The Cleftones The Best Of (CD)

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catalog number: CDNEM603
weight in Kg 0.107

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(Sequel Records/Rhino) 18 tracks Gee & Roulette 1955-62 For fans of classic Doo Wop,... more

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The Cleftones: The Best Of (CD)

(Sequel Records/Rhino) 18 tracks Gee & Roulette 1955-62

For fans of classic Doo Wop, vocal groups and the golden age of American R&B, The Best of the Cleftones is an essential trip back to the street-corner sound of the 1950s. The New York-based Cleftones combined powerful lead vocals with tight harmonies, memorable melodies and the unmistakable atmosphere of the classic Doo Wop era.

This collection brings together 18 recordings from the group's classic Gee repertoire and later recordings. Highlights include „You Baby You“, „Little Girl of Mine“, „You're Driving Me Mad“, „Can't We Be Sweethearts“, „Neki-Hokey“, „String Around My Heart“ and the group's signature song „Heart and Soul“. The set also includes „For Sentimental Reasons“ and „Lover Come Back to Me“.

„Heart and Soul“ became the Cleftones' best-known hit in 1961, but this collection makes clear that their musical legacy goes much deeper. Their combination of expressive lead vocals, rich group harmonies, romantic ballads and lively R&B rhythms captures the sound of an era when vocal groups were an essential part of the American musical landscape.

With 18 tracks and approximately 45 minutes of music, The Best of the Cleftones is a highly enjoyable collection for anyone who loves authentic 1950s and early-1960s Doo Wop, R&B and classic vocal-group harmony.

Article properties: The Cleftones: The Best Of (CD)

Interpret: The Cleftones
Album titlle: The Best Of (CD)
Label CASTLE
Genre Doo-Wop
Artikelart CD
EAN: 5017285522030
weight in Kg 0.107

Cleftones - The Best Of (CD) CD 1
01	You Baby You	The Cleftones
02	Little Girl Of Mine	The Cleftones
03	You're Driving Me Mad	The Cleftones
04	Can't We Be Sweethearts	The Cleftones
05	Neki Hokey	The Cleftones
06	Happy Memories	The Cleftones
07	String Around My Heart	The Cleftones
08	Why You Do Me Like You Do	The Cleftones
09	I Like Your Style Of Making Love	The Cleftones
10	See You Next Year	The Cleftones
11	Lover Boy	The Cleftones
12	Beginners At Love	The Cleftones
13	She's So Fine	The Cleftones
14	Heart And Soul	The Cleftones
15	How DoYou Feel	The Cleftones
16	Please Say You Want Me	The Cleftones
17	For Sentimental Reasons	The Cleftones
18	Lover Come Back To Me	The Cleftones

The Cleftones Heart And Soul Things hadn't been going all that commercially well in... more

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"The Cleftones"

The Cleftones

Heart And Soul

Things hadn't been going all that commercially well in recent years for The Cleftones. When rock and roll burst on the scene, the Queens, New York-based quintet scored big on George Goldner's Gee label with their jumping You Baby You and Little Girl Of Mine (they're on our 1955 and '56 discs, respectively). Herb Cox's youthful leads, enthusiastic harmonies from his pals, and Jimmy Wright's psycho sax solos rendered The Cleftones' singles highly distinctive.

But since they'd moved over to Morris Levy's Roulette Records in the summer of '58, the group, down to four members (tenors Charles James and Berman Patterson and bass Warren Corbin with Cox), had been conspicuously absent from the airwaves. Their She's So Fine, Cuzin Casanova, and She's Gone didn't grab many listeners. Patterson split in late '59, replaced by former Rivileers lead singer Gene Pearson, just back from the Marines. Georgianna 'Pat' Spann followed him in, giving The Cleftones their first female member (shades of The Platters).

The new lineup benefitted from newly hired A&R man Henry Glover, who had produced countless R&B hits for King and Federal Records. The Cleftones veered into a new direction: Cox fronting old standards. First on the slate was Heart And Soul, created by Hoagy Carmichael and Frank Loesser in 1938 (pop bandleader Larry Clinton had a #1 hit with the theme). The Cleftones gave the tune a breezy up-tempo reading that contemporized it, and being back on the Gee logo seemed to bring the group luck, even if Levy now owned the label. Heart And Soul proved a #18 pop hit in the spring of '61 (a group-generated How Do You Feel was the flip).

The Cleftones charted twice more in 1962 for Gee, both times reviving standards under Glover's supervision with Herb up front. They recut For Sentimental Reasons because they liked Sam Cooke's '57 hit version (The Brown Dots' 1945 original can be found on the first disc in this series), their remake going to #60 pop that fall. A remade Lover Come Back To Me finished their chart uptick at the end of '62. Pearson had left a few months earlier to join The Drifters (George Treadwell managed both groups). The Cleftones managed two more 45s for Levy's empire, but Cox kept them gigging in one form or another for several decades.

Various Street Corner Symphonies 1961 Vol.13

Read more at: https://www.bear-family.com/various-street-corner-symphonies-1961-vol.13.html
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