Teenage Crush features 28 rock and pop ballads from the late '50s and early '60s, most (though not all) falling into the teen idol mold. Now that rock itself is no longer under direct threat from being emasculated by this kind of stuff, listeners can enjoy quality material like
Brian Hyland's "Sealed with a Kiss" without a twinge of guilt. But for every "Sea of Love" by
Phil Phillips, there are drippy melodramas by
Paul Anka,
Bobby Vee,
Ray Peterson,
Frankie Avalon, and
Tommy Sands. There are also a few cuts that are adult pop rather than pop/rock, by
Julie London,
Tommy Edwards, and
Johnny Mathis. It's a decent compilation of a kind of pop music that played a big part in its era, but much of it hasn't aged well at all.