Recorded: 1954-1968

Released: Nov. 24, 1992

Rating:

Genre: early R&B/rock and roll

Quotable: “easily the best Coasters retrospective ever assembled” – Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Album Tracks, Disc 1:

1. Riot in Cell Block #9 *
2. Wrap It Up *
3. Framed *
4. Whadaya Want? *
5. One Kiss *
6. I Must Be Dreamin’ *
7. The Hatchet Man *
8. Just Like a Fool *
9. Smokey Joe’s Café *
10. Turtle Dovin’
11. Down in Mexico
12. One Kiss Led to Another
13. Brazil
14. Searchin’
15. Young Blood
16. Idol with the Golden Head
17. When She Wants Good Lovin’ My Baby Comes to Me
18. What Is the Secret of Your Success?
19. Sweet Georgia Brown
20. Yakety Yak
21. Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart
22. The Shadow Knows
23. Sorry, But I’m Gonna Have to Pass
24. Hey Sexy
25. Charlie Brown
26. Three Cool Cats

Album Tracks, Disc 2:

1. Along Came Jones
2. That Is Rock & Roll
3. I’m a Hog for You Baby
4. Poison Ivy
5. What about Us
6. Run Red Run
7. Besame Mucho, Pt. 1
8. Stewball
9. Wake Me, Shake Me
10. Shoppin’ for Clothes
11. Thumbin’ a Ride
12. Wait a Minute
13. Little Egypt
14. Keep on Rollin’
15. Girls, Girls, Girls, Pt. 2
16. Bad Blood
17. Ain’t That Just Like Me
18. Teach Me How to Shimmy
19. The Slime
20. Bad Detective
21. Hongry
22. Soul Pad
23. Down Home Girl
24. D.W. Washburn
25. Shake ‘Em Up and Let ‘Em Roll

Sales:

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Peak:

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Singles/Hit Songs:

• Riot in Cell Block #9 * (6/54) --
• Framed * (10/54) --
• One Kiss * (4/55) --
• I Must Be Dreamin’ * (6/55) --
• Smokey Joe’s Café * (12/3/55) #79 US, #10 RB
• Down in Mexico (3/31/56) #8 RB
• One Kiss Led to Another (9/8/56) #73 US, #11 RB
• Searchin’ (5/6/57) #3 US, #30 UK, #1 RB. Sales: 1 million
• Young Blood (5/6/57) #8 US, #1 RB. Sales: 1 million
• Idol with the Golden Head (10/21/57) #64 US
• Sweet Georgia Brown (11/57) --
• Yakety Yak (6/2/58) #1 US, #12 UK, #1 RB. Sales: 1 million
• The Shadow Knows (8/58) --
• Charlie Brown (2/2/59) #2 US, #2 RB. Sales: 1 million
• Along Came Jones (5/18/59) #9 US, #14 RB
• Poison Ivy (8/24/59) #7 US, #1 RB. Sales: 1 million
• I’m a Hog for You Baby (8/24/59) #38 US
• What about Us (12/7/59) #47 US, #17 RB
• Run Red Run (12/7/59) #36 US, #29 RB
• Besame Mucho, Pt. 1 (5/2/60) #70 US
• Wake Me, Shake Me (6/20/60) #51 US, #14 RB
• Shoppin’ for Clothes (10/3/60) #83 US
• Wait a Minute (1/30/61) #37 US
• Little Egypt (4/24/61) #23 US, #16 RB
• Girls, Girls, Girls (8/14/61) #96 US
• Ain’t That Just Like Me (11/61) --
• The Slime (9/62) --
• Bad Detective (5/64) --
• Soul Pad (3/67) --
• D.W. Washburn (7/68) --

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Notes: * Songs were actually by The Robins, who became The Coasters.

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Awards:

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“Although it may well be too much for the casual fan, this double CD is easily the best Coasters retrospective ever assembled. Besides featuring every one of their hits, it also contains nine strong tunes cut in the mid-‘50s by the Robins, who evolved into the Coasters after some personnel changes. As for the enticing obscurities, Three Cool Cats and Besame Mucho were cut by the Beatles on unreleased recordings in the early ‘60s, and Ain’t That Just like Me would be a small hit for the Searchers. Down in Mexico and Brazil are cool R&B/Latin melodramas, and Shoppin’ for Clothes, What About Us, and That Is Rock & Roll are half-forgotten vignettes of youthful independence that stack up against the best songs of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who wrote most of the group’s material” (Unterberger).

“Indeed, there’s little difference in quality between the hits and the B-sides on this comp, either in the group’s matchless ensemble R&B/comedy vocals or Leiber/Stoller’s witty songwriting. The accompanying booklet features comments on most of the tracks by Leiber and Stoller themselves” (Unterberger).