The String-A-Longs are usually thought of as an instrumental group, in large part because their only big hit, "Wheels" (which reached number three in 1961), was an instrumental rocker. If that's the stuff you want to hear, you should opt for Ace's wholly instrumental String-A-Longs collection, Wheels, which has no less than 28 such 1960-1964 recordings. Like many rock groups of the time known for instrumentals, however, they also recorded some vocal numbers, sometimes as side projects or under different names. Although "Wheels" is on The Tex-Mex Teen Magic of the String-A-Longs, it's more a collection of odds and ends for the fanatical String-A-Longs/instrumental rock/Norman Petty productions collector than it is a survey of some or most of their most significant work. For one thing, much of the material is vocal; for another, just 10 of the 26 tracks are actual Fireballs performances. The rest is split among sides the group cut under the different names of the Rock 'n' Rollers and the Leen Teens before adopting the String-A-Longs moniker; solo efforts by group member Keith McCormack (sometimes under the aliases of Brian Keith and Bryan Keith); a couple duets McCormack cut with a female singer, billed to the duo of Keith & Kay; and a song McCormack cut under the name the Bugmen. Unfortunately, the vocal sides, whether done by the group or McCormack, are pretty unimpressive, mild, early-'60s pop/rock with, like so much of what Norman Petty produced, a light Buddy Holly flavor. There are some OK cuts scattered on the disc, like the Rock 'n' Rollers' brash 1958 debut rockabilly single "For You," the String-A-Longs' "Am I Asking Too Much" (the best of the many sub-Holly efforts here), and McCormack's demo of "Sugar Shack" (for which he got a co-writing credit, and which was taken to the top of the charts by Jimmy Gilmer in 1963). But the wholly instrumental String-A-Longs sides (of which there are a few) aren't of great consequence, and as a whole, the CD can only be recommended to dedicated completist collectors.
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