Rating:
Genre:
Rock
Release Date: 04/14/2009
Like the previous
Ace compilation
A Gerry Goffin & Carole King Song Collection 1961-1967, this CD has 26 vintage recordings of
Goffin & King compositions, this one spanning the early '60s to the early '70s. And like its predecessor, it mixes familiar smash hits with rarities and obscure versions of songs that might be more familiar as interpreted by different artists. That guarantees a certain unevenness, but for anyone interested in
Goffin & King or the Brill Building in general, it's a very good group of songs overall, illustrating varying facets of the team's songwriting genius. It's true that the big classic hits here --
the Drifters'
"Up on the Roof," Maxine Brown's
"Oh No, Not My Baby," Gene McDaniels'
"Point of No Return," the Monkees'
"Pleasant Valley Sunday," and
Gene Pitney's
"Every Breath That I Take" -- overshadow most of the rest of the tracks. But some of the rarer cuts are almost as good, foremost among them
the Hollies' brooding, grooving
"Honey & Wine," one of the group's best mid-'60s non-45 efforts;
the Myddle Class' sinister
"I Happen to Love You," one of the finest '60s garage-pop singles;
the Rising Sons' (with
Taj Mahal and
Ry Cooder) version of
"Take a Giant Step," more famous as done by
the Monkees;
Peter James'
"Stage Door" (perhaps more familiar to collectors in the rendition by ex-
Searchers member
Tony Jackson), which sounds like it might have been a suitable tune for
Gene Pitney to do;
Chuck Jackson's minor hit soul ballad
"I Need You"; and
Marianne Faithfull's
"Is This What I Get for Loving You," for which
Phil Spector (who produced the original version by
the Ronettes) also got a songwriting credit. You also get the original version of
"Go Away Little Girl," by
Bobby Vee (though it took
Steve Lawrence to make it a hit), and
Jody Miller's little-known cover of one of
Goffin & King's strangest compositions,
"He Hit Me (And It Felt Like a Kiss)" (originally done by
the Crystals). If much of the rest of the CD has an also-ran feeling, it's seldom less than interesting, including
Goffin & King songs by notable artists such as
Barbara Lewis,
Ben E. King,
Jan & Dean,
Freddie Scott,
Nancy Wilson, and
the Turtles.
~Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
;)
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