Frankie Avalon - 25 All-Time Greatest Hits

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 61:18
Size: 140.4 MB
Styles: Early pop/rock
Year: 2002
Art: Front

[2:23] 1. Venus
[2:52] 2. I'll Wait For You
[2:10] 3. Dede Dinah
[2:01] 4. Gingerbread
[2:27] 5. Just Ask Your Heart
[2:38] 6. Where Are You
[2:17] 7. A Perfect Love
[2:35] 8. Why
[2:54] 9. Tuxedo Junction
[2:08] 10. Too Young To Love
[2:37] 11. Bobby Sox To Stockings
[1:57] 12. A Boy Without A Girl
[2:30] 13. Togetherness
[2:43] 14. Don't Let Love Pass Me By
[1:54] 15. Swinging On A Rainbow
[2:30] 16. All Of Everything
[2:28] 17. Don't Throw Away All Those Teardrops
[2:23] 18. Who Else But You
[3:04] 19. You Are Mine
[2:48] 20. Call Me Anytime
[2:19] 21. A Miracle
[2:12] 22. Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea
[2:18] 23. Two Fools
[2:00] 24. Beach Party
[2:55] 25. Don't Stop Now

This package is part of the Varese Sarabande label's general campaign to put out new greatest-hits packages of artists they've already given the best-of treatment to, the chief difference being the inclusion of more tracks the second time around. The company's The Best of Frankie Avalon, issued in 1995, had 18 songs; 25 All-Time Greatest Hits, as is self-evident, has seven more. The biggest hits are on both CDs, but alas it's not an automatic given that 25 All-Time Greatest Hits makes other Avalon anthologies redundant, since it's missing a number 56 chart hit that was on The Best of Frankie Avalon, "The Puppet Song." Granted that tune's not a world-beater, but its inclusion would probably mean something to a lot of fans who bother to select an Avalon best-of off the shelves. That omission aside, this has everything almost anyone would want by Avalon, including a bunch of songs beyond the half-dozen or so that still cling to oldies radio play lists. The best of the obscure tracks are the ones from the 1963 non-charting 45 "Beach Party"/"Don't Stop Now," which are far harder-rocking than most of his output, though they're not memorable. "Beach Party" was written by Gary Usher and Roger Christian, who were involved in composing many a hot rod and surf record, including some for the Beach Boys; "Don't Stop Now," which sounds like it would have fit in well in one of his beach movies, even has some early fuzz guitar. Beyond that, it might be noted that a surprisingly high portion of this has no relation to rock music, being far more in the orchestrated pop balladeer school that rock & roll did so much to close down. ~Richie Unterberger

25 All-Time Greatest Hits

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