Very Best of the Castells CD

Very Best of the Castells buy CD music Here's a real grab bag of Top 40 hits from 1960 to 1966, some of them indeed very hard to find on CD or even hear on the radio. Some of them are not really not that hard to find on CD, though this disc (like every one in this series) takes pains to present original 45 RPM single versions, often in stereo. It leans toward the innocuous pop side of pop/rock, though within that framework there's a lot of variety and a good amount of quality: slightly soul-influenced pop (Gene McDaniels' "A Hundred Pounds of Clay"), poppy, late doo wop (the Velvets' "Tonight [Could Be the Night]," the Chimes' "Once in a While"), British Invasion pop (Billy J. Kramer & the Dakotas' "Bad to Me," the Honeycombs' "Have I the Right," the Seekers' "I'll Never Find Another You," Cilla Black's "You're My World"), celebrity teen idols (Patty Duke's "Don't Just Stand There"), weird foreign one-shots (Kyu Sakamoto's "Sukiyaki"), jazz soul-pop (Nancy Wilson's "[You Don't Know] How Glad I Am"), and more. The dedicated collector might be interested in the items that are really the hardest to find or even heard on oldies radio, despite having been hit records. Those would include Nathaniel Mayer's relatively gutsy 1962 R&B-pop hit "Village of Love"; Mike Clifford's almost unbearably white-bread 1962 ballad "Close to Cathy"; Danny Williams' anodyne "White on White," which somehow made the Top Ten in early 1964 in the midst of the early British Invasion; and Joey Powers' 1963 Top Ten hit "Midnight Mary," a super-light, acoustic-flavored pop/rocker. The best of the obscurities is Verdelle Smith's 1966 number 38 hit "Tar and Cement," which sounds a little like an American pop-country spin on Dusty Springfield and was done (as "La Maison Ou J'ai Grandi") in the mid-'60s by French star Françoise Hardy. ~ Richie Unterberger 21 track collection contains really hard-to-find high-charting hits from the 1960s. 16 tracks made the Top 20, and 5 tracks are making their U.S. CD or stereo debut. All tracks are digitally remastered, and most are in stereo. Features the songs "Sukiyak Liner Note Author: Greg Adams.

Very Best of the Castells CD music This collection of romantic early 1960s pop, recorded around the time of the Tymes' first hit, the timeless "So Much in Love," captures the vocal group (which was to continue its career well into the next millennium) in its first flush of success. It's a snapshot of pop history from the period immediately before the Beatles' first American tour, when sophisticated pop arrangements held sway, and songwriting formulas hadn't changed in a generation. Elegant doo-wop versions of Johnny Mathis' "Wonderful! Wonderful!" and the pop standard "Stranger in Paradise" are highlights of the group's ballad-oriented oeuvre. The Tymes (Philadelphia): Donald Banks, George Williams , Al "Caesar" Berry, George Hilliard, Norman Burnett (vocals). Personnel: Vivian Dix, Marlena Davis (soprano); George Hilliard, Al Berry (tenor); Norman Burnett (baritone); Donald Banks (bass voice); Billy Jackson (spoken vocals, percussion); Dave Appell, Joe Renzetti (guitar); Jimmy Wisner, Roy Stragis (piano, celesta, organ); Vince Montana, Rick Kellis (vibraphone); Joe Sher (drums); Nick d'Amico (percussion). Liner Note Author: Jeff Tamarkin. Recording information: Bell Sound, New York, NY (04/1963-09/1964); Bradley's Recording Studio, Nashville, TN (04/1963-09/1964); Cameo Parkway Studio, Philadelphia, PA (04/1963-09/1964); Fine Recording's Bayside Studio, Queens, NY (04/1963-09/1964); Reco-Art Sound Recording, Philadelphia, PA (04/1963-09/1964). Arrangers: Roy Stragis; Dave Appell; Billy Jackson; Jimmy Wisner.

