Dion - Kickin Child: The Lost Album 1965

Styles: Vocal, R&B

Year: 2017

File: MP3@320K/s

Time: 44:00

Size: 103,0 MB

Art: Front

(3:02)  1. Kickin' Child

(2:42)  2. Now

(2:10)  3. My Love

(2:54)  4. I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound

(3:15)  5. Wake Up Baby

(2:46)  6. Time in My Heart for You

(2:48)  7. Tomorrow Won't Bring the Rain

(2:40)  8. Baby, I'm in the Mood for You

(2:54)  9. Two Ton Feather

(2:57) 10. Knowing I Won't Go Back There

(3:29) 11. Farewell

(3:33) 12. All I Want to Do Is Live Life

(2:25) 13. You Move Me Babe

(3:34) 14. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

(2:43) 15. So Much Younger

As much of a pleasure it is to hear Dion DiMucci's voice throughout Kickin' Child and it is a great pleasure indeed even if you never traversed the path from "Runaround Sue" to "Abraham Martin & John" there's no denying the all too obvious sources of the music. Even the cover photo hearkens to Bob Dylan's Freewheelin' (Columbia, 1963) career phase, wherein he first experimented with the accompaniment of an electric band. And the transparently imitative nature of the recordings should hardly come as a surprise, since this record, subtitled The Lost Album 1965 , is part of a continuum including previous archive releases Bronx in Blue (SPV, 2006) and Bronx Blues: The Columbia Recordings 1962-1965 (Legacy, 1991). The overseer of all but three cuts here, Tom Wilson is the same producer who, without the knowledge of the artist, overdubbed electric guitars and a rhythm section on the otherwise acoustic arrangement of Simon and Garfunkel's "The Sounds of Silence," thus turning it into a hit comparable to other folk-rock pinnacles of the times, including The Byrds' "Mr. Tambourine Man," followups to which "Now" resembles more than a little too readily. There are even more obvious precedents outside DiMucci's early oeuvre. For instance, his self-conscious vocal phrasing on "Kickin' Child," is an overt emulation of Bob Dylan in his transition from the socially-conscious folk troubadour to the freewheeling visionary that wrote "Mr Tambourine Man." "My Love" sounds like DiMucci was trying a re-write of "Love Minus Zero No Limit" and if he wasn't trying to telegraph his sources on the final track, "So Much Younger," he wouldn't have preceded that tune with Dylan's own "It's All Over Now Baby Blue," and thus drawn so direct a line to the latter's "My Back Pages." Dion cannot conjure the same gleeful abandon as the author on "Baby I'm In the Mood For You" and he strains for the off-kilter, humorous of "Subterranean Homesick Blues:" with "Two Ton Feather:" abstraction is not DiMucci's strong point. Nor is he inspiring the musicians accompanying him here. This ever-so-careful reading of Tom Paxton's "I Can't Help but Wonder Where I'm Bound" suits the by-the-numbers compositional style: it's played in as rote a fashion as it's written. Meanwhile, the DiMucci original "Knowing I Won't Go Back There" is somewhat spirited in the accompaniment from the Wanderers-guitarist Johnny Fabio, bassist Pete Fasciglia and drummer Carlo Mastrangelo-but studio savant Al Kooper appears with this complement of players to further replicate the sound of The Byrds of the time with "Now" (and the absence of twelve-string guitar doesn't camouflage the intent or the end result).

It should be noted too that Wilson is the man who shepherded Bob Dylan through many of his studio sessions during this era, so it should come as even less surprise-Dion reportedly having been introduced to the blues by The Bard's other mentor, Columbia Records' John Hammond-that so much of the work here is purely derivative of Dylan, even apart from the direct covers of "Farewell," among others. The imitative transparency that permeates Kickin' Child is that of a musician, usually a fledgling artist in the process of cutting his/her teeth on roots as a means to discover a distinctive personal voice. Dion DiMucci's had already established such a singular voice by this time, based on his tremendous commercial success in the late fifties and early Sixties and it is to his credit that, apparently introduced to the blues by Columbia Records executive John Hammond, he was earnestly moved to pursue a different artistic direction. In his thorough liner notes Scott Kempner suggests, perhaps unintentionally, that the intent of this collaboration wasn't purely artistic, but an equally mercenary means to revive a career. And yet, apart from those cuts, if it were not for preconceptions based on DiMucci's previously established image, this work might well have been better received at the time, even if it sounds ever so calculated now: therein, no doubt, lies the reason that it was never released under the Columbia Records aegis and now comes out on the niche/specialty label Norton. All that said, any musiclover who dotes on this particular style from the mid-Sixties is bound to relish Kickin' Child -The Lost Album 1965 , simultaneously savoring Dion's fulsome, effortless singing as a major component of that pleasurable sensation. ~ Doug Collette https://www.allaboutjazz.com/kickin-child-the-lost-album-1965-dion-dimucci-norton-records-review-by-doug-collette.php

