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The early 1960s could be thought of as the era of the Bobbys: Darin, Rydell, Vee. Despite rising to prominence in the unfairly-derided period between the birth of rock & roll and the British Invasion, these post-Elvis pop stars all stormed the charts and left behind great recorded legacies. Darin was a multi-faceted entertainer who touched on pop, standards and folk-rock with equal ability before passing away at a too-young age, Rydell waxed some of the most indelible pop confections out of Philadelphia and Vee was a prime exponent of the work of the Brill Building’s best and brightest. He took Gerry Goffin and Carole King’s “Take Good Care of My Baby” to No. 1 in 1961 and was admired by no less a friend than Bob Dylan; he survived the British onslaught and continued having big hits through 1967’s No. 3 “Come Back When You Grow Up”, making final chart appearances in 1970. He, like Rydell, still tours and records today.

Bobby Vee’s complete Liberty singles were released by EMI Gold in the United Kingdom in the impressive 3-disc box set The Singles Collection (0946 3 67379 2 8), comprising the American A & B sides, U.K.-only singles, rare versions and Italian language renditions over 95 tracks. Now, a companion to that 2006 set is slated for release later this year. Entitled Rare and Unreleased Gems from the EMI/Capitol Vaults, the 2-CD set will feature 60 tracks recorded between 1959 and 2002. While EMI Gold is currently only planning a British release, Vee is currently attempting to secure a release by the American Capitol label. Among the 60 tracks are rare Vee renditions of songs by Carole King and Burt Bacharach, with musicians including Glen Campbell and Leon Russell. In this interview with The St. Cloud Times, it’s mentioned that over 130 unreleased Vee songs reside in the vaults; while the 60 tracks currently scheduled for release represent the cream of the crop, it’s not impossible that the others will see the light of day.  The interview link also contains video footage and song samples that are well worth checking out.

Click after the jump for the full track listing, with thanks to IMWAN forum member Wony252. The still-active musician and singer Bobby Vee sees his Rare and Unreleased Gems from the EMI/Capitol Vaults scheduled for release in the United Kingdom in October.

Disc One

1. Suzie Baby 2:21 – 4/30/1962 unreleased 2nd version from ‘The Idol’
2. Love Must Have Passed Me By 1:47 – 9/59 – with The Shadows, limited release
3. White Silver Sands 2:27 – 9/59 with The Shadows – limited release
4. Laurie 2:24 – 9/59 – with The Shadows – limited release
5. Foolish Tears 2:09 – 8/12/1960 unreleased alt take 3
6. All Cried Out 2:31 – 11/21/1960 unreleased
7. Let Me Belong to You 2:15 – 3/20/1961 unreleased
8. Only One Love 2:43 – 3/20/61 unreleased
9. You Belong to Me 2:48 – 3/21/1961 unreleased
10. I’d Sigh I’d Cry 2:58 – 6/9/1961 unreleased
11. Rockin’ Robin 2:23 – 6/19/1961 first time stereo
12. Heartache of Yesterday 2:06 – 6/20/1961 unreleased
13. Stagger Lee 2:27 – 9/12/1961 w/Crickets unreleased
14. Party Doll 2:22 – 9/13/1961 w/Crickets unreleased
15. Just One More Time 2:06 – 1/18/1962 unreleased
16. Don’t Ever Take Her for Granted 2:59 – 2/19/1962 (Abbey Road) first time stereo
17. Have Yourself a Cry 2:27 – 3/28/1962 unreleased
18. The Idol 2:58 – 4/30/1962 first time stereo
19. You Won’t Forget Me 2:22 – 4/30/1962 unreleased ‘Idol’ version
20. Tears Wash Her Away 2:22 – 6/20/1962 unreleased
21. Write Me a Letter Donna 2:35 – 2/2/1963 unreleased
22. That’s the Way I’ll Come to You 2:22 – 5/1/1963 first time stereo
23. Johnny & Joanne 2:07 – 9/17/1963 unreleased
24. I Wish You Were Mine Again 2:24 – 9/19/1963 first time stereo
25. Stranger in Your Arms 2:17 – 9/19/1963 first time stereo
26. Mr. Moonlight 2:02 – 1963 unreleased
27. I Don’t Want to See You Anymore 2:07 – 9/19/1963 unreleased
28. Willingly 2:30 – 9/19/1963 first time stereo
29. Hickory Dick & Doc 2:30 – (45 version) 3/12/1964 first time stereo
30. Happy With Him 2:00 – 3/12/1964 unreleased
31. Laugh of The Year 2:42 – 3/12/1964 unreleased

Disc Two

1. Not Like It Was With You 2:11 – 3/12/1964 unreleased
2. Where is She 2:12 – 7/22/1964 first time stereo
3. Pretend You Don’t See Her 2:20 – 7/28/1964 first time stereo
4. Don’t Tell Me You Love Me 2:09 – 7/28/1964 unreleased
5. How to Make a Farewell 2:11 – 7/28/1964 first time stereo
6. Everyday I Have to Cry Some 2:22 – 12/11/1964 studio version w/o audience
7. Let the Four Winds Blow 2:10 – 12/11/1964 as above
8. Weekend 2:29 – 12/11/1964 studio version w/o audience
9. Like Someone in Love 2:10 – 8/3/1965 first time stereo
10. Take a Look Around Me 2:15 – 8/3/1965 first time stereo
11. The Story of My Life 2:28 – 10/14/1965 first time stereo
12. No One Can Make My Sunshine Smile 2:14 – 10/14/1965 unreleased
13. You’re Thinking of Him Again 2:14 – 10/14/1965 unreleased
14. Rhythm of Love 2:12 – 11/22/1965 unreleased
15. You’ll Be Needing Me Baby 2:13 – 11/22/1965 unreleased
16. Bittersweet 2:13 – 11/22/1965 unreleased
17. Gone 1:56 – 11/22/1965 first time stereo
18. Answer Me 2:30 – 11/22/1965 unreleased
19. Save a Love 2:12 – 3/15/1966 first time stereo
20. It Doesn’t Matter 2:23 – 6/6/1966 unreleased
21. No 2:08 – 2/14/1967 unreleased
22. Just like Lookin’ in a Mirror 1:53 – 1967 unreleased from lost Nashville Session
23. I Can’t Hear You 2:07 – 5/20/1968 released on 8t tape only
24. I’m Gonna Make It Up to You 2:10 – 7/15/1969 (Abbey Road) first time stereo
25. Take Away 2:29 – 4/21/1970 released on UK Tour cassette only
26. Ferguson Road 2:37 – 4/24/1970 unreleased
27. Dance to the Music 3:55 – 9/1/1977 unreleased
28. You’re the Love in My Love Song 3:20 – 1981 – unreleased
29. Take Good Care of My Baby 3:19 – 2002 – very limited US release
30. I Wouldn’t Change a Thing 4:18 – 2002 – very limited US release