MY FAVE 20 RECORDS BY A VOCAL GROUP
TODAY........FROM 1962
I FOUND A LOVE - THE FALCONS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqW_Pn8-ar4
It’s that “You’re So Fine” outfit with a few new faces by 1962 the most important being Wilson Pickett as lead. They’re also on a new label
---Robert West’s LuPine outfit in Detroit whence the classic “I Found A Love” comes. Charted at #75 BB pop and #6 BB r&b. On London in UK it got heard mainly here in the fledgling r&b clubs
2. UP ON THE ROOF – THE DRIFTERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRT6-957kw0
Rudy Lewis on lead on a superb Gerry Goffin-Carole King number produced
by the unfailing Leiber & Stoller duo for Atlantic. This revived the
group’s fortunes some returning them to the Top 10 for the first time
since “On Broadway” a year earlier. Charted #5 BB pop #4 BB r&b..over
here it reached #29 in UK on London (but up against better selling
covers by local stars Kenny Lynch and Julie Grant)
3. DEEP WATER – THE RIVINGTONS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XniibLxPno
The quite mesmerizingly great flip to “Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow” that I fell in love withafter buying the record (for the top side of course!). Led by
Carl White this four man outfit had been around the block for years on
many records (and nearly as many names) before landing at Liberty in
1962 where this was their first release. This side didn’t chart
anywhere but it saw 1962 release here on the brand new Liberty imprint
under EMI distribution
4. DO YOU LOVE ME – THE CONTOURS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtYmpkaAGNo
Motown starts to really get into gear with a screamer from the Detroit
group on its Gordy subsid. Released UK on Oriole American the
ultra-catchy number soon became a “must” in the repertoires of several fledgling UK beat groups going on to chart here by Brian Poole & The
Tremeloes (a #1 here) and The Dave Clark Five. In USA The Contours
reached #3 pop and #1 r&b. The song returned to the US chart in 1988
when it featured in the hit “Dirty Dancing” movie
5. TWIST AND SHOUT – THE ISLEY BROTHERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFM8te4XqlQ
On Wand this was another number that spawned a myriad of versions
notably The Beatles of course (on their “Please Please Me” LP—a version even I consider the best of their “remakes”) and Brian Poole & Tremeloes who reached #4 on UK chart in 1963 with their much limper version. The
Isleys hit #17 in USA BB pop and #2 r&b. In UK they reached #21 on NME
chart with their Stateside label release
6. YOU REALLY GOT A HOLD ON ME – THE MIRACLES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFv-o0VYeIo
Smokey & co with their biggest number from 1962 on Tamla and another
number that was appropriated by The Beatles (who included it on their
second LP “With The Beatles” in 1963). The Miracles scored a #8 BB pop
hit with it and hit #1 on the r&b chart.Here in the UK it was released
on Oriole-American (which held the licence for a year or so to release
Motown product here)
7, PAPA-OOM-MOW-MOW – THE RIVINGTONS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoGNZVCJTCo
As Stan Freberg once famously said “What’s the matter man,don’t you dig gibberish?”.
The famous top side to the No.2 listed above “Deep Water”----led by Carl White the group let go with this famous number on Liberty that later
went on to be the bedrock of a record I truly hated---The Trashmen (who certainly lived up to their name) and the dreadful “Surfin’ Bird” a year later.Meantime The Rivingtons scored a #48 BB pop with this and saw UK
release on Liberty
8. VILLAGE OF LOVE – NATHANIEL MAYER & THE FABULOUS TWILIGHTS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSu5zJ2OdLg
Pacted to the Fortune label of Detroit the makeup of the Fabulous
Twilights on this recording has never been established but there were definitely four members on duty here (maybe more). The catchy number
turned out to be the biggest seller that Fortune ever had (as Devora
Brown explained to us thanks to a distribution deal with United
Artists that saw the record reach #22 BB pop and #16 BB r&b---not to
mention being the ONLY Fortune record thus far to get overseas
distribution as in UK on HMV)
9. NEVER LET ME GO – THE IMPRESSIONS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVRkDF1OWfU
By this time The Impressions were really beginning to make a good…um…impression with their disc output. Though the topside here “Little Young Lover” only just scraped the BB Hot 100 this flipside---“Never Let Me Go” a great revival of the old Johnny Ace song from 1954 seems to have become a favorite with many old school r&b fans-definitely in the case of the one writing this 😉 Never released as single in UK
10. WHAT TIME IS IT? – THE JIVE FIVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piid4Tl3xLQ
Their strongest single since “My True Story” IMO and one I can listen to over and over.It was their fourth single on the Beltone label but sadly didn’t do anywhere near as good chartwise as it should have
done---reaching a paltry #67 BB pop and missing the r&b chart
completely. Not issued here in UK it graced a famous dream scene in “The Sopranos”
where a very naked Melfi surfaces from under the covers of Tony’s bed
