The Fiestas: Sam Ingalls, Tommy Bullock, Preston Lane, Eddie Morris (vocals).
Recorded between 1958 & 1965. Includes liner notes by Peter Grendysa.
Liner Note Author: Dan Nooger.
Recording information: 09/22/1958-10/15/1965.
The Fiestas' "Oh So Fine," with its gospel-style harmonies and loping rhythm, is a seminal soul record and the biggest hit for this New Jersey vocal group. The single's flip side, "Last Night I Dreamed," features lead singer Tommy Bullock's piercing falsetto and is just as good. Regardless, the group was practically a one-hit wonder whose chart career went into steep decline thereafter, despite waxing a number of excellent R&B and soul sides for Hy Weiss' Old Town label. Oh So Fine compiles a whopping 29 recordings, some previously unreleased, comprising the group's hits, misses, and album tracks. When commercial success proved fleeting, the Fiestas tried new things, such as Olympics-style Western novelties ("Mr. Dillon, Mr. Dillon," "The Lawman"), religious songs ("The Hobo's Prayer"), and "So Fine" clones ("So Nice"). If anything, the group only got better as the years wore on, and the recordings from the mid-'60s are sweet soul sounds, indeed. The Collectables label issued a similar Fiestas anthology domestically in 2000 that is somewhat less expensive than this import collection, but curiously omits the group's Top 20 R&B hit "Broken Heart," as well as three other tracks. ~ Greg Adams
