The Penguins: Earth Angel

A couple of things coincided around 2003 that made me think I should explore doo-wop. First, I was surprised to read in Neil Young's Biography that the band who were to become Crazy Horse started out as a doo-wop band. Jack Nitzsche is quoted:

Once I heard Earth Angel it was all over. That's the first one that really, really grabbed me hard and made me cry… It had death in it. Death is always a part of the music that I make. Death means a lot.

What a barrel of laughs Jack was. He's dead now. Meanwhile Billy Talbot mentions getting into The Penguins and refers to them as 'hard-core' doo-wop.

The other thing was that I came across several Brian Eno references to doo-wop. I don't know why I particularly noticed these in 2003, as they date back a long way, but I did. So I bought this compilation, put out by the fantastic Ace Records, just as my Jack Nitzsche compilation was.

I can't say I have yet become a doo-wop convert or aficionado. The appeal of Earth Angel itself is immediate and obvious, but the other songs have yet to work their charms on me.

MusicBrainz entry for this album