New Hit Parade/ERIC releases...

Although '50s music is not my main area of expertise, I do collect and enjoy it. I'm curious to know if anyone has picked up the brand new CD release called Hard to Find Jukebox Classics 1956 put out by Hit Parade Records, which is distributed by the acclaimed oldies reissue label ERIC? It's reported to have eight Top 40 hits from the '50s that have never appeared on CD:

"In a Shanty in Old Shanty Town" (Single Version) - Somethin' Smith & Redheads
"City of Angels" - The Highlights
"From the Candy Store On the Corner to the Chapel On the Hill" - Tony Bennett
"Moonglow & Theme from 'Picnic'" (Stereo Single Version) - Morris Stoloff & His Orchestra
"White Silver Sands" - The Owen Bradley Quintet
"Cinco Robles (Five Oaks)" - Russell Arms
"Wringle Wrangle" - Fess Parker
"My Boy - Flat Top" - Dorothy Collins

Hit Parade has also reissued a Georgia Gibbs best-of compilation called The Complete Original Hits of, which includes all of her Top 40 hits, most of which have been long out of print, and some appearing on CD for the first time in the U.S. like "Rock Right" and "The Hula Hoop Song". Pat, perhaps you could give us a more in-depth review of these intriguing releases in the review section of the website?

Edited by Todd Ireland

The Hit Parade label is distibuted by Eric Records, but it's a Canadian release. Canada has the same copyright law Britain does, I'm told -- 50 years.

Some tracks are likely needle drops, but it's possible there are some tape sources they were able to obtain as well.

Edited by Brian W.

The Eric Records website (www.ericrecords.com) describes this CD as "audiophile quality" and "digitally remastered for highest quality sound". I know this could just be P.R. spin by the website, but Eric does have a great reputation for releasing and being associated with excellent sounding products.

Edited by Todd Ireland

TomDiehl1 wrote: I can tell you that City Of Angels by the Highlights first turned up on ACE's cd The Golden Age of American Popular Music: Hard To Find Hot 100 Hits 1956-1965. No doubt the mastering on the Hit Parade cd is done by Tom Daly at Skyline Mastering, and if listening through speakers, any vinyl dubs will still sound great (though they may fade a little early), but in headphones any NR artifacts would be more noticable. So, audiophile quality, perhaps, but perhaps not...

Or, ERIC could have used the tape source still held at Capitol/EMI. City of Angels appeared on the 1961 Liberty LP "The Original Hits: Volume Two."

GM

I finally got my copy today and it has the sound quality we've come to expect from anything involving Tom Daly. The only song that sounds like it may have made a trip through vinyl somewhere is Tony Bennett's "From The Candy Store On The Corner To The Chapel On The Hill". (I read an interview with Bennett a while back in which he stated his dislike for many of the mid-50's singles Mitch Miller made him record, which may explain the non-availability of many of them on CD.)

Pat, I see that you've included this CD in the database (and even reviewed it) along with the other Hit Parade releases. Is this an exception to the U.S. only rule? The CD is made in Canada and has a Canadian address (on Taunton Road in Oshawa, Ontario, which means that I must have driven by it this morning!) Hit Parade seems to be even less of a U.S. label than Madacy, which is headquartered in Montreal but has 'branches' in California, New Jersey, Minnesota, and Texas.