Cigars, Acappella, Candy | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1972 | |||
Genre | Doo-wop, a cappella | |||
Label | Buddah | |||
Producer | Bob Feldman | |||
The Belmonts chronology | ||||
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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]
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]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | B+ [9] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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]
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"
|
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]
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]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | B+ [9] |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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]
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"
|