(very much with him still in it) after no doubt searching in vain for
her lost ear-ring
11. I LOVE YOU – THE VOLUMES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kYzjnH4D0iw
R&B quartet hailing from Detroit The Volumes were signed to the Chex
label where they released two singles---“I Love You” followed by “Sandra”. “I Love You” did pretty well on the US charts reaching #22 BB pop. It did not chart r&b. Here in UK it appeared on Fontana label but I
never heard it at all on UK radio only on Luxembourg and AFN
12. DEEP IN MY HEART – THE SHELLS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l27E6sux_1M
Catchy number by the Brooklyn quintet that had scored with “Baby Oh
Baby” in 1960. Like that hit this one appeared on the Johnson label too. Surprisingly it also appeared here in UK on London label but again I
never heard it on radio at the time and had to wait well into the 60’s
before I found a cheap copy in some junk shop
13. LOOKIN’ FOR A LOVE – THE VALENTINOS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByKyxz5f1LQ
Bobby Womack and his brothers on the turntable here as the great man and
four brothers combine as The Valentinos on this catchy number waxed for
Sam Cooke’s SAR label that scored #72 BB pop but a much better #8 BB
r&b. Not issued UK When Bobby went solo he scored much better with this
number in 1974 taking it top 10 in both charts
14. SOMETIMES I WONDER – THE DRIFTERS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ojfv9_KNFA
Leftover Ben E.King lead from 1960 released here for the first time by Atlantic.Even with the faint echoes of “There Goes My Baby” about it,it completely failed to register on the US charts,didn’t even get a UK
release and all in all became the least successful of the Drifters Mk II
group records so far---and certainly the hardest to find for latter day
record fans
15. I’LL TRY SOMETHING NEW – THE MIRACLES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKUHV_DMyfw
Their first single of 1962 (and some early buyers were lucky enough to
get it in a paper picture sleeve) charted at #39 BB pop and #11 BB r&b.
By now the Motown phenemonon was just beginning to get a foothold on
record sales—but not helped in this case by this single failing to get
UK release
16. NEVER LET YOU GO – THE FIVE DISCS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shTTpJHG8Jw
Completely unsurprisingly these were a five-man mixed race outfit of the
old school straight out of Brooklyn who had been around the block a few times---making records ever since 1958 on a multitude of labels
including the irresistible “Never Let You Go” on the small Cheer label.
17. SHERRY – THE FOUR SEASONS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPmh4eFqcio
From Sopranoville alias Newark New Jersey came The Four Seasons led by
the “got my balls caught in a vice” again stratospheric warbling of
Frankie Valli. I for one am not ashamed to admit that I fell in love
with their sound on day one of hearing them in 1962 and liked nearly all
their records (and still do). “Sherry” made #1 in both pop and r&b charts. Over here EMI had just tidied up their method of releasing
independent US material on a catch -all new Stateside label (just like Decca’s London label here) .“Sherry” made #7 here.
18. SHE DID ME WRONG – THE “5” ROYALES (UNRELEASED)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Czfji9kdNzM
Now pacted to the small Home Of The Blues label owned by Ruben Cherry
and originally operating from premises on Beale Street,Memphis the
vintage r&b group The “5” Royales recorded this catchy number for them
in 1962 but it was left in the can not to be released for many years. A
real shame since I for one think it might well have been a good seller
19. HE’S A REBEL – THE CRYSTALS
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_SXJ18EkNw
Written by Gene Pitney (say,did I ever mention he that I once took…AH! I guess I must have done! ) and appearing on Phil Spector’s new Philles
label (where it will give the label its first #1 hit on the BB pop chart
and make #2 on the r&b chart). For years there was some dispute over who
had the original version on this one since Vikki Carr had a version out
at the same time but it seems resolved now that the Crystals beat her to
the recording studio by 3 days.Released on London here in UK where it
reached #19 in January 1963
20. CHAINS – THE COOKIES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_gN1EM_2Vc0
Penned by Gerry Goffin & Carole King “Chains” was first offered to The Everly Brothers who recorded it for Warner Bros. However Warner dithered
over the release putting out “Don’t Ask Me To Be Friends” instead so Carole King arranged for the girl trio The Cookies (featuring Ethel “Earl-Jean” McCrea) to record it for the new Dimension label where it instantly hit the charts reaching #17 BB pop and #6 r&b. London released
it here in UK and got lots of airplay but it did not chart. And of
course in 1963 some no count group in Liverpool did it on their first
LP……
BUBBLING UNDER
21. BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY – THE FOUR SEASONS
22. A WONDERFUL DREAM – THE MAJORS
23. REMEMBER THEN – THE EARLS
24. I NEVER KNEW – THE DUKAYS
25. DOWN THE ROAD – THE DOOTONES
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