Nobody I'd Sooner Love: Cherry Red Collects The Paper Dolls' Girl Group Sounds

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Pauline Bennett, Sue Marshall, and Susie Mathis - a.k.a. The Paper Dolls - worked their way up the showbiz ranks, from taking second billing to strippers all the way to pop stardom. But despite the success of their debut single "Something Here in My Heart (Keeps A-Tellin' Me No") in 1968, the U.K. girl group had largely faded from view as the 1970s dawned. Happily, Cherry Red's RPM imprint has collected their complete Pye recordings, along with rare solo tracks from "Tiger Sue" (Mathis) on the single-disc anthology Something Here in My Heart: The Complete Recordings 1968-1970. Its 29 tracks are prime examples of British soul-tinged pop on the right side of bubblegum.

"Something Here in My Heart" emerged from the pens of Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod, the hitmakers behind The Foundations' "Baby, Now That I've Found You" and "Back on My Feet Again" as well as Long John Baldry's "Let the Heartaches Begin." (Solo or with other collaborators, Macaulay also wrote such hits as "Build Me Up Buttercup," "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All," "Sorry, Suzanne" and "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes).") With Macaulay as producer and MacLeod as arranger, the trio recorded Paper Dolls House for Pye Records in 1968. The singers' effortless, Supremes-inspired blend, and Macaulay and MacLeod's penchant for earworm melodies, made for a winning combination.

In addition to "Something Here in My Heart," the songwriters gifted the Paper Dolls with four more tunes including the breezy "Any Old Time (You're Lonely and Sad)" (also recorded by The Foundations) and a cover of "Baby, Take Me in Your Arms," which would find greater success when they placed it with the group Jefferson in 1969. The slower, more downbeat "Some Things Take a Little Time" was repurposed for The Feminine Touch in 1970, while the more typically bright "There's Nobody I'd Sooner Love" was later recorded by The Pinkertons and The Intentions, both at Pye.

The LP was rounded out with an eclectic array of covers including an intriguing, rare take on The Beach Boys' powerfully driving "Darlin'," a sweet reinterpretation of Reparata and the Delrons' "Captain of Your Ship," and an appropriately energetic rendition of The Show Stoppers' "Ain't Nothing But a House Party." The Paper Dolls also tapped the Kasenetz-Katz bubblegum factory for "Simon Says," a hit in a less lavish arrangement for The 1910 Fruitgum Company, and drew on Doris Day's discography for a gentle, faithful "Move Over, Darling." Bacharach and David's "Do You Know the Way to San Jose," a No. 8 hit in the U.K. for Dionne Warwick, was fresh in listeners' minds when the Paper Dolls imbued it with a soft, sunshine pop vibe replacing the urgency of the Bacharach-produced original. The jaunty "Boy" was co-written by Macaulay's sometimes-collaborator Geoff Stephens and also recorded by Lulu in 1968.

RPM's anthology continues with a clutch of singles (including mono versions, B-sides, and non-LP tracks from the Macaulay/McLeod team such as the big-beat number "Someday") and the originally-unreleased master of Paul McCartney's "Step Inside Love" first issued in 2001. Susie Mathis' chirpy vocal and MacLeod's arrangement - which diverges just enough from Cilla Black's hit recording - make it a highlight of this set.

Following their time at Pye, The Paper Dolls moved over to the British branch of RCA for two 1970 singles produced by Phil Wainman, all four sides of which are included in full here. Wainman, best known for producing The Sweet, helmed the brash makeover of "My Boyfriend's Back," a revival of Philly dancer "Mister Good Time Friday," and the pair of "Remember December" (with The Sweet's Brian Connolly on background vocals) b/w "Same Old Story."

Pauline Bennett departed the group while at RCA, and Sue Marshall followed suit in 1972. Something Here in My Heart stakes its claim for completeness by also including six solo tracks from Tiger Sue, originally released in 1971 and 1978 on the Maple Annie and Pinnacle labels, respectively. With Mathis still in top, expressive voice, Wainman supplied a couple of strong originals, and she also revived Jackie DeShannon's 1963 perennial "When You Walk in the Room" in an arrangement paying homage to DeShannon's version. Tiger Sue didn't nod to disco or prevailing trends on these recordings; rather, they're an extension of the Paper Dolls' pop sound.

The enclosed 16-page booklet includes an informative essay by Kieron Tyler based on a fresh interview with Tiger Sue. All tracks have been newly remastered by Simon Murphy. Something Here in My Heart: The Complete Recordings 1968-1970 is available now from Cherry Red/RPM at the links below!

The Paper Dolls, Something Here in My Heart: The Complete Recordings 1968-1970 (Cherry Red/RPM Retro 997, 2018) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)