Oldies But Goodies 10 / Various

The CD arrived on time, was in perfect shape and my dad loves it!

"OLE GUYS RULE" an d I'm an ole guy

My husband and I are sound oldies but goodies fans. This CD is a great treat to listen to on the road and at home. Thank you!

I own most of the "Oldies But Goodies" CD's; but if I was doing my oldies collection project over again, I would have stuck to other compilations instead. I don't believe that this series was the best use of my money.The biggest problem is that the audio quality is usually noticeably poorer on the "Oldies But Goodies" versions of songs that also appear in other compilations. "Oldies But Goodies" would be my last resort as a source for an oldie song, not my first choice.

can never go wrong with great music

Purchased as Christmas gift; my Dad loves it! This one is for his best friend...

Oldies But Goodies, Vol. 10 is a great CD that actually has two versions of it out there; I am assuming that my version, the "40th Anniversary" version, is the one they retired and that newer version is listed here. There aren't any drastic changes but it does make it harder to recommend with confidence that you'll get the CD you want. If you buy a set of all fifteen CDs in a case, you may get the version I have. However, since the songs are almost identical with little variation, I will try to stick to reviewing the CD here and noting what changes you can expect if you buy the older version.Both versions of the CD open with The Righteous Brothers performing their magnificent "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." They sing and harmonize so well on this number; and the very fine musical arrangement is quite impressive. What a lush ballad! "Dedicated To The One I Love" by The Shirelles follows on both CDs; and The Shirelles sing this with lots of feeling--I love it! There's also "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray; but the CD I have has this track later on in the track set. Dobie sings this wonderfully and it's easily a major highlight of both versions of this CD."Roll Over Beethoven" by Chuck Berry is on both CDs; and Chuck Berry sings this with lots of energy and it works so well even today--what a rockin' tune this is! The electric guitars help to make "Roll Over Beethoven" a classic rock tune. "You Belong To Me" by The Duprees is on my CD but it is not found on this version; they replace it with "The Jerk" by The Larks. "Bright Lights, Big City" is on both CDs; Jimmy Reed sings this with a great arrangement and it showcases the type of music that was the true beginnings of rock and roll."Venus" by Frankie Avalon is on both CDs; and what a treat this is! Frankie sings this so much sensitivity that you could never forget this marvelous love song. Great! Another song found on both albums is "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" by The Tune Weavers. This torch song is one of the best from the early years of rock and roll and it's very pretty. In addition, both CDs offer Jerry Butler & Betty Everett performing "Let It Be Me." The newer CD has "(Baby) Hully Gully" by The Olympics--oh, well, guess I didn't get the version with this tune.Overall, both the former 40th Anniversary edition and this Golden Anniversary edition are great albums for those of us who love the oldies. I did want to clarify the major differences between the two versions of this album. Actually, if you are a big fan of the oldies like me, you will probably be satisfied with either one--or, if you can afford it, maybe you should buy both versions! I will take off one star, however, for the confusion that may be caused by the difference between the two CDs.

I have been doing a series of commentaries elsewhere on another site on my coming of political age in the early 1960s, but here when I am writing about musical influences I am just speaking of my coming of age, period, which was not necessarily the same thing. No question that those of us who came of age in the 1950s are truly children of rock and roll. We were there, whether we appreciated it or not at the time, when the first, sputtering, musical moves away from ballady Broadway show tunes and rhymey Tin Pan Alley pieces hit the radio airwaves. (If you do not know what a radio is then ask your parents or, ouch, grandparents, please.) And, most importantly, we were there when the music moved away from any and all music that your parents might have approved of, or maybe, even liked, or, hopefully, at least left you alone to play in peace up in your room when rock and roll hit post- World War II America teenagers like, well, like an atomic bomb.Not all of the material put forth was good, nor was all of it destined to be playable fifty or sixty years later on some "greatest hits" compilation but some of songs had enough chordal energy, lyrical sense, and sheer danceability to make any Jack or Jill jump then, or now. And, here is the good part, especially for painfully shy guys like me, or those who, like me as well, had two left feet on the dance floor. You didn't need to dance toe to toe, close to close, with that certain she (or he for shes). Just be alive...uh, hip to the music. Otherwise you might become the dreaded wallflower. But that fear, the fear of fears that haunted many a teenage dream then, is a story for another day. Let's just leave it at this for now. Ah, to be very, very young then was very heaven.So what still sounds good on this CD compilation to a current AARPer, and perhaps to some of his fellows who comprise the demographic that such a 1950s-oriented compilation "speaks" to. Of course, the late Bo Diddley's monster guitar riffs on "Bo Diddley" (and about ten other of his mad man songs from this period). Naturally, in a period of classic rock numbers, Chuck Berry's Roll Over Beethoven (and about twenty of his songs from this period). And also naturally Fats Domin's My Blue Heaven" (ditto).But what about the now, seeming mandatory to ask, inevitable end of the night high school dance song (or maybe even middle school) that seems to be included in each CD compilation? The song that you, maybe, waited around all night for just to prove that you were not a wallflower, and more importantly, had the moxie to, mumbly-voiced, parched-throated, sweaty-handed, asked a girl to dance (women can relate their own experiences, probably similar). Here the classic Jerry Butler and Betty Everett "Let It Be Me fills the bill. Hey, I did like this one, especially the harmonies, and moreover that certain she (the same certain she of the Volume Six and Eight reviews. Does this mean we are going "steady?") said yes and this was what you waited for and made it all worthwhile. And, yes, I know, this is one of the slow ones that you had to dance close on. And just hope, hope to high heaven that you didn't destroy your partner's shoes and feet. Well, one learns a few social skills in this world if for no other reason that to "impress" that certain she (or he for shes) mentioned above. I did, didn't you?