In the years immediately prior to the British Invasion, only one performer rivaled the chart dominance of Elvis Presley, and that was Pat Boone. With his trademark white buck shoes, perfectly combed hair and gleaming smile, Boone was the very essence of wholesome American values, and at a time when the rise of rock & roll was viewed as a sign of... [+] Read More

In the years immediately prior to the British Invasion, only one performer rivaled the chart dominance of Elvis Presley, and that was Pat Boone. With his trademark white buck shoes, perfectly combed hair and gleaming smile, Boone was the very essence of wholesome American values, and at a time when the rise of rock & roll was viewed as a sign of the apocalypse, he made the music appear safe and non-threatening, earning some 38 Top 40 hits in the process. It's fitting that his achievements rank closest to those of Presley; after all, both claimed the sound of the black R&B culture for their own, in the process straddling both sides of the color line and popularizing a form of music which otherwise might never have gained widespread acceptance. Of course, while Elvis -- with his flashy suits, swiveling hips and suggestive leer -- remained persona non grata throughout many corners of mainstream America, Boone was embraced by teens and parents alike; his music polished rock's rough edges away, making songs like "Tutti Frutti" and "Ain't That a Shame" palatable to white audiences raised on the soothing pop traditions of a vanishing era.

Charles Eugene Patrick Boone was born June 1, 1934 in Jacksonville, Florida; a descendant of American frontier hero Daniel Boone; he attended high school in Nashville, and was voted student body president. After graduating, Boone married Shirley Foley, the daughter of country star Red Foley, and after a period at Nashville's David Lipscomb College, he transferred to North Texas State University. There, after taking top honors at a local talent show, he earned the right to appear on the The Ted Mack Amateur Hour, leading to a year-long tenure on The Arthur Godfrey Show. In 1954, Boone made his first recordings for the small Republic label, followed a year later by his Dot Records debut "Two Hearts, Two Kisses." As 1955 drew to a close, he notched his first number one hit, a sedate rendition of Fats Domino's aforementioned "Ain't That a Shame"; in the years to come he would record numerous cover versions of songs first credited to black performers, among them Little Richard, the El Dorados, the Flamingos and Ivory Joe Hunter -- indeed, to the chagrin of purists, for many listeners Boone's records remain better-known than the original performances.

Between 1956 and 1963, Boone made some 54 chart appearances, many of them with two-sided hits; his biggest smashes included the number one records "Don't Forbid Me," "Love Letters in the Sand" and "April Love," all three issued in 1957. That year he also began hosting his own ABC television series, The Pat Boone-Chevy Showroom; he also conquered film, starring in 15 features including 1957's Bernadine and April Love. Although his TV program ceased production in 1960, Boone remained a major star as the new decade dawned, and in 1961 again topped the charts with "Moody River." He even became an author, writing a series of self-help books for adolescents including Twixt Twelve and Twenty, Between You, Me and the Gatepost and The Care and Feeding of Parents. Although the rise of Beatlemania put the brakes on Boone's run as a teen idol -- after 1962, he failed to again crack the Top 40 -- he continued recording for Dot through the late 1960s, and in his live performances regularly appeared with his wife and their four daughters, further reinforcing his family-friendly image.

By the 1970s, Boone had shifted almost exclusively to recording gospel material, although he later scored a handful of country hits (on, of all places, Motown); in 1977, his daughter Debby topped the charts with a smash of her own, the wedding perennial "You Light Up My Life." In 1981, Boone published Pray to Win, and in 1983 he began hosting a long-lived contemporary Christian syndicated radio show, all in addition to his extensive charity work. While his recording career continued to taper off, he did issue "Let Me Live," which became an anthem for the anti-choice movement. By and large, Boone spent much of the 1980s and 1990s out of the secular media spotlight, but in 1997 he made a splash with the LP No More Mr. Nice Guy, a tongue-in-cheek collection of covers of heavy metal tunes like "Smoke on the Water" and "Stairway to Heaven." Much of the singer's Christian contingent failed to get the joke, however, and after Boone appeared at the American Music Awards clad in black leather and sporting temporary tattoos, he was dismissed from his Trinity Broadcasting Network program Gospel America. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Bridging the era between late-'50s rock and the British Invasion, Dion DiMucci (b. 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... [+] Read More

