Search - Darlene Love :: So Much Love: A Darlene Love Anthology 1958-1998

Attention "Girl Group Sound" Fans And Collectors

09/12/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In tandem with their volume titled You Heard It Here First! which provides the initial versions of 26 songs that would later be made famous by other artists, Ace Records of London released this Darlene Love compilation which is certain to become an instant hit with those who zero in on any and all CDs chronicling aspects of the "Girl Group Sound." Of course, Darlene Love fans in general will gobble it up as well.



The 23-page booklet contains track-by-track comments written in 2008 by Mick Patrick, incorporating many thoughts and comments by Darlene herself. Also included are vintage record and poster reproductions and photos of Darlene at various stages of her career. These include one of her first group, formed while still in high school, called The Wailers. a mixed male-female quarter called The Echoes, another all-female quartet known as The Playgirls from 1959, really The Blossoms, who also recorded under several other names (e.g. Bobb B. Soxx & The Blue Jeans).



The booklet also describes the professional relationship between Darlene and the control-freak Phil Spector and how a strong-minded Darlene remained in control of her own career.



The music, of course, speaks for itself, and while you don't get her three Philles hits produced by Spector, what is here is worth every nickel. Of the 24 tracks, only 3, 4, 17 and 18 were previously unissued. On the reverse, as is usually the case with Ace, you get full label details and year of issue. Also, while most never managed to crack any charts, you will quickly hear why The Blossoms were in demand as back-up vocalists for the likes of Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, The Beach Boys, The Mamas & The Papas, Dionne Warwick, Paul Anka and Duane Eddy.



In fact, they were The Rebelettes on four of Eddy's hits - (Dance With The) Guitar Man, Lonely Boy, Lonely Guitar, Your Baby's Gone Surfin' and Boss Guitar, heard here at track 9. She also sang lead on two of The Crystal's biggest hits - He's A Rebel and He's Sure The Boy I Love. But of course, those were not available either thanks to Spector.



If there is one negative associated with this release, it's the text on the first 10 pages of the insert - a gray font on a green background which makes it hard to read for us old guys and gals. Don't do that again Ace."

Long overdue

Laurence Upton | Wilts, UK | 11/20/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Darlene Love is probably not as well known as she should despite her familiar and instantly recognizable voice, but she was widely used by Phil Spector during his legendary hit making era, along with the rest of her group The Blossoms. She sang lead on some of the biggest hits by the Crystals, and also beside Bobby Sheen in Bob B Soxx and the Blue Jeans, but had few releases under her own name (a stage name incidentally given to her by Phil Spector, as she was born Darlene Wright). She is probably best known for Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), extracted from the album A Christmas Gift For You from Phil Spector [Digitally Remastered By Phil Spector], on which she was the most used contributor, but this now legendary album, coinciding with the Kennedy assassination, did not sell well at the time, and was probably responsible for the start of Spector's gradual withdrawal from the music industry.



As freelance session singers, the Blossoms did not benefit from royalties from the Spector hits and were not under contract to him. They needed to make a living, but he was very unhappy about the girls singing for other labels and they were obliged to use a number of pseudonyms to hide their identities.



This collection contains nothing produced by Phil Spector, collected elsewhere, but concentrates both on their earlier and later work as the Blossoms on a number of labels, and the recordings they did make in various guises during the Spector era, with label billing crediting names such as Al Casey and the K-C-Ettes, Dick Dale and the Del Tones, the Wildcats, Moose and the Pelicans or Duane Eddy and the Rebelettes. Sometimes, as on TV Commercials by Barney Kessel, they had no billing at all. Although they made records on their own, the Blossoms were essentially session singers, backing artists on their records, on the TV show Shindig! and on the road with singers such as Jackie DeShannon or Elvis Presley, so were not too concerned over billing, though often it was the Blossoms' contribution that was the selling point of the song, especially on the novelty items such as Boss Guitar, and many of the singles on here were big hits. Three of the sixties Blossoms recordings here are previously unreleased and include a beautiful 1963 demo made for Jack Nitzsche on a song he wrote with Jackie DeShannon, Let Him Walk Away.



Darlene Love continued to be highly successful after the sixties, in Broadway musicals, Hollywood films and on record, and there are seven examples here, made between 1971 and 1997, not least a great, deliberately Spector-esque Christmas song from the film Home Alone 2 in 1993, written by Steve Van Zandt, with what sounds like the entire E Street Band on it.



Long overdue, this collection perfectly complements the Spector recordings and brings into catalogue a selection of forgotten jewels."

If You Like 60s Girl Group Rock, You'll *Love* This CD!

Alex Honda | Los Angeles, CA USA | 12/09/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was a little hesitant in buying SO MUCH LOVE: A DARLENE LOVE ANTHOLOGY CD because I read that it contained none of the Phil Spector produced songs like "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)," which ironically was my introduction and the only song I knew from this singer. Her CD produced from Spector's label ABKCO, The Best of Darlene Love, is out of print and so my choice was this anthology.



Let me say that it is fantastic! Love has an incredible voice that rings like a bell. Strong, pure and soulful her vocals really compliment rock music--much like Tina Turner or the Pointer Sisters--that it's a wonder that Darlene Love isn't a household name.



Don't let the folksy album cover picture fool you...it's filled with catchy old-school rock songs. Although this CD spans 40 years, the majority of songs are from the 60s, during the rock 'n' roll revolution, and have that distinctly tinged 60's rock sound, complete with do-wop backing vocals and twanging guitars. Many of the songs sound like they were inspired by the Beatles and/or the Beach Boys (or perhaps I have it reversed where these songs influenced those two super groups). Even the songs from the 80s and 90s have that 60's rock feel. Her cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" recorded live in 1997 is breath taking.



Recording as "The Blossoms," Darlene's group, the sound is very different from say the Motown sound of "The Supremes" or "Martha & The Vandellas," but if you enjoy that girl group sound this CD is for you.



Many of the songs on this compilation are credited to others but Love's voice is unmistakably doing the singing.



The CD comes with a booklet filled with pictures and excellent liner notes by Mick Patrick written in 2008, including info on the singles. After reading the booklet, you'll understand why Love isn't as famous as other singers from the same era. It's a shame really but at least we have this fabulous anthology from Ace Records: a testament to the wonderful talent that is Darlene Love.



Incidentally, Love was just on HBO's "25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Concert" singing with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and she can still rock with the best of the them. Even the "boss" said she should be a future inductee and I must agree!"