BOOTLEGS AND BARGAIN-BIN OLDIES

IMPORTS BOOTLEGS and BARGAIN-BIN OLDIES RECORDS

BARGAIN-BIN VOCAL GROUP LPS I HAVE KNOWN by Thomas Bingham

Like it or not, the vocal group (in which most of the members do not play an instrument) has played an important role in the histories of rock and its brother, soul. Not suprisingly, these hundreds, perhaps thousands, of mostly oneor two-shot groups have been grossly ignored by researchers and analysts, especially the groups after 1959, the year �There Goes My Baby� marked the effective end of early rock-and-roll. Before anyone makes any Great Pronouncements concerning the grand bulk of the Post-5 0�$ vocal groups, it is first necessary to become familiar with the music itself. This extended review hopes to be a step in that direction. The fifteen albums chosen for this alphabetically arranged survey have one major factor in common — they are available in many variety store bargain bins (two, bucks or less) throughout the U.S.