Ray-O-Vacs Outside Of Paradise CD

Although they often get classified as a doo wop vocal group, the Ray-O-Vacs were something else again, a self-contained instrumental and vocal band who really featured more jive, jump, and straight R&B styles than they did anything else. Their biggest hit came in 1950 with "I've Got Two Arms to Hold You" on Decca Records when the group was led by Lester Harris, but the Ray-O-Vacs, who were named after a popular storage battery that boasted of having nine lives, were difficult for Decca to shoehorn into the vocal group template, and they were dropped from the label two years later, and signed to Jerry Blaine's Jubilee Records. Harris had already left the group by this time (he was replaced by Herbert Milliner), and although their records for Jubilee (and Jubilee imprint Josie Records, which is where the Ray-O-Vacs ended up) are solid, well-played R&B outings, Blaine had no more idea than Decca how to put this talented and interesting combo into the spotlight. This brief compilation is just about all there is by the Ray-O-Vacs on the market, and unfortunately it contains only their Jubilee and Josie singles, which are fine as far as they go (particularly "Outside of Paradise," "Darling," and "I Ain't Gonna Be Your Fool") but really only tell part of the story. Until a collection comes along that combines the group's Decca material with the Jubilee singles found here, this truncated set will have to do. ~ Steve Leggett