Personnel: Dion DiMucci: guitar, vocals; Johnny Falbo: guitar; Pete Fasciglia: bass; Al Kooper: keyboards; Carlo Mastrangelo: drums.

Kickin Child: Lost Columbia Album 1965

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Dion - Rock n' Roll Christmas

Styles: Rock N'Roll, Christmas

Year: 1993
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 42:16
Size: 68,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:33)  1. Rockin Around The Christmas Tree
(3:22)  2. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
(2:15)  3. Jingle Bell Rock
(5:00)  4. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town
(3:54)  5. White Christmas
(3:56)  6. Silent Night / What Christmas Means
(3:49)  7. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)
(3:44)  8. Winter Wonderland
(4:00)  9. Please Come Home For Christmas
(2:23) 10. Rudolf The Red Nosed Reindeer
(3:27) 11. Merry Christmas Baby
(3:47) 12. O Holy Night

A dozen seasonal standards rendered in a mid-tempo Springsteen mode. Competent, fun, but not exactly what you would call inspirational. ~ Roch Parisien  http://www.allmusic.com/album/rock-n-roll-christmas-mw0000626533

Bridging the era between late-'50s rock and the British Invasion, Dion DiMucci (born July 18, 1939) was one of the top white rock singers of his time, blending the best elements of doo wop, teen idol, and R&B styles. Some revisionists have tried to cast him as a sort of early blue-eyed soul figure, although he was probably more aligned with pop/rock, at first as the lead singer of the Belmonts, and then as a solo star. Drug problems slowed him down in the mid-'60s, yet he made some surprisingly interesting progressions into blues-rock and folk-rock as the decade wore on, culminating in a successful comeback in the late '60s, although he was unable to sustain its commercial and artistic momentum for long. When Dion began recording in the late '50s, it was as the lead singer of a group of friends who sang on Bronx street corners.

 Billing themselves as Dion & the Belmonts (Dion had released a previous single with the Timberlanes), their first few records were prime Italian-American doo wop; "I Wonder Why" was their biggest hit in this style. His biggest single with the Belmonts was "A Teenager in Love," which pointed the way for the slightly self-pitying, pained odes to adolescence and early adulthood that would characterize much of his solo work. Dion went solo in 1960 (the Belmonts did some more doo wop recordings on their own), moving from doo wop to more R&B/pop-oriented tunes with great success. He handled himself with a suave, cocky ease on hits like "The Wanderer," "Runaround Sue," "Lovers Who Wander," "Ruby Baby," and "Donna the Prima Donna," which cast him as either the jilted, misunderstood youngster or the macho lover, capable of handling anything that came his way (on "The Wanderer" especially). In 1963, Dion moved from Laurie to the larger Columbia label, an association that started promisingly with a couple of big hits right off the bat, "Ruby Baby" and "Donna the Prima Donna." By the mid-'60s, his heroin habit (which he'd developed as a teenager) was getting the best of him, and he did little recording and performing for about five years. When he did make it into the studio, he was moving in some surprisingly bluesy directions; although much of it was overlooked or unissued at the time, it can be heard on the Bronx Blues reissue CD. In 1968, he kicked heroin and re-emerged as a gentle folk-rocker with a number four hit single, "Abraham, Martin and John." 

