UPDATED 1/29: Ohio-born, Michigan-raised rocker Tommy James fronted some of the 1960s' most indelible hits, including "I Think We're Alone Now," "Mony Mony," "Crystal Blue Persuasion," "Sweet Cherry Wine," and the chart-topping "Hanky Panky" and "Crimson and Clover."  Combining garage rock attitude with pop polish, Tommy James and The Shondells' recordings are still beloved staples of oldies radio today.

Now, all of those hits and more have returned to CD in a new 6-disc box set from Cherry Red's Grapefruit Records imprint.  Celebration: The Complete Roulette Recordings 1966-1973 has James' recordings with The Shondells as well as his solo endeavors during that period, for a total of 141 songs including eleven full albums and various non-LP singles, tracks from compilations, and one-offs.  While all of these albums have been previously released on CD - and the Shondells' singles were addressed in complete fashion by Collectors' Choice Music in 2008 - this set marks the first time that James and The Shondells' Roulette discography has been collected in one package.  It pulls the curtain back to reveal the breadth and innovation of a discography often unfairly derided as "bubblegum."

Tommy James, born Thomas Gregory Jackson, was in showbiz from his childhood days as a model.  He played in his first band at age twelve; that group morphed from The Echoes to Tom and The Tornadoes to The Shondells.  Under the latter name, James recorded Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry's "Hanky Panky" in 1964 for a local indie label.  It made some noise regionally before disappearing.  A year later, though, a Pittsburgh DJ got hold of the record and began spinning it again.  The story goes that a local label pressed up bootleg copies, and 80,000 of the 45s sold in a little over a week.  On the strength of its performance in the Steel City, James headed to Pittsburgh and then to New York City where he sold the master to Morris Levy's Roulette Records.  The only problem left was that James no longer had a band, as The Shondells had broken up.  He picked up a local Pennsylvania band, The Raconteurs, and "Tommy James and The Shondells" was born.  Three weeks into July 1966, "Hanky Panky" - a little song that its writers never envisioned as anything more than a lark - was the No. 1 single in the country.

Disc One of Celebration presents the band's first two albums, Hanky Panky (1966) and It's Only Love (1967), plus "Thunderbolt," the non-album B-side of the Roulette "Hanky Panky" single, and six outtakes first issued on CD in 1997. On these LPs, Tommy's blue-eyed soul vocals got a workout on songs by James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, and Deon Jackson, but soon he and his group would take their music in a more fully-produced, AM radio-focused direction.

The second disc has the 1967 I Think We're Alone Now and Gettin' Together albums plus the unique songs from Something Special: Best of Tommy James and The Shondells.  With those two studio LPs, the band scored such big hits as "I Think We're Alone Now" (No. 4), "Mirage" (No. 10), and "Gettin' Together" (No. 18). Those were all distinguished by the presence of producer-songwriters Ritchie Cordell and Bo Gentry (individually and collectively) as well as versatile Philadelphia arranger-conductor Jimmy "Wiz" Wisner (Spanky and Our Gang, The Cowsills).  Though he was only affiliated with the group for a short time, Wisner's intricate charts of Gentry and Cordell's hook-laden numbers helped move the Shondells from frat-rock to grander pop pastures.  The group line-up had also stabilized with James' frequent co-writer Peter Lucia on drums, Mike Vale on bass, Eddie Gray on lead guitar, and Ron Rosman on keyboards.  Many of the lesser-known tracks from this period are just as delightful as the hits, including the moody "(Baby, Baby) I Can't Take It No More," dreamy "Real Girl," and bouncy "World, Down on Your Knees."

