Sings Hits of the Rockin' 50's is the fourth studio album by American singer Bobby Vee[1] and released in October 1961 by Liberty Records.[1] Vee covers hits from the 1950s with this album including "Summertime Blues", "School Days", "Do You Want to Dance", "Lollipop", and "16 Candles".
| Sings Hits of the Rockin' 50's | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 1961 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 28:17 | |||
| Label | Liberty | |||
| Producer | Snuff Garrett | |||
| Bobby Vee chronology | ||||
| ||||
The album debuted on the Billboard Top LPs chart in the issue dated October 30, 1961, remaining on the album chart for eight weeks and peaking at No. 85.[2] it debuted in the UK shortly thereafter, on March 31, 1962 and spent its only week on the album chart there at number 20."[3]
The album was released on compact disc for the first time by Beat Goes On on March 10, 1999 as tracks 13 through 24 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 1 through 12 consisting of the other album being Vee's Other Album from June 1961, Bobby Vee with Strings and Things.[4]
Reel To Reel labels included this CD in a box set entitled Eight Classic Albums Plus Bonus Singles and was released on October 4, 2019.[5]
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [6] |
| Billboard | [7] |
At the time of the album's release, Billboard noted Vee "selected a flock of the biggest hits of the past decade and does them in his pleasant style",[7] while Cash Box thought "Youngsters will appreciate [Vee's] strict adherence to the original sounds" of past rock and roll hits.[8]
Retrospectively, Bruce Eder of AllMusic believes that "the album wears thin after a few spins" and "even though Vee's performances are good, the album is too calculated and workmanlike to transcend its humble origins."[1]
Track listing
editSide one
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Do You Want to Dance" | Bobby Freeman | 2:39 |
| 2. | "Lollipop" | Beverly Ross, Julius Dixson | 1:54 |
| 3. | "School Days" | Chuck Berry | 2:27 |
| 4. | "Little Star" | Vito Picone, Arthur Venosa | 2:34 |
| 5. | "Come Go with Me" | Clarence Quick | 1:56 |
| 6. | "Summertime Blues" | Eddie Cochran, Jerry Capehart | 2:05 |
Side two
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Happy, Happy Birthday Baby" | Margo Sylvia, Gilbert Lopez | 2:20 |
| 2. | "Lavender's Blue" | Traditional | 2:19 |
| 3. | "Donna" | Ritchie Valens | 2:32 |
| 4. | "Earth Angel" | Curtis Williams, Jesse Belvin, Gaynel Hodge | 2:45 |
| 5. | "The Wisdom of a Fool" | Roy Alfred, Abner Silver | 2:03 |
| 6. | "16 Candles" | Luther Dixon, Allyson R. Khent | 2:50 |
Charts
edit| Chart (1961) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Top LPs[9] | 85 |
| UK Albums Chart"[3] | 20 |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Eder, Bruce. Bobby Vee Sings Hits of the Rockin' 50's: Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Albums: 1955-1996. Menomonee Falls, Wis.: Record Research. p. 814. ISBN 978-0-8982-0117-8.
- ^ a b "BOBBY VEE". Official Charts. 1962-03-31. Retrieved 2024-09-07.
- ^ "Bobby Vee with Strings and Things/Sings Hits of the Rockin' '50's". allmusic.com. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
- ^ "Eight Classic Albums Plus Bonus Singles". allmusic.com. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1446. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
- ^ a b "Spotlight Albums of the Week: Pop LP's". Billboard. Vol. 73, no. 31. August 7, 1961. p. 28.
- ^ "Album Reviews". Cash Box. Vol. 22, no. 22. August 12, 1961. p. 16.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Joel Whitburn's Top R&B singles, 1942-1995. Menomonee Falls, Wis.: Record Research. p. 183. ISBN 0-8982-0115-2.