Customer Reviews

Early Girls Volume 2

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

While the song selection on this second volume is not as strong as volume one, this UK Ace release still makes a fine companion to Rhino's Best of the Girl Groups series. Factor in that this single-disc compilation has 28 songs (only two of which appear on the Rhino series) and this is a real bargain.

Like volume one, there are a few Fifties selections: the McGuire Sisters No. 1 smash "Sugartime" (1958), the No. 4 hit "Tonight You Belong to Me" (1956) by Patience and Prudence, the Bonnie Sisters 1956 version of "Cry Baby" (not the 1963 cover version by Garnett Mimms), and Peggy Lee's sultry reading of the Little Willie John classic, "Fever," from 1958.

Lee, who sang with Benny Goodman in the Forties, on the surface seems something of an odd choice, but hers is the definitive version of this song. Dinah Washington, who sang with Lionel Hampton in the Forties, also makes an appearance with "September in the Rain" from 1961.

Volume two also features more obscure artists like Babs Tino ("Forgive Me"), Terry and The Tunisians ("The Street"), Barbie Gaye ("My Boy Lollipop"--not the Millie Small hit version), the Hearts ("Lonely Nights"), the Pearlettes ("Duchess of Ear"), the Blossoms ("Move On"), and April Stevens without her brother Nino Tempo ("Teach Me Tiger").

There are also hits that rarely get anthologized like "The Boy Next Door" (No. 18) by the Secrets, "What's a Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You) (No. 12) by Timi Yuro, "I'll Save the Last Dance for You" (No. 22) by Daminta Jo, and "I Just don't Understand" (No. 17) by movie starlet Ann-Margret.

Then there are the big hits like Ruby & the Romantics' No. 1 "Our Day Will Come," The Pips' first Top Ten from 1961 "Every Beat of My Heart," Marcie Blane's "Bobby's Girl," and the Sensations' "Let Me In."

If you love the girl group sound of the late-Fifties and early-Sixties, you can't go wrong with this second installment. And as one of England's premier re-issue labels, Ace provides excellent sound and informative liner notes on each of the songs and the artists. RECOMMENDED

This impressive collection of recordings by female singers, laid down between 1955 and 1963, is the second of three volumes. Few of the ladies featured here had a lot of hits, but Peggy Lee (Fever) and Dinah Washington (September in the rain) were very prolific.

The set begins with My boy lollipop, which was a huge hit for Millie in the sixties, but the unsuccessful Barbie Gaye version included here was recorded in 1956. Tell him was a number four American hit for the Exciters, while a cover by Billie Davis was a top ten British hit. There are two American number ones here, these being Our day will come (Ruby and the romantics) and Sugartime (McGuire sisters) - they also charted in Britain, where the McGuire sisters had to compete with a cover by Alma Cogan. Both ended up in the top twenty. Bobby's girl was a number three American hit for Marcie Blane, while Susan Maughan covered the song and had a British number three hit. In the eighties, Tracey Ullman, better known as a comedienne, covered the song.

Lesley Gore is represented by the feminist anthem You don't own me, which was an American number two but missed the British charts although it was covered by Dusty Springfield. I'll save the last dance for you is an answer song to Save the last dance for me. Among the less known gems, you get to hear Teach me tiger by April Stevens, who had an American number one when she sang Deep purple with her brother, Nino Tempo.

Gladys Knight and the pips are represented by two songs, one of them only credited to The pips. Both were American top twenty hits, with Every beat of my hear reaching number six.

There are many other great songs, mostly sung by long-forgotten one-hit wonders. Anybody interested in female singers of the era and looking for less obvious material should check this out.

Ace rolls out its second volume of early girl and girl-led group sounds. This time, there are six tunes that did not make it into the top 100 and that may seem to be a bit of a letdown in content but when looking at the overall repertoire, this series still beats just about anything else of the genre out there.

With enough (ten) top-10 songs to keep the music familiar, there are lots of seldom-found sides making the listening much more interesting and not sounding like every other oldies comp. Between such monster hits as Lesley Gore's pre-womens' rights anthem "You Don't Own Me", the Exciters' go-and-get-him "Tell Him" and Kathy Young's barely pubescent "A Thousand Stars" are cradled such rarities as the Secrets' "The Boy Next Door" (a Madara-White, of "You Don't Own Me" and other Gore tunes fame, composition ), April Stevens' "Teach Me Tiger" (later with brother Nino Tempo striking it big with "Deep Purple") and Timi Yuro's (of "Hurt" fame) "What's A Matter Baby".

In this volume three of the tracks are acknowledged as having been lifted from disc but only track 10 is of substandard sound quality even so. Many of the tracks (2,3,6,8,12-15,17,23,25,28) appear in stereo, the remainder in mono. The 16-page booklet accompaning the disc provides pages of fascinating background to the artists represented. Ace again hits the mark with this new compilation.

Here is another nice collection of Female Classics.
The songs span from 1955 to 1963 and is a mix of some great classics
on the up side, and 6 obscure tracks on the down side.
Included is a very nice 14 page booklet loaded with all this information
and much more about the music, artists, and many nice photos.

