Where the Girls Are, Vol. 6

by N/A

Overview

Where are many of these girls? In the footnotes of the girl group archives, and most of them are there with good reason -- which isn't to say that talent isn't to be found within the latest volume of this long-running Ace series, for there's certainly a slew of fine singers strewn across the 28 tracks, yet few are showcased to best advantage. The '60s were the heyday of crack composition teams and the glory years of the producer as God. In a time when short, sharp, hook-laced pop songs ruled, you needed both to make an impact, and these ladies too often had neither. Barbara Mills, for instance, had a voice as strong and distinctive as her brother, Larry Henley, lead singer with hitmakers the Newbeats. However, he was never saddled with a song that was an inferior rewrite of "Downtown." There's a clutch of similarly sad sound-alikes here, with one of the most egregious being "I Have Feelings Too," bundling up virtually every Supremes hit you can thing of. Pity is, the singer behind the song, Denita James, had a phenomenal voice, and in a fairer world she'd have notched up a stream of hits at Stax. In contrast, "No More Tears," seemingly another Supremes ripoff, was actually intended for release on Motown, presumably until Berry Gordy realized his main attraction had no need for competition, and so the single was released on Kent instead. And many of the ladies here could have offered very stiff competition indeed, if they'd gotten the same breaks as Diana Ross and company. Even if some were still in thrall to their own particular heroes, many had already developed their own distinctive stylings, such as schoolgirl songbird Beverly Warren on her unique and effervescent reading of the Chiffons' "He's So Fine." The powerful Pat Powdrill, the wonderfully strident Joy Dawn, and the rousing Pen-etts are all equally worthy of attention. Little Eva received plenty of that with her "Locomotion" hit, and her previously unreleased "Sugar Plum (Give Me Some)" is one of five numbers appearing for the first time on this set. The Chiffons' "Every Boy and Girl" isn't one of them; it was actually released in 1970, but only on a rare 1970 compilation album. Few of the other names found here have these two artists' cachet, but that's the beauty of this set, finally giving forgotten talent a chance to shine, and many manage to do so even on less than stellar showcases. ~ Jo-Ann Greene

Product Details

Release Date:	12/07/2004
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667004527
Rank:	109465

Tracks

1. Lost  -  Darlettes  - Van McCoy
2. (Make It Last) Take Your Time  - Barbara Mills  - Ralph Siegel
3. Little Baby  - Carl Cisco  -  Lynn
4. I Have Feelings Too  - Clifford Davis  - Denita James
5. Hang It Up  - Claudine Clark  -  Dawn
6. The Greatest  - Peter Antell  - John Linde  -  Percells
7. He's My Special Boy  - Carl Cisco  -  Lynn
8. Walkin' My Baby  - Marcus Mathis  - Sue Thompson
9. Walk Tall (Like a Man)  - Lee Pockriss  -  Two of Clubs  - Paul Vance
10. No More Tears  -  Sweethearts
11. Sugar Plum (Give Me Some)  -  Little Eva  - Harold Thomas
12. Cupid's Got a Hold On Me  -  Belles  - Sherlie Matthews
13. Yes I Know  -  Ladybirds  - Leroy Lovett
14. Baby Take It Slow  - Tutti Hill  - Lee Porter
15. Every Boy and Every Girl  - Jeff Barry  -  Chiffons  - Ellie Greenwich
16. I'm Not Gonna Worry ('Cause I Know He's Mine)  -  Cinnamons
17. That's No Way to Spend My Time  -  Pen-etts
18. My Imaginary Guy  - Deanie Parker  -  Valadors
19. Big Time Operator  - Fred Dobbs  - Scott Douglas  - Joan Moody
20. Captured by Your Love  - Vernon Jones  - Felice Taylor
21. He's So Fine  - Ronald Mack  - Beverly Warren
22. Lonely Little Beach Girl  - Carol Connors
23. He Belongs to Me  - Carol Connors  - Bob Dylan
24. Why Do Lovers Break Each Other's Heart  - Ellie Greenwich  - Tony Powers  -  Reparata & the Delrons  - Phil Spector
25. I Can't Hear You  - Gerry Goffin  - Carole King  - Pat Powdrill
26. Jilted  - Fred Briggs  - Donald Davis  -  Goodees

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Little Eva   Primary Artist
Carol Connors   Primary Artist
Sue Thompson   Primary Artist
The Darlettes   Primary Artist
LadybiRdS   Primary Artist
Denita James   Primary Artist
The Percells   Primary Artist
The Belles   Primary Artist
Joy Dawn   Primary Artist
The Chiffons   Primary Artist
2 of Clubs   Primary Artist
Valadors   Primary Artist
Beverly Warren   Primary Artist
The Pen-etts   Primary Artist
Barbara Mills   Primary Artist
Kathy Lynn & the Playboys   Primary Artist
The Cinnamons   Primary Artist
Pat Powdrill   Primary Artist
Tutti Hill   Primary Artist
The Goodees   Primary Artist
Joan Moody   Primary Artist
Felice Taylor   Primary Artist
Deanie Parker   Primary Artist
Reparata & the Delrons   Primary Artist
The Sweethearts   Primary Artist
John Linde   Conductor
Peter Antell   Conductor
Richard Podolor   Conductor

Technical Credits

Jeff Barry   Composer
Ron Miller   Producer
Brooks Arthur   Engineer
Donald Davis   Composer
Bill Jerome   Producer
Denita James   Composer
John Linde   Arranger,Composer
Ronald Mack   Composer
Marcus Mathis   Composer
Carl Cisco   Arranger,Composer
David Young   Memorabilia,Photography
Fred Dobbs   Composer
Harry Young   Memorabilia,Photography
Scott Douglas   Composer
Malcolm Baumgart   Liner Notes,Memorabilia,Photography
Paul Vance   Composer
Steve Jerome   Producer
Mike Hanks   Producer
Bob Dylan   Composer
Harold Thomas   Composer
Peter Antell   Arranger,Composer,Memorabilia,Photography
Ralph Siegel   Composer
Tony Powers   Composer
Vernon Jones   Composer
Frank Beninelli   Producer
Fred Smith   Producer
Carl Edmondson   Producer
James Carmichael   Arranger
Nick Risi   Producer
Nick Ameno   Arranger
Lee Porter   Composer,Producer
Jim "Jimbo" Thomas   Producer
Clifford Davis   Composer
Dale Warren   Arranger
Mick Patrick   Liner Notes,Memorabilia,Photography
Don Davis   Producer
Ellie Greenwich   Composer
Carole King   Composer
Fred Briggs   Composer,Producer
Lee Pockriss   Composer
Deanie Parker   Composer
Leroy Lovett   Composer,Producer
Marshall Lieb   Producer
Van McCoy   Composer,Producer
Richard Podolor   Arranger
Ady Croasdell   Memorabilia,Photography,Coordination
Duncan Cowell   Mastering
Sherlie Matthews   Composer
Gerry Goffin   Composer
Phil Spector   Composer
Carol Connors   Composer,Memorabilia,Photography
Claudine Clark   Composer