1960s 30 Items

Limited Edition.

For those who prefer to own their music on vinyl, here is an eclectic and gorgeously packaged selection of American girl group artefacts from the 60s.

The album opens with ‘Whirlwind’ by producer Gary Paxton protégées the Rev-Lons, the trio’s final recording but also their best, and closes with ‘He’s All Right With Me’ by the Mirettes ( the Ikettes incognito). Other highlights include the Supremes-style ‘Cupid’s Got A Hold On Me’ by the Belles; the Sweethearts’ recording of ‘Beauty Is Just Skin Deep’, a song originally intended for the Ikettes; and ‘Summertime Is Surfin’ Time’ by the Surf Bunnies – three more terrific instances of the West Coast girl group sound. But not all the tracks here emanate from that part of the USA – viz ‘Mr Everything’ by New York-based Little Eva Harris and little-heard examples from the Pets, Tren-Teens and Lovettes, all from New Jersey.

Felice Taylor – here with her unissued-at-the-time ‘Sing Me A Love Song’ – graces the eye-popping jacket, which houses a colourful inner sleeve featuring a 3,000-word track commentary and an array of illustrations. Compilation and notes by Mick Patrick.

If you went down the wrong alleyway, took a shortcut through the park or crossed the wrong open space after dark in the UK in the 1970s, you stood a fair chance of being accosted by someone with a big mouth, low morals and some gurning mates to impress, usually reeking of fags and cheap booze and always ready to put the boot in. And, before you could say, “sickening violence”, a short but chaotic scuffle would ensue and a winner eventually emerge, battle scarred and bruised. The boot boy was the worst kind of hooligan. There wasn’t anything you could do or say to appease him. You had the same chance as a fly caught up in a spider’s web. Zero. Your best bet was to run. His intent was always to give you, and vicariously the rest of the world, a good kicking. Thugs, long-haired louts, short-haired louts; the anti-hippy. Birds, booze, bovver and football on their criminal minds. So fasten your braces for a white knuckle-duster ride. 14 bovver rock bruisers for all of you peace-loving losers. Somebody’s going to get their head kicked in tonight... Put the boot in.

Brute Force is the pseudonym of Stephen Friedland, an American singer and songwriter. In 1964, while in New York City as a young adult, he met the producers Hugo and Luigi, who co-wrote the Elvis Presley hit ‘Can’t Help Falling In Love’. They introduced Friedland to the Tokens, known for their hit ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’. Not only was Friedland hired as a songwriter for the Tokens’ music publishing company, he also became the group’s keyboardist.

Side A is Brute Force’s version of his song “Nobody Knows What’s Going On My Mind But Me’, better known as a hit for the Chiffons.

In 1967, Friedland recorded as Brute Force with the album “I, Brute Force, Confections of Love”, which was produced by John Simon, later renowned for his work with the Band. In late 1968, Brute Force recorded his song ‘King of Fuh’ which is the story of a mythical king who ruled the kingdom of Fuh. The music and lyrics begin innocuously until they get to these lines: “I said the Fuh King—he went to wherever he wanted to go/Mighty mighty Fuh King/All hail the Fuh King.”

After the song was recorded, a friend of Friedland, Tommy Dawes of the Cyrkle, forwarded it to his manager, Nat Weiss, who knew Beatles manager Brian Epstein. According to Friedland, George Harrison was very receptive to the song and said so in a phone call. But EMI, Apple’s distributor, refused even to press the record, much less distribute it. Eventually, Apple privately issued the single for UK release, planning to stock mail order outlets and selected record shops. The distribution plan never really caught on and the record quickly disappeared.

Connoisseurs of 1960s she-pop have been very well served by Ace Records, particularly those with a predilection for American and British artists. But good music, of course, is not exclusive to the English-speaking world, as those familiar with our collections devoted to the female vocalists of Italy will be aware (not to mention similar projects focusing on Japan, France, Sweden, Hungary and Spain). In a country renowned for its song festivals, most notably the prestigious event held annually in Sanremo, highly orchestrated ballads have always been especially popular in Italy. For this celebratory single, however, we present exemplary uptempo decks by Brunetta and Rita Pavone.

