MY FAVE 20 RECORDS BY A VOCAL GROUP
TODAY........FROM 1959
1.YOU’RE SO FINE – THE FALCONS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCLj8-scK8A
The convoluted saga of The Falcons from Detroit is best told in the comprehensive look at their work by our old friend Unca Marvy
https://www.uncamarvy.com/Falcons/falcons.html.
Suffice to say that the biggest highspot is the 1959 release on Flick
label of their Joe Stubbs-led “You’re So Fine” trailblazer (a pointer towards the newer kind of “soul music” now laying just over the
horizon). Taken over by United Artists on their Unart label the record
soared to #17 BB pop and #2 BB r&b. Released in UK on London no chart
action
2. THERE GOES MY BABY – THE DRIFTERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oS2De8O8D0
Here’s one I fell in love with---yep,orchestra and strings and
all---first time I ever heard it. The first outing by the rejigged “new” Drifters group now sporting Ben E. King as lead and what a superb debut. Recorded at the same March NYC session as “Hey Senorita”,”Baltimore” and
“Oh My Love”. Easily their biggest hit to date at #2 BB pop and #1 BB
r&b. Released UK on London did not chart
3. THAT IS ROCK & ROLL – THE COASTERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga9hBgZ1M5I
IMO easily the best side of the hit “Along Came Jones” single on Atco. Songwise it shows Leiber & Stoller at their finest with a great Carl
Gardner vocal recorded March 26 1959 in NYC (the same session yielding
the top side). All the sales went to the topside on both sides of the
Atlantic (‘twas on London in UK)
4. I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU – THE FLAMINGOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhQkDX-hnaw
One of most atmospheric of 1950’s recordings is this superb revival by
The Flamingos (Nate Nelson lead) of an old song first introduced in the
1934 Dick Powell/Ruby Keeler movie musical “Dames”. At this point
recording for the End label the record gave the group their biggest
career hit (#11 BB pop and #3 BB r&b. In the UK the record appeared on
Top Rank no chart action
5. BAD GIRL – THE MIRACLES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJhWvuxPoBQ
First ever record on the Motown label where initial copies of this
appeared in early 1959 before the much bigger (at that time) Chess label
took over national distribution (if you have a mint original 45 copy on
Motown today you are a rich man indeed!). Sold well enough to just
scrape the BB chart (on Chess) at #93. Sadly not issued UK ☹
6. POISON IVY – THE COASTERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE90wyqILOA
Leiber & Stoller strike again with this catchy number well up to their
usual standard recorded in NYC July 16 1959 (along with “What About
Us”), Carl Gardner performing lead duties.This latest Atco single
charted #7 BB pop and hit #1 BB r&b. Issued on London in UK it reached
#15 NME
7. LOVE POTION NO. 9 – THE CLOVERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg1cn-UIAhQ
Now calling United Artists their home The Clovers second single for the
label again brings the talents of Leiber & Stoller to the fore who
provide the great “Love Potion No. 9” for the group (Billy Mitchell
lead). There were two distinct versions of this one---the single ends
with “when I kissed a cop down at 34th and Vine he broke my little
bottle of Love Potion No.9” Whereas the album version ends “I had some
much fun that I’m going back again I wonder what happens with "Love
Potion No. 10”. Charted at #23 on both BB charts.Issued UK on London
8. I KNOW IT’S HARD BUT IT’S FAIR – THE “5” ROYALES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0-JD2xy1It0
With their tenure at King coming to slow drawn out conclusion The
Royales are here back in top form on the punchy and powerful flip side
to the very underwhelming “Miracle Of Love” topside released in April 1959.Pastures new will beckon the following year with a move to the
Home Of The Blues label in Memphis. This one didn’t chart nor was it
released in UK
9. DREAM GIRL – NORMAN FOX & THE ROB ROYS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMLcznJSv8g
Here’s a personal favorite I got turned on to via Val Shively’s store in Upper Darby (tho it was the “Pizza Pie” side got most play there but I liked “Dream Girl” better). Nice effort by this mixed race group that
has figured earlier in this series (with “Tell Me Why”). Tired of their tenure at Back Beat the boys bought two two songs mentioned here to Capitol---who put them out but had to row back when an irate Don Robey
showed up with a valid Rob Roys contract . No chart action and no UK
release
10. SHOUT – THE ISLEY BROTHERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Wa8qQLvSNk
One of the most influential records of all time and a number that a
couple of years later entered the repertoires of countless “wannabe” upcoming UK beat groups (including the fledgling Beatles who I see are
on YT with rare film of them performing this number on TV here).
But the Isleys were there first with the song. The boys had been around
the block before with records by them on several minor labels before
arriving at a contract with one of the biggest labels around---RCA.
“Shout” was their first record for them and had been worked up as a response to the recent Jackie Wilson hit “Lonely Teardrops”. Amazingly “Shout” missed the BB r&b chart but did chart TWICE on the Hot 100 list
in 1959 (#47) and again in 1962 (#94). Released in UK on RCA too.
