All together now

Rock ‘n’ roll has been generous in celebrating the importance that R&B; vocal groups played in the music’s birth. In this decade alone, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has inducted the Moonglows, the Flamingos and the Dells -- and that’s on top of the earlier induction of the Drifters, the Coasters and more.

But what about the Clovers, who had more R&B; hits in the 1950s than any vocal group? The Washington, D.C., outfit’s version of Jesse Stone’s “Your Cash Ain’t Nothin’ but Trash” was in the same raucous spirit as Stone’s even bigger hit song, “Shake, Rattle and Roll.”

In the song, this cool dude is walking down the main drag when he spots a “fine chick, built just right.” Trying to impress her, he flashes his bank roll, only to have her deliver a wickedly funny put down:

She turned around and with a frown

She said, “This ain’t no circus

“And I don’t need a clown.

“Your cash ain’t nothin’ but trash . . .

“And there ain’t no need in you hangin’ around.”

The Clovers are just one of several Atlantic vocal groups from the 1950s deserving greater recognition today. Among the others: the Chords and the Cardinals. The value of “Atlantic Vocal Groups (1951-1963),” a new, four-CD package, is that it’s a marvelous way to catch up on -- or relive some of -- Atlantic’s great R&B; vocal group recordings. Rather than take up space with recordings easily found elsewhere, such as the Drifters and Coasters hits, the package focuses on recordings that aren’t as widely circulated.

Along with the new “Atlantic Soul (1959-1975)” and the previously released “Atlantic Blues (1949-1970),” the vocal group package completes the trilogy of early Atlantic showcases -- and it just may be the most appealing of them all.

Various Artists

“Atlantic Vocal Groups (1951-1963)”

Atlantic/Rhino Handmade

The back story: When Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson started Atlantic in the late 1940s, they made jazz and blues records that reflected their adult tastes. But after a couple of No. 1 R&B; hits, including Ruth Brown’s “Teardrops From My Eyes,” they started thinking in more ambitious terms commercially.

Ertegun wasn’t a fan of vocal groups. “Why deal with four or five egos when you can just deal with one?” he once said. Still, he saw rival labels having hits with vocal groups, so he signed the Clovers. In the liner notes, musician-R&B; historian Billy Vera says the Clovers saw themselves as a classy nightclub act specializing in pop ballads. But Ertegun wanted something more bluesy.

So he and others at Atlantic gradually molded the group’s sound to fit in with the emerging emphasis on youthful R&B; grooves. To make his point about a more commercial direction, Ertegun let the Clovers record a pop standard (Johnny Mercer-Hoagy Carmichael’s “Skylark”) on one side of the record, persuading them to record his own, bluesier composition “Don’t You Know I Love You” on the other. The results were clear: “Don’t You Know” went to No. 1 on the R&B; charts in the summer of 1951; “Skylark” stiffed.

The new set opens with the Clovers’ “Hey, Miss Fannie,” a Top 10 R&B; hit in 1952 that was typical of the aggressive R&B; nature also displayed in “Your Cash,” which reached No. 6 on the R&B; charts in 1954.

The Atlantic package includes nearly a dozen Clovers tunes, but that leaves plenty of room for such other memorable recordings as the Chords’ “Sh-Boom” (a record that was a monster hit in its day), the Cardinals’ “Come Back My Love” (about as infectious a single as you can find from the 1950s), the Drifters’ “The Bells of St. Mary’s” (with lead vocalist Clyde McPhatter) and the Bobbettes’ exuberant “Mr. Lee.” By the end of the 1950s, the R&B; vocal group era was waning in pop and Atlantic was moving in different directions, including English rock and American soul. But the music remains innocent and fresh.

Various Artists

“Atlantic Soul (1959-1975)”

Atlantic/Rhino Handmade

The back story: You could say Atlantic’s commitment to soul music began the first time Ertegun heard Ray Charles, so it’s only fitting that this four-disc set opens with Charles’ recording of “Come Rain or Come Shine.” Among the great soul acts that followed on Atlantic (or affiliated labels) were Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, Sam & Dave and Clarence Carter. The emphasis is on less-known material because the hits are easily found in other collections -- though a few hits pop up, including Doris Troy’s “Just One Look” and Vera’s duet with Judy Clay on “Storybook Children.” Special treat: Baby Washington’s rendition of “Breakfast in Bed,” a song by Donnie Fritts and Eddie Hinton that was also a centerpiece of Dusty Springfield’s “Dusty in Memphis” album. A delightful package.

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Backtracking is a biweekly feature devoted to CD reissues and other historical pop items.