Dion would focus upon mature, contemporary material on his late-'60s and early-'70s albums, which were released to positive critical feedback, if only moderate sales. The folk phase didn't last long; in 1972 he reunited with the Belmonts and in the mid-'70s cut a disappointing record with Phil Spector as producer. He recorded and performed fairly often in the years that followed (sometimes singing Christian music), to indifferent commercial results. But his critical rep has risen steadily since the early '60s, with many noted contemporary musicians showering him with praise and citing his influence, such as Dave Edmunds (who produced one of his periodic comeback albums) and Lou Reed (who guested on that record). Dion continued to be active as the 21st century opened, releasing Déjà Nu in 2000, Under the Influence in 2005, and Bronx in Blue in 2006. His first major-label album since 1989's Yo Frankie, entitled Son of Skip James, was released by Verve in 2007, while 2008's Heroes: Giants of Early Guitar Rock saw him tackling 15 songs from the classic rock & roll era. Influenced by a conversation with rock critic Dave Marsh about his long and still relevant career, and a dare from his wife Susan to prove it, Dion cut Tank Full of Blues, producing and playing the guitars on the recording himself and writing or co-writing all but one track on the set. Issued on Blue Horizon, it is the final recording in the trilogy that began with Bronx in Blue. ~ Richie Unterberger  https://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/dion/id275360#fullText

Personnel: Dion MiMucci (vocals, acoustic & electric guitar); Johnny Sambataro (acoustic & electric guitar, background vocals); Jamie "King" Cotton (saxophone, synthesizer); Paul Harris (accordion, synthesizer, keyboards); Gabe Vales (bass, background vocals); Tony Lavender (drums, background vocals); Chuck Kirkpatrick (background vocals).

Rock n' Roll Christmas

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Dion - New Masters

Styles: Rock
Year: 2003
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 66:38
Size: 153,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:58)  1. Behind Susan's Eyes
(4:45)  2. Ruby Baby
(3:55)  3. Lovers Who Wander
(2:50)  4. Blue Suede Shoes
(2:47)  5. A Teenager In Love
(3:06)  6. I Wonder Why
(3:29)  7. Stand By Me
(4:06)  8. Where Or When
(3:30)  9. Love Came To Me
(3:38) 10. Runaway
(4:50) 11. Drip Drop
(3:04) 12. Rockin' Pneumonia And Boogie-Woogie Flu/I Wanna Get Close To You
(3:26) 13. Donna The Prima Donna
(2:50) 14. Blue Monday
(4:26) 15. Runaround Sue
(4:02) 16. The Wanderer
(2:57) 17. Abraham, Martin And John
(3:50) 18. Come Heal This Land

Bridging the era between late-'50s rock and the British Invasion, Dion DiMucci (born July 18, 1939) was one of the top white rock singers of his time, blending the best elements of doo wop, teen idol, and R&B styles. Some revisionists have tried to cast him as a sort of early blue-eyed soul figure, although he was probably more aligned with pop/rock, at first as the lead singer of the Belmonts, and then as a solo star. Drug problems slowed him down in the mid-'60s, yet he made some surprisingly interesting progressions into blues-rock and folk-rock as the decade wore on, culminating in a successful comeback in the late '60s, although he was unable to sustain its commercial and artistic momentum for long.

When Dion began recording in the late '50s, it was as the lead singer of a group of friends who sang on Bronx street corners. Billing themselves as Dion & the Belmonts (Dion had released a previous single with the Timberlanes), their first few records were prime Italian-American doo wop; "I Wonder Why" was their biggest hit in this style. His biggest single with the Belmonts was "A Teenager in Love," which pointed the way for the slightly self-pitying, pained odes to adolescence and early adulthood that would characterize much of his solo work.

Dion went solo in 1960 (the Belmonts did some more doo wop recordings on their own), moving from doo wop to more R&B/pop-oriented tunes with great success. He handled himself with a suave, cocky ease on hits like "The Wanderer," "Runaround Sue," "Lovers Who Wander," "Ruby Baby," and "Donna the Prima Donna," which cast him as either the jilted, misunderstood youngster or the macho lover, capable of handling anything that came his way (on "The Wanderer" especially). In 1963, Dion moved from Laurie to the larger Columbia label, an association that started promisingly with a couple of big hits right off the bat, "Ruby Baby" and "Donna the Prima Donna." By the mid-'60s, his heroin habit (which he'd developed as a teenager) was getting the best of him, and he did little recording and performing for about five years. When he did make it into the studio, he was moving in some surprisingly bluesy directions; although much of it was overlooked or unissued at the time, it can be heard on the Bronx Blues reissue CD.

