Track Listing

1. Walk Right In - Rooftop Singers
2. Sukiyaki - Kyu Sakamoto
3. Hey Paula - Paul & Paula
4. Pipeline - The Chantays
5. Rhythm of the Rain - The Cascades
6. Blue Velvet - Bobby Vinton
7. Dominique - The Singing Nun
8. I'm Leaving It up to You - Dale & Grace
9. Sally Go Round the Roses - The Jaynetts
10. Wipe Out - The Surfaris, The Surfaris

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20118 in Music
• Released on: 1994-07-19
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

In Memoriam to a great Singer - Kyu Sakamoto
There are a lot of great hits on this album but the one that I most favor, not just for 1963, but for all time, is the song written by Rokusuke Ei, and sung by one of the greatest Japanase singers of all time: Kyu Sakamoto. The song being called "Sukiyaki" in America but released in Japan in 1961 as "Ue O Muite Aruko" (I look up When I Walk). The song was inspired by actual events of the times in that Rokusuke Ei had his heart broke by the Japanese Actress, Meiko Nakamura. Nonetheless, noone could have sung the song as great or as well as Kyu Sakamoto. I will cherish his songs for all my days. And, if you do not believe this, listen to the partial song here on Amazon, and then buy the Billboard album itself to hear the entire song. AND then, try to find the actual album "The Very Best of Kyu Sakamoto". The tragic part is, Kyu is no longer with us as he was killed in the famous aircraft accident of 1985 on August 12th: JAL Flight 123, a 747 bound for Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Osaka. It took 30 minutes for this plane to hit the ground after pieces of its tail section broke off. Enough time for passengers to write farewells to their loved ones. This is one Story that should have been made into a movie: the life of Kyu Sakamoto and his family and friends. Thank you!

A time warp
I popped this CD in my player going to work the other day and my van became a time machine which transported me immediatly back to 1963. I am riding down Broad Street in Richmond, Va. in my friend's Impala SS, listening to WLEE on the radio play "Rhythm Of The Rain" by the Cascades and am 20 years old again.

All the songs on this CD are winners but the two most unusual selections are "Sukiyaki" sung completely in Japanese by Kyu Sakamota and "Dominique" sung in French by The Singing Nun. My other personal favorite is the surreal "Sally, Go Round The Roses" by the Jaynetts.

I really never cared all that much for "Hey Paula" by Paul and Paula but they were part of that special time in my life and I am glad that Rhino is doing such a great job of preserving these songs of my generation.

Sukiyaki and Other Great Songs
I bought this CD because I wanted "Sukiyaki" by the original artist, but this CD also many other great songs like "Blue Velvet", "Dominque", and "Rhythm Of The Rain". It also has a couple of great instrumentals, "Pipeline" and "Wipe Out".