Cruisin' Story 1960

An instantly recognizable bargain bin staple since the late '70s, thanks to their colorful comic book covers tracing the romantic life of an Everycouple named Peg and Eddie, the Cruisin' series of discs are built on a brilliant concept: each disc is devoted to a single year, with hit songs, local commercials, station jingles and news headlines all presided over by a noted DJ from the era for a near-perfect re-creation of that year's AM radio experience. Cruisin' 1960 is one of the most delightful entries in the series. Hosted by the leather-lunged speed talker Dick Biondi of WKBW in Buffalo, NY, Cruisin' 1960 has more of a specifically local flavor than many of the discs, with a typically frigid mid-winter weather forecast, several station jingles and commercials for local products like Wardynski Sausage and Genessee Beer. In between, the songs are an intriguing mix of big hits like Maurice Williams' "Stay" and revered semi-obscurities like Toni Fisher's "The Big Hurt," the most absurdly over-reverbed single of that reverb-happy age. Other rarities like Jack Scott's "What in the World's Come Over You" and Buster Brown's R&B stomper "Fannie Mae" are also among the highlights. ~ Stewart Mason