Customer Reviews

Where The Girls Are, Volume 1

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Found this by accident--squeezed in betwen Dolly Parton & Joey Heatherton on this CD is "Little Things Like That" recorded by my sister (then going by Suzy Wallis) when she was about 13 or 14. She had two other singles on RCA as well. Now in her early 50's, music degree from California Institute of the Arts, still singing professionally in L.A. under her real name, Suzanne Wallach. And amazingly, her voice still sounds the same.

The production value of these early songs must be appreciated--all of the top studio musicians were on sessions like these, no garage band players. The songwriters/producers on my sister's singles were names like David Gates, Mike Post, and Delaney Bramlett. The musicians are not known, but could have been people like Glen Campbell, Hal Blaine, and Carol Kaye--all of whom played on thousands of records, day in & out in the studios. A time capsule.

Girl-group compilation CD's abound in the marketplace but it is refreshing to see a collection with something other than "My Boyfriend's Back" and "He's So Fine", the usual staples of the genre. Though this piece goes well beyond the hits with the majority of the tracks being very obscure, there are at least a few tracks that may be familiar enough to keep the listener engaged. Among the better-known charting singles are Patty and the Emblems' "Mixed-Up, Shook-Up Girl" and "Hey There Lonely Boy", the Ruby and the Romantics original before Eddie Holman's gender-switching more commercially successful take on it. A couple of real rare yet charting entries appeal to the collector in the form of the Goodees' "Condition Red" and Baby Jane and the Rockabyes' version of Patti Page's "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window". One more interesting rarity here is the Charmettes' "Please Don't Kiss Me Again", a tune that barely touched the national top-100 but was much bigger hit in the New York area. However, disappointingly, the version here is not the original single version and no explanation is given for the substitution. Otherwise, there are some interesting, if not totally appealing tracks from big-name artists such as Doris Day and Dolly Parton.

Ace has done a decent production job here with a few tracks appearing in stereo (1,10,14,18,20,23) and to their credit they acknowledge that a few tracks have been lifted from vinyl and one from a damaged tape source. And in usual Ace fashion, there is a substantial liner notes booklet with info on the included tracks, although sometimes there is just not much known to tell about a few of the performers here.

Though interesting in not being just another rehash of the oft-compiled girl-group tunes, this piece could have been somewhat more appealing if there were a few more recognizable, chart-worthy tunes. There is certainly no lack of yet-to-appear-on-CD singles of the genre that would be candidates for a compilation such as this.

Although their are big names like Ruby and the Romantics, Doris Day and Dolly Parton, they sure aren't singing their usual hits. This is also the only cd where I found "Condition Red" by the Goodees. Much of the music here is obscure "CONDITION RED" by the Goodees is the biggest hit at #46 in 1968 and the only other is "How Much...Doggie in the Window" at #68 in 1963. These two songs are a must for your music collection and the rest are just good old extra songs so after you've gotten The Beatles, The Supremes,The Beach Boys, The Marvelettes, Elvis and the Stones give some girl-groups a TRY!

Generic 60's stuff. You wont here this on any golden oldies radio shows. If you haven't lived through it you are going to have to grow a taste for it. It is better than elevator music. Listen to the samples.

In common with the other volumes in this series, this collection consists of rare tracks that didn't make any significant impression when they were released and have largely been forgotten. If you are a casual fan of sixties music just looking for hits, you should look elsewhere. You won't find them here. There are a few familiar names here, but their famous songs are not included.

Of all the names here, Dolly Parton and Doris Day would seem to be the most unlikely inclusions, not just on this volume but in the entire series. In fact, these particular tracks sit comfortably here.

The Dolly Parton recording, Don't drop out, is from 1966 and even I (a devoted Dolly fan) didn't know this track existed until I came across this collection. To be honest, you could play this collection and not realize who the singer is. Dolly has recorded in many different styles, but this is the only time I've heard her in girl-group style.

The Doris Day track, Oo-wee-baby, is described in the liner notes as the best record Lesley Gore never made. I doubt that, but this track certainly sounds like something that Lesley might have recorded.

More conventional girl-group recordings include rare tracks by Reparata and the Delrons, the Avons, Erma Franklin and Ruby and the Romantics as well as many excellent songs by obscure acts who never made the big time, even briefly. Some are so obscure that even the researchers who compiled the extensive liner notes failed to find any information. All that remains of the Geminis is their recordings and a photograph. Even their names are forgotten.

The overall sound of this collection is early sixties girl-group. If you are already familiar with this type of music and you have a significant collection of such music, you may find this fascinating. If not, you are probably not ready for this.

Suzy Wallis, AKA Suzanne Wallach has the voice of a powerful angel. Like her bother's review, I grew up next door to Suzy and watched this young girl evolve into one of the most important musical influences in my life. She played guitar at a tender age of 13, and PLAYED the guitar, her voice a powerhouse of white soul depth and emotion, she was the Shirelle outsider, caught between the girl groups and the evolving sound of folk rock muse of those to come...Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, and Carole King. I always thought she just missed it, the limelight of real stardom. Her voice, evolved so much more than those who found a moment in the light. Suzanne continues performing, and has played with the likes of the Beach Boys, and Sergio Mendes. I would love to hear her right now. Like then, sitting on a white carpet, in a modernist room, filled with her mother Ellen Wallach's great enamel art, and just hanging out...waiting for the next note.