The title of MCA Special Products' Vintage Collectibles, Vol. 5: 1954-1969 indicates that the budget-line collection covers a lot more territory than it actually does, running from doo-wop to psychedelia. Even though it kicks off with the Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Incense and Peppermints" and works its way back to the Jivetones' "Ding Ding Dong" and Bobby Lester & the Moonlighters' "Shoo Doo Be Doo (My Loving Baby)," that's not necessarily the case with this collection. Instead, the disc is pretty much split between ...
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The title of MCA Special Products' Vintage Collectibles, Vol. 5: 1954-1969 indicates that the budget-line collection covers a lot more territory than it actually does, running from doo-wop to psychedelia. Even though it kicks off with the Strawberry Alarm Clock's "Incense and Peppermints" and works its way back to the Jivetones' "Ding Ding Dong" and Bobby Lester & the Moonlighters' "Shoo Doo Be Doo (My Loving Baby)," that's not necessarily the case with this collection. Instead, the disc is pretty much split between swinging '60s pop and rock (Steppenwolf's "Sookie Sookie," Three Dog Night's "Nobody," the Grass Roots' "Bella Linda," Ramsey Lewis' take on "Hang on Sloopy") and classic '50s/early-'60s soul, R&B and rock & roll (the Impressions' "Talking About My Baby," Chuck Berry's "Reelin' & Rockin'," the Bay Bops' "Follow the Rock," plus the aforementioned doo-wop tunes). It's an odd pairing, made all the more disconcerting by the scattershot sequencing that pairs the Grass Roots with the Jivetones. Still, such flaws become forgivable when you consider that many of the cuts on this disc rarely appear on oldies collections, particularly budget-line affairs like this. That alone makes it worth its inexpensive price. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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