"I think one of the reasons we got such a great sound this time is because of the democracy of the Echoes which gives us all an equal say, " says bassman Charlie Davis, in his Grand Canyon deep tones. "And I really loved the fact that we allowed ourselves extra time for the production process. " Charlie's comedic talent joins his bottomless vocal chops on the Las Vegas-inspired "It's Not Unusual."

And speaking of humor, the irrepressible John Hostetter, whose uproarious stage shenanigans enlighten the Mighty Echoes' live shows, shines on "My True Story," the Jive Five's classic from the end of the doo-wop era. "Most of all," he says sincerely, "I'm proud to be part of a group that does the Vito & The Salutations version of 'Unchained Melody'." The edgy John H., who also leads the melodramatic cover of the Cadillacs' "Zoom," is currently in his tenth season on CBS' Murphy Brown, portraying FYI's stage manager.

 The blue-eyed soulfulness of Englishman Harvey Shield is captivatingly demonstrated on Sam Cooke's "Win Your Love For Me." He is also heard singing his own composition "The Way I Feel Tonight," which became the million selling swan song for the Bay City Rollers. "We feel an affinity for Echo Park. We live here. It's how we got our name," Harvey explains, when asked about the collection's title.

 Echo Park, a polyglot melting pot that sits aside Dodger Stadium and the handful of highrises that marks downtown L.A., is home to long-established Hispanic and bohemian communities. On weekend afternoons you can still hear the echoey reverberations of hillside sound systems pumping Drifters, Flamingoes, Penguins and other soul stirring sounds from bygone days to a new audience. Many of these young hipsters find their way to the Echoes' frequent jam-packed Saturday night romps at L.A.'s famous Farmers' Market.

 And "Sweat/Dance To The Music" is one of the numbers that gets this all-ages crowd up on its feet, singing along and swaying rapturously to the exciting harmonies. Melding C+C Music Factory with Sly Stone, the Echoes throw down with the best of them. Another scintillating medley is the Bob Marley tribute "One Love/Stir It Up," during which John Hostetter has sometimes been seen to plant detachable dreadlocks atop his own Lord Buckley-esque "loose wig."

 Such uptempo excursions are often followed by the almost hymn-like devotion of "Ooh Baby Baby," caressed to perfection by Jon Rubin. "I met Lamont Dozier eight years ago," he recalls, "the writer of 'Heatwave' and almost all the Supremes' hits. He hired me to sing a demo for him, and boy, was I intimidated! But it helped when he told me that Smokey cut 'Ooh Baby Baby' in several parts, that he couldn't do it all in one take." But Rubin did --- and the results speak for themselves. "I really do think that we sound like a 60's doo-wop group," he says with justifiable pride. Jonny's right; they've got something extra, something indefinable, which makes them sound every bit as good, yet different from any of their predecessors.

The precision of their ineffable sound comes from many long hours of rehearsals, which allows the group its practised informality onstage. Impeccable timing and stagecraft mixed with exquisite song choices and a heartily blended brew of vocal bombast, make for one of the best a cappella groups at work today: the truly mighty, Mighty Echoes.

-- by Roger Steffens, who saw Buddy Holly in person (at an Alan Freed show in NYC in 1957), and who believes that the Mighty Echoes were "born way too late -- dey coulda been contenders!"