Life Could Be a Dream: The Doo-Wop Sound

The enduring if slightly quaint sound of doo-wop--America's soulful, street corner vocal style--is documented in this extensive, entertaining documentary. Doo-wop is, to be honest, a dying art--a major feature of the musical landscape of the ‘50s that was pretty much consigned to the nostalgia bins once the Beatles ushered in the era of big time rock ‘n' roll (a fact that hardly lessens the timeless appeal of classics like Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers' “Why Do Fools Fall in Love”). The DVD provides some history (doo-wop was primarily an urban, East Coast phenomenon; but like the blues, it can trace its roots to the cotton fields and later the church), an explication of the style (with its rich, often a cappella vocal harmonies and rather silly but catchy tunes), some wonderful old footage of groups like the Deep River Boys and the Mills Brothers, and plenty of contemporary interviews with members of the Cadillacs, the Chantels, the Spaniels, and others. What it doesn't have is the same thing that plagues so many documentaries of this type: namely, complete performances of any tunes. Despite that drawback, this is recommended. Aud: P. (S. Graham)