Though the similarly titled Japanese compilation on
P-Vine
offers two more tracks,
Ace
's
Stranded in the Jungle
gets the nod since it's found more often and has better liner notes. The first of two
Cadets
/
Jacks
collections from the label,
focuses on
the Cadets
' recordings for
Modern
RPM
from late 1954 (
"Don't Be Angry"
) to December 1957 (
"Ring Chimes,"
their last single for
). (The second volume,
Why Don't You Write Me
, concerns itself mostly with
singles from the same years.) Paced by the rollicking Top 20 story song
"Stranded in the Jungle,"
recorded plenty of fine material, and all of it sounded great thanks to the arrangements of
Maxwell Davis
and the supervision of
vice pres
Joe Bihari
(one of the four
Biharis
who put in time at the label).
The Cadets
also did covers or answer songs that rocked just as hard as the originals: just check out the
"Work With Me Henry"
answer song
"Annie Met Henry,"
or
"Dancin' Dan,"
a cover (in all but the name) of
"Sixty Minute Man."
"I'll Be Spinning"
shows the group sounding great when playing it straight as well, and compiler
Walter De Venne
wisely added to the program a couple of
songs cut from the same cloth (
"Love Bandit"
). Prime doo-wop at its most exuberant and fun. ~ John Bush