The Del-Fi & Donna Story in Bloomington, MN

In the late '50s and early '60s, Del-Fi was an interesting, eclectic L.A.-based independent rock label, recording surf, rockabilly, R&B, and pop, occasionally landing a national hit. Precisely because of that eclecticism, though, a survey disc of notable tracks from the Del-Fi vaults isn't the smoothest listen. This 31-disc compilation does include good sides by
Ritchie Valens
,
Chan Romero
(famous for
"Hippy Hippy Shake"
),
Ron Holden
(who had a one-shot with the New Orleans R&B-like "Love You So)" teen idol
Johnny Crawford
, and surf combo
the Lively Ones
. Serious collectors will also appreciate the CD availability of rare sides by
Dick Dale
Rene Hall
(who played guitar on
Valens'
classic "La Bamba"), a pre-
Bread
David Gates
, and other unknown tracks in the surf, R&B, and instrumental vein.
Valens
Romero
Crawford
, and
are better appreciated in the context of their own best-of compilations, however. ~ Richie Unterberger