Customer Reviews

Hard To Find 45s on CD, Volume 7: More 60's Classics

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I first discovered the Hard To Find series in 1999 (Vol. 4: The Late 50s), I was amazed that I had finally been able to increase my collection of popular tunes. "He's Got The Whole World (In His Hands)," "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blue," "Three Stars" and "I've Come Of Age," among others, were songs I had on audio cassette tape, but not on compact disc.
Since that time, I have been able to pick up additional Hard To Find CDs, all of which have selections that continue to amaze. The latest acquisition, Vol. 7, has me in music heaven.
From the first track, Johnny Burdette's "Dreamin'," an overlooked classic, to Gene McDaniels' terrific "Hundred Pounds Of Clay, both radio hits of their day, to songs NO contemporary DJ would spin, "Tonight (Could Be The Night)," "Village Of Love," "Look For A Star," "Utopia," "Don't Just Stand There," and the oft-misunderstood Nancy Wilson single, "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am," this is just one terrific compilation.
And you can take that me, a person who has hundreds of such collections. Almost every song is a hit in my book, especially the final six on the CD, "I'll Never Find Another You," "You're The Reason I'm Living," "Midnight Mary," "Bad To Me," "Have I The Right (by the Honeycomb, best known as one of the few groups with a female drummer and as Joe "Telstar" Meek's last hitmaker)," and Kyu Sakamoto's No. 1 hit, "Sukiyaki (for lack of a better title)," all hold a special place in this reviewer's heart.
A recommended buy all the way.

How nice it is to see an oldies collection that doesnt rely on the same old songs that everyone else uses. This collection on ERIC Records focuses on a group of '60s oldies that were strong chart hits, but for one reason or another, have fallen thru the cracks in terms of Cd release. Most of these are ridiculously hard to find , like "White On White" by Danny Williams, "Youre My World" by Cilla Black, and "Utopia" by Frank Gari. The nice folks at ERIC Records have not only gathered them for us on one hot CD (a very generous 21 tracks, not the paltry 10 or 11 tracks you get from the major labels) but they have taken the time and effort to search out the ORIGINAL, first generation master tapes AND the hard to find Stereo versions!! There is a BIG surprise on this CD.....Kyu Sakamotos 1963 smash "Sukiyaki" in its super rare stereo mix, first time anywhere. This track is worth the price of admission alone.
The sound quality of this collection (and Vol 6 also, by the way) is stunning. Digging out the original master tapes from the dusty vaults of the various labels is a dirty job, but it makes ALL the difference...these sound like they could have ben recorded yesterday. I have to rate this Cd an A+++ I can only hope that ERIC continues to seek out these "lost" hits.....a wonderful Cd from a wonderful oldies label!! Keep 'em Coming guys!!

Vol. 7 in the "Hard to Find 45s on CD" is an excellent collection. Eric Records has done an excellent job with the sound quality. The Chimes' remake of a Tommy Dorsey hit "Once In A While" is one of my favorites with this romantic doo-wop version, "I know that I'll be contented with yesterday's memories knowing you'll think of me once in a while." Gene McDaniels' "A Hundred Pounds of Clay" is a real charmer from 1961. The Velvets' "Tonight (Could Be the Night)" with famous songwriter Boudleaux Bryant on backing vocals sounds crisp in this stereo version. Frank Gari's "Utopia" is a delightful nugget from 1960 that only went to #20, but sounds lush & romantic in that early 60s way. Patty Duke's "Don't Just Stand There" may be a bit over-dramatic, but her straightforward vocal reading and the crisp percussion sounds great on this release. "Tar & Cement" by Verdelle Smith that didn't rise high in the charts (#38) is worthy of dusting off with its fragile romantic lament. Cilla Black's "You're My World" is a dramatic English version of an Italian song that sounds like a Dusty Springfield runaway. Bobby Darin's country "You're the Reason I'm Living" is delivered with Darin's vocal swagger & predates Ray Charles' foray into country-western music. Joey Powers' lone hit "Midnight Mary" is a fond blast from the past. This set concludes with the hard-to-find #1 Japanese hit by Kyu Sakamoto "Sukiyaki" with its addictive melody & Kyu sounding like an Asian Gene Pitney. Vol. 7 is a satisfying set, well worth seeking! Enjoy!

