All Their Hits & Much More

• Artist: The Dovells
• Rating:
• Release Date: June 12, 2001
• Total Time: 155:08
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

Philadelphia's Dovells, led by singer Len Barry, grafted a doo wop vocal approach to light frat rock/R&B backing to create their own little genre, fueled by their ability to come up with a song to fit just about any dance craze that hit in the early '60s. Their biggest hits, "Bristol Stomp" and "You Can't Sit Down," are instantly recognizable, even if hardly anyone can come up with the name of the group that did them. This two-disc, 64-track collection has perhaps more Dovells than anyone could ever need, and if it gets a bit repetitive at times, it also shows a resolute group struggling and adapting to stay in step with the times. The above two hits are here (this set actually includes the entire You Can't Sit Down album), along with tracks that sound like the Beach Boys ("Dragster on the Prowl"), the Four Seasons ("What in the World's Come Over You"), Southern soul ("Little White House"), or a vocal group auditioning for Motown ("Lockin' Up My Heart"). In between are countless ramshackle, doo wop-inflected R&B songs that make up in energy what they lack in sophistication. Again, this is probably more Dovells than most people would ever need, but they're so much fun that this collection works even when it really shouldn't. ~ Steve Leggett, Rovi

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