In 1968, he kicked heroin and re-emerged as a gentle folk-rocker with a number four hit single, "Abraham, Martin and John." Dion would focus upon mature, contemporary material on his late-'60s and early-'70s albums, which were released to positive critical feedback, if only moderate sales. The folk phase didn't last long; in 1972 he reunited with the Belmonts and in the mid-'70s cut a disappointing record with Phil Spector as producer. He recorded and performed fairly often in the years that followed (sometimes singing Christian music), to indifferent commercial results. But his critical rep has risen steadily since the early '60s, with many noted contemporary musicians showering him with praise and citing his influence, such as Dave Edmunds (who produced one of his periodic comeback albums) and Lou Reed (who guested on that record). 

Dion continued to be active as the 21st century opened, releasing Déjà Nu in 2000, Under the Influence in 2005, and Bronx in Blue in 2006. His first major-label album since 1989's Yo Frankie, entitled Son of Skip James, was released by Verve in 2007, while 2008's Heroes: Giants of Early Guitar Rock saw him tackling 15 songs from the classic rock & roll era. Influenced by a conversation with rock critic Dave Marsh about his long and still relevant career, and a dare from his wife Susan to prove it, Dion cut Tank Full of Blues, producing and playing the guitars on the recording himself and writing or co-writing all but one track on the set. Issued on Blue Horizon, it is the final recording in the trilogy that began with Bronx in Blue. Bio ~ Richie Unterberger  http://www.allmusic.com/artist/dion-mn0000265456/biography

Personnel: Dion DiMucci (vocals); Bobby "Crow" Richardson (guitar, acoustic guitar, electric guitar); Jamie "King" Colton (tenor saxophone, piano, organ); Rick Krive (piano, organ); Robert Guertin (synthesizer); Carlo Mastrangelo, Louis Colletti, Joe Neary, Walter Hochhauser, Jimmy Gallagher (background vocals).

New Masters

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Dion - Wonder Where I'm Bound / Donna The Prima Donna

Size: 80,9+73,4 MB
Time: 34:20+31:05
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 1969/1963
Styles: Pop Rock, Doo Wop
Art: Front

Album: Wonder Where I'm Bound
01. I Can't Help But Wonder Where I'm Bound (2:56)
02. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue (3:32)
03. A Sunday Kind Of Love (2:47)
04. Knowing I Won't Go Back There (2:55)
05. 900 Miles (3:31)
06. Now (2:41)
07. Southern Train (3:42)
08. The Seventh Son (3:18)
09. Farewell (3:27)
10. Wake Up Baby (3:13)
11. Baby, Please Don't Go (2:13)

"Donna the Prima Donna" was one of Dion's last hits before the British Invasion interrupted his chart success for five years or so, reaching #6 in late 1963. It was written by the team of Dion and Ernie Maresca, who wrote or co-wrote a few songs recorded by Dion in the early 1960s, most notably "Runaround Sue." And, like "Runaround Sue" and those other songs, it milked a semi-chanted doo wop vocal hook that first descended and then rose again to its starting line, with the backup singers vocalizing "donna, donna, the prima donna" over and over in the intro and during the choruses. To some, it must have sounded a little formulaic for Dion at this point, and there would be some truth to that assertion. But "Donna the Prima Donna" was still a worthy hit record, if only because so much thought was put into the arrangement, putting some spin onto the familiar terrain. Especially rewarding was the opening almost a cappella vocal section, in which the round-like chants were backed by a slightly goofy bass voice, as well as what sounded like shuffling castanets. When the full band enters, as expected Dion comes on top with some rich hurt tough-guy wails. The lyrical motif of "Donna the Prima Donna," probably to the disappointment of those that respect women, was similar to that of "Runaround Sue" too: a woman that the guy falls for, but who turns out to have roving eyes. In "Donna the Prima Donna," he goes for the jugular, not just accusing her of being stuck-up, but coming down hard on her materialism as well. Donna's an archetype, perhaps, of a woman New York guys of the time were frustrated with, one who wouldn't settle down and who put on airs, but who they couldn't help lusting after. For all this, it's a pretty enjoyable record, with cool hooting harmonies by the backup singers during the verses, and a quite swinging and catchy blues-doo wop-pop verve. There's also a dramatic bridge that Dion brings to a crashing close by exclaiming he doesn't have a chance at romance with Donna without money. ~Song by by Richie Unterberger

Album: Donna The Prima Donna
01. Donna The Prima Donna (2:47)
02. Can't We Be Sweethearts (2:17)
03. Sweet, Sweet Baby (2:16)
04. This Little Girl Of Mine (2:46)
05. Flim Flam (2:54)
06. Troubled Mind (2:41)
07. This Little Girl (2:33)
08. Oh Happy Day (2:28)
09. You're Mine (2:23)
10. Donna (2:37)
11. I Can't Believe (That You Don't Love Me Anymore) (2:28)
12. Be Careful Of Stones That You Throw (2:49)