Bridging the era between late-'50s rock and the British Invasion, Dion DiMucci (b. 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 that 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's been recording and performing fairly often over the last two decades (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). ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Britain's answer to Elvis Presley, Richard (born Harry Webb) dominated the pre-Beatles British pop scene in the late '50s and early '60s. An accomplished singer with a genuine feel for the music, Richard's artistic legacy is nonetheless meager, as he was quickly steered toward a middle-of-the-road pop direction. Several of his late-'50s... [+] Read More

Britain's answer to Elvis Presley, Richard (born Harry Webb) dominated the pre-Beatles British pop scene in the late '50s and early '60s. An accomplished singer with a genuine feel for the music, Richard's artistic legacy is nonetheless meager, as he was quickly steered toward a middle-of-the-road pop direction. Several of his late-'50s recordings, however, were genuinely exciting Presley-esque rockers -- especially his first hit, "Move It" (1958) -- and gave British teenagers their first taste of genuine homegrown rock & roll talent. Backed by the Shadows -- clean-cut instrumental virtuosos who became legends of their own -- Richard embarked on a truly awesome string of hit singles in Britain, scoring no less than 43 Top 20 hits between 1958 and 1969. One of these, although it was by no means one of the more successful, was an actual Mick Jagger/Keith Richards composition (the ballad "Blue Turns to Grey").

In his homeland, Richard's popularity was diminished only slightly by the rise of the Beatles, but in his prime, he had a much rougher time in the U.S., hitting the Top 40 only three times (with "Living Doll" in 1959, "It's All in the Game" in 1963, and "Devil Woman" in 1976). Richard belatedly cracked the U.S. Top Ten in 1976 with "Devil Woman," and racked up a few other hits ("We Don't Talk Anymore," "Dreaming," "A Little in Love") in a mainstream pop/rock style. He remains an institution in Britain, where he is one of the nation's most popular all-around entertainers of all time. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide [-] Hide

One of the biggest teen idols of the late '50s, Paul Anka moved to the adult sphere several years later and became a successful performer, songwriter, music businessman, and recording artist, remaining so well into the new millennium. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1941 to parents of Lebanese Christian descent who owned a local restaurant, Anka... [+] Read More

One of the biggest teen idols of the late '50s, Paul Anka moved to the adult sphere several years later and became a successful performer, songwriter, music businessman, and recording artist, remaining so well into the new millennium. Born in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1941 to parents of Lebanese Christian descent who owned a local restaurant, Anka proved a child prodigy, beginning his show business life at the age of 12 as an impressionist. By the age of 14, he was stealing the family car to drive to amateur singing contests in nearby Hull, Quebec, and writing his own songs. His first single, "I Confess," appeared on the Riviera subsidiary of Jules and Joe Bihari's RPM label. While on a trip to New York with a group of friends who sang as the Rover Boys, Anka gained an audition with ABC producer Don Costa, and sang his own composition, "Diana," an ode to a former babysitter. Costa liked what he heard, recorded the teenager, and watched as the single hit number one on both sides of the Atlantic later in 1957, eventually selling a reported ten million copies worldwide.

Anka placed four songs in the Top 20 a year later, including "You Are My Destiny" and "Crazy Love," tempering the all-out rebellion of rock & roll with songs that questioned parental authority instead of outright disobedience. He wrote one of Buddy Holly's last hits, "It Doesn't Matter Anymore," and moved into movies with Let's Rock and Girls Town. The latter film spawned his biggest American hit, "Lonely Boy," just the first in a string of 1959 chart successes including "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," "It's Time to Cry," and "Puppy Love" (written for old flame Annette Funicello, and later a hit for Donny Osmond as well).

By 1961, when the teen idol craze began to cool off, Anka (a millionaire while still a minor) could boast of the over 125 compositions under his belt, his own record label (Spanka), and the recognition of being behind the second best-selling single of all time (only "White Christmas" had sold more copies than "Diana"). Instead of resting on his laurels, Anka took on the adult market. First, he groomed a solo act and got bookings into that haven for sophisticates, the Copacabana. Anka next moved to RCA and, in yet another shrewd business move, bought the rights to his old masters and made a fortune on reissues alone. He diversified his career by appearing in several more movie roles (including the 1962 drama The Longest Day, for which he provided the title song). One of the first pop singers to do shows in Las Vegas, he also hosted television variety shows like Hullabaloo, The Midnight Special, and Spotlite, and moved on to foreign audiences in Asia and Europe (where he found his wife, Parisian model Anne de Zogheb). He wrote the theme to The Tonight Show (aired every weeknight for almost 30 years), rewrote the French lyrics to the song "Comme d'Habitude" for one of Frank Sinatra's most famous later songs, "My Way," and also wrote Tom Jones' biggest hit, "She's a Lady." Anka also branched out in the recording studio, recording theme albums such as Excitement on Park Avenue and Strictly Nashville.

