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Doo Wop-The other end of the goldmine

kalakala 3,361 Posts
edited July 2007 in Strut Central
A friendly old neigbor who was cleaning out her basement gave me a box of old doo wop 45s because she knows i am a wax collectro.I am slowly going thru it trying to pull the ones I want to sample,sell and dispense of.I am a fool for good vocal harmony in almost any genre,and I am suprised how much I am getting into this stuff.Most of my doo wop knowledge is limited to the obvious hits and cousin brucey's show when cbs 101.1 was still on the air,and also zappa's parodies.Since the tri state area was THE mecca for this music there are a lot of small local labels from the area in this box.Anyone else dig on this,as I rarely see it discussed here.

  Comments

  • DocMcCoyDocMcCoy "Go and laugh in your own country!" 5,917 Posts
    A couple of years back, shig posted a really good doo-wop mix that I still play from time to time. I don't really know much about it myself, but the people who do tend to be pretty fanatical about it, and will pay mad dolla for doo-wop raers, but I'm sure you're well aware of this already.
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    We've actually had doo-wop threads from time to time (though not as often as, say, yacht-rock). I'm a fan of the stuff, even though I can't stand listening to too many ballads in a row. Slow doo-wopps don't have a lot of variety, and it's even worse when some group like Sonny Til & the Orioles tackle some pop standard like "For All We Know." But other than that, love the sound.

    That said, Relic Records had an umpteen-volume series called The Golden Groups (with each installment focusing on a specific label). I've been buying a lot of those lately - Relic went out of business some time ago, and their back stock is still being sold off cheap - and there's quite a few goodies on those elpees. So between these albums, seeing a few of these groups at a '50s rock festival in Green Bay, WI two months ago (Five Keys, Penguins, Bobbettes, etc.), and doing some late-night doo-wopping myself with some friends, Big Sandy, Vicky Tafoya, and some drunk Swedes I'd never met before in the lobby of the casino where the festival was...yeah, I been digging that sound myself.
  • DJPrestigeDJPrestige 1,710 Posts
    i know some of these records are worth $$$. one of my local dealers biggest customer is a guy who buys doo wop 45s and picture sleeves, and they are never cheap. for me, i'll take a pass on most of it. i had to listen to that when i was growing up, my dad is a fanatic.
  • pointmanpointman 1,042 Posts
    A couple of years back, shig posted a really good doo-wop mix that I still play from time to time.

    Shig came with the realness.
  • djkingottodjkingotto 1,704 Posts
    A couple of years back, shig posted a really good doo-wop mix that I still play from time to time.

    Shig came with the realness.

    where does one find/listen to this realness mix?
  • grandpa_shiggrandpa_shig 5,799 Posts
    i can repost it. give me a few days.

    but more importantly, DOO WOP MOTELS R.I.P.[/b] im pretty sure they were all demolished a couple years ago.
  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    I've been playing the Denotations' "Nena" out for a minute now...pure latino doo-wop heatery.
  • grandpa_shiggrandpa_shig 5,799 Posts
    oh sweet. my latino doo wops have been growing since i moved down here.

    re: the doo wop hotels RIP
    http://www.doowopusa.org/pop-doowopmotels.html

    and i forgot i just uploaded this mix. its more uptempo oldies, i'll upload the doo wops later next week.
    http://www.sendspace.com/file/qbmmqy
  • buttonbutton 1,475 Posts
    hell yes to the lowrider oldies. I'm big on the Elgins "I lost my love in the big city" at this particular moment
  • Jonny_PaycheckJonny_Paycheck 17,825 Posts
    Not doowop per se but a new round of Impalaville is being prepped as we speak!
  • johmbolayajohmbolaya 4,472 Posts
    The three Rhino box sets are really good, and of course almost every region had some kind of small doo-wop scene, which makes those records interesting. Let's face it, the numbnut-ness of record collecting came from these guys, and the collectors are as insane as "the youngins", if not moreso. There's a doo-wop mailing list on MSN, and the conversations are as heavy as any of the boards I reguarly post on. Then there's this website:
    http://www.doowopshoobop.com/

    A few of these titles are "of questionable origin", probably no more legal than any of thise Brainfreeze Breaks and Rihanna instrumental albums. If you don't believe me, head here:
    http://www.doowopshoobop.com/varlabel.html


    My favorite song is "I Don't Stand A Ghost Of A Chance" by The Solitares.
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