Customer Reviews

Tommy Roe - Greatest Hits [Curb]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Between 1962 and 1971, Tommy Roe placed eleven songs in the Top 40, including six in the Top 10 (two number 1s!), proving that no matter how many people turned up their noses, the teenybopper bubblegum sound was both popular and persistent.

This superior MCA disc includes all but one of the Top 40 hits. Alongwith the six Top 10 cuts (Sheila, Everybody, Sweet Pea, Hooray for Hazel, Dizzy and the rather raunchy Jam Up and Jelly Tight), it offers a number of excellent lesser known songs (The Folk Singer, It's Now Winter's Day, We Can Make Music.)

Inexplicably, two non-chart cuts are included (Everytime a Bluebird Cries and Dottie, I Like It) at the expense of a very good cover of Susie Darlin', a number 35 in the autumn of 1962.

However, that is a very minor short-coming, considering that all of these songs are originals are brilliantly mastered for clear, dynamic sound.

For pure musical chewing enjoyment, Tommy Roe's Greatest Hits can't be beat!

This is the soundtrack to my pre-teen days and I'm surprised at how well it's stood the test of time. It may have been called bubblegum, but I consider it great pop music because of the catchy melodies and the slick production. In fact it was and remains very hypnotic music, especially songs like Sweet Pea, Dizzy and Hooray For Hazel. A track like Heather Honey even has a tinge of sadness. Other great melodic numbers include Jam Up Jelly Tight, Sheila and there's even a decent cover of Stagger Lee. This type of pop music sounds quite original and unique when compared to lots of the colorless fluff that rule the charts these days. It had something, a certain flavour or personality, that sets it apart and makes it an enjoyable listening experience even after more than three decades.

Ok, so Tommy Roe will never be honored at the Kennedy Center for advancing the field of music during his time. But, if you like his songs, you'll like this CD because they are all here.

I grew up listening to my dad play his greatest hits, Sheila, The Folk Singer, Everybody, Jam Up & Jelly Tight, Hooray for Hazel, Sweet Pea, and on and on. I put in the CD and just sang along even though it had been 20 years since I listened. My 7 month old thought I was crazy as I faked the great drum beats on some of the songs.

If you've never heard of Tommy Roe, he might be a bubble gum rocker, a little heavier than say the Archies, but not much more. I've got this CD playing in the truck right now. Good value for the money!

Consumers: If you are looking for the original hit ABC recordings of Tommy Roe from the 60s, then don't hesitate to buy this CD. Despite what you have read, these are the originals! Any record collector worth his/her salt knows that MCA acquired the back catalog of ABC Paramount and ABC records when they closed their doors back in the late seventies. ABC was Tommy's record label for the entire 60s. I still have my orignal 45s and I still play them, and aside from these being in Stereo, these are the same versions, NOT re-recorded. Buy with confidence, nuff said.

You might say that Tommy Roe was ahead of the curve. He recorded "bubblegum" music before the term was even coined. After his wildly successful debut single, 1962's "Sheila", Tommy Roe went on to make 21 more appearances on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart over the next decade. A strong argument can be made that his 1966 Top Ten smash "Sweet Pea" was really the very first "bubblegum" hit. Recall that the term "bubblegum" did not appear until the heyday of Buddah records in 1968-1969 with groups like Ohio Express and the 1910 Fruitgum Co.
Tommy Roe went on to make several more "bubblegum" records including hits like "Hooray For Hazel", "Dizzy" and "Jam Up and Jelly Tight" from 1969. Tommy Roe wrote a vast majority of the tunes he recorded. In my opinion, some of his better sides never quite made it including "Heather Honey" and 1966's "It's Now Winter's Day. And he does a very nice job on his final ABC release, a remake of the Lloyd Price classic "Stagger Lee."
MCA is to be commended for the nice job they did with the enclosed 12 page booklet. I see where some people have questioned whether these are the original recordings. As far as I can tell they are. Perhaps an audiophile could discern if the recordings have been altered slightly. But then again why would an audiophile be listening to a Tommy Roe CD? Tommy Roe continues to record and perform. His official website lists a modest schedule of appearances during the coming months. I think it would be great fun to see him perform at a venue like a State Fair. When all is said and done he made some pretty good music.

