Goin' Back - Songs of Goffin and King [Import]

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 12, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Sequel Records UK
• ASIN: B00004TRG6
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,323 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Stage Door

2. Goin' Back

3. Is This What I Get for Loving You?

4. He's in Town

5. Up on the Roof

6. At the Club

7. Wasn't It You?

8. Sometime in the Morning

9. He Knows I Love Him Too Much

10. When My Little Girl Is Smiling

11. Heaven Is Being with You

12. Will You Love Me Tomorrow

13. Halfway to Paradise

14. So This Is How It Feels

15. You're My Girl

16. Go Away Little Girl

17. So Goes Love

18. My Golden Chance

19. Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)

20. Some Kind of Wonderful

See all 30 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The British Approach to Goffin-King, April 30, 2001

By 

James R Noblin (Los Alamitos, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Goin' Back - Songs of Goffin and King (Audio CD)

This album should appeal primarily to those who are already fans of Goffin-King songs in particular or the Brill Building sound in general. For those of you who aren't familiar with the genre, Gerry Goffin and Carole King wrote an amazing string of hits such as "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?" "Take Good Care of My Baby" and "Up on the Roof" for a variety of American groups in the early 1960s. Apparently, it was difficult for American groups to get airplay in Britan. So British musicmakers would hear Goffin-King songs on American records and then rush out to record their own versions to get a British hit out of it. This album collects those efforts.

I gave the album three stars because it is so uneven. There are some tremendous songs here and some real clunkers. Part of the uneven quality comes from the variety of approaches taken by the various groups. There are those who translate Goffin-King songs into the the Mersey Beat sound that the Beatles would make famous on their own material (The Wolves' classic version of the Drifters' hit, "At the Club"), those who copy the American record pretty faithfully (The Viscounts "Who Put the Bomp") and those who turn even good material into mushy, soft dreck that hurts the ears (Miki & Griff, "I Want to Stay Here.").

The album does display Goffin-King's tremendous versatility, as the songs range from '50s teen love poems, to swinging dance numbers, to garage band and psychedelic sounds. The liner notes are excellent and highlight how some of Goffin-King's big hits in the U.S. flopped in England while some of their misses here scored big there. The album features three songs by the Rockin' Berries, showcasing a talented group I had never encountered before. Their version of "He's in Town," is heartbreaking and puts the Tokens' U.S. version to shame.

In short, if you love Goffin-King or the Brill Building, there are treasures here that will reward you immensely. Use the best part of CD technology, the ability to fast forward immediately, to zip over the dogs. If you aren't familiar with Goffin-King or the Brill Building, I would suggest looking for an American compilation album first to see if the sound is for you before going for something as esoteric as this offering.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Young Enough to Know the Truth, July 19, 2008

By 

Lee Armstrong (Winterville, NC United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Goin' Back - Songs of Goffin and King (Audio CD)

This Sequel Records compilation of Goffin & King songs is an excellent release. Carole King with her then husband Gerry Goffin were known primarily as songwriters before Carole's amazing "Tapestry" album forever changed that. This recording compiles many of the British artists who recorded their music. While songs like Julie Grant's version of "Up on the Roof" may not eclipse the Drifters in American minds, hearing the different interpretations of the familiar music shows how adaptable and strong the Goffin/King songs are. The Rockin' Berries have such a classic sound with their soaring harmonies on "He's In Town," "You're My Girl," & "I Need You." "Goin' Back" is one of my favorite Carole King's songs from the time it appeared on her Writer record. Here the version by Goldie charms, "I think I'm returning to those days when I was young enough to know the truth." Some of the songs bring to mind other Carole King tunes such as a resemblance between Carole King's "Hard Rock Cafe" from her Simple Things set and this much earlier song by the Wolves singing "At the Club," "For two bits & a dollar, they've got a swinging show for you; and the band won't quit until everybody tells them to." Some tunes shine such as Petula Clark's recording of "Wasn't It You" from her "I Couldn't Live Without Your Love" LP. I also am fascinated by Pet's version of "Beautiful," "Mirrored in their faces, I can see frustration growing; They just don't see it showing, Why do I?" Jackie Trent's brisk recording "So Did I" is a dated but delightful pop nugget. My only criticism is that the booklet is a bit hard to follow along with, although the information is interesting. With 30 tracks and excellent sound restoration, this is a delightful disc for Carole King & Gerry Goffin fans. Enjoy!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 3.5, perhaps?, January 14, 2003

By 

DJ Joe Sixpack (...in Middle America) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Goin' Back - Songs of Goffin and King (Audio CD)

Carole King and Gerry Goffin's songwriting success in the Brill Building days is well-known (see above!), but how did their work fare across the Big Puddle? Here's an interesting set of Goffin & King covered by various Brits during the '60s and early '70s. It's a slightly different take, with that good old anemic English version of pop-rock... it doesn't always work out when they try to be the next Little Eva, but there are still plenty of fun moments on here. A nice, different take on some familiar terrain, though certainly not for everyone.