Gettin Together

Tommy James & The Shondells (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 20, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Collector's Choice
• ASIN: B0035ECHRM
• Also Available in: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,002 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Gettin' Together

2. I Want To Be Around You

3. There's So Much Love All Around Me

4. Some Happy Day

5. Love's Closin' In On Me

6. So Deep With You

7. Sometimes I'm Up, (Sometimes I'm Down)

8. You Better Watch Out

9. Real Girl

10. Wish It Were You

11. World, Down On Your Knees

12. Lost In Your Eyes

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars +1/2 - James and company solidify and refine their pop, April 20, 2010

By 

hyperbolium (Earth, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Gettin Together (Audio CD)

Capitalizing on the success of the previous year's pop-oriented I Think We're Alone Now, Tommy James and the Shondells paired again with producers Bo Gentry and Richie Cordell to cut their second album of 1967. The album cover depicts the group in a field of blossoms, but that's as close to flower-power that the Shondells came on this album. There are production touches of the era, including the tight segue between the first two tracks, the feedback, fades and false endings of "Happy Day," and the audio markers closing "Side 1" and opening "Side 2," but the melodies and lyrics remain teen-pop. The seeds planted here would fully bloom the following year on 1968's Crimson & Clover.

For now, the band polished the transition from garage and frat rock to production-oriented pop they'd begun earlier in the year. James finds more space to unleash the power of his vocals, the band's harmonies fit together more tightly, and arranger Jimmy "Wiz" Wisner's touches add decoration without distracting from the chewy pop-rock center. The title hit opens with a riff copped from the Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'," but lightened to the tone of a 1910 Fruitgum Company production. James and Shondells' bassist Mike Vale contribute four originals, including the galloping rocker "Love's Closin' in On Me" and the frenzied "You Better Watch Out."

Though many of the tracks verge on bubblegum, as Ed Osborne's liner notes point out, the album's ballads reach to the more sophisticated vocal arrangements and considered tempos of what would become known as West Coast Sunshine Pop. Like their previous album, these sessions were recorded on a 4-track at Allegro Sound, and though most of the instruments are still panned hard left-and-right, the sound is smoother, the band sounds more settled into their surroundings, and the album more cohesive. For many listeners the hit collections Anthology or The Definitive Pop Collection are better places to start, but fans interested in getting past the hits will enjoy finding that the group's albums are fleshed out with more than the typical singles-band filler.

Collectors' Choice's straight-up 12-track reissue clocks in at under 30-minutes, leaving one wishing they'd doubled-up with a second album (or add bonus tracks), as they did for recent reissues of Jackie DeShannon, Waylon Jennings, B.J. Thomas and others. This is one of four albums (also including I Think We're Alone Now, Travelin' and James' third solo release, My Head, My Bed & My Red Guitar) billed as an initial offering from the entire Shondells and Thomas solo catalogs. The six-page booklet includes full-panel reproductions of the album's front and back covers, and newly struck liner notes by Ed Osborne that add fresh interview material from James himself. 3-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [©2010 hyperbolium dot com]

3.0 out of 5 stars james fans should enjoy this one., October 18, 2010

By 

Michael P. Dobey (colorado springs) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gettin Together (Audio CD)

Slicker pop from this ever changing band. This cd is as the other reviewer said is the closest the band in my opinion ever came to being pop bubblegummy. I think the first two were garage/frat and 'I think were alone now' more slick popish , this one however is like a sidestep before the great cd's to come' 'crimson and clover' , 'mony mony' 'celophane symphony' and 'travelin' those were just better cds and stand up much better than this one to me. This one does have some good songs on it though like the hit single 'gettin together' but like 'I think were alone now' it would be best described as good pop music generally. I do think that pop music is good music so I would grab this one , but only after you grab the classics this band put out. the next four releases are very good rock cds and stand the test of time. This one however is of it's time and the 60's pop at least was made by bands and not autotune devices and button pushing so it's better than alot of that type of pop.