Be My Baby: The Very Best of the Ronettes CD

Be My Baby: The Very Best of the Ronettes CD music The Chubby Checker installment in the Cameo Parkway series, an excellent string of discs highlighting the label's artists from the late 1950s and '60s, will disappoint neither long-time fans nor those looking for a compilation of Chubby's biggest hits. Naturally, "The Twist" is here, as are all of the singer's follow-up cash-ins ("Let's Twist Again;" "Slow Twistin,'" etc.), and a host of other dance-craze songs ("The Hucklebuck;" "Limbo Rock," "The Fly"). The mood is light, buoyant, and fun throughout, as anyone familiar with any of Checker's singles would assume. Excellent sound and liner notes make this a fine choice for anyone seeking a one-stop set of Checker's best moments. Unknown Contributor Role: Kenneth Salinsky. Arrangers: Dave Appell; Dave Stephens . Personnel: Chubby Checker (vocals); Dee Dee Sharp, Bobby Rydell (vocals); Joe Sher (guitar, drums); Joe Sgro (guitar); Dan Dailey, Fred Nuzzullio, Georgie Young & the Rockin 'Bocs, Georgie Young (saxophone); Fred Bender (keyboards); Joe Macho (bass instrument); Joe Sher (drums); Dave Appell, Joe Renzetti (guitar); Buddy Savitt (saxophone); Roy Stragis (keyboards); Ellis Tollin, Bobby Gregg (drums). Recording information: Bell Sound Studios, New York, NY (01/1959-11/1963); Cameo Parkway Studio, Philadelphia, PA (01/1959-11/1963); Cherry Hill, NJ (01/1959-11/1963); Reco-Art Sound Recording, Philadelphia, PA ...

Be My Baby: The Very Best of the Ronettes buy CD music Though most people remember ? & the Mysterians solely for their one enduring hit, "96 Tears," the frat-band staple that mixed garage rock with Tex-Mex via a monomaniacal organ riff, they actually laid down plenty of other memorable tracks in their initial lifespan. Most, including the original version of their hit, were, incredibly, unavailable on CD for decades making this 2005 reissue of the band's Cameo-Parkway sides something of a monumental occasion for garage rock collectors. The Mysterians are in their prime here ably mixing blues, soul, and teeth-baring rockers with rough-and-ready aplomb, and the inclusion of a few never-before-heard tracks (including an alternate version of "96 Tears") makes this sharply assembled anthology an absolute must for fans of the genre. Liner Note Author: Jeff Tamarkin. Recording information: Allegro Sound Studios; Dick Charles Recording Service, New York, NY; Michigan; New York, NY; Regent Sound STudios, New York, NY; Shields Recording Studio, Bay City, MI; Talent Masters. Arranger: Jimmy Wisner. ? & the Mysterians: Question Mark (vocals); Bobby Balderrama (guitar); Frank Rodriguez (organ); Frank Lugo, Fernando Aguilar (bass guitar); Eddie Serrato. Personnel: Robert Balderrama (guitar); Frank Rodriguez (organ); Eddie Serrato (drums). Additional personnel: Tony Orlando (background vocals).

Be My Baby: The Very Best of the Ronettes songs Phil Spector was really more of a back-tier session musician, songwriter, and occasional producer when he started his own Philles Records imprint in 1961. He had some success, having written, played guitar, and sung backup vocals on 1958's "To Know Him Is to Love Him" (which hit the top of the pop charts that year) as part of the Teddy Bears and he worked for a time as part of the production team for Leiber & Stoller, co-writing "Spanish Harlem" for Ben E. King and playing guitar on the Drifters' "On Broadway," and he produced minor sides for LaVern Baker and Ruth Brown, among others, but there was really little to distinguish him from any number of other hopefuls clustered around the pop music scene as the 1960s dawned. But Spector was driven, single-minded, and stubborn, and he had a sound in his head. Now with his own label, he set out to record a series of singles he termed "little symphonies for the kids" that are among the most distinctive and influential recordings in the history of pop music. Combining massed pianos, guitars, string arrangements by Jack Nitzsche, tons of layered percussion, and huge washes of echo, working with the West Coast's best session players (including Hal Blaine, Tommy Tedesco, Larry Knechtel, Leon Russell, and Harold Battiste -- the so-called Wrecking Crew), and leaning heavily on his engineer Larry Levine to catch all of this in the small confines of Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, Spector developed his "Wall of Sound" production approach, controlling every aspect of the recordings until, even though he wasn't singing or even playing any instrument, they became -- in essence -- Phil Spector records. This is not to diminish the singers he used -- Ronnie Bennett, Darlene Love, Tina Turner, and the Righteous Brothers, among others -- but a Spector recording in the 1960s was just that, a Spector recording. This 19-track set collects the best of his Philles releases, including the classics "He's a Rebel," "Da Doo Ron Ron," and "There's No Other Like My Baby" by the Crystals, "Be My Baby," "Baby, I Love You," "Walking in the Rain," and "(The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up" by the Ronettes, the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling," and Ike & Tina Turner's "River Deep, Mountain High." Spector amassed a singular catalog at Philles between 1961 and 1966 and his legacy will always be linked to it -- for those five years, there was no one on earth making better-sounding pop records. The proof of that is collected here. ~ Steve Leggett Liner Note Author: Jim Bessman. Recording information: Gold Star Studios, Hollywood, CA (08/1962-03/1966); Mira Sound Studios, New York, NY (08/1962-03/1966); Gold Star Studios, Hollywood, CA (09/??/1961-02/08/1962); Mira Sound Studios, New York, NY (09/??/1961-02/08/1962). Photographers: Michael Ochs; Ray Avery; Barry Oliver.

