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Live From The Rock N’ Roll Palace Volume 1 was recorded live at the venue of the same name in Orlando, Florida. While no actual date is given, looking at the clothing and hair styles I would place this somewhere in the mid-seventies. While this is all early rock and roll, the clothing looks a bit disco.
Live From The Rock N’ Roll Palace Volume 1 features various legendary artists including The Coasters (who were among the first African American singing groups to cross over and to be considered rock and roll), Del Shannon (whose piercing falsetto sent chills down your spine), Bryan Hyland (the teen heart-throb with numerous worldwide hits), Tommy Sands (who reassured millions of parents that rock and roll is not that dangerous), Jive Five (who provided a key link between doo wop and '60s soul), The Tokens (chart toppers in 1961), and The Dixie Cups (those three lovely ladies from New Orleans).
The show starts off with The Coasters. They start with 1958’s number one single, “Yakkity Yak” which is done in true Coaster style, and finish with their 1958 single, “Young Blood”. Tommy Sands is next on the bill, performing “Going Steady” and following up with “Worrying Kind”. I was not very familiar with Sands as the singer but rather knew him as the actor in the 1964 movie Ensign Pulver, but he came off well.
Del Shannon was next with the 1961 hit “Hats Off To Larry” which is absolutely phenomenal! I really love his falsetto voice and the way that he moves in and out between it and his normal voice. He finishes with the 1964 song, “Handy Man” which also is great. His guitar work was wonderful as well.
Another group that I was not familiar with but who impressed me was Jive Five. A Brooklyn group formed in the mid-fifties, they started out with their first success, “My True Story” and followed up with “I’m A Happy Man”.
Next up was Bryan Hyland with “Joker Went Wild” and then his biggest hit — “Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Yellow Polka-dot Bikini” which in 1960 went to number one. You could see by his style and look why he was a pre-Beatles teen idol.
I was looking forward to seeing the Tokens and was not disappointed. They started with “Tonight I Fell In Love” in which they merged their harmonies to the voice of lead singer Jay Siegel’s massively high range. They then finished with the timeless classic “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”. Fantastic!
The show finished with the Dixie Cups. They start off with “Going to the Chapel”, a song originally written for the Ronettes by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich and released in 1964. They finished with “Iko, Iko”, the Sugar Boy Crawford Mardi Gras song
My only disappointment with Live From The Rock N’ Roll Palace Volume 1 was the fact that, although The Diamonds are listed as being on the DVD, they were not. While I would have loved to see them do “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” and “Silhouette”, it does not make me like the artists that do perform any less.
My personal favorites and the main reasons I would purchase this DVD would be for Del Shannon, The Tokens, and the Dixie Cups. This is a piece of rock and roll history well worth owning.