Still more success was to come in 1968-69.  Gentry and Cordell returned for Mony, Mony, the album which opens the third disc.  Its raucous, back-to-basics title track (co-written by the duo, Bobby Bloom, and Tommy) became a No. 3 smash and the Shondells' only U.K. chart-topper.  It's joined by the Crimson and Clover album in which the group took baby steps in light psychedelia.  Tommy and the band received joint credit for producing and arranging Crimson and Clover including the spellbinding U.S. No. 1 title track, the almost-as-popular and equally beguiling "Crystal Blue Persuasion" (No. 2), and the straight-ahead rocker "Do Something to Me" (No. 38).  Some of the album's period curios (the "I Am the Walrus"-aping "I Am a Tangerine") haven't aged as well as others (the irresistible "Sugar on Sunday") but the LP saw the band pushing the envelope.  Both "Crimson and Clover" and "Crystal Blue Persuasion" were co-authored by the singer whose songwriting chops had been growing since the band's earliest days.  The shorter single version of "Crimson and Clover" has been appended here.

The Shondells followed up those hypnotic hits with the experimental and eclectic Cellophane Symphony, further exploring the pop-psych style.  Its epic opening title track, a band jam in a spacey prog vein, clocks in at nearly ten minutes' length. The languid "Evergreen," multi-layered "Changes," vaudeville-esque "Papa Rolled His Own," and zany "On Behalf of the Entire Staff and Management" add up to a sorely underrated LP.  No Tommy James and The Shondells album could be without a pure pop nugget, however, and in this case it was one of their finest.  The beautiful "Sweet Cherry Wine" melded a timely anti-war protest lyric to a galloping beat with only light psych flourishes in its brassy arrangement; the band was rewarded with another top ten hit.  "Loved One" and "Makin' Good Time" likewise stayed in the straightforward pop-rock vein.  Cellophane Symphony appears on the fourth disc plus the outtake "Contact," "Ball of Fire" from Roulette's 1969 Best Of collection, the radio edit of "Sweet Cherry Wine," and the first seven tracks from Travelin', the final Tommy James and The Shondells LP.  Despite its western-themed cover, Travelin' continued in the same, all-encompassing vein as Cellophane Symphony with touches of psych, blues, and edgier rock as well as the lovely ballad "She."  (It's unfortunate that the album had to be split here, however, due to timing reasons.)

Travelin' concludes on Disc Five which also presents James' first two solo albums, Tommy James and Christian of the World.  With personal demons increasingly catching up with their frontman, the four Shondells opted to move on as Hog Heaven; Tommy briefly retired to get his life together before re-emerging with a new contract and these solo platters on Roulette.  (He also spearheaded the group Alive and Kicking's top ten hit "Tighter and Tighter" for the label, and would later record it himself at Fantasy Records.)  Both albums were primarily written by Tommy with Bob King, the co-producer of Travelin'.  The psych trappings of the Shondells' final LPs largely disappeared in favor of guitar-driven pop-rock tunes instantly recognizable with that "Tommy James sound."  The lead single "Ball and Chain" might have already felt dated in the growing FM world of 1970, but today it feels happily of a piece with the Shondells' AM classics.  Jimmy Wisner returned to the fold to adorn the ballad "Come to Me," prominently featuring female background singers (a rarity for a James side), with majestic strings.

Christian of the World, overall a more organic set than Tommy James with gospel and country flourishes as well as more felicitous Wisner arrangements, yielded the spirited likes of "I Believe in People" and "Church St. Soul Revival" and most notably, the No. 4 U.S. smash "Draggin' the Line."  Disappointingly, the original B-side version of the song from Roulette 7093 hasn't been included here.  That first version was overdubbed with horns and additional guitar and voices for its appearance on Roulette 7103 and the Christian album.  Cherry Red's Rev-ola label included the original B-side version on its 2009 CD reissue of Tommy James.  Strangely enough, the discography provided by Grapefruit specifically mentions the catalogue numbers of both single versions.  (Note that while other repeated tracks have been dropped in this set, "Light of Day" has been retained on both Tommy James and Christian of the World.)

Disc Six wraps up James' Roulette years with his last album for the label, 1971's My Head, My Bed and My Red Guitar.  A departure from his pop sound, the country-rock excursion was co-produced in Nashville with great steel guitarist Pete Drake.  James was determined to get an authentic sound, and so Scotty Moore, Buddy Spicher, Charlie McCoy, D.J. Fontana, and other Nashville Cats all supported him on this compelling sojourn to Music City.  Six non-LP single sides bring Celebration to a close.  After a five-year hiatus, James returned to recording at Fantasy Records, but he's only recorded sporadically since the 1980s - most recently the acclaimed 2019 "comeback" Alive.

