Search - Various Artists :: Greatest Hits 1963

Yes, they are indeed the originals.

Tom Brody | Berkeley, CA | 03/13/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The five star rating goes to Rhythm of the Rain, Only Love Can Break a Heart, Deep Purple, and Since I Fell for You. But overall, the compilation might deserve only three stars, since some of the numbers, e.g., Any Day Now; Oh, No, Not My Baby; Do the Bird; Thou Shalt Not Steal; and Don't Say Goodnight and Mean Goodbye; were probably never on anybody's radar screen.



Rhythm of the Rain begins (and ends) with recorded thunder sounds. The tune starts out in a sing-song manner. This part of the song has barely has any melody to speak of. But then comes the middle section, which has a memorable descending melody. Rhythm of the Rain is one of the few rock'n'roll songs with a metal xylophone. To give another example, That's It For the Other One, one of the finest compositions by the Grateful Dead, and perhaps one of the finest compositions in all of rock'n'roll, also has a metal xylophone. Rag Doll by the Four Seasons also appears to have a metal xylophone.



Only Love Can Break a Heart, one of Gene Pitney's hits, has the same style as Bobby Vinton's songs. If you like Bobby Vinton, then you will like songs by Gene Pitney. Only Love Can Break a Heart features pizzicato violins, mellow saxophone fluorishes, jazzy guitar stylings, and a vocal chorus.



Deep Purple might not be one of my favorite oldies, but I recall that it had been given incessant airplay during 1963.



The style of Since I Fell For You' sung by Lenny Welch, is reminiscent of that of one of Little Anthony and the Imperials' songs, "I'm On The Outside Looking In." Since I Fell For You is a classic oldie.



I'm Leaving It Up To You is catchy, and it seems to have a Nashville sound.



Da Do Ron Ron, of course, is a classic "Motown sound" rock'n'roll song. Da Do Ron Ron should not really be classified as an oldie, since there is not a touch of moldiness to it. There is no hint of doo-wop and no hint of sappiness. Da Do Ron Ron contains saxophone choruses, an imaginative sax solo, vocal choruses, and timpani. The bass line consists of only three different notes, each note repeated hundreds of times. Apparently, the monotonous bass line serves as a counterpoint for all the activities and variety provided by the vocals, brass, and percussion.



This compilation contains a song by Del Shannon, "Keep Searchin'." Keep Searching is noted for its falsetto parts, for its organ, and for the unusual pronunciation of the word "sun" (it is pronounced "sun-nuh"). Although Keep Searchin' might not be Del Shannon's best song, it should be noted that Del Shannon is responsible for what is arguably the greatest of all oldies: Runaway.



Sheila, as performed by Tommy Roe, utilizes Buddy Holly's singing style, i.e., subtle hiccup inflections.



Any listener born after 1960 might wonder why "Money" by the Kingsman is on this compilation. The song is not very well recorded, the sound quality is somewhat muddy. The arrangement is not at all innovative. The Kingsman were, in essence, a typical garage band. But note that Louie, Louie (penned by Richard Berry), as performed by the Kingsman in their garage band style, was one of the greatest monster hits of the 1960s and, for reasons unknown (to me) resides in the lofty territory occupied by monster hits from the 60s such as Satisfaction by the Stones and Stairway by Led Zep."

Check Out My Reasoning Here

Eclectic Revisited | Arizona | 02/17/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I don't HAVE this item; how can I trust them? Are these the original hits? Why do I ask? "Sheila", "Twist and Shout", "Anyday Now", "The One Who Really Loves You", "Sheila" and "Only Love Can Break a Heart" came out in 1962, not 1963. Look it up. And while ol' Ace Cannon is still out touring over 40 years after "Tuff", his version of "Frankie and Johnny", the standard first done by the father of country music Jimmy Rodgers some 70 years ago, was NOT a "greatest" hit in 1963 for anybody, nor was "Do the Bird" nor "Don't Say Goodnight...." (The Shirelles were fading but it was their "Foolish Little Girl" that was a 1963 hit). Buyer beware!"