If, somewhere in the world, a mad scientist is scheming to genetically engineer a bass-to-tenor quintet of
Johnny Mathises to assemble the most unearthly honey-voiced vocal group ever devised, he or she should be informed that
the Tymes already exist. In this collector-oriented era in which practically every obscure R&B and doo wop group has had its recordings reissued on CD,
the Tymes tend to get overlooked because of ABKCO's stubborn refusal to reissue the Cameo and Parkway catalogs. The Tymes' hits from 1963-1964 were originally released on Parkway, including their number one hit, "So Much in Love." That situation has necessitated the creation of bootleg CDs such as
So Much in Love, which contains 30 recordings comprising nearly all of
the Tymes' albums
So Much in Love,
Sound of the Wonderful Tymes, and
Somewhere, lovingly mastered from the original vinyl. The compiler chose to emphasize
the Tymes' smooth pop material (which was the majority of what they did), omitting their few surf and uptempo songs. All of their 1963 hits are included, but a few minor chart items from 1964 are not. The sound quality, sequencing, and selections are very good, making one wish that the exquisite harmonies of
the Tymes could find a wider audience. Meanwhile, a wealth of well-made Cameo-Parkway bootleg CDs exist and are not very difficult to find.