Search - Various Artists :: Where The Girls Are, Volume 1

My Sister, Squeezed between Dolly & Joey

Jazzdad | St. Louis, MO USA | 03/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Found this by accident--squeezed in betwen Dolly Parton & Joey Heatherton on this CD is "Little Things Like That" recorded by my sister (then going by Suzy Wallis) when she was about 13 or 14. She had two other singles on RCA as well. Now in her early 50's, music degree from California Institute of the Arts, still singing professionally in L.A. under her real name, Suzanne Wallach. And amazingly, her voice still sounds the same. The production value of these early songs must be appreciated--all of the top studio musicians were on sessions like these, no garage band players. The songwriters/producers on my sister's singles were names like David Gates, Mike Post, and Delaney Bramlett. The musicians are not known, but could have been people like Glen Campbell, Hal Blaine, and Carol Kaye--all of whom played on thousands of records, day in & out in the studios. A time capsule."

Good stuff

Christine Mccoy | ,Boston, Ma USA | 10/17/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although their are big names like Ruby and the Romantics, Doris Day and Dolly Parton, they sure aren't singing their usual hits. This is also the only cd where I found "Condition Red" by the Goodees. Much of the music here is obscure "CONDITION RED" by the Goodees is the biggest hit at #46 in 1968 and the only other is "How Much...Doggie in the Window" at #68 in 1963. These two songs are a must for your music collection and the rest are just good old extra songs so after you've gotten The Beatles, The Supremes,The Beach Boys, The Marvelettes, Elvis and the Stones give some girl-groups a TRY!"

Mostly obscurities...

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 03/03/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Girl-group compilation CD's abound in the marketplace but it is refreshing to see a collection with something other than "My Boyfriend's Back" and "He's So Fine", the usual staples of the genre. Though this piece goes well beyond the hits with the majority of the tracks being very obscure, there are at least a few tracks that may be familiar enough to keep the listener engaged. Among the better-known charting singles are Patty and the Emblems' "Mixed-Up, Shook-Up Girl" and "Hey There Lonely Boy", the Ruby and the Romantics original before Eddie Holman's gender-switching more commercially successful take on it. A couple of real rare yet charting entries appeal to the collector in the form of the Goodees' "Condition Red" and Baby Jane and the Rockabyes' version of Patti Page's "How Much Is That Doggie In The Window". One more interesting rarity here is the Charmettes' "Please Don't Kiss Me Again", a tune that barely touched the national top-100 but was much bigger hit in the New York area. However, disappointingly, the version here is not the original single version and no explanation is given for the substitution. Otherwise, there are some interesting, if not totally appealing tracks from big-name artists such as Doris Day and Dolly Parton. Ace has done a decent production job here with a few tracks appearing in stereo (1,10,14,18,20,23) and to their credit they acknowledge that a few tracks have been lifted from vinyl and one from a damaged tape source. And in usual Ace fashion, there is a substantial liner notes booklet with info on the included tracks, although sometimes there is just not much known to tell about a few of the performers here. Though interesting in not being just another rehash of the oft-compiled girl-group tunes, this piece could have been somewhat more appealing if there were a few more recognizable, chart-worthy tunes. There is certainly no lack of yet-to-appear-on-CD singles of the genre that would be candidates for a compilation such as this."