I was listening to 1960s music last week and these two compilation CDs stood out. Ladies of the 60s starts off with Marcie Blane’s “Bobby’s Girl,” a song I haven’t heard in 50 years. While Ladies of the 60s includes familiar songs like Petula Clark’s “Downtown” and Betty Everett’s “The Scoop Scoop Song (It’s In His Kiss),” there are several obscure songs that I haven’t heard in decades. When’s the last time you’ve heard “Popsicles & Icicles” by the Murmaids? Or Linda Scott’s “I’ve Told Every Little Star”?
Originals: Still the Greatest, Volume 11 1960-1962 is a K-Tel product (remember them?). This compilation presents mostly hits from the early Sixties like Gene Chandler’s “Duke of Earl.” I was more familiar with Perry Como’s version of “Moon River” but Jerry Butler’s version was a nice surprise. This volume concludes with an early hit by The Beach Boys, “Surfing’ Safari,” which only suggests the great songs they would sing in the years ahead.
Do you remember these songs? Any favorites?
GRADES: B (for both)
TRACK LIST:
| 1 | Marcie Blane– | Bobby’s Girl |
| 2 | Petula Clark– | Downtown |
| 3 | Betty Everett– | The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) |
| 4 | The Murmaids– | Popsicles & Icicles |
| 5 | Linda Scott– | I’ve Told Every Little Star |
| 6 | The Shangri-Las– | Remember (Walkin’ In The Sand) |
| 7 | The Shirelles– | Soldier Boy |
| 8 | Claudine Clark– | Party Lights |
| 9 | The Dixie Cups– | Iko Iko |
| 10 | Barbara George– | I Know (You Don’t Love Me No More) |
| 11 | Cathy Jean & The Roommates– | Please Love Me Forever |
| 12 | The Angels (3)– | ‘Til |
TRACK LIST:
| 1 | Gene Chandler– | Duke Of Earl Written By – Berniece Williams, Earl Edwards, Eugene Dixon | 2:26 |
| 2 | Hollywood Argyles– | Alley Oop Written By – Dallas Frazier | 2:45 |
| 3 | Ernie K-Doe– | Mother-In-Law Written By – Allen Toussaint | 2:27 |
| 4 | Barbara George– | I Know (You Don’t Love Me No More) Written By – Barbara George | 2:21 |
| 5 | Paul & Paula– | Hey Paula Written By – Ray Hildebrand | 2:30 |
| 6 | Kathy Young, The Innocents (2)– | A Thousand Stars Written By – Eugene Pearson | 3:16 |
| 7 | The Pastel Six– | The Cinnamon Cinder (It’s A Very Nice Dance) Written By – Russ Regan | 2:01 |
| 8 | Claudine Clark– | Party Lights Written By – Claudine Clark | 2:25 |
| 9 | Bruce Channel– | Hey! Baby Written By – Bruce Channel, Margaret Cobb | 2:25 |
| 10 | Johnny Preston– | Feels So Fine Written By – Leonard Lee | 2:12 |
| 11 | Dorsey Burnette– | (There Was A) Tall Oak Tree Written By – Dorsey Burnette | 2:09 |
| 12 | Troy Shondell– | This Time Written By – Chips Moman | 2:36 |
| 13 | Jerry Butler– | Moon River Written By – Henry Mancini, Johnny Mercer | 2:39 |
| 14 | Dee Clark– | Raindrops Written By – Dee Clark | 2:56 |
| 15 | Frankie Avalon– | Why Written By – Peter De Angelis, Roberto Marcucci | 2:38 |
| 16 | The Beach Boys– | Surfin’ Safari Written By – Brian Wilson, Mike Love | 2:02 |
I’ve heard most of these except The Pastel 6, Cathy Jean and Johnny Preston. Detest anything by Frankie Avalon Detest any version of Moon River which I remember being a hit for Andy Williams. Can really do without Alley Oop. The only song I really like is Remember Walking in the Sand by The Shangri-las. I would rate both of these D and that’s being kind.
Steve, nostalgia is the main ingredient to these compilations for me…
I’ve heard most of these songs and can at least tolerate most of them. My favorite amongst the two CDs is Bruce Chanel’s “Hey Baby”.
Deb, our “Oldies” radio station plays hits from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. The songs from the 1960s have slipped into the Past for them.
Good stuff. I don’t have these CDs but I own others that licensed many of the same songs. George, for me it’s the reverse on MOON RIVER–I recall Jerry Butler’s but not Perry Como’s. CINNAMON CINDER was on the charts when I was in 7th Grade; Wiki says The Cinnamon Cinder was an L.A. dance/nightclub owned by Bob (Dating Game) Eubanks.. Fun trivia–POPSICLES AND ICICLES was written by David Gates, later of Bread.
Fred, “Popsicles and Icicles” sounds like a Bread song! Thanks for that fun fact!
These are the records I first listened to. So I am very nostalgic about most of them. At thirteen I was looking for romance, not edgy music. They were perfect.
