Customer Reviews

Tommy Roe - Greatest Hits [Onyx]

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The song list is great - but these are not the versions we used to hear on the radio! Very disappointing.

Tommy Roe will be remembered as one of the primary artists associated with the birth of bubblegum music in the late 1960s, but he was also a decent rock 'n' roll singer, especially early in his career. The obvious comparison is to Buddy Holly, especially since his first #1 hit, "Sheila," sounds a lot like Holly's "Peggy Sue" (right down to Roe's hiccuping vocal). You get that 1962 single and twenty one other "big ones" (not to be confused with "hits" apparently), two thirds of which were written or co-written by Roe, including his other Top 10 hits: "Dizzy" (#1), "Jam Up Jelly Tight" (#8), "Sweet Pea" (#8), "Everybody" (#9), and "Hooray for Hazel." You also get a couple of interesting covers, with Roe doing Tommy James and the Shondells' "Crimson and Clover" as well as "Sugar, Sugar" by the Archies. Tommy Roe certainly represented Bubblegum music at its best, and he actually ended up with twice as many Top 10 hits as the Patridge Family, a bit of Billboard history that certainly surprised me. With the vast majority of artists who recorded Bubblegum music you are talking one hit wonders like the Ohio Experess with "Yummy, Yummy, Yummy" and Edison Lighthouse with "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)." Tommy Roe gets the honor of being the exception that proves the rule and if your choice is between a collection of Bubblegum tunes and a solid collection of Tommy Roe hits (or big ones), go with the kid from Atlanta, Georgia because even on this sparse collection of only 10 tracks he comes out way ahead.

Although there are a number of "Greatest Hits" collections featuring Tommy Roe, this collection is by far the best. While this disc contains Roe standards "Sheila" and "Jam Up and Jelly Tight", it also features the wonderful "Baby I Love You," "Sugar, Sugar," and "Crimson and Clover" which are absent from the other collections. These songs were the bubble gum rock of the day and they are great fun to listen to.

This is the soundtrack to my toddler 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 hooks, hypnotic melodies and the slick production.

In fact it was and remains mesmerising, 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 his covers of the bubblegum classic Sugar Sugar and the psychedelic masterpiece Crimson And Clover.

This type of pop music sounds quite original and unique when compared to lots of the colorless fluff that rules 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.

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Where are the Tommy Roe's of today?

It is impossible not to smile when you listen to this music. This music is catchy, poppy, and deceptively complex. Just listen to the complex chord changes on "Dizzy"- this is probably the most complicated bubblegum you'll ever hear. It may be hummable, but it ain't simple.

I especially like his take on Tommy Jame's "Crimson and Clover" Listen to him enunciate the word Crimson. He one-up's the original with crystal clarity.

I love this guy, and I LOVE THIS COLLECTION.

To top it all off, this is BUDGET PRCIED!

I am not sure, but I think most of this are re-reordings of the originals, but in this case that's a plus. The CD reproduction is crisp and vibrant. If these are indeed new versions, nothing has been lost and everything has been gained.