Very Best of the Castells songs Another outstanding entry in Eric Records' Hard to Find 45's on CD series, Vol. 9: 1957-1959 mixes the good with the great and serves to enlighten as well as entertain. From the tale of Tommy Facenda's "strike while the iron is hot" move to create a regional hit (all over the United States) with his "High School U.S.A." by overdubbing the names of specific high schools from the regions in which the song was marketed, to the revelation that Santo & Johnny's "Tear Drop" (the follow-up to their mega-hit instrumental "Sleepwalk") was, like its predecessor, penned with help from the boys' mom, Hard to Find 45's on CD not only serves up obscuro hits, but also fascinating trivia. Everything here is worthwhile and good, but there are some standouts that rise above even this high-caliber stuff. Billy & Lillie's "Lucky Ladybug" got a bit of a second, third, and fourth wind when the Four Seasons covered it in 1963, Vanity Fare in 1968, and Guv'ner in 1999, but none of those versions come close to capturing the cute, sexy, and sassy delivery Lillie Bryant masterfully (and playfully) offers up on the original. Ray Smith stopped runnin' Kentucky moonshine long enough to record his fantastic 1959 tune "Rockin' Little Angel"; Bill Haley's Comets turned in a raucously fun "Everybody Out'ta the Pool" (under the alias of the Lifeguards); Middletown, OH's Shepherd Sisters redefined "cute" with "Alone (Why Must I Be Alone)"; and Art & Dotty Todd's Fren-glish "Chanson d'Amour" delights with its "lat da-dat da-dat" injections. All of the tunes have been lovingly fussed over in the remastering department (arguably the best-sounding versions available), and the liner notes are extensive, informative, and fun. Just like the rest of Eric Records' releases, Hard to Find '45s on CD, Vol. 9: 1957-1959 is not only a great collection, it's an indispensable one -- loads of fun and utterly irresistible. ~ J. Scott McClintock Finally, five years after the last numbered volume, Eric Records is pleased to release "Hard To Find 45s Volume 9 (1957-1960)" on CD, featuring their trademark formula of charted hits not commonly found on other CDs and a generous helping of CD debuts! V Liner Note Author: Greg Adams .

Very Best of the Castells album for sale The two most well-known songs here, the title track and "Under the Moon of Love," are so heavily anthologized that it's difficult to imagine that any fan doesn't already own them. On the other hand, there's more where that came from, as this 17-track collection demonstrates, all soaring, romantic, doo wop-style rock & roll. Curtis Lee's falsetto serves him well on "Gee How I Wish You Were Here," "Beverly Jean," and most of the rest, which is generally solid, midtempo pop/rock without a lot to distinguish it. "Pledge of Love" is a tear-stained weeper that seems to owe quite a bit of its sound to "Tell Laura I Love Her"; "Beverly Jean" is another in a long line of songs that use the names of girls from other songs ("Peggy Sue," "Mary Lou") as incidental hooks; "Then I'll Know" sounds like a partly successful attempt to give Lee a Del Shannon-type sound (à la "You Didn't Talk About Me"); "Wobble" is a silly dance tune, and "Pickin' Up the Pieces of My Heart" was an attempt at emulating Ricky Nelson's sound. There are no real surprises here except perhaps the sound quality, which is exceptionally good, even on an alternate take of "Under the Moon of Love." ~ Bruce Eder Personnel: Curtis Lee (vocals). Liner Note Author: Mark Marymont.

Very Best of the Castells CD music The Capris were known for the wonderful "There's a Moon out Tonight," one of the great doo wop songs of all time, a song so lovely and delicate that it remains the standard for love songs. They never had another song as good as that -- few bands do -- but they had a number of fine romantic doo wop ballads, all collected on Collectables' There's a Moon out Tonight: The Very Best of the Capris. Be warned -- this is still the province of dedicated doo wop fans, since there really aren't any cuts that could legitimately be called lost treasures, but for those who love the sound and the Capris in particular, this delivers some nice tunes. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Includes liner notes by Jerry Greene.

Very Best of the Castells buy CD music During 1959 and 1960, the Arizona-based pop/rock duo had a handful of hits, highlighted by "It Was I" and "Cherry Pie," both of which peaked at number 11. Those two songs were undoubtedly the best they ever cut, but fans of their sound -- or at least pre-British Invasion pop/rock -- will find a couple of enjoyable cuts on Collectables' compilation, It Was I: The Very Best of Skip & Flip. There aren't many great songs here, but it's a neat period piece that will be of interest to either hardcore '60s pop collectors or fans of Skip Battin and Flip Paxton. After all, this wasn't the end of their careers -- Skip later played with the Byrds, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and the New Riders of the Purple Sage, while Flip was the mastermind behind "Alley Oop" and "Monster Mash." ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Skip & Flip: Clyde "Skip" Battin, Gary "Flip" Baxton. Liner Note Author: Mark Marymont.