First legit collection
Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 02/19/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Even by those who had the a.m. radio as their constant companion in the early sixties, little of the recorded works of Troy Shondell is known, save his one sojourn into the top-10, "This Time". Recording under his real name Gary Shelton, Shondell issued several singles on a variety of labels before finally striking big with "This Time". The momentum, however, could not be sustained and after a minor two-sided charting follow-up release, Shondell was never to enjoy top-100 music recognition again. Even with the help of production backing from the likes of Snuff Garrett and Phil Spector, Shondell wasn't able to find a winning formula and was left to become a one-hit wonder of the era. This, the first authorized collection of his Liberty and Everest releases, comes from the Acrabat label in the U.K. Included in the 15 tracks are his signature hit, his two other charting singles, other Liberty and Everest singles and album cuts. Although a welcome addition that fills the void of the availability of Shondells' recordings and limited hits on CD, this is not a comprehensive anthology as it does not include any of his pre-Liberty or post-Everest sides. This well-executed piece includes a twelve-page liner notes booklet with a history of the artist, a few photos and track details. Sound quality is variable with a few tracks (2,3,10,13) in stereo, some (1,4,5,8,9) in electronically rechanneled format and the remainder in mono. The liner notes do acknowledge that some of the tracks were dubbed from disc as the Everest tape catalog was the victim of a fire some years ago. Acrobat has done as well as can be done given the status of the source material. Overall, this piece is a welcome addition to the catalog of sixties artists whose recordings have yet to surface in the CD reissue market in quality fashion."
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1