This may very well be the best yet, in this, or any other similar series. Containing 21 big hits from the sixties, it contains the best selection of oldies I've seen in a long time. Even if you have several of the tracks on this disc, it's not likely that they sound nearly as good. If that wasn't enough, we get first-time stereo releases of Tar and Cement by Verdelle Smith and Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto. It couldn't get any better than this....highest rating!

Volume seven includes 12 stereo cuts and nine mono versions of these hard to find singles from the sixties. All 21 of the songs hit the top 40 on the Billboard pop charts during 1960 to 1966. Included is the first-time stereo version of Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki," Nathaniel Mayer's "Village of Love" (first time on CD), "Utopia" by Frank Gari (first time on CD), and the G-Clefs with "I Understand." Other seldom heard tunes on this collection are Danny Williams' "White on White," Verdelle Smith's "Tar and Cement," and Cila Black's "You're My World."

This collection includes an eight page booklet with details on each song. Collectors will enjoy listening to the set, since most oldies stations seldom play these songs. I recommend you get Eric Records's entire series of hard to find 45s on CD.

The inclusion of three of the best examples of female recorded singing makes this CD more that worth its purchase price.

"You're My World" by Cilla Black, a singer with a voice that could stop traffic, is high drama at its most glorious. Ms. Black, a pop icon in her British homeland, helped propel this song into the stratosphere in England. Unfortunately, Americans only know about the version recorded by Helen Reddy years later. Ms. Reddy's singing pales in comparison to that of Cilla Black.

Verdelle Smith's "Tar and Cement" which is virtually impossible to find, is the tale of a woman who leaves her peaceful little town to pursue a career in the big city, with disastrous results. When she eventually goes back to her town, she discovers that all of the lilacs are gone and the meadow has been replaced with six lanes of highway. The song holds up well even today and is sung in such a plaintive voice that you can't help but get caught up in the emotions.

Any collection that includes Patty Duke's "Don't Just Stand There" should not be passed over. Many people remember Patty Duke as Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker" and Patty/Cathy Lane in "The Patty Duke Show," but not many can remember that Ms. Duke had a top ten hit with this song in 1965. Ok, so it's a good thing that she focused more on her acting rather than her singing talents, but this is one of those songs that is a perfect match for the material and the vocalist.

All of the other songs on the CD are like an extra added bonus.

Hard To Find 45s on CD, Volume 7: More 60's Classics has some pretty wonderful tunes from back in the day when `60s music filled the airwaves! These songs are sure to bring back good memories for you if you enjoyed this music then; and the quality of the sound couldn't be better. The artwork is nice, too.

Johnny Burnette starts things off with "Dreamin';" this tune has a great beat and the strings are used to great advantage. Johnny sings this with all his heart and soul and I love this song! Gene McDaniels follows next with his huge hit, "A Hundred Pounds Of Clay." "A Hundred Pounds Of Clay" is a relentlessly upbeat, joyous tune that is always great to hear; this music is timeless and the ballad sounds fresh and new even today! The Velvets also do a great job on "Tonight (Could Be The Night)." "Tonight (Could Be The Night)" is a song that you might recognize only when you hear it; the name I didn't recognize but when I hear this music I easily remembered this song. "Tonight (Could Be The Night)" is a mixture of early rock and roll with a doo wop twist that is absolutely awesome!

The G-Clefs ace their tune entitled "I Understand (Just How You Feel);" this touching ballad gets a very sensitive interpretation from The G-Clefs and it all works very well. I really like "I Understand (Just How You Feel)." Danny Williams also scores big with his hit entitled "White On White;" "White On White" is a very pretty melody and I predict you'll like this very much. In addition, "Don't Just Stand There" by Patty Duke really shines brighter than silver and gold; patty's voice is as clear as a bell and she bats this straight out of the ballpark! The strings sound great and the percussion helps to mark the beat as well.

