The Flamingos Flamingo Serenade LP (Powder Blue Vinyl)

This 1959 album doesn't just include the greatest doo wop single of all time, "I Only Have Eyes for You," it also stakes a fair claim to being the greatest doo wop ALBUM of all time. Flamingo Serenade brought End label producer George Goldner's concept of having an R&B vocal group sing pop standards to its true apotheosis, as The Flamingos' rich and intricate vocal harmonies lent ethereal textures to such chestnuts as "Begin the Beguine" and "Love Walked In." And, of course, there's "I Only Have Eyes for You," one of the most mysterious and existential recordings ever committed to wax.

The Flamingos recorded Flamingo Serenade in true stereo, and that's the version Real Gone Music is bringing you on powder blue vinyl to match the tuxedos the group is wearing on the front cover. One of those rare albums that appeals to every generation.

Doo-wop is one of the most maligned and underappreciated cornerstones of rock 'n' roll, relegated to PBS pledge drive fodder or the soundtrack to gangster films set in the '50s. But there is an easily tracked line between the close knit harmonies and heart-on-sleeve romanticism of groups like The Flamingos and modern masters like Bruno Mars and The Weeknd. This re-pressing of Flamingo Serenade, the second album from the group, bears that out even when the vocal group is weaving through some treacly pop standards. Still, this album also holds one of the crown jewels of the doo-wop era: 'I Only Have Eyes For You,' a knee-buckling expression of pure adoration and lust that still burns hot some six decades after it was recorded.