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Unchained Melodies: Ace Collects “The London American Label 1965” with The Righteous Brothers, Burt Bacharach, The Vogues, More

January 29, 2015 By Joe Marchese 5 Comments

London American 1965With the recently-released tenth volume of its year-by-year chronicle, Ace’s The London American Label series revisits 1965.  Though America was swept up in the sounds of the British Invasion, Great Britain was still interested in the music from the United States – as evidenced by the 27 selections here drawn from 72 singles.  That said, the tide was turning; London American issued 109 singles in 1964 and 177 in 1963.  Hit-wise, though, the London American label yielded 11 chart records in 1965 compared to eight in 1964.  Compiler Tony Rounce has done his usual stellar job in assembling a selection of the hits and the misses from the label’s catalogue – itself drawn from American labels like Kapp, Bang, Big Top, Philles and Valiant.

On the R&B front, this volume offers tracks from James Brown and His Famous Flames (“Have Mercy Baby,” “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag, Pt. I”), underrated soul titan Lou Johnson (his dramatic vocal version of a Sidney Bechet jazz tune, “A Time to Love, A Time to Cry”), Inez and Charlie Foxx  (“Mockingbird” wannabe “Hummingbird”), teenaged Philadelphia native Barbara Mason (“Yes, I’m Ready”) and Dobie Gray (the brassy and irresistible “The In Crowd.”)  Displaying the breadth of London’s releases drawn from an ever-dwindling number of American labels, there’s garage rock (The Castaways’ future Nugget “Liar, Liar”) and proto-country rock from The Sir Douglas Quintet (folk adaptation “The Story of John Hardy”) and Jerry Lee Lewis (the updated rockabilly of “Carry Me Back to Old Virginia,” with its prominent chorus backing vocals).

Novelties or near-novelties abound here, too, like The Novas’ growled “The Crusher” and Jewel Akens’ “Georgie Porgie,” a retread of “The Birds and the Bees.”  Shirley Ellis fared better with “The Clapping Song,” in the same vein as her “The Name Game.”  The Simon Sisters – Lucy and Carly – are heard here with the sweet “Cuddlebug,” a folk-bossa hybrid written by then-folksinger and future Academy Award-winning actor Alan Arkin!  French-born actor Charles Boyer has one of the oddest songs on this set, a recitation of The Addrisi Brothers’ “Where Does Love Go.”

Of course, lush pop was at somewhat of a zenith in 1965.   Three Phil Spector productions are here – The Righteous Brothers’ majestic “For Once in My Life” and “Unchained Melody” and The Ronettes’ dreamy “You Baby” – and two from Burt Bacharach: his own renditions of “Trains and Boats and Planes” (recorded in the U.K. with The Breakaways on vocals) and “My Little Red Book” (with Tony Middleton handling the lead).  The gorgeous pop-soul of Ruby and the Romantics’ “Your Baby Doesn’t Love You Anymore” (heard here in a U.K.-exclusive single mix) and Lenny Welch’s thunderous “Run to My Lovin’ Arms” both found arranger Alan Lorber and producer Tom Catalano inspired to reach Spectorian heights.

A couple of songs here originated in Britain but arrived on London by way of America, like The Pageboys’ “When I Meet a Girl Like You” featuring Jimmy Page on guitar.  (However, the studio band was named for producer Larry Page, not Jimmy.)  Harmony group The Vogues had a hit in America with Tony Hatch and Petula Clark’s bubbly “You’re the One,” but when London issued the song in the U.K., Pye responded with Petula’s own version.  Petula, of course, won out!

Tony Rounce provides track-by-track liner notes as well as an introductory essay for this set which has been remastered by Duncan Cowell.  Full credits, discography and chart positions (both American and British!) are also provided.  The London American Label 1965 is available now from Ace.

Various Artists, The London American Label 1965 (Ace CDCHD 1417, 2014) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.)