Although he had hit the Top 40 only once since 1963, Anka stormed the number one slot in 1974 with "(You're) Having My Baby," a duet recorded in Muscle Shoals, AL, with his singing protégée, Odia Coates. The duo's next two singles, "One Man Woman/One Woman Man" and "I Don't Like to Sleep Alone," both hit the Top Ten (his 1974 LP Anka reached gold), and his 1975 solo single "Times of Your Life" reached number seven. Anka charted into the early '80s, continuing his many casino and international appearances while recording sparingly but continually. As such, concert recordings constituted the bulk of his '80s and '90s discography, although he entered the studio also, most notably on the 2005 Verve date Rock Swings, a collection of contemporary standards. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The mention of the name David Essex -- at least to Americans -- usually invokes a wave of '70s nostalgia, not just of his own monster hit "Rock On" and the movie That'll Be the Day, but also of such British pop/rock exports of the period such as Godspell, Rock Follies, color episodes of Doctor Who, and Rula Lenska. For most of that decade, Essex... [+] Read More

The mention of the name David Essex -- at least to Americans -- usually invokes a wave of '70s nostalgia, not just of his own monster hit "Rock On" and the movie That'll Be the Day, but also of such British pop/rock exports of the period such as Godspell, Rock Follies, color episodes of Doctor Who, and Rula Lenska. For most of that decade, Essex was a pop culture institution in England, and he produced the music and entertainment in enough different media to fulfill the role admirably. Born David Cook in London in 1947, he grew up in Canning Town, and loved playing soccer (what the English call football), and was a member of the West Ham Juniors for a time. He reached his teens just as British rock & roll's first wave was approaching its crest, and came of age as Merseybeat gave way to the more diverse sounds of folk-rock and psychedelic rock. Essex's attraction to performing and entertaining, however, had its roots outside of music -- as a boy in his early teens, before he'd ever thought of making music for a living, he spent his holidays working at what the British call a fun fair (a carnival to Americans); in his memoir A Charmed Life, he remembered being drawn to the mix of amusements and violence juxtaposed with one another; that might account for some of the ease with which he mixed music and theater in his own career during subsequent decades. Initially, however, he did try for a career in music, working by day in a factory in his teens, and playing drums in a band called the Everons during the mid-'60s. He later left the group, switched to singing, and took on the name David Essex, and recorded for England's Decca Records, among other labels. Essex went through ten flop singles, and decided to try acting instead; by then, he was juggling appearances in small productions and the responsibilities of a marriage (and a pregnant wife), and earning his living driving trucks and cleaning windows.

Essex's career took a decided upswing after theater writer Derek Bowman became his manager. With Bowman's guidance, he worked to refine his singing and acting techniques and took up dance. This led to his selection in 1971 for the role of Jesus in the theatrical musical Godspell, for which he won the Variety Club of Great Britain's award for "Most Promising Newcomer." He became a stage star at age 24 and, two years later, was chosen for his first film role, in Claude Whatham's That'll Be the Day (1974), produced by David Puttnam -- based in part on the producer's boyhood and set in the early '60s, principally at a holiday camp, the movie (which co-starred Ringo Starr, then still basking in the glow of post-Beatles stardom, the Who's Keith Moon, and one-time rock & roll legend Billy Fury) became a major hit in England and a cult favorite in the United States. It also heralded a huge year for Essex, for in addition to starring in the movie, he wrote the song "Rock On" which was used in the film and went on to top the charts in England and reach the Top Five in the United States. A dark, brooding song -- vaguely recalling pre-Beatles British beat idol Marty Wilde -- "Rock On" made him into an overnight pop star in England. An album of the same name duly followed it up the charts at home, and Essex followed this first wave of success with a movie sequel, the much darker Stardust (1975), directed by Michael Apted, which included Moon, British rock & roll star-turned-actor Adam Faith, and contemporary rock & roller Dave Edmunds in its cast.

