Johnny Rivers' mid-'60s hits may have set in motion the rock & roll revivalism that culminated in Grease and Sha-Na-Na in the '70s, but Jay and the Americans did their part, too, beginning with the 1968 LP Sands of Time. Covering a dozen doo wop singles from the group's own days as street corner singers, Sands of Time updates the material with prominent drums, busy electric bass, and occasional modern-sounding electric guitar solos. It would be impossible to mistake these performances for the originals, informed as they are by the folk-rock vocal groups of the late '60s. The lead-off track, "This Magic Moment," became a million-seller and the group's first Top Ten hit in over three years, which gave them sufficient encouragement to stick with their new oldies rock & roll format for a while. "When You Dance" and "Hushabye" became minor hits, and the closing track, "Goodnight My Love," begins with an Alan Freed aircheck, capping an entertaining and paradoxically forward-looking bit of nostalgia. ~ Greg Adams