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Album Summary
Super Oldies Of The 50's Volume 2 is a various-artists compilation released on the Trip label out of the United States, gathering some of the most beloved and bone-deep recordings that defined the golden age of American popular music in the 1950s. Trip was known for putting together budget-line compilations that brought classic material to new audiences at an accessible price point, and this volume — the second in their Super Oldies Of The 50's series — drew from the rich wells of Rock & Roll, Rhythm & Blues, and Doo Wop to assemble a four-sided platter packed with twenty tracks that could make even the most stone-faced listener start to sway. No single producer or recording session ties these songs together; rather, it is the era itself — that electric, revolutionary decade when American youth found its voice on the radio dial — that gives the album its unity and its soul.
Reception
- As a budget compilation on the Trip label, Super Oldies Of The 50's Volume 2 was not widely reviewed by major music publications of its day, and no verified chart performance data is associated with this specific release.
- Collections of this type found their audience through word of mouth and rack sales in department stores and discount shops, serving nostalgic listeners rather than critics, which means formal reception documentation is sparse.
- The album's value was understood in the living rooms and rec rooms where it was played, not in the pages of Rolling Stone — a quiet, steady success measured in needle drops rather than column inches.
Significance
- As a document of the crossroads where Doo Wop, Rhythm & Blues, and early Rock & Roll met and shook hands, this compilation captures the pluralism of 1950s American popular music in a single listening experience — from the street-corner tenderness of 'A Thousand Miles Away' and 'Deserie' to the barnstorming energy of 'Good Golly Miss Molly' and 'Kansas City.'
- The album serves as a cultural time capsule, preserving the sound of a decade that transformed American identity, with tracks like 'Why Do Fools Fall In Love,' 'Book Of Love,' and 'A Teenager In Love' representing the moment when young people claimed popular music as their own territory.
- Trip's Super Oldies series played a quiet but meaningful role in keeping 1950s classics circulating through American households during the 1970s, ensuring that songs like 'You Send Me,' 'La Bamba,' and 'Rockin' Robin' remained part of the shared cultural conversation for a new generation.
Samples
- "Good Golly Miss Molly" — Little Richard's barnburner has been sampled and interpolated across decades of hip-hop and rock, one of the most referenced vocal performances of the rock and roll era.
- "Kansas City" — the Wilbert Harrison recording has been sampled and borrowed by numerous artists across genres, cementing its status as a foundational blues-rock touchstone.
- "La Bamba" — Ritchie Valens' signature recording has been heavily referenced and sampled in Latin and hip-hop contexts, including its influence on Los Lobos' iconic 1987 revival.
- "You Send Me" — Sam Cooke's silky debut has been sampled by hip-hop and R&B artists drawn to its warm, yearning vocal texture and timeless melodic appeal.
- "Rockin' Robin" — the Bobby Day original has been sampled and interpolated by multiple artists, perhaps most famously associated with Michael Jackson's early career cover version bringing renewed attention to the track.
Tracklist
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A1 I Only Have Eyes For You —
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A2 Why Do Fools Fall In Love —
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A3 Eddie My Love —
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A4 A Thousand Miles Away —
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A5 Book Of Love —
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B1 Kansas City —
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B2 Dedicated To The One I Love —
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B3 Stagger Lee —
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B4 Deserie —
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B5 Western Movies —
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C1 A Teenager In Love —
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C2 Good Golly Miss Molly —
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C3 Happy Organ —
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C4 Rockin' Robin —
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C5 You Send Me —
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D1 Stormy Weather —
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D2 La Bamba —
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D3 Hey Little Girl —
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D4 Sea Cruise —
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D5 Don't Ask Me To Be Lonely —
Artist Details
Here's the thing about Various, baby — this artist burst onto the 1980s rock scene like a force of nature, blending raw energy with a sound that was somehow both timeless and perfectly of its era. Various carved out a reputation for delivering tracks that hit you right in the chest, the kind of music that made you pull over your car just to let the song breathe. With a catalog that speaks for itself, Various remains one of the most compelling figures to come out of that decade of big hair, bigger riffs, and even bigger feelings.