11. THREE COOL CATS – THE COASTERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYGNvdhXSwQ
The Coasters are back here showing again how they are masters of the flipside-that-manages-to-be -better-than-its A side with one of Leiber & Stoller’s best—the ultra sly “Three Cool Cats” that backed the big hit “Charlie Brown” on Atco.This side didn’t chart as neither did its UK issue on London
12. THERE YOU GO – CLYDE McPHATTER (THE DRIFTERS)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mubn394fw40
We’ve seen before how Atlantic just blithely carried on putting out
“new” Clyde McPhatter singles long after he left the label—and not just after he went to one new label (MGM). They even carried on after he
changed to yet another label (Mercury) with a “new” Atlantic release.
This is not that one but “There You Go” released in September 1959 was
an old---a very old---Drifters number dating back to March 1954 and now released under Clyde’s name after he’s put out THREE MGM singles. After
all that it’s just as well it’s a real decent performance
13. DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE – THE SHIRELLES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzQQvHezUtw
Originally by the “5” Royales in 1957 The Shirelles here revamp the song
in what I think is an even better version on the Scepter label. This
charted at #83 in 1959 but the label chose to reissue it in 1961 as the followup to their smash “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”.It was exactly the
same record (same Scepter catalog #) the only difference being it sold a
ton more copies in 1961 charting at #3 BB Hot 100 and #2 BB r&b. It
appeared in UK only in 1961 on Top Rank but failed to chart. The song
itself wasn’t a UK hit till 1967 and The Mamas & The Papas……
14. DION & THE BELMONTS – WHERE OR WHEN
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JYIz_FH5Ym8
A song that was one of Dion’s father’s favorites was “Where Or When”--one of Rodgers & Hart’s best songs. Originally by Ruby Newman (a guy) & His Orchestra in 1937 the song had been done in fine versions
over the years by the likes of Lena Horne,Peggy Lee,Sinatra and a lot of
others before Dion & his guys did their version in 1959 for Laurie which
after hitting #3 BB pop became the biggest hit the group ever had.It
also charted #19 BB r&b. Released in UK on London but failed to chart.
15. TRY TRY BABY – CLYDE McPHATTER (THE DRIFTERS)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCe_KxVQNhc
The Clyde Atlantic release that preceeded “There You Go” (see #12 above) but was still an old Drifters side released after Clyde had departed for
MGM pastures new. Unlike the top side “Since You’ve Been Gone” this flipside didn’t chart. Released on London in UK but no chart action
16. KANSAS CITY – HANK BALLARD & THE MIDNIGHTERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMfja-i3-WM
Hank & The Midnighters with their take on King of the much-recorded
“Kansas City”.Although Wilbert Harrison had the major 1959 version with
his #1 hit (that I like best of the 1959 versions) Hank & co. scored a
#72 hit BB pop and #16 r&b . Released in UK on Parlophone did not chart
17. ‘59 VOLVO – VERNON GREEN & THE MEDALLIONS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fm7sJSz77c
Time for the West Coast to put in an appearance here so here’s Vernon
Green driving The Medallions toward us with the latest in a string of
“car related songs”that started with “Buick 59” in 1954 thru “Coupe De
Ville Baby” and “Speedin” to the current “’59 Volvo” ditty under consideration here.Long time signees with Dootsie Williams and his
Dootone label in Los Angeles they stayed with the company right into the 70’s. Good sellers on the West Coast but nothing by them charted. Not released UK
18. BYE BYE BABY – THE CHANNELS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=924Sq4W-KGc
Back to the Big Apple here with five man local group The Channels
fronted by Earl Lewis on a rockin’ “Bye Bye Baby” recorded for Bobby Robinson’s Fury label . Tho several of The Channels records on a myriad
of different labels over the years sold fairly well on the East Coast
nothing by them ever charted nationally and they never had a single UK
release
19. DANCE WITH ME – THE DRIFTERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iH9idecrBkQ
With Ben E.King doing lead vocal duties here the rhythmic “Dance With
Me” dates from a New York City session held July 9 which yielded two
songs – “(If You Cry) True Love True Love” and of course “Dance With Me”. Paired together they formed The Drifters September 1959 single
release on Atlantic.Both sides charted the top side “Dance With Me” at
#15 BB pop and the B-side at #33 pop. They also reached #2 and #5
respectively on the r&b chart.The UK London label release reached #17 in
early 1960
20. IMPOSSIBLE – THE VELVATONES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG6JT5JpxKc
A real obscurity here by The Velvatones from Petersburg Va—a neck of the woods not normally noted for much r&b activity “Impossible” recorded for the Nu Kat label---a tiny hole in the wall affair which seems to have
been run from the Nu Kat Record Shop in the centre of Petersburg. Only a handful of records are known on the label and this Velvatones may be the
last issue I can’t trace anything later. Chartwise? Don’t be silly.UK release? Don’t be sillier still
BUBBLING UNDER
Look At Little Sister Hank Ballard & The Midnighters
If I (Could Be With You Tonight) Nolan Strong & The Diablos
I Ran All The Way Home* The Impalas
What About Us The Coasters
Island Of Love The Sheppards
*title as per first press copies
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