Search - Terry Black :: The Black Plague

Basically straight reissue of collectable lp

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 02/18/2003

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Canadian Terry Black had significant chart success in Canada but drew little interest from American buyers having only one single as a solo artist, "Unless You Care" nicking the bottom of the top-100 in late 1964. Black had a sound similar to some of the British invasion artists, Billy J. Kramer specifically, and his material often was the work of the P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri writing team, notable for many tunes that made the top-100 from the likes of acts such as the Turtles. In view of the popularity of the sound he emulated and the Sloan-Barri tunes, it is something of a mystery why he had such a limited impression on the charts in the states. After a couple of years of success in Canada, Black moved to the states and Arc Records, his label in Canada, issued the "Black Plague" lp, a compilation of his previous tunes that has become something of a collector's item in its original form. Here in this CD, Unidisc Music of Canada has reissued that album as it was with no additional tracks. It contains Black's aforementioned charting single "Unless You Care" along with several of the Sloan-Barri tunes and a couple Lennon-McCartney tunes including "Bad To Me" showcasing his Billy J. Kramer imitation. This reissue offers collectors a CD-version of that lost album with decent, if not remarkable, sound quality in mono. With no additional tracks and liner notes limited mostly to quotes from Canadian radio operatives, this remains a basic piece. While devoid of the bells and whistles that would make it a more interesting collection, this piece does offer a glimpse of this largely American-ignored popular Canadian recording artist."