Customer Reviews

Come a Little Bit Closer

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Those who listened to pop music in the mid-60s can't help but remember the powerful three-octave voice of Jay Black (okay, so his name is really David. But, when he replaced Jay Traynor, the group was already known as Jay & the Americans).

The hits just poured from this talented group. Only in America, Cara Mia, Come a Little Bit Closer and This Magic Moment were the biggies, and they're all here. What makes this collection so special, however, is the inclusion of four magnificent second-line hits, Walkin' in the Rain, He's Raining in My Sunshine, Hushabye, and Think of the Good Times, alongwith a dramatic rendition of Some Enchanted Evening.

The crowning touch is the superb job of remastering done on this disc. The sound is clean and precise, the vocals and instrumentation distinct. The result is a truly wonderful listening experience.

Yes, there is one noteworthy song missing, the beautiful, melancholy Something in My Eye, fortunately available on other GH collections. Even allowing that, this is the best Jay & the Americans compilation available.

If you are a fan of superior mainstream pop music, add this superb disc to your collection.

Jay and the Americans were THE group in the 60's. They were the opening act for the Beatles when they toured the USA. Wondering why? One listen to Jay Black's magnificent voice on "Cara Mia" should make it all perfectly clear. He may well be the greatest pop vocalist in the history of recorded music.

If you want a CD that contains all of the big hits from Jay and the Americans, this is the album to buy. It contains a generous 26 tracks, including their 22 chart toppers as well as such interesting exotica as a public service announcment, a commercial for slacks, and a Spanish language version of "Come a Little Bit Closer."

I don't know if the music was remastered for this release, but all the cuts have a clear, dynamic sound...nothing faded or scratchy here.

This is an excellent collection!!

I can't put into words on how fantastic I think several of these songs on this CD are but I'll try; so here goes !..........Jay And The Americans, was another very good 60s band that definitely left their mark in music history. To me; their vocal harmony's rank up there with the likes of, The Vogues, and, The Everly Brothers, and are one of the best in ANY era. As stated in some of the other reviews about this group; there were two different lead vocalists for the band (One replaced the other) but both are excellent. I owned several of, Jay And The American's, songs on Vinyl or Tape in the 60s & 70s but over time I wore them out so to attempt to remedy that problem I purchased a rare cassette of this Band in the 80s and I was very disappointed with it because in comparison to my previous compilations; the sound quality was terrible. For the longest time I was very tentative about purchasing another compilation by this Band even when I could find one ( which was hardly ever ) but the internet made it possible to find the quality I was looking for and roughly twenty years after purchasing that cassette I purchased this Disc from Amazon and; rest assured; the sound quality on this CD is AWESOME and the songs sound the way I remember them.
Most people my age will remember this great band and their material however if you like this style of music and decide to purchase this CD not being familiar with their songs; play either the lovely, Hushabye, or the beautiful classic, This Magic Moment, first;.....and I'll practically guarantee that you will fall in love with this CD very quickly and that is just the beginning. The beautiful tunes, Walkin' In The Rain, Crying, and, She Cried, are of equal brilliance along with, Come A Little Bit Closer, Cara Mia, and, Let's Lock The Door ( And Throw Away The Key ), and there is much more. I think this is one of the better CDs I own and I own plenty of them. If I had to sum up this collection in one word it would be.....Thrilling !
Final Note: I hope this review is helpful to you because it was the reviews here at Amazon that was very helpful to me and I have finally found the, Jay And The Americans, compilation I was looking for and I have to say that it's about time.... This Band ( And This CD ) are Phenomenal !

Along with The 4 Seasons, Jay & The Americans kept New York city group harmony singing popular until the late 1960's. Jay Black had a fantastic, Roy Orbison-like voice, and even did a great remake of "Crying". Most of the songs on this collection are really great. They are well-written with great arrangements and Jay's powerhouse lead vocals. One of the best vocal performances ever of the rock era is by Jay Black on "Cara Mia". Don't turn it up too loud or he'll blow out your speakers and shatter all the glassware in your house!

A very successful sixties group in America, they never charted in the UK where they remain virtually unknown. I became interested in their music after hearing Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke's cover of Come a little bit closer. This collection is proof of their brilliance.

The original lead singer, to be heard on the first six tracks here, was Jay Traynor. He quit and was replaced by David Black, who became Jay Black to avoid having to change the name of the group.

The first single was Tonight, a cover of the famous song from West side story, but done a little differently from the original. This was followed by She cried, which was a #5 hit and by far the biggest hit during Jay Traynor's period with the group.

Come a little bit closer was the first major hit with Jay Black as lead singer, reaching #3. This proved to be their biggest hit, but they had other top 20 hits with Cara Mia (#4), Some enchanted evening (#13), Sunday and me (#18 - an early Neil Diamond composition), This magic moment (#6) and Walkin' in the rain (#19).

