The doowop and pop vocal group which eventually became The Vibrations began life as The Jay Hawks, having a 1956 hit with Stranded In The Jungle.

Recording under different names before becoming The Vibrations the group had hits with The Watusi, and then Peanut Butter, when they recorded as The Marathons. Their music encompassed pure doowop, along with hard-hitting R&B, rock ‘n’ roll and novelty pop and “dance craze” songs, as they and their producers searched for the next successful formula.

This 53-track compilation features  A- and B-sides of their releases on the Flash, Aladdin, Allied, Eastman, Bet, Checker, Arvee and Argo labels during these years, including recordings as The Jay Hawks, The Vibes, Danny Tyrell & The Cleechays, Sonny Knight & The Cleeshays, The Vibrations and The Marathons, and also includes the titles from their Checker album The Watusi which were not released on singles.

Stranded In The Jungle, written by Ernestine Smith and The Jay Hawks’ first tenor, James Johnson, peaked at No.18 on Billboard and has been covered numerous times by acts as diverse as: The Cadets, New York Dolls, Frank Zappa and Adam Ant. Alongside the hits previously mentioned, listeners will discover a number of hugely influential tracks such as: So Blue, Oh, Cindy, The Junkeroo, Continental With Me, Baby and Serenade Of The Bells.

The album is sub-titled “The Story So Far” as they had several more hits beyond the scope of this collection through to 1968. It’s a comprehensive overview of their output during this era, and an entertaining collection which showcases their diversity.

TRACKS