Teenage Favorites

Overview

Compared with Buffalo Bop's usual rockabilly and teen-rebel collections, this 33-song compilation is kind of dorky -- sort of a nerd's picture of rock & roll (the Richie Cunningham as opposed to the Fonzie playlist). Nobody appearing on this CD ever aspired to be really cool like Elvis or Gene Vincent; Ricky Nelson was as far as they got. But it's all great fun in its well-crafted, highly produced way, and some of the artists and labels here will actually be familiar--Tony Orlando ("The Loneliest"), Steve Lawrence ("Pretty Blue Eyes"), Milo Liggett ("Gold and Silver"), and the Barker Brothers ("Hey Little Mama") recorded for outfits like Monument, Epic, Brunswick, ABC, and Hickory. The Wonders ("Cuttin' Out"), the R-Dells ("You Say"), David Box ("Little Lonely Summer Girl") et al weren't rebels, they were would-be teen idols, and they weren't averse to delivering songs that were essentially teen-pop, albeit often with a good beat and some fairly prominent guitars amid the orchestras and backing choruses. Tommy Lam's "Blue Willow" actually has a guitar break, but it's more like good middle-year Elvis than real rock & roll. Much of this stuff was just as likely to have strings, but that doesn't stop it from being good romantic soft-rock. "Lazy Daisy" by Bobby Boston and "Just Give Me Your Heart" by Johnny Duffett do rock, but they're sandwiched between "Fantasy" by Johnny Cameron, the Crescendos' lovelorn "Oh! Julie," and "Big as I Can Dream" by Kris Jensen, (a song that makes the Everly Bros.' "Ebony Eyes" seem like "Bye Bye Love"). The Rituals' "Gone" is a good pop doo wop number that sort of anticipates "Remember When" as well as "It's Alright" by the Rolling Stones in its melody. Bobby Comstock's "Just a Piece of Paper" boasts a soaring string section of the kind that the Drifters would perfect, coupled to a melody very similar to "This Magic Moment." Marci's "Suddenly We're Strangers" could've given Gene Pitney a run for his money; the Barker Brothers, although no Everlys, had pleasant enough voices and knew how to pick a song ("Hey Little Mama" by Lee Hazelwood); and Gary Criss' "Our Favorite Melodies" and Donnie Owens' "Stormy" were sweet, soft romantic rock at its best. The sound quality is uniformly excellent, and although there are no notes, we do get the usual spread of available press photos. ~ Bruce Eder

Product Details

Release Date:	06/26/2000
Label:	Anima / Buffalo Bop
UPC:	4001043550152
Rank:	216739

Tracks

1. Cuttin' Out  -  Wonders
2. You Say  -  R-Dells
3. Little Lonely Summer Girl  - David Box
4. Pretty Blue Eyes  - Steve Lawrence  - Teddy Randazzo  - Bob Weinstein
5. Gold and Silver
6. Blue Willow
7. Poor Me  - Chip Fisher
8. Hot Seat  - Bobby Doyle
9. No Help Wanted  -  Canadian Sweethearts  - Bill Carlisle
10. Fantasy  - Johnny Cameron
11. Lazy Daisy
12. Oh! Julie  -  Crescendos
13. Just Give Me Your Heart
14. Big as I Can Dream  - Kris Jensen
15. Gone  - Bruce Johnston  - Terry Melcher  -  Rituals
16. Just a Piece of Paper  - Bobby Comstock
17. The Loneliest  - Tony Orlando
18. Hey Little Mama  - Lee Hazlewood
19. I Didn't Mean It  - Scott Rogers
20. Heartbreak  - Joe Melson
21. Suddenly We're Strangers
22. Girls
23. Lonely Saturday Night  - Don French
24. Stop Your Crying  - Jerry Naylor
25. My Heart  - Dale Wright
26. Steady Kind  - Mickey Denton
27. Devil Doll  - Lee Denson
28. Big Deal  -  Skee Brothers
29. Baby Remember Me  - Al Schnier
30. Sweet Lovin' Honey  - Don Cole  - Lee Hazlewood
31. Teenager in Love  - Woody Thorne
32. Our Favorite Melodies  - Gary Criss  - Scott Rogers
33. Stormy  - Lee Hazlewood

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Bobby Doyle   Primary Artist
The Crescendos   Primary Artist
Don French   Primary Artist
Joe Melson   Primary Artist
Canadian Sweethearts   Primary Artist
Al Schnier   Primary Artist
David Box   Primary Artist
Jerry Naylor   Primary Artist
Steve Lawrence   Primary Artist
Bobby Comstock   Primary Artist
Don Cole   Primary Artist
Lee Denson   Primary Artist
Mickey Denton   Primary Artist
Dale Wright   Primary Artist
Gary Criss   Primary Artist
Scott Rogers   Primary Artist
Woody Thorne   Primary Artist
Rituals   Primary Artist
Johnny Cameron   Primary Artist
R-Dells   Primary Artist
The Skee Brothers   Primary Artist
The Wonders   Primary Artist
Tony Orlando   Primary Artist
Chip Fisher   Primary Artist
Kris Jensen   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Teddy Randazzo   Composer
Terry Melcher   Composer
Bobby Doyle   Composer,Performer
Bill Carlisle   Composer
Bob Weinstein   Composer
Kris Jensen   Performer
Don French   Performer
Joe Melson   Composer,Performer
Lee Hazlewood   Composer
Canadian Sweethearts   Performer
David Box   Composer,Performer
Jerry Naylor   Performer
Bobby Comstock   Performer
Don Cole   Performer
Lee Denson   Composer,Performer
Mickey Denton   Performer
Bruce Johnston   Composer
Dale Wright   Composer,Performer
Gary Criss   Performer
Scott Rogers   Composer,Performer
Rituals   Performer
Johnny Cameron   Performer
R-Dells   Performer
Tony Orlando   Performer
Chip Fisher   Composer,Performer
The Crescendos   Performer