Customer Reviews

Connie Rocks

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Connie Francis broke into a completely male dominated rock n roll in 1958 on her own terms and became the largest selling female singer of all time and the first international star. This CD contains her rock hits some fine early Lp tracks. Connie Francis truly can rock. Critics have never been able to pidgeonhole Ms. Francis due to her versatility. She can sing anything and proved it by recording in 11 languages and singing every kind of music imaginable with the exception of opera (and she probably would have been able to get away with that as well).
Germany's famous Bear Family label has put out a "rock solid" CD. Enjoy early Connie Francis singing better than the big boys.

It's a well-established axiom that events can only be judged and assessed in later years in the context of their time. And that goes for music as well. So, in that regard, it's an ongoing embarrassment for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame that Connie Francis remains on the outside looking in, after having been one of just four female vocalists to more than hold their own on charts essentially owned by the likes of Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino, Pat Boone (another wrongly ignored by the Hall - but that's another story), Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, the Everly Brothers, and Sam Cooke. The others were Brenda Lee, LaVern Baker and Ruth Brown, but whereas each has been inducted into the Hall, along with all the male artists just mentioned (except Pat Boone), Connie remains steadfastly ignored.

And that, as evidenced by this great release from Bear Family of Germany, is simply wrong, since here is graphic proof that Connie Francis was as much a R&R artist when she chose to go that route as any among Lee, Baker and Brown, or even later inductees such as Dusty Springfield. Perhaps one reason for her exclusion is because she was so completely versatile with her repertoire, but again, if that's a primary reason, it is wrong.

In a volume presenting excellent sound quality and extensive liner notes, Bear Family goes right back to her beginnings with MGM and the 1956 uncharted single Send For My Baby. Aggressive sexuality may have been alright with male vocalists like Presley but, combined with lyrics deemed too risqué by DJs and, coming from a teenage female (she was 18 at the time), this was essentially kept off mainstream radio. A R&B station might well have played it, but Connie was not yet known in that field, although later she would boast 8 R&B cross-overs. Another in that vein was 1957's Eighteen delivered in a sensual laid-back style, but again it made DJs sufficiently nervous to keep it off the airwaves.

But she did finally break through in 1958 after her first charted hit, a duet with Marvin Rainwater on The Majesty Of Love which cracked the Billboard Pop Top 100 at # 93 in the fall of 1957. That, of course, was her cover of the huge 1923 hit Who's Sorry Now? which rocketed to # 4 Top 100 and R&B in March. Others of her 1958 singles presented here are: Stupid Cupid (# 14 Top 100 in September) and its B-side Carolina Moon; Fallin' (# 30 Hot 100 November) and the flipside Happy Days And Lonely Nights; and My Happiness (# 2 Hot 100/# 11 R&B December).

From 1959 they present the singles: Lipstick On Your Collar (# 5 Hot 100/# 10 R&B) and its B-side Frankie (# 9 Hot 100/# 17 R&B in July); You're Gonna Miss Me (# 34 Hot 100) and the B-side, Plenty Good Lovin' (# 69 Hot 100 in October); as well as these LP cuts - I Hear You Knockin', Tweedle Dee and It's Only Make Believe from the November album (her 7th) Rock `N' Roll Million Sellers; Hearts Of Stone from another November LP (her 8th), Country And Western Golden Hits; and the previously-unissued Doc Pomus-Mort Schuman tune The Tiger And The Mouse.

The 1960 singles are: Robot Man (a # 2 in the U.K. as the flip of Mama); Everybody's Somebody's Fool (# 1 Hot 100/# 2 R&B/# 24 Country in July); Many Tears Ago (# 7 Hot 100 in September); My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own (the original single was a # 42 Hot 100 in October as the flip of Malaguena); Many Tears Ago (# 7 Hot 100 in September); and Among My Souvenirs (# 7 Hot 100/# 10 R&B in December); as well as It Would Still Be Worth It, from an E.P. and also the B-side to Valentino in the U.K.

The 1961 hits are: Where The Boys Are (# 4 Hot 100 in March); Baby Roo (# 5 in the U.K. in March); Breaking In A Brand New Broken Heart (# 7 Hot 100 in June) and its B-side Someone Else's Boy; When The Boy In Your Arms [Is The Boy In Your Heart] (# 2 Adult Contemporary (AC)/# 10 Hot 100 in December); and Too Many Rules (# 1 AC/# 6 Hot 100 in August as the flip of Together). From the January 1962 album (her 18th) Twist comes: Telephone Lover; I Won't Be Home To You; My Real Happiness; and Mister Twister.

A beautiful album covering just some of the best R&R tunes from a beautiful lady who deserves to be included with her contemporaries in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame before it's too late. As Gloria Estefan said recently "She isn't in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and yet she was the first pop star worldwide, and has recorded in nine languages. She has done a lot of things for victims' rights since her rape in the '70s. There's a major story there."

I was only about Seven Years Old then but the first time I saw Connie Francis was in a Drive-In Theater in Louisville Ky when,Where The Boy's Are, was a brand new Motion Picture in 1960. The best I can remember: That Drive-In was called Twi-Lite. Ever since that night, I have always been a Huge Fan of hers. Acting or singing, she has always had a Remarkable Talent. That Timeless Classic, Where The Boys Are, is on this remarkable Bear Family Records CD with all of her other memorial Songs. Everybody's Somebody's Fool,My Heart Has A Mind Of It's Own,Lipstick On Your Collar, & all the rest are also here. There's not much else I can say that hasn't already been said by these other Reviewers so I have made this Short & Sweet. I bought this CD from Amazon about three years ago & we still love it. The Sound Quality, The Fold-Out & The Liner Notes are Great!! FYI; Besides Connie: The Motion Picture ,Where The Boys Are, also introduced me to some fine young Acters & Actresses!! Paula Prentiss, George Hamilton,Doloris Hart, Yvette Mimieux & several others & I have not forgotten any of them!!

Bear Family (Germany) has released some fine Connie material. This is a wonderful collection of her early rock oriented material. Some of the tunes date back before her superstardom in this exceptional anthology. Some are some rare goodies never issued in this country (IT WOULD BE WORTH IT for example) and others. And lest we forget, Connie was the first female to break into an all male dominated rock field and did so on her own terms. She became a household name in almost any country thanks to incredible ability to sing in multiple languages that made her the first major international female singing superstar. No small feat for this little gal from Jersey with a tremendous voice laced with pure emotion on every song she recorded.

A great release for every music lover. It's a bit pricey, but it contains more songs than many CDS in release. Well worth the purchase. A must have.