Vibrations - So Blue - Haunting, Beautiful Ballad

Another 45 from The Alan Fredricks collection I picked up a few summers ago.

[@gregoryglading1517]

Yes! Beautiful and haunting indeed!

[@latteliz1944]

Omg doo wop at it's best my goodness Ricky Owens voice is just beautiful 🎤💖💯

[@GothicMod]

One of the greatest little-known songs ever; 200 out of 10...;)

[@keelerhastings7109]

Gothic ...The Vibrations are one of the most talented , Little-Known groups ever 🎉

[@MRDOOWOP1]

Love the Haunting Doo-wop sound ❤🎙🎶🎙🎙🎙

[@psychobillynumbnuts1]

Hauntingly Beautiful 💕

[@PJDooWop]

I love the atmospheric, "hollow" quality of this tune. It's mainly the loud hiss Chris was referring to. When you play a 78 with a 45 stylus, it hisses in the same way this does. His idea was if I play it with a 78 stylus, it might play with less hiss. I think the hiss actually adds to the haunting eerieness

[@anitashelby]

Ahhh What A Beautiful Song ! Thankyou PJ.....Anita..

[@danielmkubacki]

A great song.

[@dustee]

Reminds me of the quarter parties I used to attend. Thanks for sharing!

[@lillianarrieta527]

Beautiful

[@patoman881]

I cant stop playing this one......it is proving to be an interesting weekend:-)

[@fiftiessoundforever3002]

This is so so great! What a sound!

[@ChasGreenALRS]

I remember this! I must be old?Oh my god its true but what a wonderful tune old basement parties+the slow grind..way before birthcontrol pills and yet life contines.

[@richardleeterry5436]

YOUR DESCRIPTION IS PERFECT, BEAUTIFUL MELODY WORTHY OF EXTENDED PLAY. SANG LEAD ON THIS WITH THE "DARVONS" (WE WERE ALL MEDICS-,LOL) ;IN USAF

[@cynthiapeters277]

Hauntingly beautiful.

[@PJDooWop]

I agree.. Apparently Alan Fredricks saw hit potential in this since he played the hell out of this copy.

[@PJDooWop]

You're right about Off Shore.. That's great and haunting too

[@thomasroever1354]

A beauty from 1958.. Chicago had some of the best doo wop set aside from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Im an Illinoian so there is some bias with Chicago doo wops.

[@robbk1]

This was recorded in Los Angeles, and released on L.A.'s Bet Records, first. So it isn't really "Chicago Doo wop". I was living in Chicago at the time this was recorded. Chess DID bring The Vibrations to Chicago to record later. But, The Vibrations were never a "Chicago group"

[@thebigfist]

Great song.I didn`t know you acquired Alan K Fredricks` collection--That must be some treasure-haul!

[@Savadorason1]

-Yep, I'm back here again. I'm hooked on this.

[@colsnake331]

Serious blue light basement cut. Great post. You've been digging around in my 45rpm box again havn't you? Gotta watch you.

[@robbk1]

The Vibrations were from South L.A. This was released first on a tiny L.A. indie label, Bet Records.

[@charlesperry-kelly6284]

Beautiful harmony and lead singer, Ricky.

[@PJDooWop]

It's a great record

[@PJDooWop]

I never heard it by them. I'll have to look for that

[@dywaneharris7465]

So Blue

[@lillianarrieta527]

Oh wow

[@Dickneeds]

Why this never charted higher than #110 on BB is beyond me. What a great record. Very haunting.

[@fioredecor222]

IMPECCABLE.

[@MegaDianal]

Sound like a Flamingoes type tune.

[@billchew450]

Very similar

[@PJDooWop]

Lol, if you have this in your collection you're a lucky man. The crazy thing is I bought this record two summers ago and never played it until two nights ago. I filed it away in the wrong place and forgot I had it

[@meherbaba01]

Fantastic.

[@PJDooWop]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@PJDooWop]

I know man.. Makes me want to finish restoring my 64 Galaxie so I can bump this all around town

[@lakewoodil]

So did you ever restore the '64??

[@Wolfsky9]

I agree : it sounds like something The Flamingoes would have done. ------------WolfSky9, 71 y/o

[@digiulio]

If anyone wanted the chords: C C# Bbm / C# D

[@MrGandharva108]

I always thought this record influenced Brian Wilson to write, "In My Room".

[@13loomisst]

@PJDooWop Yeah, it's got a haunting quality, a little like one of my favorites, "Off Shore" by the Cardinals. Thanks very much.

[@PJDooWop]

I think this one is hard to not like

[@PJDooWop]

That's an interesting concept. The reason it hisses so much is it's been played A LOT. The grooves are really wide and dull, although a lot of the grayness came out when I cleaned the record. Luckily this came from a radio DJ's collection and the record was taken care of otherwise. I think you're right.. A 2.0 or 2.3 mil transcription stylus would probably make this play a lot quieter. I think a lot of the high end would be lost though. A 3.0 mil 78 stylus would probably be overdoing it

[@TheJbh222]

Ace bit of black vinyl gold...T.Y...4 Posting.

[@lajas46]

If I'm not mistaken the flip side was the big hit called THE WATUSI

[@PJDooWop]

You're welcome

[@nicky0016dd]

★★★★★!!!!!!!!!

[@FireypepperCP]

10/3/2018

[@PJDooWop]

I don't think I've heard Nicky's

[@Dickneeds]

My favorite Vibrations song. I still have the original 45 from 1960.

[@robbk1]

Do you have it on Bet Records? It was on that little California label before Checker picked it up. Too bad it's so short. Most Checker pressings were 1:56. This Chicago pressing is 2:00, with 4 more seconds of trail singing. Better.

[@Dickneeds]

To Luis Grant. The flip s ide of this was Wallflower not The Watusi. The Watusi was the followup single. So Blue came out in Mat 1960 and the Watusi came out in Jan 1961.