Songwriter CD

Sharon Sheeley is often referred to in pop music history as Eddie Cochran's girl friend, and that's it. In fact she has been a highly successful songwriter who currently has 194 active songs on the BMI register. She was indeed for a time Eddie Cochran's girl friend but then she also dated Ricky Nelson (for whom she wrote the hit 'Poor Little Fool'), and was part of a whole scene of people in pop/rock'n'roll music, around California during the late 50's- early 60's. This was her most prolific writing period and she particularly connected with co writer Jackie De Shannon, becoming the first female writing team to have significant success in the emerging pop world. Hits sprang forth such as Somethin' Else (Eddie Cochran, later Sex Pistols), Dum Dum (Brenda Lee), Breakaway (Irma Thomas, Billie Davis, later Tracey Ullman); He's The Great Imposter (the Fleetwoods).

Sheeley does not sing on this collection of 1959-66 demos, nor is there any indication in the liner notes that she played any instruments on these recordings. These 28 tracks -- most of them, it is thought, from the early '60s -- were demos by session musicians, most likely for the purpose of the songs getting shopped around to other artists by publishers. Most of the tunes were cut in Los Angeles, and actually feature a number of notable future stars (Glen Campbell, P.J. Proby, Herb Alpert, Mac Davis, Delaney Bramlett) as lead vocalists. So why's the disc credited to Sheeley? Because she co-wrote every song, about half of them in collaboration with the great Jackie DeShannon. It all sounds enticing, but in the event, these are average or substandard early-'60s pop-rock tunes, often with a pronounced country or ballad influence. The only one here likely to be recognized by most rock fans is "He's the Great Imposter" (sung here by P.J. Proby, and a small 1961 hit for the Fleetwoods). The truth is, there aren't any shoulda-been-hits on-board, except maybe "Blue Ribbons," which sounds like something that would have been well-suited for Brenda Lee (it's sung here by Glen Campbell, and covered by the Paramounts and Dobie Gray). Most of this, to be realistic, sounds like album filler, or derivative compositions that some artists might have taken a bite at if they'd wanted to sound like a hot artist of the day. Jeff Beck appears on rhythm guitar and backup vocals on Ben Findon's mid-'60s recording "Something Different," although you wouldn't know it was Beck. This disc does have its value for Jackie DeShannon fans or intense scholars, but ultimately it's only so-so early-'60s rock, albeit with a lot of curiosity value considering how many name players were involved. ~ Richie Unterberger

Personnel includes: Sharon Sheeley, Glen Campbell (guitar); Plas Johnson (saxophone); Leon Russell (keyboards); David Gates (bass); Hal Blaine (drums); P.J. Proby, Herb Alpert.