The Best of The Elegants

You may not know who Vito Picone is but I can bet that you'd recognize his voice on some of the timeless classics that The Elegants put out.

It was a magic year... New York had three baseball teams, Don Larsen threw a perfect game in the World Series, doo wop was the soundtrack of life, and Chevy ruled the road. That same year, The Elegants began their journey from Staten Island to the top of the charts.

While this album surely serves its purpose in capturing their popular hits (which are very good) it doesn't satisfy my need for rare albums that dig deep.

Although I have just rated this album in somewhat of a negative way, let me add that that I do actually listen to this album a lot, especially in my car.

The most famous song of this album is "Little Star." Its a great song that has been used on a variety of movie soundtracks and played by many Doo Wop DJs. Because of the type of person I am, someone who likes the unheard classics, my favorite on this album is "Please Believe Me." It's similar to a Dion & The Belmonts-style probably because they all grew up within the New York City area. Either way, "Please Believe Me" is one of my all time favorite oldies and definitely my top pick from this album. Below, I've included the track listing, a bonus picture, and a link to The Elegants website. It has some great facts about this group that still performs concerts.


Track Listing:
Little Star
Getting Dizzy
Please Believe Me
Goodnight
True Love Affair
Pay Day
Little Boy Blue
Get Well Soon
Still Waiting
Rain, Rain
True Love Affair - (alternate take)
Little Boy Blue - (alternate take)


**** BONUS INFORMATION ****


Vito Picone (facing camera) played a role in the movie "Goodfellas"

BE SURE TO CHECK OUT THE ELEGANTS WEBSITE:

http://www.the-elegants.com/index.php

Wynn Stewart & Jan Howard

While I don't know much biographical information about either of these two artists, I do know that they made some classics in country music history.

If you like Buck Owens, you'll love this album. While many of the songs do sound similar, you can find some unique classics, like "Faded Love," "Above and Beyond," and "Playboy." Now I can't go on reviewing this album without mentioning steel guitar...

As I mentioned in my review of the Waylon Jennings Live album, Ralph Mooney played with many famous artists (Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard, Wynn Stewart). It seems like a coincidence that a steel guitar player was lucky enough to be in all of these great bands but I beg to differ. I wouldn't say that Mooney was along for the ride with these all time greats, I would say he WAS the ride and the reason for much of the sucess these artists would have in the future.

Check this album out for some old school classic country. You may not want to play this album over and over again but you will sure appreciate some of the vintage sounds that formed the foundation of country music.


Song List:
1. Wrong Company
2. We’ll Never Love Again
3. Wishful Thinking - Wynn Stewart
4. A World I Can’t Live In - Jan Howard
5. The One You Slip Around With - Jan Howard
6. Faded Love - Jan Howard
7. Above And Beyond (The Call Of Love) - Wynn Stewart
8. How The Other Half Lives
9. Make An Honest Woman Out Of Me - Jan Howard
10. Too Many Teardrops Too Late - Jan Howard
11. Playboy - Wynn Stewart
12. Big, Big Love - Wynn Stewart
13. Yankee Go Home
14. Let Me Know - Jan Howard
15. Ages and Ages Ago - Jan Howard
16. Uncle Tom Got Caught - Wynn Stewart
17. Bring It On Back To Me - Jan Howard
18. Heartaches For A Dime - Wynn Stewart

HOW TO GET THESE ALBUMS...

If anyone is interested in where and how to obtain any of these albums, please feel free to send me an email and I'll be sure to connect you with the right source(s).


jnastyproductions@yahoo.com