Beginning roughly in 1960, classical doo-wop gave
way to a "neo-doo-wop" stage. This changeover occurred
in large part because of the oldies (really doo-wop) revival that
started in 1959, which forever"framed" the sound of the
classical doo-wop groups in the minds of fans. Groups that kept
evolving the doo-wop sound became "neo-" groups; those
that were enamored of the sound represented by the revival kept
on with the classical formula. Although neo-doo-wop maintained
the simple melody lines and young love oriented lyrics of the
classical phase, the signature qualities of doo-wop were
exaggerated. Songs were more frequently led
by falsettos. The philosophy seemed to become "more is
better" (or, "go for baroque"). Instruments also
played a more important role. The bass parts became heavier and
more prominent, proffering more complicated patterns of nonsense
syllables that often took over the song. For example, examine the
two bass riffs below;
(1) Bon Bon Bon,
Buh Bon Buh Bon Bon,
Buh Buh Bon Bon Bon,
Buh Bon Buh Bon Bon Bon....."*
*"Zoom Zoom Zoom," Donald Hayes, Harlen Jackson (Selma
Music, 1957). BMI.
(2) Bon Buh Buh Bon,
Buh Bon Buh Bon Bon,
Buh Buh Bon Bon Bon
Ka Dang A Dang Dang
Ka Ding A Dong Ding....."*
*"Blue Moon," Lorenzo Hart, Richard Rogers (Robbins
Music Corp.,1934), ASCAP.
By the way, the pronunciation of the nonsense syllable
"Bon" is difficult to convey. It is NOT pronounced like
bon bon the ice cream treat. It sounds more like "Bawn"
except the "n" is not pronounced, accomplished by not
letting the tongue touch the palate. The best approximation is
found in the French word "bon," meaning good. It Is
possible that those bassist choosing to use this syllable had at
least one semester in French.
The first of the two samples is from the classical doo-wop effort
:Zoom Zoom Zoom" By the Collegians (1956), in which it was
used to punctuate choruses. Astute readers will note its
similarity to the bass riffing "I Wonder Why." The
second sample is extracted from "Blue Moon", a 1935
melodic ballad converted to uptempo format by the Marcels
(1961), who used it to introduce and end their song as well as to
embellish their choruses. Aside from the base (or is it bass?)
plagiarism involved, the gratuitous and sudden shift from
"Buh-Bons" to "Ka-Dangs" is typical of
neo-doo-wop nonsense syllable riffs. Those knowing both
"Zoom" and "Blue Moon" will also note the
difference in delivery. The former is delivered in a laid-back
manner, while the latter convoys stridency and resoluteness. This
too, is typical of the advances made in the neo-doo-wop era. The
Marcels follow-up to "Blue Moon," namely
"Heartaches,) provides a lesson.
"Yip Yip Yip Yip,
Werp Wuh Werp Werp,
Buh Muh Mum Mum,
Bon Buh Bon Bon,
Dum Duh Dum Dum Dum,
Mum Muh Mum Mum Mum Mum....."
"Heartaches," John Klenner, A.C. Hoffman (Leids Music
Corp., 1931), ASCAP
Notice the rapid shifts from "Yips" to
"Werps" to " Bum-Mums" to
"Buh-Bons" to "Dums" and "Mums."
Purists see this as too ornate and artificial, but one has to
admit it is heady stuff and does make a statement.
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Prominent Examples of the Neo-Doo-Wop Era:
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