Cigars, Acappella, Candy
| Cigars, Acappella, Candy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1972 | |||
| Genre | Doo-wop, a cappella | |||
| Label | Buddah | |||
| Producer | Bob Feldman | |||
| The Belmonts chronology | ||||
| ||||
Cigars, Acappella, Candy is an album by the American singing group the Belmonts, release in 1972.[1][2] To coincide with a doo-wop television special, Spike Lee & Company: Do It a Cappella, the album was rereleased by Elektra Records in 1990, at the same time as the Persuasions' Chirpin'.[3]
Production
[edit]The album was produced by Bob Feldman.[4] "Street Corner Symphony" is a medley of 14 early pop, doo-wop, and rock and roll songs.[5] The version of George Harrison's "My Sweet Lord", which includes a snippet of the Chiffons' "He's So Fine", employed kazoo and percussion.[6][7]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[9] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [10] |
The New York Times labeled Cigars, Acappella, Candy "more interesting" than the Dion and the Belmonts reunion album, and deemed "Street Corner Symphony" "a miracle of compression."[11] Robert Christgau praised the album but expressed his preference for the Persuasions.[9] Richard Price, in a Rolling Stone interview with Dion, similarly considered the album second only to the work of the Persuasions.[12] The Chicago Tribune wrote that the Belmonts "handle the a cappella format well, producing a hefty sound with swooping falsetto, vibrant bass, and tight harmonies."[5] The Commercial Appeal noted the "superb three-part harmonizing."[7] The Buffalo Evening News determined that the Belmonts sing the songs "with style, a little flash and not too much pandering."[13]
In December 1979, the music critics Ed Ward and Greil Marcus included the album on their Village Voice ballots for the 10 best albums of the 1970s.[14] In 1992, The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll called Cigars, Acappella, Candy "some of the most heartbreakingly beautiful doo-wop singing ever recorded."[15] In 2010, Spin listed the album as one of eight "essential" doo-wop albums, writing that the Belmonts "sing music that still feels transmitted from space."[16]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "That's My Desire" | |
| 2. | "Da Doo Ron Ron" | |
| 3. | "Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever" | |
| 4. | "Where or When" | |
| 5. | "My Sweet Lord" | |
| 6. | "Rock and Roll Lullabye" | |
| 7. | "We Belong Together" | |
| 8. | "Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)" | |
| 9. | "Street Corner Symphony"
|
References
[edit]- ^ "Obituaries: Fred Milano". Goldmine. Vol. 38, no. 3. Mar 2012. p. 47.
- ^ King, Peter (Oct 4, 1990). "A Cappella". The Pittsburgh Press. p. D1.
- ^ Southgate, Martha (Oct 3, 1990). "A Cappella". Daily News. New York. p. 34.
- ^ Warner, Jay (2006). American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 362.
- ^ a b Popson, Thomas (Feb 18, 1973). "Up Pop Dion, Belmonts again". Chicago Tribune. p. 6.12.
- ^ Harris, Paul A. (Mar 8, 1991). "Doo-wop: Down on the Corner". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 4F.
- ^ a b Dawson, Walter (Mar 18, 1973). "The 1950s rock and roll revival...". Fanfare. The Commercial Appeal. p. 7.
- ^ "Cigars, Acappella, Candy The Belmonts". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ a b "The Belmonts". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4 ed.). Oxford University Press.
- ^ Dove, Ian (21 Feb 1973). "Records: Rock Revival: Belmonts Are Joined by Dion on Warner—Sing a Cappella Alone on Buddah". The New York Times. p. 35.
- ^ Price, Richard (Dec 26, 1976). "Dion's mixed feelings along Arthur Avenue". San Antonio Express-News. Rolling Stone. p. 7H.
- ^ Anderson, Dale (Mar 3, 1973). "Revivals—Jim Croce, Dobie Gray, Split Ends and Dion and the Belmonts". Week-end Pause. Buffalo Evening News. p. 35.
- ^ "Rock in the 1970s: Journey Through the Past". The Village Voice. December 17, 1979.
- ^ DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James, eds. (1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll. Random House. p. 159.
- ^ Eddy, Chuck (Oct 2010). "Essentials: With Streetwise Jive and Astral Harmonies, Doo-Wop Conjures a New Universe". Spin. Vol. 26, no. 9. p. 82.