Girl Group Gems Soul to Surf [Original recording remastered]

Annette Funicello (Artist), Donna Loren (Artist), The Blossoms (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 19, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Red Bird
• ASIN: B00005NZZ5
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #333,033 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Because Of You (Erlene And Her Girlfriends)

2. Dream World (Donna Loren)

3. Cryin' On My Pillow (Dorothy Berry)

4. He's My Boyfriend (Kriss Anderson)

5. Better Be Ready (Stereo)(Annette Funicello)

6. He's A Big Deal (Renee Medina)

7. You're So Fine (Dorothy Berry)

8. Muscle Bustle (Donna Loren)

9. The Perfect Boy (Stereo)(Annette Funicello)

10. Big Talkin' Jim (The Blossoms)

11. Cassanova (Erlene And Her Girlfriends)

12. A Little Bit Of Soap (Yvonne Carroll)

13. Hard To Get (The Blossoms)

14. Cross My Heart (Yvonne And The Violets)

15. I Gotta Tell It (The Blossoms)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fab, Fun and Fantastic!, December 16, 2001

By 

Chuck Mallory (Editor, girl-groups.com) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girl Group Gems Soul to Surf (Audio CD)

I have one of the largest CD collections of girl-group music anywhere, and I was startled to see the MANY hits I did not have on this CD. The word "gems" is a perfect description. This is a blend of 1960s songs that each should have been #1, but have not been heard by most people.

A neophyte collector or fan of this music would love the CD, and the long-time fan will find a CD packed with fabulous songs that require playing over and over. The liner notes by girl-groups author John Clemente give a lot of extra interesting info, too.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gems? Hits? Potential No. 1s? I Don't Think So, September 3, 2007

By 

AvidOldiesCollector (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girl Group Gems Soul to Surf (Audio CD)

Let me begin by saying that, yes, if you're a die-hard collector of the girl group sound, this is a nice addition to your collection. But let's get a couple of things straight. First of all, of the artists included, only two had actual hit singles, Annette Funicello of course. who had ten - none of which are in this CD - and The Blossoms who had one, 1961's "answer" song to Mother-In-Law called Son-In-Law which topped out at # 79 in May and is also omitted here.

Secondly, not one of those released as a single at the time made any national charts. Yes, there were probably small label distribution problems as a main factor but still, to boldly say that all were better than The Supremes is just ridiculous.

Let me hasten to add that this IS a neat little package that should occupy a place in any collection of the girl group sound which dominated that portion of the 1960s. But believe me, there are none here that could be described as "potential No. 1's." That's stretching it just a bit too far.

For the record, the two sides by Erlene & Her Girlfriends came out in 1963 on Old Town 1152, while Kriss Anderson's He's My Boyfried was a 1965 release by that label on Old Town 1190. Yvonne Carroll's two selections were issued in 1974 on Barry 1004, while most of the rest were Challenge Records releases. The two Annette cuts came out of the film How To Stuff A Wild Bikini.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True gems--I play this constantly!, September 22, 2004

By 

avid reader and listener "JimoftheWest" (Denver) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Girl Group Gems Soul to Surf (Audio CD)

I was intrigued by these "lost gems" of songs from the early 1960s and was thrilled to first hear them. But now I realize I play this CD over and over. Most of these are GREAT songs--why weren't they released back then? I especially like the energetic "Gotta Tell It" by the Blossoms and "He's My Boyfriend" by Chris Anderson. Also, Donna Loren's "Muscle Buscle" is great. This is truly a combination of fun surf-type songs and soulful love songs.