I ordered the c.d. for some more difficult to find songs, such as:
1. "Tell him" by The Exciters #4 in 1962
2. "Our day will come" by Ruby and the Romantics #1 in 1963.
1. "The boy next door" by The Secrets #18 in 1963.
2. "Tonight you belong to me" by Patience and Prudence #4 in 1956.
3. "Teach me Tiger" by April Stevens #86 in 1959.
4. "I just don't understand" by Ann-Margret #17 in 1961.
5. "Let me in" by The Sensations #4 in 1962.
6. "Letter full of tears" by Gladys Knight & the pips #19 in 1961.

Some much easier songs to find but still add greatly to this collection are:
1. "Every beat of my heart" by The Pips #6 in 1961.
2. "You don't own me" by Lesley Gore #2 in 1963.
3. "Bobby's girl" by Marcie Blane #3 in 1962.
4. "Sugartime" by The McGuire Sisters #1 in 1957.
5. "Fever" by Peggy Lee #8 in 1958.
6. "A thousand stars" by Kathy Young & the Innocents #3 in 1961.
7. "What's a matter baby (is it hurting you)" by Timi Yuro #12 in 1962.

Overall there are many great songs here, but for me,
these fillers (uncharted songs) brought what should have been 5 stars down to 3.
"My boy Lollipop" by Barbie Gaye, 1956. - The original was, Millie Small.
"The street" by Terry & the Tunisians, 1963.
"Lonely blue nights" by Rosie and the originals, 1962.
"Forgive me (for giving you such a bad time)", by Babs Tino, 1962.
"Lonely nights", by The Hearts, 1955.
"Move on", by The Blossoms 1957.

All original recordings.

I REALLY LOVE THIS SERIES OF EARLY GIRLS COLLECTIONS.THEY DIDN'T JUST FEATURE STUFF THAT WAS ONLY TOP TEN. THEY INTRODUCED STUFF THAT I REMEMBERED BECAUSE I LIVED IN THAT ERA, BUT THAT NO LONGER GETS AIR-PLAY. THERE WERE ALOT OF GOOD RECORDS THAT DIDN'T HIT HIGH ON THE CHARTS DUE TO BAD MANAGEMENT OR BECAUSE THEY CAME FROM INDEPENDANT SMALL RECORD LABELS. YOU'LL ENJOY THE PEARLETTES' "DUCHESS OF EARL" AND ANOTHER ANSWER SONG "I'LL SAVE THE LAST DANCE FOR YOU" BY DAMITA JO. PLUS ANN MARGRET'S FIRST HIT "I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND".MAN THESE ARE COLLECTORS' JEMS!!I WAS HOPING THEY'D ADD SOME OF THE NICE BALADS THAT ANNETTE SANG IN THE BEACH PARTY FLICKS!BUY THE WHOLE SERIES OF EARLY GIRL C.D.'S THEY'RE ALL GREAT COLLECTORS ITEMS!!IT'S AN INVESTMENT!!

Early Girls Volume 2 continues this CD series with some mighty fine hits by some of the best female singers of the 1950s and 1960s. These songbirds could take anything and make it shine brighter than silver and gold; that's why CDs like this still sell! The quality of the sound is excellent and I really like that artwork, too.

Barbie Gaye starts the CD track list off with her big hit entitled "My Boy Lollipop." "My Boy Lollipop" is quite catchy and Barbie sings this with all her might--she really belts it out! Barbie's voice is as clear as a bell and the music fits perfectly with her singing. The Exciters do a wonderful job on "Tell Him;" "Tell Him" really sparkles and The Exciters do this with their incredible sense of timing; "Tell Him" is a masterpiece--and it's also rather catchy, too. "Our Day Will Come" by Ruby & The Romantics is clearly another winner; Ruby & The Romantics do this one up right! They sing, harmonize and sway gently to make this tune really fine. The percussion enhances the music, too.

Listen for Little Leslie Gore to do her outstanding hit, "You Don't Own Me." "You Don't Own Me" still gets airplay on the "oldies" radio station in my area; Leslie sings this faultlessly and that's terrific. Leslie's voice remains distinctive; she has incredible talent and "You Don't Own Me" showcases her talent. Marcie Blane does "Bobby's Girl" with a lot of feeling that really enhances this tune; she sings this very well; Marcie remains a great chanteuse to this day! The McGuire Sisters also do their usual top notch job on "Sugartime;" and those male singers in the background balance out the number very nicely.

"Tonight You Belong To Me" by Patience and Prudence was always one of my very favorite songs from this era and genre of music; Patience and Prudence harmonize to perfection and although their career was short they gave us so much to enjoy. In addition, what can I say about Peggy Lee's incredible hit "Fever?" "Fever" was one of Peggy's signature songs and just one listen proves she owned this song--what a performance! The percussion makes "Fever" even better. There's also the great Dinah Washington doing "September In The Rain;" Dinah was a giant amongst giants and I treasure her CDs in my collection.

