Doo Wop From Rome Records

by DOO WOP FROM ROME RECORDS / VARIOUS

Overview

Rome Records only existed for about two years, and the label's main claim to fame was that it recorded the early sides of the High Hatters, who renamed themselves the Earls and subsequently scored a pair of memorable doo wop hits -- "Remember Then" and "Never" -- on the Old Town label. This 27-song CD contains virtually the complete output of Rome Records and the related Power-Martin label, other than the Earls' tracks, which were not available. The CD opens with three genuine rarities: two 1959 vintage, pre-Rome sides by Johnny & the Jokers -- the catchy up-tempo novelty tune " "Do-Re-Mi-Rock" and the romantic ballad "Comic Book Romance" -- and one side by the High Hatters, the slow-tempo ballad "It's You." Most of Rome's output was in this vein: white doo wop aimed at dancers; Johnny & the Jokers were one of the busier acts on the label other than the Earls, and their mid-tempo work, such as "Learning About Love," is achingly beautiful and has a great beat. Del & the Escorts were also one of the better outfits to cut for the label, their version of "Someone to Watch Over Me" being one of the better reworkings of a pop classic, while "Baby Doll" features some extraordinary vocal acrobatics by the group; producer Don Davis evidently thought so much of the arrangements and the backing vocals that he wiped the lead singer's voice and recorded someone credited as Jo-Ann on lead vocals for a reissue on the Raven label in 1964. Also featured on this disc are more generic pop-oriented doo wop outfits such as the Glens (who get down to sounding really soulful on the achingly beautiful "More" and "I Feel Great") and an early-'60s outfit called the Pretenders. The latter group's sound varied wildly from record to record based on the evidence of what's here, from lively, upbeat R&B-based teen pop in the vein of Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers on "I'm So Happy" to Frankie Avalon-style crooning on "Could This Be Magic" and Dion & the Belmonts' street-corner harmonizing on "Guardian Angel," and then they turned into a scaled-down version of the Ray Conniff Singers on their version of "A Very Precious Love" (from the movie Marjorie Morningstar). Evidently their name spoke literally about their abilities in terms of morphing their sound. Ultimately, little of what's here -- other than the bridge on "More" by the Glens and that stunning moment where the singers take off on Del & the Escorts' version of "Baby Doll" -- is close to earth-shattering, but it's all extremely enjoyable even to the casual listener, and some of it is downright stunning. All of what's here is evocative of a beautiful and innocent era in rock & roll; indeed, this is that rare kind of collector's anthology that can make converts of non-fans of doo wop music. The sound quality is exceptional and the annotation, given how little is known about any of these artists (not even photos have survived), is reasonably thorough. ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	03/16/1999
Label:	DEE JAY GERMANY
UPC:	4001043551005

Tracks

1. It's You  -  High Hatters
2. Do-Re-Mi-Rock  -  Johnny & the Jokers
3. Comic Book Romance  -  Johnny & the Jokers
4. Someone to Watch over Me  -  Del & the Escorts  - George Gershwin  - Ira Gershwin
5. Baby Doll  -  Del & the Escorts
6. I'm Not the Guy  -  Glens
7. Theif of Love  -  Del & the Escorts
8. Something  -  Del & the Escorts
9. Why Must It Be  -  Johnny & the Jokers
10. The Seven Teens  - J. Power  -  Pretenders
11. I'm So Happy  -  Pretenders  - M. Robinson
12. Smile  - Charlie Chaplin  - Geoffrey Parsons  -  Pretenders  - John Turner
13. Could This Be Magic  - Richard Blandon  - Hiram Johnson  -  Pretenders
14. Guardian Angel  -  Pretenders  -  Selections
15. The Seven Teens  -  Johnny & the Jokers  - J. Power
16. More  -  Glens
17. I Feel Great  -  Glens
18. Someone to Watch over Me  - George Gershwin  - Ira Gershwin  -  Jo-Ann
19. Baby Doll  -  Jo-Ann
20. Oh Love  -  Glens
21. The Seven Teens  -  Glens  - J. Power
22. A Very Precious Love  -  Pretenders
23. My Maddona  -  Prince Tones
24. My Life  -  Prince Tones
25. I Love You Darling  -  Apollos
26. Bandstand Baby  -  Apollos
27. Learning About Love  -  Johnny & the Jokers

Album Credits

Performance Credits

High Hatters   Primary Artist
Glens   Primary Artist
Del & the Escorts   Primary Artist
The Pretenders   Primary Artist
Johnny & the Jokers   Primary Artist
Prince-Tones   Primary Artist
Apollos   Primary Artist
Jo-Ann   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Apollos   Composer,Performer
Ira Gershwin   Composer
S. Wriedt   Photography,Engineer
John Turner   Composer
George Gershwin   Composer
Richard Blandon   Composer
Trade Martin   Producer
Geoffrey Parsons   Composer
Hiram Johnson   Composer
J. Power   Composer
Selections   Composer
M. Robinson   Composer
Charlie Chaplin   Composer