4. Earth Angel, The Penguins

            Ooo-oo-oo-oo, waa-aa-aa, ooo-oo-oo-oo is just one of the hundreds of memorable doo-wop sounds that instantly identify a favorite oldie to any music lover growing up in the ‘50s. There are probably 20 such songs I could live with on this list (see sidebar, below), but none surpasses Earth Angel for its combination of general popularity, sheer beauty and essential doo-wopness. According to the random books in my library, this was the first independent rhythm-and-blues record to enter the national pop charts (in 1955, and it was a hit again three or four years later) and is “considered to be the top R&B record of all time in terms of continuous popularity.” Says another, “It changed the course of history.” The top three oldies in every WINS countdown in New York varied in order from year to year, but they were always In the Still of the Night, Tonite, Tonite and Earth Angel. As for sheer beauty, Cleve Duncan’s high tenor lead is one of the purest sounds in rock history. I get goose bumps listening to his “oh-oh-oh”-ing as he comes in for the final verse. And the innocence that marked the ‘50s and was a hallmark of doo-wop merged from Duncan’s voice, the naïve lyrics – “my darling dear, I’ll love you all the time” – and the simple production – the song was recorded by four 19-year-olds in a garage in Los Angeles, with only a piano and drum behind them. Which is not to say there aren’t subtleties that reward a close listen: when the bridge comes around for the second time, we’re treated to a new voice and a syncopated delivery that makes the return of Duncan’s clear tone all the more thrilling.

 

Sidebar: Doo-Wop

            How to compare the Penguins with Led Zeppelin? Of course you can’t, it’s the proverbial apples and oranges. But both were favorites of the moment, and both have staying power. Doo-wop is my Italian quattrocento, a period of exquisite beauty that may not be as sophisticated as Dutch 17th century or Edo Japan but can still produce as big a thrill. In doo-wop there were slow songs and fast songs – usually back-to-back on the same 45 (e.g., Earth Angel b/wHey, Senorita) – and I can at least keep my comparisons somewhat clean by only judging Earth Angel against the slow-dance cohort. Cleve Duncan had an angelic voice, but so did Rudy West of the Five Keys (Out of Sight, Out of Mind) and Willie Winfield of the Harptones (The Glory of Love) and, to throw in a token white, Jimmy Beaumont of the Skyliners (Since I Don’t Have You). Other songs took fuller advantage of the group dimension of doo-wop: in Sincerely, the song that brought me to doo-wop, the opening bass line is unforgettable; in the Jesters’ version of The Wind, the whole ensemble trembles. Some songs pack more of an emotional wallop: Tears on My Pillow by Little Anthony & Imperials for one, Lee Andrews & Hearts’ Teardrops for another. Florence by the Paragons had an ethereal, other-worldly sound, while Shrine of St. Cecilia couldn’t have been more comforting. To an outsider, doo-wop may sound the same and even seem boring; but if, like a Renaissance scholar, you’ve studied it even a little, it’s a richly diverse world of magic.

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