Essex never charted another hit in America, although the Grammy nomination he got for "Rock On" was enough to give him a cult following among an audience not limited exclusively to Anglophiles, and get his subsequent records released in the United States. He enjoyed follow-up hits in England with "Lamplight," "Gonna Make You a Star," and "Hold Me Close," among other songs. Essex's producer on all of these singles and the accompanying albums was Jeff Wayne, a transplant from America who had some composer and arranger credits associated with West End theater and commercials. Wayne's method of production was unique at the time, and gave Essex's music a special sound -- utilizing top-notch players such as guitarist Chris Spedding and bassist Herbie Flowers, he avoided the usual sterility of multi-track recording by getting his core musicians to perform live against the backing tracks, thus creating a finished record that utilized the best elements of live performance and multi-layered studio sound in one, with a very visceral impact. This was one of the reasons, beyond his voice and talent, that Essex's early singles, though essentially '70s teen pop, seemed to command such attention and respect from the rock press, far outstripping the impact of earlier practitioners such as the Herd and most of his contemporary rivals.

Essex's music career slowed due to two events, the advent of the punk era and the gradual aging of his youthful audience. They moved on to other pop/rock idols, while the next wave of young listeners didn't take to his music in the same way, and his more ambitious records, such as Out on the Street (1976) -- a loud, edgy record engineered by post-punk star producer Martin Rushent -- failed to find large audiences, despite some worthy ambitions. By 1977, Essex was producing himself, having parted company with Wayne for the Gold & Ivory album. They weren't done working together, however, as Wayne recruited Essex for his most ambitious project, The War of the Worlds. A boldly conceived and executed two-record set with elaborate libretto and supporting artwork, this album -- which became one of the top-selling "soundtracks" ever released in England (though it isn't really a soundtrack) -- became a vehicle not only for Essex's singing but his acting, as well. That seemed to presage the transformation that would take place in Essex's career -- he closed out the '70s in the role of Che Guevara in the original studio recording of Evita (1978), appearing in the legitimate stage play Childe Byron, and starring in the movie Silver Dream Racer (1980), for which he also wrote the score (including the hit "Silver Dream Machine"). By the mid-'80s, he was concentrating on theater work, including Mutiny (an adaptation of Mutiny on the Bounty), while in movies he appeared in Shogun Warrior with Toshiro Mifune. By the '90s, with his success in Sir Peter Hall's production of She Stoops to Conquer, Essex was a fully established, legitimate stage actor who was recognized as being able to carry a whole show -- seemingly in recognition of his continued presence in British popular culture, a new hits compilation emerged that year on CD from Polygram in England. His more recent composing projects have branched out to include the ballet Beauty and the Beast (1995). At around the same time, he resumed his recording career with Cover Shot, Missing You, and Back to Back, and has performed concerts on occasion in the years since. He has interspersed his various composing projects with extensive charitable work -- in addition to working with the aid organization Voluntary Service Overseas, Essex has also done recordings to benefit the World Music Fund and has done educational and charitable work in Zimbabwe and Uganda, among other African nations. He has also been active in charitable causes closer to home, such as the Gypsy Council, devoted to the welfare of gypsies living in England. In 1999, Essex was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in recognition of his stage, screen, and music career and his charitable work. In 2004, Edsel Records began releasing Essex's classic British CBS albums on CD, in carefully annotated and beautifully remastered editions. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Compared to some import collections that are available, this ten-song CD is on the skimpy side. But it does include all of his late-'50s and early-'60s chart hits, which should satisfy all but obsessively rabid collectors, and as a domestic release, it's considerably cheaper and more readily available than the other comps. ~ Richie Unterberger,...

Compared to some import collections that are available, this ten-song CD is on the skimpy side. But it does include all of his late-'50s and early-'60s chart hits, which should satisfy all but obsessively rabid collectors, and as a domestic release, it's considerably cheaper and more readily available than the other comps. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide [-] Hide

The Very Best of Bobby Sherman collects 18 of the teen idol's biggest singles, including "Little Woman," "Easy Come, Easy Go," "Bubblegum and Braces," "Hey Mister Sun," and "Julie, Do Ya Love Me?" "Seattle," "La La La (If I Had You)," and "Mr. Success" are some of the other wholesome hits included on this compilation, which is the most extensive... [+] Read More

The Very Best of Bobby Sherman collects 18 of the teen idol's biggest singles, including "Little Woman," "Easy Come, Easy Go," "Bubblegum and Braces," "Hey Mister Sun," and "Julie, Do Ya Love Me?" "Seattle," "La La La (If I Had You)," and "Mr. Success" are some of the other wholesome hits included on this compilation, which is the most extensive collection of Sherman's clean-cut bubblegum pop yet. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Though he never dredged the same depths as Elvis, there is little doubt that Cliff Richard made some really horrible movies. There were three of them -- Finders Keepers, Two a Penny, and the truly execrable Take Me High -- and one could search the earth for the rest of one's life and still never find anyone who would admit to enjoying them. So... [+] Read More

