Dean Barlow & the Crickets - Rare early 50s New York Rock'n'Roll Doo-Wop

First of all, let's get one thing straight - this is the original Crickets, a black New York vocal quintet who disbanded in 1954, so Buddy Holly fans can either hit the 'back' button now or read on...

Still here...? OK - the original Crickets were led by Grover Barlow - known professionally as "Dean" - and the group scored a number of R&B hits in the early fifties. Dean's smooth-as-silk tenor is right up there alongside Clyde McPhatter, but the Crickets were definitely no Drifters-clones. (In fact, when these sides were cut, the Drifters didn't yet exist!) Maybe there's a Clyde McPhatter influence - he was riding high with Billy Ward's Dominoes at the time - or, did the Crickets exert an influence on Clyde? Who knows...?

Dean Barlow and the Crickets

The songs on this CD are an even mixture of uptempo Jump Blues and slow harmony ballads, and the group excel on both. The sound is pretty close to master-tape quality, on all but a couple of tracks, which were evidently transferred from original 78s. The CD inlay offers a short history of the group and their personnel, and the 17 tracks here combine to make a well-rounded package of gems from a fine group, now sadly overshadowed by their later and more-famous namesakes. Highly recommended to vocal group freaks!