Track Listing

1. The Wanderer-
2. A Teenager In Love
3. Runaround Sue
4. Where Or When
5. Lonely Teenager
6. I Wonder Why
7. Lovers Who Wander
8. No One Knows
9. Little Diane
10. Love Came To Me
11. When You Wish Upon A Star
12. Rudy Baby
13. Donna The Prima Donna
14. Drip Drop
15. Ths Little Girl
16. Sandy
17. In The Still Of The Night
18. Be Careful Of Stones That You Throw
19. The Majestic
20. Abraham Martin And John

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6462 in Music
• Released on: 1999-09-27
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Import, Original recording remastered

Album Description
20 of the teen idol's biggest chart hits for the Laurie & Columbia labels from 1958-68, both with & without his group The Belmonts. All tracks are digitally remastered & include 'The Wanderer', 'I Wonder Why', 'Runaround Sue', 'Donna The Primadonna', 'A Teenager In Love' & 'Abraham Martin And John'. 1999 release.

Customer Reviews

LISTENING TO DION WITH THE THIRD EAR AND A NOTE TO REPERTOIRE
I've always liked The Wanderer and Run Around Sue. The Wanderer is a song that should have been covered by everyone from the Stones, to Aerosmith, to Hawkwind, to Hendrix. The middle break could cut thru anything. Ironically, it was Dion who covered Hendrix in what might be the most grotesque thing ever recorded, his version of Purple Haze, like a bad dream. Even given that, I am not putting anything he does down. If you are like some and don't much like Dion past The Wanderer, you need to listen to him out of the context of his time. This music, all of it, has the weird and uncanny feel of something inanimate brought to life or something formally alive that has become statuesque or doll-like. Even pictures of this guy often look like someone dead. His image has all the mystique of a drug casuality or mental case. I am very happy he is a survivor, so he gets the best of both worlds on the image scene. I don't get any visions of high school sweethearts or hops when listening to this amazing music. To get what I mean think of how David Lynch used the song Blue Velvet and others in his movies. The entire cataloge of Dion is like one big Lynch movie. The only reason I don't give this five stars is the stereo. I prefer Dion in mono. It adds to the atmosphere. Hey, Repertoire, have you gotten any rarities or mono? We'll take 'em. On the Essential, it's mono, but brittle sounding on the mono single of the Wanderer. However there are some worthwhile things like No One is Waiting (rare b-side) and the great Kickin' Child, a mono mix of Abraham, Martin, which is really good. If you like this Greatest Hits, you will find Bronx Blues (Columbia Recordings 1962-66) essential. Amazingly, there is very little duplication between these 2, only like 3 songs or so. Bronx Blues (not to be confused w/Bronx in Blue, by the way) features more post-Wanderer doo wop, plus lots of his 'hot blues,' like an alternate Kickin' Child and an amazing Troubled Mind. However, it's out of print, but worth picking up used until something else comes around. We have not heard enough yet of this blues peroid of his. We need more!!!!! Also, there is one called Best of the Rest which for some reason does not come up when you search under Dion. You have to search under Dion+title. This is an ideal companion to this CD, has alternate takes of Sue and Wanderer, later doo wop and outtakes of Alone With Dion, all stereo.

The Astounding Resurgence Of Older Popular Music
March 18,2008

Dion and Ricky Nelson and other recording artists who began plying their trade in the 1950's are now seeing a mild but strengthening fan reception today. Elvis has never stopped entertaining a worldwide audience and I remember him as the idol of 1956. Recently I saw Dion hosting a buy 30 Cd's and give them back if you don't like them information program concerning the doo wop era. I have been a fan of Dion and the Belmonts (their name comes from Belmont Avenue in the Bronx, New York) since the songs on this Cd such as Teenager in Love and Runaround Sue were all part of my maturation on Manhattan's Upper Upper West Side. Then in 1968 Dion came out with the signature song Abraham, Martin and John which captivated the entire nation with its pathos, its message and its jarring effect upon us as a phenomenal piece of music. Back to Dion and Ricky Nelson and Brenda Lee surfacing again. I think its Sirius Gold and the potential that 15 million listeners are all tuning in to Dion and the Belmonts, Ricky Nelson and others for the very first time in their lives on satellite. Dion himself is not just another 50's boy's room harmony ballader. I have always known that he is a consummate musician and performer who knows all the nuances of jazz, pop, rock and roll and gospel. I urge especially young people who have been sold on today's music in a public relations fashion to buy Dion&Belmonts - Greatest Hits and begin to experience truly historical genetically ingrained, legitimate music. The music industry is noticing a Flight to Quality as listeners are actually going back into time to capture artistry that is professional and valid as pure quality. Dion and the Belmonts never needed huge corporations and court jesters to solidify their fan base.I wish that we could somehow see a Midnight Special type television show composed of oldtime rock idols like Dion and classic rock performers who I strongly believe could entertain us in a really nice way.

Jay Adler, Music Critic

This is the one to buy!
This CD has ALL of the original hits I wanted. And they sound as good, if not better, than I remember them. It's just as if I were listening to them when I was 16!