Customer Reviews

It's My Party: Mercury Anthology

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"It's My Party: The Mercury Anthology" gathers together 52 Lesley Gore songs cut between 1963 and 1969 with a variety of producers, including Quincy Jones (who discovered her), Bob Crewe and Gamble and Huff. Every single is here, from the first, the massive #1 "It's My Party," still heard everywhere from oldies stations to movies to Burger King commercials, all the way to the last issued by Mercury, a friendly pop rendition of Laura Nyro's great "Wedding Bell Blues." This is the only US CD to contain every single one of Lesley's singles, as well as many key B-sides and LP tracks, and a number of cuts never released in the States, and heretofore available only on the German Bear Family 5-CD box set...recommended wholeheartedly to Goreheads everywhere. For the rest of you, still uncertain whether to proceed to the hard stuff on Bear, this double disc is the ticket for you. And it even includes three cuts not on the Bear box: stereo takes of "He Gives Me Love" and "I Can't Make It Without You," the lush Herb Bernstein 1968 singles that began to establish a prescence for Gore on the 60s MOR scene, and the original mono single version of "Wedding Bell Blues," in a hotter version than the stereo take on the Bear box. And, of course, any set that includes 2 out of the 3 cuts Lesley did with the Sound of Philadelphia, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, "I'll Be Standing By" and "Take Good Care," is worth the price and then some. And just think, Lesley worked with Kenny and Leon almost a year before Dusty Springfield got there!

There are several Lesley Gore compilations. For anybody who is only interested in the hits, one of the single CD collections will probably suffice. Even in her American homeland, she didn't have many hits. In Britain, she only had two hits (It's my party and Maybe I know) and only the first of them is famous.

So, anybody buying this does so because they want B-sides, A-sides which didn't chart, choice album tracks and other rarities. Because Lesley recorded very few cover versions, there is a lot to get interested in. I enjoy covers, and sometimes buy albums full of them, but it's always great to hear original songs.

Of the lesser known songs, I particularly enjoy California nights, which was a hit and therefore can be found on those single-CD collections, but I also enjoy the other music she recorded around that time which some reviewers obviously don't like.

Wedding bell blues was recorded by Lesley with the intention of releasing it as an A-side single. Lesley didn't know that Fifth Dimension were also recording this song. If they hadn't, Lesley would surely have had another big hit and who knows what would have followed then?

Are two CD's too much of Lesley's music, as one reviewer suggested? Not for me - I eventually bought the Bear Family boxed set, because I enjoyed this so much, though I still play this from time to time.

You must make up your own mind.

Lesley Gore's voice is strong, vibrant, and sometimes tough sounding. Her timing, sense of rhythm, and ability to overtrack and "duet" with herself is unmatched. The songs are some of the best songs composed in the sixties, but if Lesley Gore was not singing them, they would not have become hits.

Lesley's voices carries each song and it is both powerful and inimitable. Definitely a five-stars compilation.

Always liked her more serious works...but had no idea that she could belt out excellent Motown-era tunes.
"He Gives Me Love(LaLaLa)/Take Good Care of My Heart/I'll Be Standing By" really shows off her voice--very reminiscent of Diana Ross & The Supremes' heyday!

Lesley Gore recorded for Mercury Records from 1963 until 1969. All of those recordings made it into the definitive Lesley Gore Box set put out by Bear Family. If you're not ready to pony up $100 and like Lesley's hits this is the CD for you. You get every single and the important flipsides and album cuts. It is the cream of the crop. Everybody knows It's My Party but you can't help but get hooked by songs like "Off And Running" which never even managed to crack the Billboard Hot 100. The quality is excellent (it sounds like they used the Bear Family masters). You won't be sorry.

Known mainly for the overplayed, but still fine hit "It's My Party," Lesley Gore reveals in this collection many fine, but neglected American pop tunes from the period when the Beatles and the British Invasion started to take over the American charts. An earlier collection revealed many fine songs unknown to me. Songs such as "She's A Fool," "You Don't Own Me," "That's The Way Boys Are," and "Maybe I Know." With that collection of 18 songs, I would have thought I had all the Lesley Gore I could ever want. Was I ever wrong. This 2 cd set adds many finely crafted surprises, arranged and performed expertly. Two superb examples being "Run, Bobby Run," and "I'm Coolin', No Foolin'." But the good tunes don't stop there. "That's The Way The Ball Bounces" with it's dreamy vocal, "Sometimes I Wish I were A Boy," and many others abound. And this is just the first disc. The second disc has yet to fire me up like the first, but it's probably only a matter of time. A 24 page booklet is included! If there are this many good songs on 2 cd's, I guess my next step is the 5 cd set from Bear Records.

