Frank Zappa often complained by the Eighties that he found it difficult to find musicians who were familiar with the Doo-Wop and R&B records of the Fifties.
So his love of that music could not be featured in his later concerts as much as he would like.
Frank would occasionally mention that he had a sizable collection of 45s from the Fifties.
I now encounter young people who never even heard of this music, not even from their parents.
When I lived in New York City between 1993 and 2008, I would listen to WFUV, broadcasting from Fordham University in the Bronx, almost every Saturday night between midnight and 2am, and record Dan Romanello’s “GROUP HARMONY REVIEW”.
Romanello was one of the most knowledgeable DJs of the music from the Fifties and early Sixties in the world.
https://wfuv.org/content/thank-you-dan
https://wfuv.org/users/dan-romanello
We have now made 45 of his shows available – that’s approximately 90 hours of this incredible music!!!
His commentary throughout the shows is exemplary for its scholarship, including interviews with many of the musicians, who performed in those years on the street corners, since so many of them were still living in the New York City area.
This collection may not interest all Zappa enthusiasts but we are making it available to those who already enjoy this music as well as those who have never experienced it before. Frank showed me this collection occasionally and we would often listen to a few records.
Bob Dobbs
Tracks in episode:
0:02:28 – The 5th Dimension – Passing By
0:04:40 – The Charts – Zoop
0:07:15 – The Metallics – Need Your Love
0:09:50 – The Four Pals – If I Can’t Have The One I love
0:13:41 – The Excellents – You Baby You
0:16:12 – The Valentines – Summer Love
0:18:50 – Bel-Airs – My Yearbook
0:21:08 – The Excellents – Coney Island Baby
0:27:40 – Kenny Vance – Over The Mountain
0:32:38 – The Cardinals – Wheel of Fortune
0:35:44 – The Hollywood Flames – Wheel of Fortune
0:38:57 – The Four Dots – Saturday night function
0:42:00 – The Four Dots – Strange As It Seems
0:46:28 – The Diamonds – A Beggar for Your Kisses
0:49:16 – The Diamonds – A Beggar for Your Kisses (version 2)
0:56:40 – The Diamonds – Call Baby Call
0:59:27 – The Diamonds – Two Loves Have I
1:02:45 – The Diamonds – Cherry
1:07:06 – ? – Boogie Woogie
1:09:36 – ?
1:12:10 – The Timetones – Get a Hold of Yourself
1:14:13 – Scott Stevens And The Cavaliers – Play By the Rules of Love
1:19:28 – The Vocaleers – Love You
1:23:30 – The Vocaleers – Be True
1:26:45 – Kid Kyle – Rendezvous With You
1:28:44 – Vic Donna & The Parakeets – Teenage Rose
1:32:36 – The Counts – Love And Understanding
1:35:00 – The Counts – She Won’t Say Yes
1:38:10 – The Swans – Believe In Me
1:40:17 – The Del-Vikings – I Hear Bells (Wedding Bells)
1:42:38 – The Victorians – Wedding Bells
1:44:50 – The Platters – Why Shouldn’t I?
1:52:20 – Kenny Vance – Girl in My Dreams
1:57:35 – The Capris – There’s a Moon Out Tonight
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