New box set proves Dion was more than just teen idol  Published:
Saturday, December 16, 2000   Both Dylan and Simon contribute
testimonials to "Dion: King of the New York Streets" (The Right
Stuff, $39.98) a 3-CD box set that is not only a condensed
history of a real rock 'n' roller, but of rock 'n' roll itself.
Dave Marsh, who offers a passionate essay in the accompanying
liner notes, pretty much nails it: "There was always something
deeper there. ... It was there right from the start."  It was
already in place in 1959's "A Teenager in Love," one of the
first hits Dion DiMucci of the Bronx DiMuccis had with his doo-
wop group the Belmonts. He was, we immediately understood, not
just another dreamy teen idol with one name, looking to "mature"
from American Bandstand to the Copa. So when he followed pop
smashes "Runaround Sue" and "The Wanderer" with an impossibly
bluesy "Ruby Baby," it was a confirmation: Dion had something
deeper on his mind.  In the first burst of Beatlemania, Dion
seemed to disappear along