A clamshell case houses six pastel-colored paper sleeves, each of which is adorned with miniature replicas of the albums' front covers and a custom back cover design with song titles only; original back cover art is absent.  The discs themselves are adorned with bright, Roulette-inspired artwork.  There's also a 36-page booklet.  Compilation producer Bob Fisher has contributed a lengthy essay chronicling the group's history.  His notes draw upon Tommy James' colorful biography, 2011's Me, The Mob, and The Music; in addition, the booklet offers annotation with credits and band's chart accomplishments on both sides of the Atlantic plus images of memorabilia and contemporary news and reviews.  Simon Murphy has remastered the audio with fidelity to the sound of the original records.

Tommy James continues to perform today and has announced an upcoming album to be titled Acoustictronic.  In the meantime, Celebration: The Complete Roulette Recordings 1966-1973 collects some of his most cherished music and will undoubtedly lead listeners to wonder why the band still hasn't been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  (James harbors no hard feelings; a few years back, he performed "Crimson and Clover" at the Hall with Joan Jett.  Her 1982 cover was a top ten hit.)   Celebration is available today from Cherry Red/Grapefruit.

Tommy James and The Shondells, Celebration: The Complete Roulette Recordings 1966-1973 (Cherry Red/Grapefruit, 2021) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

CD 1

Hanky Panky (Roulette LP SR 25336, 1966):

1. Hanky Panky (Roulette 4686)
2. I'll Go Crazy
3. I'm So Proud
4. The Lover
5. Love Makes the World Go 'Round
6. Good Lovin'
7. Say I Am (What I Am) (Roulette 4695)
8. Cleo's Mood
9. Don't Throw Our Love Away
10. Shake A Tail Feather
11. Soul Searchin' Baby
12. Lots of Pretty Girls (Roulette 4695)

Bonus Track:

13. Thunderbolt (Roulette 4686)

It's Only Love (Roulette SR 25344, 1966):

14. It's Only Love (Roulette 4710)
15. Hold On A Little Bit Longer
16. It's Alright
17. Juanita (Nothin's Gonna Stop Our Love)
18. Big Time Operator
19. Ya, Ya (Roulette 4710)
20. We'll Have A World
21. Don't Let My Love Pass You By (Roulette 4710)
22. Pick-Up
23. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry
24. Fanny Mae
25. Some

Bonus Tracks (from It's a New Vibration: An Ultimate Anthology, Westside CD WESD203, 1997)

26. Hold On To Him
27. She Cried
28. Wiggle Wobble
29. The Cheater
30. Soul Serenade
31. As We Go Through Life

CD 2

I Think We're Alone Now (Roulette SR 25353, 1967):

1. I Think We're Alone Now (Roulette 4720)
2. Trust Each Other In Love
3. What I'd Give To See Your Face Again
4. Baby Let Me Down
5. Let's Be Lovers
6. Run, Run Baby Run (Roulette 4736)
7. Mirage (Roulette 4736)
8. I Like the Way (Roulette 4756)
9. California Sun
10. (Baby, Baby) I Can't Take It No More (Roulette 4756)
11. Gone, Gone, Gone (Roulette 4720)
12. Shout

Something Special! Best Of Tommy James And The Shondells (Roulette SR 25355, 1967):

13. Out of the Blue (Roulette 4775)
14. Getting' Together (Roulette 4762) / (Roulette LP SR 25357)
15. Love's Closin' In On Me (Roulette 4775)
16. Real Girl (Roulette 4762)

Gettin' Together (Roulette SR 25357, 1967):

17. I Want to Be Around You
18. There's So Much Love All Around Me
19. Some Happy Day
20. So Deep with You
21. Sometimes I'm Up (Sometimes I'm Down)
22. You Better Watch Out
23. Wish It Were You (Roulette 7000)
24. World Down on Your Knees
25. Lost In Your Eyes

CD 3

Mony, Mony (Roulette SR 42012, 1968):