  1. Have Mercy Baby – James Brown and The Famous Flames (HL 9945)
  2. Just Once in My Life – The Righteous Brothers (HL 9962)
  3. A Time to Love, A Time to Cry – Lou Johnson (HLX 9994)
  4. The Story of John Hardy – The Sir Douglas Quintet (HLU 10001)
  5. You’re the One – The Vogues (HLU 9996)
  6. Carry Me Back to Old Virginia – Jerry Lee Lewis (HLS 9980)
  7. Trains and Boats and Planes – Burt Bacharach, His Orchestra & Chorus (HLR 9968)
  8. The Crusher – The Novas (HLU 9940)
  9. You Baby – The Ronettes (HLU 9976)
  10. Georgie Porgie – Jewel Akens (HLN 9969)
  11. Your Baby Doesn’t Love You Anymore – Ruby and the Romantics (HLR 9972)
  12. When I Meet a Girl Like You – The Pageboys (HLU 9948)
  13. The “In” Crowd – Dobie Gray (HL 9953)
  14. Cuddlebug – The Simon Sisters (HLR 9984)
  15. Liar, Liar – The Castaways (HL 10003)
  16. Run to My Lovin’ Arms – Lenny Welch (HLR 10010)
  17. Out in the Sun (Hey-O) – The Beach-Nuts (HL 9988)
  18. Hummingbird – Inez and Charlie Foxx (HLC 10009)
  19. Teardrops (Every Step of the Way) – Tina Britt (HLC 9974)
  20. The Clapping Song – Shirley Ellis (HLR 9900)
  21. It’s Their World – Ernie Maresca (HLU 10008)
  22. Yes, I’m Ready – Barbara Mason (HL 9977)
  23. My Little Red Book – Burt Bacharach & His Orchestra featuring Tony Middleton (HLR 9983)
  24. It Hurts – Carolyn Carter (HL 9959)
  25. Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag, Pt. I – James Brown and The Famous Flames (HL 9990)
  26. Unchained Melody – The Righteous Brothers (HL 9975)
  27. Where Does Love Go – Charles Boyer (HL 10002)

All catalogue numbers pertain to release on London, 1965.

Categories: News Formats: CD Genre: Pop, R&B/Soul Tags: Burt Bacharach, Lou Johnson, The Righteous Brothers, The Ronettes, The Vogues, Various Artists

Joe Marchese

JOE MARCHESE (Editor) joined The Second Disc shortly after its launch in early 2010, and has since penned daily news and reviews about classic music of all genres. In 2015, Joe formed the Second Disc Records label. Celebrating the great songwriters, producers and artists who created the sound of American popular song, Second Disc Records, in conjunction with Real Gone Music, has released newly-curated collections produced by Joe from iconic artists such as Johnny Mathis, Bobby Darin, Laura Nyro, Melissa Manchester, Chet Atkins, and many others. He has contributed liner notes to reissues from a diverse array of artists, among them Nat "King" Cole, Paul Williams, Lesley Gore, Dusty Springfield, B.J. Thomas, The 5th Dimension, Burt Bacharach, The Mamas and the Papas, Carpenters, Perry Como, Rod McKuen, Doris Day, Jackie DeShannon, and Andy Williams, and has compiled releases for talents including Robert Goulet and Keith Allison of Paul Revere and the Raiders. Over the past two decades, Joe has also worked in a variety of capacities on and off Broadway as well as at some of the premier theatres in the U.S., including Lincoln Center Theater, George Street Playhouse, Paper Mill Playhouse, Long Wharf Theatre, and the York Theatre Company. He has felt privileged to work on productions alongside artists such as the late Jack Klugman, Eli Wallach, Arthur Laurents, Betty Comden and Adolph Green. In 2009, Joe began contributing theatre and music reviews to the print publication The Sondheim Review, and in 2012, he joined the staff of The Digital Bits as a regular contributor writing about film and television on DVD and Blu-ray. Joe currently resides in the suburbs of New York City.

Connect With Joe: FacebookTwitter

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Comments

  1. Daryl Restly says

    January 29, 2015 at 10:30 am

    Isn’t the Charles Boyer track “Where Does Love Go” the title track to an album he did that Elvis Presley was fascinated with. I believe Elvis was particularly fond of Boyer’s renderings of “Softly As I Leave You” and “What Now My Love” from the “Where Does Love Go” album.

    Reply
    • Joe Marchese says

      January 29, 2015 at 10:51 am

      Absolutely, Daryl; it was indeed a favorite of The King!

      Reply
      • Daryl Restly says

        January 29, 2015 at 11:01 am

        That’s what I thought. I know some of his girlfriends in later years (Linda Thompson, Ginger Alden) claimed that he would play that album religiously. Somewhere I have a vinyl copy of that album boxed up with a CD-R transfer of the album. I listened to it a few times. I might have to dig it out

        Reply
  2. Mike says

    January 29, 2015 at 11:31 am

    Is it safe to assume that track #27 is in fact “You’re The One”-Petula Clark (7N.15991) ?

    Reply
    • Joe Marchese says

      January 29, 2015 at 11:46 am

      Oops! The Vogues’ recording of Petula’s “You’re the One” inadvertently got left off the track listing! It’s now there, in its proper place.

      Reply

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