Nancy Wilson weighs in with her awesome hit "(You Don't Know) How Glad I Am;" Nancy delivers this with her usual panache and that's nothing short of terrific. Nancy handles complicated tempo and key changes to make this tune all her own! Cilla Black also does great with "You're My World;" and listen also for The Seekers to perform "I'll Never Find Another You" so sweetly; I could never tire of hearing The Seekers singing "I'll Never Find Another You." Bobby Darin's "You're The Reason I'm Living" is equally special.

The Honey combs sing "Have I The Right?" with lots if positive energy; and the album ends strong with "Sukiyaki" by Kyu Sakamoto--in stereo!

Overall, Hard To Find 45s on CD, Volume 7: More 60's Classics has a lot for people to enjoy! I highly recommend this CD for fans of `60s music.

I saw a film called Circus of Horrors when I was a lad--a weird, sadistic Pygmalion-based fantasy about a mad plastic surgeon--but what I remembered most was the dreamy, haunting (if silly) song, Look for a Star, which kept playing through the soundtrack. Now, 40 years and some later, I find it on this album (which also tells me there were 3 other versions. Lucky I got the right one!) Well, not only is the song just as I remembered it, but there are many other deep, Proustian treats here. Also revealing to me is how good Nancy Wilson was, and also how moving Sukiyaki was (in stereo, they say, for the first time). Regarded as a novelty number back in the naive, ethnocentric 60s, it is a beautifully sung pop song, the emotions quite affecting, even for those of us (including me) who can't understand a word. If this album is an indication of how good the rest of the series is, I'll be getting more.

Most radio stations are owned by major corporations such as Clear Channel Communications. The playlists of the corporate oldies stations are so repetitive that many "oldies" are played more often than contemporary format stations play the newest hit. I often laugh at the infomercials punting a new "oldies" collection, bragging about how difficult finding each record would prove. What a joke! I could sit with a tape recorder and an FM Radio and tape every one of their "oldies" in an afternoon. With that in mind, I would rather invest money in a collection of songs that I can only hear by purchasing the recording. This collection has more than a few such songs. I found it rather contradictory that the jacket boasted about each songs position on the charts. This CD is supposed to be about lost gems and not hit records. Nevertheless, many great songs that were popular in the past are now as dead as records never given a chance. Admittedly, for a song to evoke memories, it had to have enough play time to make an impression yet not become too standard as to blur its intitial impact. Moreover, you had to have liked the song in the first place.

Johnny Burnettes "Dreamin'" is still played by corporate radio. If you want a really hard to find and much better version, search for Junior Parrollo and the Four Jays. Gene McDaniel's "A Hundred Pounds of Clay" is hardly unknown but one of my favorite oldies of all time. The collection also offers a great New York do-wop song in the Chimes "Once in a While". Songs like "Bad to me" by Billy Kramer and the Dakota's and "I'll Never find another you" by The Seekers do not belong on this CD. Both mimic the Brittish Invasion sound so pervasive on today's corporate oldies station's playlists.

I bought this CD for two-songs in particular. One is track 7, "Close to Cathy" by Mike Clifford. The inside jacket cites a 1961 review that called it "dreadfully sappy." The obvious reason why "Close To Cathy" is a forgotten song. Yet the jacket applauds its musical virtues which made it a major hit in 1961. Another personal favoite is track 18, "Midnight Mary" by Joey Powers. The inside jacket compares it to Jimmie Rogers's "Secretly" as both songs are about forbiden lovers meeting clandestine. I always compared "Midnight Mary" with the far more famous and successful recording by Johnny Glilmour and "Sugar Shack." Both songs talk about meeting at a place. Sugar Shack is about open, friendly, and casual get togethers over expresso coffee. "Midnight Mary" (The title alone implies mystery)is about a secret place for a forbidden romantic (and possibly more) liason. Which story intrigues you more? Do I have to add that I consider "Midnight Mary" the musically superior song? The difference is that Gilmour had his record released before the Beatles blew away anything in its path.

I'm certain that this CD will have a quality song that conotes something special personally for you as well.

Sometimes you have to hunt down "gems" from the past so it is with this cd. A lot of gems that you didn't hear, and never will on the "format oldies shows" on the air waves. This is a very good cd to purchase