For nearly one cool decade Tommy Roe has been regaling his audience with some delightful pieces such as "Everytime a Bluebird Cries" and my own personal favorite, winter of 1963's "Everybody." This makes you want to gear up your COOOOOL 1963 Ford Falcon and cruise to some very cool songs.

This excellent CD provides a clear crisp sound of the classics you enjoyed during rock's Cool Era. Don't just take our word for it -- just go get this collection!

Tommy Roe was the King Of Bubblegum Music, and it is good music. When I first heard Hooray For Hazel on the radio, I ran out to get the 45, and immediately played approximately 80 times. Either it is a very good, upbeat song, or I was mentally unbalanced. Tommy was a good vocalist, his interpretations were on the money, and the musical arrangements of most of his songs were excellent. The drum rolls in Hooray For Hazel are outstanding, the music catchy, and the words simple, but upbeat. Sweet Pea is another song with an excellent music arrangement and upbeat vocals and lyrics. Dizzy is a classic song of the 1960's and Shelia is an excellent bubblegum / rockabilly blend. The lyrics of Jam Up And Jelly Tight are more sophisticated, Everybody sounds Buddy Holly like and Heather Honey and Dottie I like it are enjoyable upbeat songs. Jack And Jill is a lesser quality up-tempo song

Tommy Roe was the cream of the crop of the Bubblegum contingent. The other Tommy (James), I believe was misclassified as bubblegum as much of his music was more sophisticated and rock oriented, and some of the songs he wrote such as Crimson And Clover and Sweet Cherry Wine were innovative psychedelic blends. Herman's Hermits and the Monkeys were good, but a cut below, the 1910 Fruitgum Company and the Ohio Express are saccharine or nutrasweet, artificially flavored bubblegum, although the lyrics are funny, while the Archies are ordinary, middle of the road bubblegum. The bubblegum music of David Cassidy and Bobby Sherman turned me off, although Cassidy later became an accomplished actor who played leading roles in Broadway Musicals.

I first heard "Sweet Pea" on an oldies station while I was at work. I loved the catchy beat, so I sang it to my daughters (my little sweet peas) one night before bed, ages 8 mo. and 3 yrs. My youngest rocked back and forth and my older one wanted me to sing it over and over again. I bought this CD for them so they can remember songs their Mommy used to sing to them when they were younger. I'm so glad I was able to find it here!

I just thought that it was odd that a couple of folks tagged these tracks as re-recordings. Back in the day, I owned several of these 45's as well as the long out-of-print "12 In A ROE" greatest hits LP from 1969. I'm aware that a slightly different mono 45 mix of "Sheila" is out there somewhere, but I've never heard it. These are all original ABC Paramount and ABC era recordings, the real deal. I wouldn't characterize Tommy Roe as "The Bubble Gum King", but he did crank out some catchy, well produced pop-rock gems. Tunes like "Sheila", "Sweet Pea" and "Dizzy" hold up quite well after 35 or 40 years, and Roe wrote or co-wrote much of his material. He did tend to recycle his hits ("Jack And Jill" from "Dizzy", "Hazel", although I really like it, is basically "Sweet Pea" sideways....) with varying degrees of success. If you like this sort of stuff, Roe probably did it as well as anyone.

There are several different CD's that say they are the "Best of Tommy Roe", but this MCA collection is the true collection of this man's greatest hits. For those of you old enough to remember living and growing up in the sixties decade, there's a good chance you had an AM portable transistor radio tuned to one of those top-40 stations that unceasingly played 45 rpm releases from all of those teenybopper idols who are too numerous to count. This Atlanta, GA native who was transplanted to the West Coast had many top-40 hits during the sixties and this collection has them all including some others that Tommy's fans will recall.