Columbia failed to release a Dion LP in 1964-1966, although he cut more than enough material for the label during that time to generate one. Just months after Dion had commercially returned from the dead with his smash "Abraham, Martin & John," Columbia patched together this assortment of odds and ends from the vaults, most of it apparently selected with an eye toward folk-rock material. Although the packaging was substandard, this is actually a pretty good collection of mid-'60s cuts that reveal (along with others that have surfaced on some other anthologies) that Dion was among the earlier significant artists to create interesting folk-rock. It would have done much more to bolster his reputation had it been issued in 1965 or 1966. Nonetheless, it contains its share of good performances, like covers of Tom Paxton's "I Can't Help but Wonder Where I'm Bound" (heard here in a version with strings, unlike the stringless one on the compilation The Road I'm On: A Retrospective), and Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue," and "Farewell." Dion himself wrote or co-wrote "Knowing I Won't Go Back There," "Now," and "Wake up Baby," which are all decent, tuneful folk-rockers with characteristic early New York folk-rock production from early Dylan producer Tom Wilson. The cover of Woody Guthrie's "900 Miles" is quality acoustic folk-blues, and Dion also proves himself a fine white bluesman on "Southern Train" and "The Seventh Son," taking a respectable stab at a Mose Allison-styled arrangement of the blues standard "Baby, Please Don't Go." On the other hand, the doo wop classic ,"A Sunday Kind of Love," sounds pretty misplaced here. This is well worth picking up, though, particularly as four of the songs ("Now," "Southern Train," "Wake up Baby," and "Farewell") don't appear on the two CD reissues of Dion's Columbia material: The Road I'm On: A Retrospective and Bronx Blues: The Columbia Recordings (1962-1965). ~by Richie Unterberger

Wonder Where I'm Bound + Donna The Prima Donna

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Dion - Complete Singles A's & B's 1957-1961

Size: 179,7 MB
Time: 78:23
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Pop Rock, Doo Wop
Art: Front

01. Dion & The Timberlanes - The Chosen Few (2:45)
02. Dion & The Timberlanes - Out In Colorado (2:29)
03. Dion & The Belmonts - I Wonder Why (2:17)
04. Dion & The Belmonts - Teen Angel (2:10)
05. Dion & The Belmonts - No One Knows (2:34)
06. Dion & The Belmonts - I Can't Go On (Rosalie) (2:12)
07. Dion & The Belmonts & Orchestra - Don't Pity Me (2:33)
08. Dion & The Belmonts & Orchestra - Just You (2:28)
09. Dion & The Belmonts - A Teenager In Love (2:33)
10. Dion & The Belmonts - I've Cried Before (2:45)
11. Dion & The Belmonts - Every Little Thing I Do (1:59)
12. Dion & The Belmonts - A Lover's Prayer (2:16)
13. Dion & The Belmonts - Where Or When (2:35)
14. Dion & The Belmonts - That's My Desire (2:32)
15. Dion & The Belmonts - When You Wish Upon A Star (2:24)
16. Dion & The Belmonts - Wonderful Girl (2:35)
17. Dion & The Belmonts - My Private Joy (UK B Side) (2:00)
18. Dion & The Belmonts - In The Still Of The Night (2:38)
19. Dion & The Belmonts & Orchestra - A Funny Feeling (2:15)
20. Dion & The Belmonts & Orchestra - Swinging On A Star (UK B Side) (2:21)
21. Dion - Lonely Teenager (2:15)
22. Dion - Little Miss Blue (2:17)
23. Dion - Havin' Fun (2:18)
24. Dion - North East End Of The Corner (2:31)
25. Dion - The Kissin' Game (2:56)
26. Dion - Heaven Help Me (2:00)
27. Dion - Somebody Nobody Wants (2:43)
28. Dion - Could Somebody Take My Place Tonight (2:37)
29. Dion - Runaraound Sue (2:37)
30. Dion - Runaway Girl (2:26)
31. Dion - The Wanderer (2:38)
32. Dion - The Majestic (2:26)

Bridging the era between late-'50s rock and the British Invasion, Dion DiMucci (born July 18, 1939) was one of the top white rock singers of his time, blending the best elements of doo wop, teen idol, and R&B styles. Some revisionists have tried to cast him as a sort of early blue-eyed soul figure, although he was probably more aligned with pop/rock, at first as the lead singer of the Belmonts, and then as a solo star. Drug problems slowed him down in the mid-'60s, yet he made some surprisingly interesting progressions into blues-rock and folk-rock as the decade wore on, culminating in a successful comeback in the late '60s, although he was unable to sustain its commercial and artistic momentum for long.