1. Mony, Mony (Roulette 7008)
2. Do Unto Me (Roulette 70016)
3. (I'm) Taken
4. Nightmare (I'm A Lover)
5. Run Away With Me
6. Somebody Cares (Roulette 7016)
7. Get Out Now (Roulette 7000)
8. Can't Go Back To Denver
9. Some Kind of Love (Roulette 7028)
10. Gingerbread Man (Roulette 7024)
11. One Two Three and I Fell (Roulette 7008)

Crimson and Clover (Roulette SR 42023, 1969):

12. Crimson and Clover
13. Kathleen McArthur
14. I Am A Tangerine
15. Do Something to Me (Roulette 7024)
16. Crystal Blue Persuasion (Roulette 7050)
17. Sugar on Sunday
18. Breakaway (Roulette 7039)
19. Smokey Roads
20. I'm Alive (Roulette 7050)
21. Crimson and Clover (Reprise)

Bonus Track:

22. Crimson and Clover (45 Radio Version) (Roulette 7028)

CD 4

Cellophane Symphony (Roulette SR 42030, 1969):

1. Cellophane Symphony
2. Makin' Good Time (Roulette 7060)
3. Evergreen
4. Sweet Cherry Wine (Roulette 7039)
5. Papa Rolled His Own
6. Changes
7. Loved One (Roulette 7066)
8. I Know Who I Am
9. Love Of A Woman
10. On Behalf Of The Entire Staff And Management

Bonus Tracks:

11. Sweet Cherry Wine (45 Version) (Roulette 7039)
12. Contact (first issued on It's a New Vibration: An Ultimate Anthology, Westside CD WESD203, 1997)

Best of Tommy James & The Shondells (Roulette SR 42040, 1969):

13. Ball of Fire (Roulette 7060)

Travelin' (Roulette SR 42044, 1970):

14. Bloody Water
15. Red Rover (Roulette 7071)
16. Candy Maker (Roulette 7084)
17. She (Roulette 7066)
18. Talkin' and Signifyin' (Roulette 7076)
19. Travelin'
20. Gotta Get Back to You (Roulette 7071)

CD 5

Travelin' (Roulette SR 42044, 1970) (Continued):

1. Early In The Mornin'
2. Moses And Me
3. Kelly Told Anne

Tommy James (Roulette SR 42051, 1970):

4. Ball and Chain (Roulette 7084)
5. Meet the Comer
6. Midnight Train
7. Light of Day
8. Come to Me (Roulette 7076)
9. I Lost My Baby
10. Lady Jane
11. Quick Silver

Christian of the World - Tommy James (Roulette SR 42062 / SR 3001, 1971):

12. Christian of the World
13. Rings and Things (Roulette 7140)
14. I'm Comin' Home (Roulette 7110)
15. Sing, Sing, Sing (Roulette 7110)
16. Draggin' the Line (Roulette 7093)/(Roulette 7103)
17. Sail a Happy Ship
18. Light of Day (Roulette 7100)
19. Bits and Pieces (Roulette 7103)
20. Believe in People
21. Church St. Soul Revival (Roulette 7093)
22. Another Hill to Climb
23. Adrienne (Roulette 7100)
24. Silk Satin Carriage Waiting

CD 6

My Head, My Bed, And My Red Guitar (Roulette SR 3007, 1971):

1. Nothing to Hide (Roulette 7114)
2. Tell 'Em Willie Boy's A' Comin' (Roulette 7119)
3. White Horses
4. The Last One to Know
5. Rosalee
6. Paper Flower
7. Walk A Country Mile
8. Who's Gonna Cry
9. Forty Days and Forty Nights
10. Kingston Highway
11. I Live to Love a Woman
12. Fortunada
13. Dark Is the Night (Roulette 7126)

Non-LP Singles:

14. Cat's Eye in the Window (Roulette 7126)
15. Love Song (Roulette 7130)
16. Celebration (Roulette 7135)
17. Boo, Boo Don'tcha Be Blue (Roulette 7140)
18. Calico (Roulette 7147) 1973
19. Hey, My Lady (Roulette 7147) 1973