Damita Jo's "I'll Save The Last Dance For You" is very strong; and "I Just Don't Understand" gets the royal treatment from Ann-Margret and The Jordanaires. Great! Babs Tino sings "Forgive Me (For Giving You Such A Bad Time)" with lots of positive energy; and there's another gem in "Duchess Of Earl" as The Pearlettes do a female version of "Duke Of Earl" by Gene Chandler. Gladys Knight & The Pips perform "Letter Full Of Tears" without letting go of a superfluous note; and the CD ends very nicely with Timi Yuro doing "What's A Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You)." Wow, Timi sure does this brilliantly. This will leave you wanting more!

Early Girls Volume 2 offers us great, great music by some of the very best songbirds and girl groups of the 1950s and early 1960s; and that's very valuable for fans of this genre of music. I highly recommend this album.

The wonderful mix of relatively easy-to-find Girl Group Sound offerings with some that are appearing in CD format for the first time continues in this 2nd volume of yet another great series from Ace of London (see also their Golden Age Of American Rock `n' Roll and instrumental Teen Beat series as other examples). You may find many of what they offer on any number of other compilations, but never with better sound quality or liner notes - in this instance a full 16 pages sprinkled with vintage photos, poster/record label reproductions, and a discography of the contents.

For collectors who focus on that sub-genre known as The Girl Group Sound, the gems here are to be found in four nationally uncharted (on the Billboard Pop Top/Hot 100) offerings, and five by One-Hit Wonders. The former include The Street by Terry & The Tunisians, Move On by The Blossoms (a group that included Darlene Love), Forgive Me (For Giving You Such A Bad Time) by Babs Tino, and My Boy Lollipop by Barbie Gaye, written by R, Spencer (really Morris Levy) and Johnny Roberts and recorded in 1956 on the tiny Darl label. A local NY City area hit, it would be revived in 1964 by Millie Small when it would rise to # 2, being blocked from # 1 only by The Beach Boys I Get Around and Rag Doll by The 4 Seasons in that period (that version has not yet appeared in this series - another reason for a Volume 6).

There are four One-Hit Wonders here: The Secrets, a Cleveland group whose The Boy Next Door hit # 18 Billboard Pop Hot 100 in late 1963 on the Phillips label; The Hearts, a NY City quartet that included Baby Washington, who had Lonely Nights make it to # 8 R&B in April/May 1955 for the small Baton label, with the backing of the Al Sears orchestra; The Pearlettes, another quartet, this time from L.A., who came up with an "answer" song to Gene Chandler's Duke Of Earl called, appropriately, The Duchess Of Earl, but saw it struggle to a # 96 Hot 100 in March 1962 on Vee-Jay and, unlike Gene's massive hit, which hit # 1 on both the Hot 100 and R&B charts, failed to make a dent on the R&B listings; and The Bonnie Sisters - Pat, Jean and Sylvia, all nurses at NY's Bellevue Hospital - whose Cry Baby peaked at # 18 Pop in March 1956 for Rainbow Records (contrary to another reviewer, this is not the same Cry Baby as recorded by Garnet Mimms and Janis Joplin).

Another delight is Every Beat Of My Heart by The Pips, simply because this is one location where they specifically state which version is being presented. Written by Johnny Otis, it was first recorded on Huntom 2510 early in 1961. When they then signed with Fury it was re-recorded and released in May 1961 as by Gladys Knight & The Pips and this version peaked at # 15 R&B/# 45 Hot 100 on Fury 1050. Huntom, meanwhile, leased their version to Vee-Jay and it made its chart appearance at the same time, rising to # 1 R&B and # 6 Hot 100 on Vee-Jay 386. They sound very much alike and over the years there has been some confusion on a number of CDs as to which rendition was being presented.

Two that had strange results in that they made no impact whatsoever on the R&B charts, even though most other songs by the groups concerned were major R&B hits, are I Met Him On A Sunday (Ronde, Ronde) by The Shirelles, and Well, I Told You by The Chantels. The former was originally released in 1958 on the small Tiara label and, when picked up by Decca, made it to # 49 Pop in May. This R&R Hall Of Fame group (inducted in 1996) would have all the rest of their hits register on both charts. The Chantels weren't nearly as successful, but they did have five of their hits score on the R&B listings - but not this "answer" song to Ray Charles' Hit The Road, Jack, which only made it to # 29 Hot 100 in early 1961 on the Carlton label.

Much of this is detailed in the massive liner notes, along with many other interesting facts.

This CD has excellent sound & some groovy songs including "I'll Save The Last Dance For You" (Damita Jo) and the beautiful "September In the Rain".

What a wonderful CD of girl/women vocals. I have to be honest to say that I have bought ALL of the Early Girls volumes and can't say which one I enjoy the most. I had older sisters who played their little 45s growing up so I was totally hooked on the early girls. First class all the way!

Another excellent Ace product. These guys just keep coming up with the goods with every CD release. Every track is a winner here. Stand outs would be the original 'My Boy Lollipop' and the fantastic voice of Timi Yuro. I have all 5 volumes in this series. Could quite possibly squeeze another volume(or 2)??