When Dion began recording in the late '50s, it was as the lead singer of a group of friends who sang on Bronx street corners. Billing themselves as Dion & the Belmonts (Dion had released a previous single with the Timberlanes), their first few records were prime Italian-American doo wop; "I Wonder Why" was their biggest hit in this style. His biggest single with the Belmonts was "A Teenager in Love," which pointed the way for the slightly self-pitying, pained odes to adolescence and early adulthood that would characterize much of his solo work.

Dion went solo in 1960 (the Belmonts did some more doo wop recordings on their own), moving from doo wop to more R&B/pop-oriented tunes with great success. He handled himself with a suave, cocky ease on hits like "The Wanderer," "Runaround Sue," "Lovers Who Wander," "Ruby Baby," and "Donna the Prima Donna," which cast him as either the jilted, misunderstood youngster or the macho lover, capable of handling anything that came his way (on "The Wanderer" especially).

In 1963, Dion moved from Laurie to the larger Columbia label, an association that started promisingly with a couple of big hits right off the bat, "Ruby Baby" and "Donna the Prima Donna." By the mid-'60s, his heroin habit (which he'd developed as a teenager) was getting the best of him, and he did little recording and performing for about five years. When he did make it into the studio, he was moving in some surprisingly bluesy directions; although much of it was overlooked or unissued at the time, it can be heard on the Bronx Blues reissue CD.

In 1968, he kicked heroin and re-emerged as a gentle folk-rocker with a number four hit single, "Abraham, Martin and John." Dion would focus upon mature, contemporary material on his late-'60s and early-'70s albums, which were released to positive critical feedback, if only moderate sales. The folk phase didn't last long; in 1972 he reunited with the Belmonts and in the mid-'70s cut a disappointing record with Phil Spector as producer. He recorded and performed fairly often in the years that followed (sometimes singing Christian music), to indifferent commercial results. But his critical rep has risen steadily since the early '60s, with many noted contemporary musicians showering him with praise and citing his influence, such as Dave Edmunds (who produced one of his periodic comeback albums) and Lou Reed (who guested on that record). Dion continued to be active as the 21st century opened, releasing Déjà Nu in 2000, Under the Influence in 2005, and Bronx in Blue in 2006. His first major-label album since 1989's Yo Frankie, entitled Son of Skip James, was released by Verve in 2007, while 2008's Heroes: Giants of Early Guitar Rock saw him tackling 15 songs from the classic rock & roll era. Influenced by a conversation with rock critic Dave Marsh about his long and still relevant career, and a dare from his wife Susan to prove it, Dion cut Tank Full of Blues, producing and playing the guitars on the recording himself and writing or co-writing all but one track on the set. Issued on Blue Horizon, it is the final recording in the trilogy that began with Bronx in Blue. ~ by Richie Unterberger

Complete Singles A's & B's 1957-1961

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Dion - Lovers Who Wander (Original Album Plus Bonus Tracks 1962)

Size: 99,2 MB
Time: 36:59
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2013
Styles: Pop Rock, Doo Wop
Art: Front

01. Lovers Who Wander (2:29)
02. Come Go With Me (2:54)
03. King Without A Queen (2:30)
04. The Twist (2:32)
05. Little Diane (2:37)
06. Stagger Lee (2:25)
07. Shout (4:18)
08. Tonight Tonight (2:38)
09. (I Was) Born To Cry (2:23)
10. Queen Of The Hop (2:03)
11. Sandy (2:20)
12. Lost For Sure (2:36)
13. Love Came To Me (Bonus Track) (2:44)
14. Little Girl (Bonus Track) (2:24)

Dion Francis DiMucci (b July 18, 1939), better known as Dion, is an Italian-American singer-songwriter now widely recognized as one of the top vocalists of his era, blending the best elements of doo-wop, traditional pop, and rnb styles, as well as a forerunner in the development of rock and roll.