They wrote Living above your head themselves. It was only a minor hit, but the Walker brothers covered the song, so European listeners may recognise it because of that.

So it was that, for a few years, Jay and the Americans were a successful sixties group in their homeland, recording a mix of covers and original material. This is as good a collection of their music as you are ever likely to find.

Few groups in the 1960s achieved the fame and fortune of the rapidly rising group fronted by Jay Black. The group, known as "Jay and the Americans", were overnight hits with their first big smash, "Only In America, which was followed in quick succession by such memorable numbers as "Come A Little Bit Closer", "Hushabye", and "She Cried'. Their range was limited, not by Jay's voice, which was close to being operatic in its range and power, but by the lack of good material to record. Unlike many of the other groups, Jay and the Americans suffered from a lack of songwriting talents, so their ability to generate albums quickly enough to stay in the public spotlight suffered from a lack of album-filling material.

Still, their tour at the top was quite breathtaking, including such standards as "Some Enchanted Evening", a cover of the Everly Brothers' "Walking In The Rain", and "This Magic Moment". Their final big hit was with "Cara Mia", which was a precursor of Elvis' "Its Now Or Never", which also showcased his singing range in one of his most memorable vocals. This CD brings all their best work together in a single product, and will bring those of you who remember them back into the fold of "Jay and the Americans" fans. Enjoy!

Absolutely enjoyed this CD. Brought back great memories. All original recordings, great sound. I have played it many time and will play it many more. If you are a fan of Jay & the Americans, it's a must for your collction.

Few 60's groups recorded as many pop-rock masterpieces [as well as a slate of 'merely' above average hits] than did Jay and the Americans. Jay Black with his operatic voice was the closest thing to Roy Orbison (and the Elvis of "Surrender" and "It's Now or Never") that you could find. There are a few real gems here, especially tracks 2, 8, 9, 9-11, 15, 18 and 21.

Contrary to previous greatest hits compilations (2 volumes), in this collection all their singles are present and accounted for.

"She Cried" was one of the two or three greatest ballads from the early part of the 60's. "Come a Little Bit Closer" is a great song, which, in the early 80's, I remember singing as a guest of the Elastic Head Band at a couple of their gigs . . . EHB always morphed from it straight into "La Bamba"!?!?

"Let's Lock the Door", its immediate follow-up, had the same kind of Latin feel, and was more relentless in its posturing. And "Cara Mia" and "Some Enchanted Evening" were very nice renditions of songs from a much older genre.

Possibly the best overall single, which is a true production masterpiece, is "(He's) Raining in my Sunshine", even though it's largely unknown, and received very little airplay in its non-heyday.

Most of their best songs contain at least a small touch of sadness and/or irony in the melodies. This choice of material ( they didn't write their own) was probably what insured J & the A's relatively lengthy successful track record (so many pop groups rose and fell rapidly during this time period; many others became over-commercial and/or syrupy).

In some ways, these guys probably paved the way for later groups like the Fifth Dimension, and Spanky and Our Gang. And that's quite a fine legacy, I'd say.

Jay & the Americans performed a very commercial stuff, but their music was appealing enough to stand the "British invasion" of the mid sixties. In general, their famous songs were very catchy, done with a lot of passion and emotions; a true representative of that style is "Cara Mia" with its very dramating opening bars - very pleading, emotive presentation - but very strong either. It's no wonder that this song was a smash, but not "only in America" - in Israel too "Cara Mia" was one of the biggest hits of the mid-sixties and in the last two decades it's always on the list of oldies shows deejays.
Many of the songs has the so-sweet Latin flavor, an excellent reminder of a carefree era to be revered. To my opinion, this is the most comprehensive compilation of that band: all their hits are included, as well other good songs, some cover-versions and the Italian & Spanish songs are a nice dessert.
Another important thing: the sound quality is excellent! Most tracks are stereo edits of the original mono tapes, and that gives the sound more depth. If you are looking for a cd of some U.S. sixties commercial stuff - with romance, drama and lot of emotions, get this one and surely you'll like it.

IT'S NICE TO HEAR THE MIXTURE OF JAY AND THE AMERICANS ON 1 CD.
STARTING WITH THE ORIGINAL JAY TRAYNOR (SHE CRIED),AND JAY
BLACK AKA (DAVID BLATT).THEY ARE BOTH STILL THRILLING AUDIENCES WITH THEIR GREAT VOICES.THIS IS SOMETHING A TRUE JAY AND THE AMERICANS FAN CAN CHERISH THE HISTORY OF THIS GROUP,FOR A LONG TIME!