Going back to the 1960s, and a group that may not ring a bell by their
name, but when you hear their most popular hits, some will say, "Ohh, I
remember them!" As you listen to their earliest hits, they have a sound
compared to most black R&B groups of the time, including early Motown.
Being an all-white vocal group, their blend of R&B easily matched those of
their fellow black vocal groups.
Their most popular tunes from my recollection, are "Bristol Stomp"
and "Hully Gully Baby." Yet, the opening track did ring memory bells
as well -- "You Can't Sit Down." "Your Last Chance" rings
more memory bells for me, as it was the flip side of the 45 rpm single of
"Hully Gully Baby."
A lot of their music compares to another label mate (Parkway), Chubby
Checker. Songs such as "The Jitterbug" and "Kissin' In The
Kitchen." have the Chubby Checker atmosphere. Many songs have the R&B
style, such as "Wildwood Days, "Save Me Baby" and "Dance The Frog."
Of course, the "sound alike" songs, "Hully Gully Baby" being a
bit hit, it's obvious they used the melody of this song to an extent on
"Watusi With Lucy." The melody of "You Can't Sit Down" can be
compared on "Hey Beautiful." There's even a cover song of Chuck Berry's
"Maybelline." Not as great as the original, but it does have a good
R&B flavor. Even their version of Chubby Checker's "Let's Twist Again"
is a very good cover, yet not as great as the original. The same can be said
for the cover of Jimmy Soul's "If YoU Wanna Be Happy." "Happy
Birthday Just The Same" is a spitting image of a Beach Boys song, however
the song was not written by any members of the Beach Boys. Likewise the same
can be said on "Dragster On The Prowl," yet it has a more Jan & Dean
style. Frankie Lymon's "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" is another good
cover as well. Huey Lewis & The News may have the best remake of "Little
Bitty Pretty One," yet The Dovells' version is pretty good. And the
original Jackie Wilson "Baby Workout" doesn't compete with The Dovells'
version.
A good assortment of R&B of the early 1960s, The Dovells maybe most
remembered for a handful of hits, but their white vocals sounding like black
is very impressive. The 2-disc set covers their career, and their website
has some of the members still performing. A good compilation, and its always
fun to listen to the not-so-famous songs as well, The Dovells collection
brings back memories of the few songs that made them famous, and nice to
listen to what else material they had.
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