Twinkle, a.k.a. Lynn Ripley, may be best-remembered today for “Golden Lights,” covered by The Smiths.  But Morrissey (who also included her self-written “death disc” entitled “Terry” among his list of “Singles to be Cremated With”) was just one of her famous fans – a rank also including Elton John and Sir Tim Rice.  The Surrey-born singer went to school with Camilla Parker-Bowles, shared bills with The Beatles, Cilla Black, and Dusty Springfield, and hung out with Keith Moon and Jimi Hendrix.  She dated Peter Noone, and Mick Jagger even reportedly tried to steal her from Brian Jones.  But her music has never gotten quite the due it deserves.  RPM’s new compilation Girl in a Million is set to change that, bringing together the starlet’s complete recordings – 43 songs recorded for the Decca, Instant, President, Bradley’s, and EMI labels between 1964 and 1982, including previously unreleased material.

Girl in a Million shows Twinkle not only as a winsome singer, but a talented songwriter who wrote much of her repertoire including “Terry” and “Golden Lights.”  The Decca recordings which comprise much of Disc One of this 2-CD set are lavish pop productions featuring the day’s top session players including Jimmy Page, Big Jim Sullivan, and Vic Flick.  Though its motorcycle drama seems tame today, “Terry” caused an uproar in Britain with calls for it to be banned from the airwaves.  Twinkle’s Decca tracks are lush and baroque, and include a handful of well-chosen covers including the haunting Skeeter Davis hit “The End of the World” and P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri’s brassy, uptempo “What Am I Doing Here with You.”  Alternate versions are happily featured here, too, including the German version of “Tommy” and later Galaxy Records remixes of “Terry” and “The Boy of My Dreams,” another Morrissey favorite.  At Instant Records, Twinkle worked with producer Mike D’Abo who helmed many tracks here including “Micky,” written for her onetime love, the model Michael Hannah.  He inspired a number of Twinkle’s strongest (and darkest) compositions including “Jane” (about his absentee mother) and “Soldier,” not to mention the lost – but later found – LP Michael Hannah and its title track.   The album was written and recorded in the aftermath of Hannah’s tragic death in a 1974 plane crash.

The Michael Hannah LP (a fine entry in singer-songwriter mode) is on the second disc of RPM’s collection along with previously unissued versions of “Take the Trouble” and “Michael Hannah” plus Twinkle’s released recordings on the President label.  Among the curios is the disco novelty single “Smoochie” b/w “Always Love You” credited to Bill and Coo – a.k.a. Twinkle and her father, politician Sidney Ripley.  As Twinkle’s sister Dawn James confirms in her liner notes, the single was made for a lark.  The disc is rounded out with a 1982 EMI single on which she updates Neil Diamond’s “I’m a Believer” in bouncy synthpop style and four demos including “A Song for My Son.”  Twinkle had found happiness with Graham Rogers, with whom she had two children, Michael and Amber.  Her contented married life is reflected in the sweetness of these songs including “Little Piece of Heaven.”

Sadly, Twinkle died after a brave battle with liver cancer in 2015 at the age of 66.  Girl in a Million, released in conjunction with the artist’s family, is the most extensive tribute yet to her still-beguiling talent.  Housed in a six-panel digipak, it includes a 24-page booklet with James’ personal liner notes.  Simon Murphy has remastered all tracks.  Look for Girl in a Million at the links below!

Twinkle, Girl in a Million: The Complete Recordings (Cherry Red/RPM D645, 2019) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1: The Sixties

The Decca Recordings

1. Terry
2. The Boy of My Dreams
3. Golden Lights
4. Ain’t Nobody Home But Me
5. Tommy
6. So Sad
7. A Lonely Singing Doll
8. Unhappy Boy
9. Poor Old Johnny
10. I Need Your Hand in Mine
11. The End of the World
12. Take Me to the Dance
13. What Am I Doing Here with You
14. Now I Have You
15. Tommy (German Version)
16. Terry (Galaxy Mix)
17. The Boy of My Dreams (Galaxy Mix)

The Instant Recordings

18. Micky
19. Darby and John
20. Soldier’s Dream
21. Micky (Long Version)

Live Recording

22. Sha-La-La-La-Lee (Live) (*)

CD 2: The Seventies and Beyond

The President Recordings

1. Take the Trouble (*)
2. Michael Hannah (*)

The Bradley’s Recordings and Michael Hannah LP

3. Days
4. Caroline
5. Radio Station Lady
6. Zeffirelli
7. I Am a Woman
8. Michael Hannah
9. Bowden House
10. Joanna
11. Ladyfriend
12. Jane
13. Soldier (Michael Hannah)
14. Smoochie – Bill & Coo
15. Always I Love You – Bill & Coo

Later Recordings

16. I’m a Believer
17. For Sale
18. Holiday Romance (Demo) (*)
19. Summer Holiday (Demo) (*)
20. Little Piece of Heaven (Demo) (*)
21. A Song for My Son (Demo) (*)

(*) previously unreleased