#1 for weeks of April 3, 10, and 17th, 1961.
Time for some classic doo-wop music, and by classic, I mean one of the highlights of the genre. While the song "Blue Moon" had been around for a few decades and even covered by Elvis, it was The Marcels' 1961 version that everybody knows today, and rightly so.
Interestingly enough, The Marcels were an integrated singing group, or at least they were when they recorded "Blue Moon" in early 1961. When it came time for them to tour the still racially segregated deep south, their two caucasian members were unable to come with them. It's a damn shame that a whole part of the US couldn't overlook such trivialities.
What made this the definitive version of "Blue Moon" is the deep bass vocal which appears throughout the song adding to its doo-wop factor. It also helps that the song is very uptempo, which goes against the more slow dance-y doo-wop sound made famous on tunes such as "Earth Angel".
Obviously doo-wop music sounds very much like a product of its time period, and unless the genre was being paid tribute by hardcore doo-wop fan Frank Zappa, the style did not really survive deep into the 1960's. Regardless, it's a whole lot of fun to sing along to, and you'll probably get it stuck in your head the more you hear it. However, this kind of tune is certainly welcome in my noggin.
Final Verdict - A prime slice of doo-wop vocal perfection that still can be an enjoyable listen to this very day. If you by some chance aren't familiar with this song yet, go check it out. (Make sure it's the original 1961 version!)
Coming Up Next - "Runaway" by Del Shannon.
Until Next Time - "Bow du du bow du dang a dang dang, I am Dr. Rooooock".
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