Brunetta was one of the first Italian singers to record rock’n’roll. Among her early releases were the appropriately titled “The Explosive Brunetta” and “Ciclone Brunetta” EPs and the frantic ‘Precipito’, which she performed with wild abandon in the film Urlatori Alla Sbarra. New stars Mina and Adriano Celentano also appeared in the movie, so she was in very good company. Fast forward a few lower-profile years, she released the record for which she would become best remembered. Backed by the Balubas combo, she performed the somewhat non-PC ‘Baluba Shake’ at the Pesaro Song Festival in 1966, scooping top prize. These days, the track is an underground dancefloor favourite, original copies of which change hands for a pretty penny.

Vinyl with a couple of light scuffs

Amazing collection of performances, live and in session, in London from 1967 - 1969. Includes the entire BBC broadcasts, Full colour booklet with background liners and rare images. Also Includes interviews And Is Digitally remastered for greatly enhanced sound quality.

Record Store Day 2022 Drop 1 Release.

The movie directed by Baz Luhrmann is just out, so why don’t you pick up on this ? Included on this set are Elvis’ greatest hits from the period 1955-62, among them all of his King singles that reached number one on the U.S. pop charts between 1956 and 1962. Among other smash hits, this release includes both sides of the single “Hound Dog”/“Don’t Be Cruel” (the most successful Elvis single release, with 11 weeks on the charts), Elvis’ second RCA single, “I Want You, I Need You, I Love You,” and the classic rocker “Heartbreak Hotel” (which peaked at number one and remained on the charts for eight weeks after extensive television exposure following its release).

Amália Rodrigues, international star, nicknamed 'the Queen of Fado', has maintained a special relationship with France and Paris in particular. From the end of the 1950s, she found success there and became a popular artist, filling Parisian halls.

...This compilation gathers some of The Springfield’s greatest hits, along with lesser-known, but equally important number, ranging from their version of the Zulu classic “Wimoweh Mambo,” the Israeli settler song “Tzena, Tzena, Tzena” (previously a hit for The Weavers), their take of the hobo anthem “Greenback Dollar” (a hit for The Kingston Trio), and the tale of a thief inspired by romance, “Allentown Jail,” which had been a hit for Jo Stafford a decade before. This is the sound of Dusty Springfield in a folk group setting, on the cusp of greater success.

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra co-invented the incomparable „Pop Goes Classic Sound“. This album celebrated the 60's!

Ace Records has been the go-to source of 1960s girl group compilations since the release of our “Where The Girls Are”, “Girls About Town” and “Stop, Look & Listen” vinyl albums back in the 1980s. The 10-volume “Where The Girls Are” CD series followed over the next 30 years or so, along with a number of standalone CD collections. These days, however, the 12-inch long-player is back as the format of choice for discerning collectors.

“Look But Don’t Touch!”, the fourth in our current series of gorgeously packaged vinyl girl group compilations, drops this month. The album opens with the discotheque-friendly ‘Hey, Rocky’ by front cover stars the Shirelles of New Jersey, the USA’s most successful girl group until the Supremes broke through and stole their thunder, and closes with the Bermudas’ ‘Chu Sen Ling’, a record sure to appeal to those who favour the ethereal West Coast sound.

Other highlights include the Hollywood Chicks’ dance craze disc ‘Tossin’ A Ice Cube’ (sic), which marks the recording debut of Barry White (on handclaps); great tracks by the Witches, the Pussycats and Linda Laurie from the catalogue of genius songwriter/producer Bert Berns; Mayalta Page’s densely produced rarity ‘Don’t Worry About Me Baby (I Feel Just Fine)’; and, and for the girl group buff who has everything, ‘He Calls Me Child’ by Ohio duo the 2 Of Clubs and ‘A Dumb Song’ by the soulful Delicates, both of which are previously unreleased.

During the 1920's the group hit on a format that provided a winner, each of them imitating a musical instrument: John Jr. vocally provided the sound of a Bass Trumpet; Herbert delivered the sound of Sax, Trombone and Trumpet; Harry mimicked Trumpet and sang Baritone; while Donald sang lead vocals when required, leaving Guitarist John Jr. to donate the only actual instrument sounds heard on their recordings. The brothers were signed to the U.S. Brunswick label following a recommendation from none other than Duke Ellington.

Black Friday Record Store Day 2022 Reissue. Color: Black. Limitation: 2000.