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The Rooftop Singers: The Best of The Vanguard Years
By"Walk Right In" opens the disc and proves why it was such an infectious hit. In listening to the remainder of the recording, I'm struck by the fact that the Rooftop Singers were "one hit wonders," not charting another number one hit. Any number of songs on this collection is as good or better than "Walk Right In." Consider "Tom Cat," "Cool Water," and "San Francisco Bay Blues," which are all hook-ridden tunes easily hummed. This disc contains an inventive "I’ve Been Working on the Railroad" and the splendid spirituals "Swing down, Chariot" and "I’m On My Way." Listening to this music today, I'm struck how dated the style sounds. Once you get beyond that cosmetic fact, you can get on with realizing the important place the Rooftop Singers hold in American music.
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Track Listing
Walk Right In; Dip Your Fingers; You Don
Personnel
Erik Darling
Album information
Title: The Best of The Vanguard Years | Year Released: 2004 | Record Label: Vanguard Records
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