Though he never dredged the same depths as Elvis, there is little doubt that Cliff Richard made some really horrible movies. There were three of them -- Finders Keepers, Two a Penny, and the truly execrable Take Me High -- and one could search the earth for the rest of one's life and still never find anyone who would admit to enjoying them. So it's absolutely astonishing to discover that not only do the accompanying soundtracks stand proud alongside some of Richard's regular albums, they don't look too shoddy up there with his best ones, either. And the fact that category includes two other soundtracks just goes to prove your old granny was right all along. You really can't judge a movie score by the movie. At the time of his breakthrough, in 1958, Richard was (in the parlance of the day), "the boy who rocked the world." Little Richard was passe, Elvis was past it, Jerry Lee was, well, we've all seen Great Balls of Fire, so let's just leave it at that. So far as the British entertainment industry was concerned, America had already had its rock & rolling day; now it was their turn, and Cliff Richard was still coming down from his first hit single, the magnificent moodiness of "Move It," when he was co-opted for his first film, Serious Charge. The gritty realism of the movie's theme summed up Cliff's box office appeal. He was rough, he was tough, and the songs he performed on the soundtrack, "No Turning Back" and "Mad About You" (both making their CD debuts here), adhered perfectly to that image. So did a third number, the rollicking "Living Doll," but Richard soon changed that. Although the singer loved the song, he disliked its up-tempo rock arrangement, and by the time it became his first number one, "Living Doll" had been transformed into his first major ballad, and the template around which much of his subsequent career would be designed. Certainly it's no surprise that many of Richard's biggest hits over the next five years should also be ballads, or that the musical highlights of his next three movies would supply many of the most memorable examples. "A Voice in yhe Wilderness" and the magnificently maudlin "The Shrine on the Second Floor" (from Expresso Bongo, 1959); "When the Girl in Your Arms" (The Young Ones, 1961); and "Bachelor Boy" and "The Next Time" (Summer Holiday, 1962) are no strangers to a thousand best-of collections, and the only injustice is that their radiance often blinded listeners to some equally deserving material. Spread over two discs, and amply annotated in the accompanying booklet, At the Movies goes a long way toward remedying this travesty. Trimming the fat from the original soundtrack albums, it bolsters what's left with a handful of unissued alternate takes, and several more CD debutantes. And though the collectors' interest does wane as the second disc progresses toward Take Me High, still, At the Movies ends on a high note, with the original, and radically different, movie mixes of "The Young Ones," "Lessons in Love," and "Bachelor Boy," plus a sensational bazouki-powered "Summer Holiday." ~ Dave Thompson, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Not many artists can claim a 20-year run of hits, much less be credited with writing the majority of them as well, but Paul Anka can. Starting out as a sawed-off Canadian teen idol, he rocketed to the top of the charts with fare like "Diana," "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," "Lonely Boy," and "Puppy Love" before moving into the '70s with more... [+] Read More

Not many artists can claim a 20-year run of hits, much less be credited with writing the majority of them as well, but Paul Anka can. Starting out as a sawed-off Canadian teen idol, he rocketed to the top of the charts with fare like "Diana," "Put Your Head on My Shoulder," "Lonely Boy," and "Puppy Love" before moving into the '70s with more adult fare like "(You're) Having My Baby" and "My Way." Pop enthusiasts will appreciate this package, even if rock & roll fans shun his work to the very end. ~ Cub Koda, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Released to coincide with the cable television documentary of the same name, A&E Biography provides a concise summary of Ricky Nelson's career, from "I'm Walking" to "Garden Party." It isn't quite definitive, since such gems as "Waitin' in School" and "Stood Up" are missing, but it does have the lion's share of Nelson's greatest hits, including... [+] Read More

Released to coincide with the cable television documentary of the same name, A&E Biography provides a concise summary of Ricky Nelson's career, from "I'm Walking" to "Garden Party." It isn't quite definitive, since such gems as "Waitin' in School" and "Stood Up" are missing, but it does have the lion's share of Nelson's greatest hits, including "Be Bop Baby," "Believe What You Say," "Poor Little Fool," "Lonesome Town," "Travelin' Man," and "Hello Mary Lou," along with the previously mentioned pair of bookends. For the collectors, there's a previously unreleased "Cindy (Get Along Cindy)," which also features Dean Martin and Walter Brennan, but this is primarily for the casual fan and neophyte, and they'll be quite pleased with it. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide [-] Hide