Customer Reviews

Girl Group Gems Soul to Surf

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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.

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.

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.

All of these songs are really good. The ones by Annette, the Blossoms and Donna Loren are as good as anything by the Supremes, and the other songs are great, too. I just can't figure out why these weren't released to be hits! Is there a Volume II coming out anytime soon?

If you are thinking about buying this CD...go for it. Outstanding compelation of songs. Keeps you really boppin'! I love it and bought a few as gifts this year for a few friends. They had the same reaction. HOpe Redbird comes out with another CD real soon!

THE SONGS IN THIS C.D. WERE NOT BIG 60'S HITS, HOWEVER THEY ARE GOOD!IT GOES TO SHOW THAT NOT ONLY TOP TWENTY MATERIAL DESERVES TO BE RE-RELEASED. THIS IS A BOUNCY, PERKY MUCICAL COLLECTION OF STUFF RELEASED BY "THE BLOSSOMS" (FEATURING DARLENE LOVE, LEAD SINGER), DONNA LOREN AND ANNETTE (BOTH FROM "BEACH PARTY" AMERICAN POP FILMS-BOTH GORGEOUS!!)AND OTHER 60'S GALS NOT AS WELL-KNOWN BUT CERTAINLY COULD SING!IF YOU LOVE GIRL GROUPS AND ARE TIRED OF THE USUAL RECORDS YOU FIND IN MOST C.D.'S OF THIS CATEGORY, THEN YOU ARE IN FOR A REFRESHING TREAT! I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MORE OF THIS TYPE OF MATERIAL RELEASED,ESPECIALLY ANNETTE'S TWO SONGS FROM "THUNDER ALLEY".I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO SEE A COMPLETE "BLOSSOMS" COLLECTION ("GOOD, GOOD LOVIN").BUY IT!!