During their brief four-year existence, the Richmond, VA, teen combo
the Rock-A-Teens released a mere 13 tracks, one of which was the Top 20 single "Woo-Hoo," best remembered for its near wordless vocal refrain. Ten of those 13 tunes appear on this CD compilation, and one has to wonder why Collectables didn't just bite the bullet and license the other three songs while they were at it (especially since this collection clocks in at less than 24 minutes). Still, this disc is as strong a portrait of
the Rock-A-Teens' virtues as one can hope to find these days, capturing their raw energy and youthful enthusiasm with ease. Divided between spunky instrumentals and sharper vocal numbers (including "Janis Will Rock," a tribute to hometown gal
Janis Martin, and "That's My Mama," in praise of a cooler-than-usual parent),
Woo-Hoo makes clear these five guys weren't virtuoso musicians, but they sure knew how to make with the rhythm, and what guitarists
Bobby Walke and
Vic Mizelle lacked in finesse they more than made up for in real rock drive. The songs (mostly originals) are solid stuff, and
Mizelle's vocals are admirably tough and fiery when he chooses to actually sing something. The Rock-A-Teens deserve to have their full recorded legacy released on disc (especially since it would run less than 40 minutes), but in the meantime
Woo-Hoo is plenty of fun and makes the important point that they had more than one cool song in their repertoire.