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Performers include: The High Hatters, Johnny & The Jokers, The Glens, Del & The Escorts, The Pretenders, Jo-Ann, The Apollos. Recording information: 1959-1983. Photographer: S. Wriedt. Rome Records only existed for about two years, and the label's main claim to fame was that it recorded the early sides of the High Hatters, who renamed themselves the Earls and subsequently scored a pair of memorable doo wop hits -- "Remember Then" and "Never" -- on the Old Town label. This 27-song CD contains virtually the complete output of Rome Records and the related Power-Martin label, other than the Earls' tracks, which were not available. The CD opens with three genuine rarities: two 1959 vintage, pre-Rome sides by Johnny & the Jokers -- the catchy up-tempo novelty tune " "Do-Re-Mi-Rock" and the romantic ballad "Comic Book Romance" -- and one side by the High Hatters, the slow-tempo ballad "It's You." Most of Rome's output was in this vein: white doo wop aimed at dancers; Johnny & the Jokers were one of the busier acts on the label other than the Earls, and their mid-tempo work, such as "Learning About Love," is achingly beautiful and has a great beat. Del & the Escorts were also one of the better outfits to cut for the label, their version of "Someone to Watch Over Me" being one of the better reworkings of a pop classic, while "Baby Doll" features some extraordinary vocal acrobatics by the group; producer Don Davis evidently thought so much of the arrangements and the backing vocals that he wiped the lead singer's voice and recorded someone credited as Jo-Ann on lead vocals for a reissue on the Raven label in 1964. Also featured on this disc are more generic pop-oriented doo wop outfits such as the Glens (who get down to sounding really soulful on the achingly beautiful "More" and "I Feel Great") and an early-'60s outfit called the Pretenders. The latter group's sound varied wildly from record to record based on the evidence of what's here, from lively, upbeat R&B-based teen pop in the vein of Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers on "I'm So Happy" to Frankie Avalon-style crooning on "Could This Be Magic" and Dion & the Belmonts' street-corner harmonizing on "Guardian Angel," and then they turned into a scaled-down version of the Ray Conniff Singers on their version of "A Very Precious Love" (from the movie Marjorie Morningstar). Evidently their name spoke literally about their abilities in terms of morphing their sound. Ultimately, little of what's here -- other than the bridge on "More" by the Glens and that stunning moment where the singers take off on Del & the Escorts' version of "Baby Doll" -- is close to earth-shattering, but it's all extremely enjoyable even to the casual listener, and some of it is downright stunning. All of what's here is evocative of a beautiful and innocent era in rock & roll; indeed, this is that rare kind of collector's anthology that can make converts of non-fans of doo wop music. The sound quality is exceptional and the annotation,