The day Lesley Gore met Quincy Jones was the day musical magic was born. Who knew that this little girl from Teaneck, New Jersey, would become the darling of top 40 radio all over the world? Her'typical all-American teenager" appeal, combined with captivating voice, won the hearts of teens from all parts of the globe. I should know; I was one of them. This set features all of her Mercury recordings, which is to say, all of her top hits. She later did an album for A&M which, while not a big hit here, did well in the UK. The sound on this anthology is superb. The engineers at Mercury/UMG did a great job of remastering these songs for CD. It was also apparent, back in the '60's, that the stereo mixes on her LP's were ahead of their time. Less for the "wow" effect, more for the integrity of the music. My personal favorite, "Look of Love", features the "jingle bell' mix. This one uses stronger background vocals and jingle bells (hence the name) than the version included on her "Golden Hits" CD. My only gripe about how the songs were engineered is that they had her "overdub" her vocals. No harmony; just in unison with herself. What's up with that? Still, this is a set you should own if you love the music of the '60's.

Of all the singers from the "girl group" era, Gore stands way above the rest in terms of both songwriting, arrangements, and the strength of her voice, with only Dusty Sringfiield giving her any real competition. Claus Ogermann's arrangements, which comprise all of the first disc and several tracks of the second, are absolutely the tightest, most succinct pop constructions ever recorded. Gore collaborated closely with Ogermann to work out her vocal phrasing for each of his arrangements and the results are fantastic. The double-tracked vocals are astounding, particularly when they alternate within a track, with the second vocal fading in and out. The Greenwich-Barry composition "Maybe I Know" is the finest track here, and Ellie Greenwich's backing vocals can be heard throughout the entire first side, although she doesn't seem to be credited. Quincy Jones' production is great as well. He was responsible for signing Gore after noticing the jazzy qualities of her voice, that it was a cut above the usual "teen sound" of the day. Unfortunately, some phenomenoal material (Cry Me A River, I Died Inside, The Party's Over) has been left off, all of which the hardcore completeists can find on the It's My Party Box Set from Bear Family Records. For the casual listener, this is a great jumping off spot.

For the casual fan of Lesley Gore, the two disc "Mercury Anthology", will probably be all that you will need to complete your collection. All of the big hits, and probably anything that even charted are included here. A few filler quality songs creep onto disc 2, but Mercury Records must really be commended for this most excellent collection. Each disc contains 26 songs, with over an hour of music on each CD. The booklet with the discs is also outstanding, containing a detailed retrospective of Lesley's career, song credits and some vintage photos.

Lesley Gore typically sang innocent songs revolving around teen romance, and was comfortable with a variety of styles. Her crystal clear voice may not have the greatest range, but it has great depth of feeling. Lesley brought enthusiasm and sincerity to her music. Her most well known songs may have been upbeat numbers like "Judy's Turn To Cry" and "It's My Party", but her downbeat, and subdued efforts were the ones I liked best. Songs like "Treat Me Like A Lady", "I'm Coolin', No Foolin'", and "I Won't Love You Anymore".

This compilation is perfect for the fan looking for the hits, and the best of the rest.

Lesley's single disc compilations are inadequate not because they don't show the many facets of Ms. Gore, but because they don't include enough of her best "It's My Party" styled tracks. She was releasing albums so quickly (3 in 1964 alone) there wasn't time to release all the best tracks as singles. So there are many hidden gems on the early albums, which are just as much fun as the hits. Here's a list of great songs in the "It's My Party" Girl Group vein that the single disc compilations don't include: "If That's The Way You Want It", "I'm Coolin', No Foolin'", "Run Bobby Run", "Don't Call Me, I'll Call You", "Just Let Me Cry" and "You Didn't Look Around." The single disc compilations, missing all those songs, just aren't that fun or satisfying.

So while I'm not claiming this album is consistently enjoyable as a whole, it's still necessary for the many non-single hidden gems. It is actually missing one key album track though, "I Don't Care" which was written by the same duo who wrote Lesley's stunning classic "You Don't Own Me." But it's the only glaring omission, all the other essential tracks are here. I've heard her 5 disc Bear Family anthology, which includes everything she recorded in the 60s. The Mercury Anthology was very well selected, aside from that one missing song.

Disc 2 kicks off with two good tracks from the tail end of her prime period, right before she split with Quincy Jones, who produced all of her best music. The rest of disc 2 chronicles her search for a new sound. In my opinion she never found one that suited her voice nearly as well as the Girl Group classics she made her name with.