Customer Reviews

Girl Group Sound: 25 All Time G.H. From Red Bird

5 star:		(6)
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Varese Vintage has put together this outstanding compilation of girl group sounds garnered from the vaults of George Golner's Red Bird/Blue Cat/Daisy/Tiger family of labels. With the songwriting and producing strength of the Brill Building team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich behind many of the Red Bird tunes, mid-60's playlists were well-represented by recordings coming out of this indie label. Several of these tracks have become signature songs of the era - read "Chapel Of Love" and "Remember Walking In The Sand" among others.

This compilation gathers up many of the biggest hits from Red Bird and throws in several rarities and b-sides to keep the mix interesting. Among these are Roddie Joy's "Come Back Baby" and Bessie Banks' pre-Moody Blues "Go Now". Best of all, many of these tracks appear in true stereo whereas most of them have only been previously available in muffled mono. The sonic improvement is astounding in many cases. Tracks 1,2,4,5,7,11,13,15,17,18,21 and 25 are in stereo with the remainder in mono. An eight-page booklet featuring a background history of the label with several pics accompanies the disc.

While many of the songs on this disc have appeared previously on a multi-disc set from Charly Records of the U.K., the sound quality there was marginal. This production gives all new life to many of these songs and is well worth purchasing for the sonic experience alone. Taragon Records also has a disc of Red Bird/Blue Cat recordings and since there is a lot of duplication, that CD is a worthwhile purchase if you are not interested in as many of the lesser hits of Red Bird. The sound quality is likewise, superb and it contains a few non-girl group sides not on the Varese piece.

Notable however on the Varese disc are two bonus tracks, and if you like these kinds of surprises, read no further. For those who want to know, these tracks are the Jelly Beans' version of "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" and the Raindrops' (Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich) "Another Boy Like Mine".

Both the well-known and little-heard efforts of the Greenwich-Barry collaborations are here and it's a must-own for 60s girl group collectors. Unlike the other reviewers, I didn't at all care for the stereo mixes; most of these tracks were never meant to be heard in this fashion. The immediacy and impact of the mono mixes is far superior to my ears, so I've docked the review one star for messing with perfection!

C'mon Amazon! Only the first four tracks have the artists credited properly. Everything from that point on is FUBAR. How about fixing it?

What a shame this is out of print, one of the best ever. I usually give them one star if they are OOP and still great, but this I had to give 5.....bring it back for those who missed it, it's really great....

For those people who love the old girl groups, this CD is a must. It has 25 songs from some of the girl groups from long ago. We love it. I listen to it nearly everyday since receiving it. It's great!

In April 1964 veteran R&B impresarios George Goldner, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller teamed up with the multi-talented producer/songwriting team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich and launched Red Bird Records in New York City. This was a match made in heaven. Over the next several years the Red Bird label would release some of the most exciting pop records ever recorded. And while it wasn't really planned that way nearly 90% of the labels successful releases were by female groups or solo artists. "The Girl Group Sound" features 25 of these single releases from the Red Bird catalog. This is one hot disc!
When I think of 1960's girl groups my thoughts immediately turn to the Shangri-Las. These gals were something special. You could hear the edge and the urgency in their voices. Who will ever forget their #1 hit from 1964 "Leader of the Pack". The fact that this song has been played to death by oldies stations over the years certainly does not diminish the quality of this recording. "The Girl Group Sound" also includes three other hits by the Shangri-Las including "Remember(Walking In The Sand)", "Give Him A Great Big Kiss" and my all time favorite "I Can Never Go Home Anymore" from 1965. Hailing from New Orleans, the Dixie Cups rivaled the Shangri-Las in popularity during the mid 60's. There are a total of 5 Dixie Cups tunes on this disc including "Iko Iko", "People Say" and "Chapel of Love". I am quite confident that you will enjoy each and every one of them. One of the best loved hits from Red Bird was 1965's "The Boy From New York City" by the one-hit wonder group The Ad-Libs. And who can forget the Jelly Beans hit recording of "I Wanna Love Him So Bad". As I mentioned, there are a total of 25 tracks in this collection. Not all of these singles made it to the Billboard Hot 100. But I found a number of gems to recommend. Moody Blues fans will recall that their very first hit record in the U.S. was a tune called "Go Now". You can hear the original version of that song by Bessie Banks on "The Girl Group Sound". And who among you has ever heard of Evie Sands? Give a listen to her versions of "I Can't Let Go" and "Take Me For A Little While" and see if you don't agree that this is one talented young lady. The fact of the matter is that I enjoyed each and every one of the songs in this collection.
"The Girl Group Sound" comes with an interesting 8 page booklet chronicling the history of Red Bird records. And hats off to the folks at Varese Sarabande for a superb remastering job. It is among the best I have heard to date. All in all, this one is a winner in every respect. Highly recommended!

Leiber and Stoller's mid-60s record label (actually labels, including Red Bird, Blue Cat, and others), fueled by the writing, producing and A&R of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, was one of the most vital sources of original girl-group music. Though it wasn't first (the Chantels and Shirelles had earlier hits), and contemporaries like Phil Spector pushed more boundries, Red Bird's stable did as much as anyone to define the girl-group sound and etch it into history.

Throughout 1964 and 1965, Red Bird hit again and again, almost entirely with their girl-groups. The Dixie Cups and Shangri-Las each topped the charts, as well as scoring top-10s and top-40s, while other Red Bird artists filled the vaults (occasionally making the charts, as well) with tremendously heartfelt and keenly crafted pop. From the New Orleans inflections of "Iko Iko" to the deep soul of Evie Sands' pre-Hollies "I Can't Let Go," to the Shangri-Las street operas, Red Bird produced tracks that, much like Spector's wall-of-sound magnum opuses, served as contemporary teenage confections, and have subsequently revealed deeper artistry as they've aged.

Varese's generous 27-track collection (including two unlisted bonus cuts) features many new true stereo mixes produced directly from the original 4-track masters. The unpeeling of the instruments and vocals into a stereo plane is nothing short of breathtaking - and a bit unnerving. The instrumental and vocal delicacies to be found underneath the stories of torrid motorcycle romances, cool New York style, and the ever-present longing for love are truly astonishing.

At a time when the Beatles were set to obliterate the concept of producers, songwriters and singers collaborating to bring a record to fruition, Red Bird showed just how powerful and fulfilling such an arrangement could be. Varese's spotlight on the label's girl-groups may shortchange the breadth of Red Bird's offerings, but it highlights the label's brilliant, on-going legacy. For the rest of the story, see Charly Records' 4-disc "The Red Bird Story." Just don't expect the consistent level of fidelity heard on this disc!

Great remastering of classic Red Bird/Blue Cat Hits from the Sixties. Two hidden cuts at the end....with no reference to who is singing them. The last cut is 'Do-Wah-Diddy' (first released by The Exciters but the hit came when issued by Manfred Man) is performed by The Shangri-las. Ellie Greenwich as The Raindrops is singing the other cut. All the great Shangri-Las and Dixie Cups hits as well as others--What an Era!!-- get it while you still can and enjoy....