Cigars, Acappella, Candy

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Cigars, Acappella, Candy
Studio album by
the Belmonts
Released1972
GenreDoo-wop, a cappella
LabelBuddah
ProducerBob Feldman
The Belmonts chronology
Cigars, Acappella, Candy
(1972) 		Reunion: Live at Madison Square Garden 1972
(1973)

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]

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Robert ChristgauB+[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.TitleLength
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]

  1. ^ "Obituaries: Fred Milano". Goldmine. Vol. 38, no. 3. Mar 2012. p. 47.
  2. ^ King, Peter (Oct 4, 1990). "A Cappella". The Pittsburgh Press. p. D1.
  3. ^ Southgate, Martha (Oct 3, 1990). "A Cappella". Daily News. New York. p. 34.
  4. ^ Warner, Jay (2006). American Singing Groups: A History from 1940s to Today. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 362.
  5. ^ a b Popson, Thomas (Feb 18, 1973). "Up Pop Dion, Belmonts again". Chicago Tribune. p. 6.12.
  6. ^ Harris, Paul A. (Mar 8, 1991). "Doo-wop: Down on the Corner". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 4F.
  7. ^ a b Dawson, Walter (Mar 18, 1973). "The 1950s rock and roll revival...". Fanfare. The Commercial Appeal. p. 7.
  8. ^ "Cigars, Acappella, Candy The Belmonts". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  9. ^ a b "The Belmonts". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 23 April 2024.
  10. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4 ed.). Oxford University Press.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ Price, Richard (Dec 26, 1976). "Dion's mixed feelings along Arthur Avenue". San Antonio Express-News. Rolling Stone. p. 7H.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ "Rock in the 1970s: Journey Through the Past". The Village Voice. December 17, 1979.
  15. ^ DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James, eds. (1992). The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock & Roll. Random House. p. 159.
  16. ^ Eddy, Chuck (Oct 2010). "Essentials: With Streetwise Jive and Astral Harmonies, Doo-Wop Conjures a New Universe". Spin. Vol. 26, no. 9. p. 82.
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