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updated 9 June 2000
By raymond verno
(Ed Ray didn’t tell us if this was a review or a public health warning!)
The name of the CD is The Wanderer. The artist is Dion II. This is a strange album. It may look like millions of other albums out there, but this one is different. Real different. I first bumped into this album about three, or four, or maybe five years ago. Maybe longer. There was an ad towards the back of a Goldmine or Discoveries magazine. The picture had this guy wearing a New York cabbie hat and said his name was Dion II. He had a new album out. The ad mentioned enough about Dion I (Dion DiMucci) that my curiosity was piqued. So I sent $11.99 plus postage to the address, which I have since forgotten. About a week later, I had my second bump with Dion II. The CD arrived. I unwrapped the package and looked at Dion II’s CD in my hands. The cover said, “Dion II - The Wanderer,” and had a picture, a portrait of the same thirtyish type guy from the ad wearing the same New York cabbie hat. This guy does indeed bear a slight resemblance to Dion DiMucci, but if you weren’t looking for the resemblance, you probably would not see it. The album was issued by Ruby Records, Inc. with, and here is another oddball item, no CD number. All it says on the front cover, the back cover, the inside booklet and the spine is Ruby Records, Inc. with a scale-to-print silhouette of a red horse head. It also doesn’t have a copyright year. The inside booklet opens up and has background-style photos of newspaper headlines that talk about Dion II’s legal concerns with Dion I.
I checked out the track line-up and found more than a smidgen of Dion DiMucci there. Here’s the line-up:
1. Blue Suede Boots
2. The Wanderer
3. Moanin’ The Blues
4. Walk of Life
5. Ruby Baby
6. Kansas City
7. Abraham, Martin and John
8. Sea Cruise
Tracks 9-17 are instrumental versions of tracks 1-8 with an instrumental version of Runaround Sue thrown in for good measure.
9. The Wanderer
10. Sea Cruise
11. Abraham, Martin & John
12. Blue Suede Boots
13. Moanin’ The Blues
14. Kansas City
15. Walk of Life
16. Ruby Baby
17. Runaround Sue
Here’s another interesting item: in three places, on the back cover, the inside front cover and in the booklet, it says Produced by Dion for A-1 Productions, Inc. Not Produced by Dion II, or Dion Smith or Dion Jones or Dion Whatever, but Produced by Dion. Do we assume that Dion DiMucci produced this album by Dion II????
The notes on the inside front cover say that the album was recorded and mixed at Polygram Records in Nashville, Tennessee, and mastered at Masterfonics, also in Nashville. No band members and vocalists are identified other than a special thanks to Buddy Emmons on the steel guitar. Other special thanks go out to “My God For His Grace,” to “My family for constant inspiration and love,” and to “Patricia Adams Johnson for vocal training.” Another interesting item is that the song composers are listed, and listed as the composer for Abraham, Martin and John is John Holler. I may be wrong but I always thought A,M & J was written by a guy named Dick Holler???? (It says Dick Holler on the Right Stuff re-issue of the original Laurie album.) Still another interesting item is that guess who is listed as the composer for The Wanderer?? One Dion Francis Ambrogio! But the song is The Wanderer, the same The Wanderer that we all know and love. Besides that, who in the world is Dion Francis Ambrogio??? I suspect it might be the mystery man, Dion II.
As far as the songs and the music and the performance are concerned, I can say this: this CD is clean and professionally made. It sounds downright good. All of the songs and the music have a decidedly country music twang to them. Not surprising at all since the album features steel guitar virtuoso Buddy Emmons. None of the arrangements stray very far from Dion DiMucci’s arrangements, except for the inclusion of the steel guitar. What does it sound like? Imagine hearing The Wanderer with a somewhat laid back musical backing, and throw in a prominent-sounding steel guitar. Yep, the sax is still there. This makes the album kind of interesting. But interest starts to wane, fade and simply disappear as soon as Dion II opens his mouth. This guy just ain’t got the voice. His voice isn’t all that bad but if you look for anything that might remotely resemble Dion DiMucci, you ain’t gonna find it in Dion II’s mouth, and his voice just isn’t a professional voice. The music and arrangements sound good, but when Dion II sings, you can tell it’s amateur night.
If I had to rate this album strictly on it’s own merits, on a scale of 1-10, I’d give it a 5. If I rate this album as a Dion item, I can’t see it being anything more than a 2. But it’s interesting.
MAN LOSES BID TO SEE IF POP STAR IS FATHER
Dion Ambrogio spent thousands of dollars hoping to hear one word from rock-and-roll star Dion: "Son." But a Palm Beach County circuit court judge has ruled that Dion DiMucci, who recorded the hits The Wanderer and Runaround Sue, does not have to take a blood test to determine if he is Ambrogio's father. Ambrogio, 33, claims that his mother, Gail, had an affair with Dion DiMucci while she was a teenager and became pregnant with Ambrogio. But she kept the secret from Ambrogio that the '50s singer was his father until Ambrogio turned 22.
"She didn't want me to be hurt as a child for being neglected by my biological father," Ambrogio said after Circuit Judge John Phillips ruled on Thursday. Phillips determined that Ambrogio filed the suit 10 years too late. According to state law, paternity lawsuits must be filed within 4 years after the child becomes an adult. Ambrogio was 32 when he filed suit against DiMucci. DiMucci, who lives in Boca Raton, could not be reached for comment on Friday.
Ambrogio's attorneys said they could appeal, but Ambrogio, an air-conditioner repairman in West Palm Beach, said he has spent enough money in the judicial system. "I think I did the best I could trying it through the circuit courts," Ambrogio said. Still, Ambrogio remains hopeful that DiMucci, 50, eventually will accept him as his son. "He knows he's my father," Ambrogio said. "As much as I know about Dion DiMucci, he does have a good heart. In the suit, Ambrogio said he wanted no compensation from DiMucci. He just wanted to know if the singer was his father. "There are 12,000 children born out of wedlock in Palm Beach County. I assume many of them want to know who their parents are, "Ambrogio said…” (Ed sorry my version runs out there)
Thanks - I can’t remember who sent this to me or maybe I just picked it off the web.
1/7/00