Patti, I still get that dreamy teenage feeling when I listen to this music.
I was in the middle of a whole long comment when it suddenly went off and I lost it all. I started by listing the songs of Originals Still the Greatest Volume I (1957-1960). #2 is the better collection (and I totally disagree with Steve’s characterization of both). But #1 has some good stuff too, in particular:
The Olympics, Western Movies
The Del Vikings, Come Go With Me
Phil Phillips & the Twilights, Sea of Love
Yes, I know all the songs in the Ladies of the 60’s one. And I like a lot of them – Popsicles & Icicles (I could have told you about David Gates), Remember, Soldier Boy, etc. This is my early era and I know most of it and the trivia.
Besides the David Gates thing… Marcie Blane was your classic one hit wonder. A friend’s older brother went out with her. Her name was Marsha Blank and she was from Long Island, which probably explains the Brooklynese sound to “now that you’re not a kid anyMOAH.” Allen Toussaint wrote and/or produced a lot of the early New Orleans hits, not just Ernie K. Doe’s, but Lee Dorsey (Ya Ya, Working in the Coal Mine, etc.), Chris Kenner (I Like It Like That), Doctor John (Right Place, Wrong Time) and Labelle (Lady Marmalade).
The harmonica on Bruce Channel’s “Hey! Baby” was played by the great Delbert McClinton.
Jerry Butler’s Moon River” is the version I know too, though I like Henry Mancini’s instrumental original.
Jeff, I listened to these songs on my transistor radio hundreds of times back in the early 1960s so they’re burned into my brain. I’ll see if I can find o copy of ORIGINALS: STILL THE GREATEST Volume 1.
Incidentally, you do hear some of those – Bobby’s Girl, Popsicles & Icicles, Hey!Baby – on the 60s Gold channel on Sirius XM. They had a top 40 One-Hit Wonders of the Sixties countdown the other day.
Jeff, I’ll have to check out that 60s channel on Sirus/XM Radio. Who will the Giants draft tonight?
My memories of this, mostly pre Beatles music was overshadwed by what I was listening to-Chuck Berry, Dion, Bo Diddley, Ben E. King, Del Shannon, Duane Eddy, Sandy Nelson, . Many of these songs were geared to teenage girls
Steve, girls seemed to buy more records than boys did back then. My sisters seemed to buy a fistful of 45 RPM singles every week. I would buy an album every month or so.
Everyone is probably tired of me mentioning it, but I strongly recommend the podcast “The History of Rock & Roll in 500 Songs”, a planned 10-year project written & hosted by Andrew Hickey. It’s a deep, deep dive into R&R, going back to Swing music of the 1930s. He covers all elements of how what we think of as Rock & Roll evolved: musically, socially, culturally, and technologically. A lot of the songs/artists/songwriters/producers on these CDs are covered on the podcast. Really worthwhile—but listen chronologically from the beginning.
I jumped in midstream the other day, since “Eight Miles High” is a lifelong fave, and was amused that Hickey looked into modal improvisation in jazz enough to know George Russell wrote a key volume of music theory in jazz w/o knowing Russell was putting it into practice a year or 3 before Coltrane or Davis did. Otherwise a pretty good episode!
That was a great episode! I loved how he brought in Coltrane and Indian music—and how they intersected. I had “Eight Miles High” on repeat for a while after that.
With that one non-minor oversight. But, indeed, the Byrds were Jazz-rock and raga-rock (more the former) pioneers, and not just with “8MH”…and Russell isn’t given enough credit, generally.
Todd, I enjoyed The Byrds and their unique brand of music. I have a couple of their albums around here that I should listen to again and post about.
Deb, THE HISTORY OF ROCK & ROLL IN 500 SONGS is on my Listen Soon list. Thanks for the recommendation!
Yes, I finally started with episode 1. Interesting that he started in 1939.
The Giants want and need a quarterback, but who knows if they will get one.
Jeff, apparently the Giants needed a Wide Receiver more…
God I remember K-Tel compilation records as well as their commercials airing seemingly constantly on local television stations. Apparently they are still in business as a music licensing business placing tracks in movies and on television shows including the likes of “Stranger Things.”
Do you remember the K-Tel wannabe companies that issued those heinous compilations with sound alike artists?
Byron, I certainly remember the K-Tel chicanery in selling “Sounds Like” compilations. I always looked for the ORIGINAL ARTISTS statement.
I recall “Every Little Star” but not the other duo…might Go Listen now. And “The Shoop Shoop Song” was “Fixed” for you above!
Or, other one!
I like nearly all of the girl CD songs! Iko, Iko is the one I’m not that5 fond of! On the other CD I like most of them! A few i’m not familiar with! All in all a good collection!
Bob, glad these two compilations met with your approval. I know you distain all music after the Seventies!
Most of it but not all!
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/horrible-albums-by-brilliant-artists-1234672895/
Todd, Gene Simmons is performing in North Tonawanda at the Rivera Theater on August 19.