Reviewed by Tony Cummings

With Cross Rhythms' policy of concentrating on music made by Christians it's rare for us to review a project where the bulk of the artists showcased have no known Christian faith. But in the case of this bargain price box set a review is appropriate for several reasons. Firstly, amongst all the 200 tracks offered here - yes, we said 200, this being a 10-CD box set - there are some vocal groups here, such as The Dixieaires, The 5 Royales and The Du Droppers, which history tells us simply switched from the '40s and '50s gospel scene to "go secular" and in the process enjoyed a hit record or two. Secondly, there are one or two doowop teams on 'Doowop Chartbusters' whose frontmen (namely Dion and Little Anthony) went on to find Christian faith years after their early hits. Thirdly, the tracks here remind us again what most doowop histories completely fail to acknowledge, that the most significant root in the doowop sound with its high lead tenors and wurb-aburbing bass voices was pre-war jubilee gospel groups like The Heavenly Gospel Singers, The Golden Gate Quartet and dozens more. But putting the music history to one side, one can state categorically that though there are some aberrations in the track selection (one surely can't call The Kalin Twins, The Shirelles, Jan & Dean and the Isley Brothers doowop) with so many tracks on offer - and all of them hits - there are numerous classic cuts here. Particular gems are The Flamingos' beautiful "I Only Have Eyes For You" (with the arrangement once stolen by Art Garfunkel); the delightfully moronic "Get A Job" by The Silhouettes; the blue-eyed soul doowopper "Since I Don't Have You" by The Skyliners; the haunting, other-worldly "(In The) Still Of The Night" by The Five Satins; the hilarious '60s mangling of the old standard "Blue Moon" by The Marcels; and the definitive doowop version of "Crying In The Chapel" by The Orioles. Amazon are selling this 10-CD treasure trove for £10.56 (plus postage) which is a fantastic price for so many timeless examples of street corner harmony.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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