Lovers Who Wander

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Dion - Ruby Baby

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 32:01
Size: 73.3 MB
Styles: AM pop, R&B
Year: 1963/2013
Art: Front

[2:35] 1. Ruby Baby
[3:07] 2. The End Of The World
[2:07] 3. Go Away Little Girl
[2:33] 4. Gonna Make It Alone
[3:04] 5. Fever
[2:46] 6. My Mammy
[2:29] 7. Will Love Ever Come My Way
[3:12] 8. The Loneliest Man In The World
[2:41] 9. You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want To Do It)
[2:27] 10. He'll Only Hurt You
[2:46] 11. You're Nobody 'til Somebody Loves You
[2:09] 12. Unloved, Unwanted Me

Dion's stint at Columbia Records between 1962 and 1966 has been justly hailed as a period in which he grew substantially as an artist, especially when he dug into more mature material and earthier, bluesier influences. It must also be pointed out, however, that he also recorded some tracks that were substantially less impressive and progressive, especially at the start of his stint with the company. Ruby Baby, his first Columbia album, was actually not all that different from the typical LP of a talented teen idol of the time in its unsatisfactory mix of approaches, apparently aimed at helping establish the singer's all-around entertainer credentials. The title track was his first, and one of his best and gutsiest, hit singles, yet oddly little else on the record was as forceful or even too similar. Instead there were unnecessary covers of a couple contemporary hits, "The End of the World" and "Go Away Little Girl," and vaguely jazzy/pop standard-ish numbers that indicated there were hopes to cross Dion over into Bobby Darin territory. "The Loneliest Man in the World" and "He'll Only Hurt You," a little weirdly, sound a bit like Roy Orbison imitations. "Ruby Baby" aside, only on the relatively tough "Gonna Make It Alone" and the softer, more doo wop-flavored "Will Love Ever Come My Way" did the kind of Dion heard on his early-'60s rock hits emerge. ~Richie Unterberger

Ruby Baby

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Dion - Bronx Blues: The Columbia Recordings (1962-1965)

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 54:34
Size: 124.9 MB
Styles: Rock
Year: 1991
Art: Front

[2:22] 1. Can't We Be Sweethearts
[2:48] 2. Little Girl Of Mine
[2:29] 3. Oh Happy Day
[2:46] 4. A Sunday Kind Of Love
[2:27] 5. Will Love Ever Come My Way
[2:31] 6. Gonna Make It Alone
[2:35] 7. Ruby Baby
[2:35] 8. This Little Girl
[2:57] 9. Film Flam
[2:53] 10. Donna The Prima Donna
[2:35] 11. Drip Drop
[2:45] 12. Troubled Mind
[2:22] 13. Sweet, Sweet Baby
[2:51] 14. Sweet Papa Di
[2:40] 15. Don't Start Me Talkin'
[2:29] 16. Spoonful
[3:32] 17. The Seventh Son
[3:16] 18. Kickin' Child
[2:54] 19. Two Ton Feather
[2:37] 20. Baby, I'm In The Mood For You

After many hit singles with the Belmonts, Dion went solo and became one of the first rock & roll stars signed to the Columbia label. Although he was only with the label for four years, Dion recorded some of his most adventurous music during this period. Bronx Blues: The Columbia Recordings chronicles this phase in his career, and is the best single-disc compilation of his mid-'60s work. The first singles released were similar in style to the Belmont's recordings ("Donna the Prima Donna") and demonstrated his continued love for doo wop as he covers older songs such as the Drifters' "Ruby Baby," which peaked at number two. While the first half of this album is strong, the second half is truly revelatory; it shows Dion, who had just been exposed to the music of Robert Johnson, infusing the bravado of his streetwise persona into the blues. The results don't always work (he doesn't have the deep, powerful voice required to sing Willie Dixon's "Spoonful"), but the results are magic when he hits the mark. The best example is his own "Two Ton Feather," a song that's not pure blues, but blues interpreted by a newly converted fan of the genre. In that respect, it's not surprising that his style is similar to Bob Dylan's. In fact, the highlight of the album, and perhaps Dion's best recording ever, is his previously unreleased version of Dylan's "Baby, I'm in the Mood for You" in which he brings out all the snarl and attitude of the tune. While these years are often considered a transition period for Dion, this compilation is essential in showcasing his songwriting talents and restless spirit. ~Vic Iyengar

Bronx Blues: The Columbia Recordings (1962-1965)

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