Be My Baby: The Very Best of the Ronettes album for sale Neil Diamond transitioned from professional songwriter to performer when he signed with Bang Records in 1966. There, he cut two albums -- his 1966 debut The Feel of Neil Diamond and its 1967 sequel Just for You -- that contained his greatest songs: "Solitary Man," "Cherry, Cherry," "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon," "Kentucky Woman," "Thank the Lord for the Night Time," "I'm a Believer," "Red, Red Wine," "The Boat That I Row," "You Got to Me," and "Shilo." All these, along with the rest of the two Bang albums all presented out of LP order, are on Columbia/Legacy's 2011 The Bang Years: 1966-1968, by far the best overview ever assembled of this crucial era for Diamond. It's not just that these are Diamond's best songs but these are his best records: crisp, lively, colorful pop tunes balanced by luxurious moody brooding ballads. Once he turned into a superstar Diamond tended to rely on his innate showmanship, but here at the beginning of his career he sounded hungry and knew how to have fun, giving these records a snap that still stings decades later. And Diamond knows just how good these recordings are, as indicated by the terrific autobiographical liner notes he's penned for this collection, notes that give this music context, but they're not necessary to appreciate The Bang Years: this is pop music that's so pure it needs no explanation. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Recording information: A&R Studios (1966); Atlantic Records Studios (1966); Century Sound Studios (1966); Dick Charles Studio (1966); A&R Studios (1966-1967); Atlantic Records Studios (1966-1967); Century Sound Studios (1966-1967); Dick Charles Studio (1966-1967). Photographer: Leonard Rapoport. Arranger: Artie Butler. Personnel: Neil Diamond (acoustic guitar); Hugh McCrackin (guitar, harmonica); Al Gorgoni, Sal DiTroia, Charlie Macy, Bill Suyker (guitar); Eric Gayle (electric guitar); Artie Kaplan (saxophone); Eddie Bert, Nicky Gravine, Benny Powell (trombone); Artie Butler (piano, organ); Herb Lavelle, Gary Chester , Buddy Saltzman (drums); Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry (tambourine, hand claps, background vocals); George Devens (percussion). Liner Note Authors: Steve Baltin; Neil Diamond.

Be My Baby: The Very Best of the Ronettes CD music When Phil Spector formed his own label, Philles Records, in 1961, he had written, played guitar, and sung backup vocals on 1958's "To Know Him Is to Love Him" (which hit the top of the pop charts that year) as part of the Teddy Bears, and worked for a time as part of the production team for Leiber & Stoller, co-writing "Spanish Harlem" for Ben E. King and playing guitar on the Drifters' "On Broadway," and had produced minor sides for LaVern Baker and Ruth Brown, among others, but there was really little to distinguish him from any number of other hopefuls clustered around the pop music scene at the time. But Spector was driven, single-minded, and stubborn, and he had a sound in his head. Now with his own label in place, he set out to record a series of singles he termed "little symphonies for the kids" that are now regarded among the most distinctive and influential recordings in the history of pop music. Combining massed pianos, guitars, string arrangements by Jack Nitzsche, tons of layered percussion, and huge washes of echo, working with the West Coast's best session players (including Hal Blaine, Tommy Tedesco, Larry Knechtel, Leon Russell, and Harold Battiste -- the so-called Wrecking Crew), and leaning heavily on his engineer Larry Levine to catch all of this in the small confines of Gold Star Studios in Los Angeles, Spector developed his "Wall of Sound" production approach, controlling every aspect of the recordings until, even though he wasn't singing or even playing an instrument, they became -- in essence -- Phil Spector records. This is not to diminish the singers he used -- the Crystals, in the case here. Already an intact quartet led by vocalists La La Brooks and Barbara Alston when they fell into Spector's world, he ended up owning the Crystals name and inserting other vocalists -- most notably Darlene Love -- into the equation whenever it suited him. One can say, that's the music business, and Spector was far from a humanitarian to be sure, but the results are indisputable. The records he produced under the Crystals name -- "There's No Other Like My Baby," "He's a Rebel," "Da Doo Ron Ron," and "Then He Kissed Me" among them and all included in this 18-track set -- are classic gems and they set the template and standard high for girl groups in the '60s, no matter who was singing lead. Spector did his production thing, yeah, and brilliantly, but the Crystals brought that sassy and yearning human touch to everything -- without it, Spector had a Wall of Sound with no heart. ~ Steve Leggett Liner Note Author: Sheryl Farber . Recording information: Gold Star Studios, Hollywood, CA (07/1961-11/1963); Mira Sound Studios, New York, NY (07/1961-11/1963); Gold Star Studios, Hollywood, CA (08/1962-09/1964); Mira Sound Studios, New York, NY (08/1962-09/1964). Photographers: Gilles Pétard; Ray Avery.

Be My Baby: The Very Best of the Ronettes buy CD music Track Listing of songs: No Other Love; He's a Rebel; My Heart Beat a Little Faster; He's Sure the Boy I Love; Why Do Lovers Break Each Others Hearts?; ; Not Too Young to Get Married; Wait Til' My Bobby Gets Home; Run Run Runaway; Fine, Fine Boy, A; Strange Love; Stumble and Fall; ; Long Way to Be Happy, A; That's When the Tears Start; Good Good Lovin'; Lord, If You're a Woman;