very fast bike.
Thanks – that’s a relief! And I’ve just seen your Duckworth-Lewis Method earworm – huge donds to that!
rockingmitch – re-reading my original post, it does come across as quite – shall we say, sniffy. Defensive before it’s been attacked. That sort of thing. I’ll have to watch out for that …
Have enjoyed these toffee. Seems like such an innocent time. I know it wasn’t, but the music was so unrushed and everything seems to simple and uncomplicated.
I like this music when it is a really hot afternoon and my imaginary ceiling fan is lazily going around and I am halfheartedly swatting a fly from my temple.
thanks for these Toffee, I love the pre-Beatles (sorry to say the name out loud there Rockinmitch!) sound and these just sound so ROMANTIC to me…
Love D** W*p almost all the time – especially Earth Angel (The Penguins) and It’s Too Soon To Know (The Orioles).
However I’ve never been able to listen to the Duke of Earl without wanting to scream.
I think I may be alone in this. Brian Eno of all people chose it as one of his Desert Island Discs.