Go to:
The Very Best of The Coasters (1993)
9
Riot in Cell Block #9 / Smokey Joe's Café / Down in Mexico / Searchin'
/ Idol with the Golden Head / Young Blood / Yakety Yak / Charlie
Brown / Along Came Jones / That Is Rock & Roll / I'm a Hog for
You / Poison Ivy / What About Us / Run Red Run / Little Egypt (Ying-Yang)
/ Shoppin' for Clothes / Sorry But I'm Gonna Have to Pass
I
may not be the smartest, most handsome guy on the block, but I'll often recognize
a kick-ass song when I hear one, and this compilation has a load of those.
As one of the most important and successful doo-wop acts of its era (along
with The Drifters (who were more all over the place), The Platters (who were
considerably slicker) and many more like The Orioles, The Cadillacs, etc etc),
The Coasters managed to score an impressive string of hits during the second
half of the 50's, three of which ("Searchin'," "Yakety Yak," "Poison Ivy")
even peaked at the #1 spot of the R&B-charts. Even though the first two
tracks on this compilation were recorded when they still were The Robins and
featured a different line-up, all 17 of these songs here were written by the
reigning duo of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (occasionally with a third party
- like Doc Pomus - helping out), who were major players in the development
of rock 'n roll / R&B at the time. There's no better proof of their capabilities
than these funny, energetic and wonderfully remastered recordings. Even though
most doo-wop acts preferred a lighter approach and subject matter than blues
musicians (and if the significant other ran away with somebody else,
there were even more interesting girls to check out anyway), The Coasters
were definitely among the jolliest and funniest bunches of 'em all (but please
don't expect smug cynicism - their goofy wit was completely harmless), and
not only because they were given the ideally suited subject material and droll
lyrics, but because they had a real knack for comic effects, hilarious delivery
and a musical accompaniment that only added more nonsense. As such, they found
their way into the public consciousness and unless you grew up in a less fortunate
area (Bangladesh, Siberia, Zottegem, Alabama, etc.), you'll at least be familiar
with the teenage horror of "Yakety Yak," the bouncing optimism of "Searchin'"
(also a hit for The Hollies) and the struttin' "Young Blood."
All these songs were propelled by the strong vocal performances of the five-piece, often with funny recurring lines produced/repeated by the bass voice ("You better leave my daughter alone…") and fairly simple arrangements that relied heavily on (for the era) strong rhythms and honking saxes. The average quality of these songs is, simply put, amazing, as apart from a few cuts towards the end of the compilation (it was obvious their winning streak was over by the end of 1959) all the picks from the 1954-1959 years offer a mightily enjoyable peek into late 50's pop music. From opener "Riot in Cell Block #9" (later covered by The Blues Brothers) with its verse-salvos and swaggering chorus, to the mock-exoticism of "Down in Mexico," the swift, almost raucous R&B of "Charlie Brown" and "That Is Rock & Roll," the brilliant nonsense of "Along Came Jones" ("And then?... And then?... And then?") and the cool strut of "Poison Ivy," this is doo-wop heaven. Of course, there was more to doo-wop than 'merely' The Coasters (who were pretty much a second generation band building on foundations laid by The Orioles and others), but if you wanna get a taste of a band that had both creative and commercial success during the genre's most dominant era, this impeccable compilation is the release to check out. Also: it is the perfect medicine for bad cases of depression, negativism, sadness, misery, cynicism, despair, melancholy and most other daily annoyances. Fee-fee fa-fa fo-fo fum, and don't miss The Chipmunks (?) in "Charlie Brown."
Read album reviews of similar or related artists: