GIRL GROUPS SOUNDS USA 1961-1967

Description

"Hearts For Sale" is the fifth and final in our series of 12-inch vinyl albums shining a light on the sound of US 1960s girl groups. The collection opens with Bonnie Jean's ‘Street Dance’, an obscure staple among collectors of the genre, with Darlene Love and the Blossoms clearly audible on backing vocals. Issued on Lew Bedell’s Doré label, this exciting faux-live romp in the style of Shirley Ellis’ ‘The Nitty Gritty’ was written by Guy Hemric and Jerry Styner, a hip team known for supplying songs for B-movie soundtracks such as Muscle Beach Party and Thunder Alley. - The Hollywood-based Doré imprint is also the source for the Vel-Vetts’ ‘You Really Never Know Till It’s Over’ (which shares a backing track with the Superbs’ ‘I Was Born When You Kissed Me’), ‘One Way Street’ by the Swans, a soulful update of the Teddy Bears’ ‘To Know Him Is To Love Him’ by the Darlings and – featuring lead vocals by Sheilah Page, a former member of groups such as the Bermudas, Becky & the Lollipops, the Majorettes, Joanne & the Triangles and Beverly & the Motor Scooters – Front Page & Her’s ‘He’s Groovy’. Other highlights include the Supremes-influenced ‘No More Tears’ by the Sweethearts, the sophisticated slowie ‘Lonely Girl’ by the Lovettes (that’s them on the cover), the Del-Phis’ ‘My Heart Tells Me So’ (an early incarnation of Martha & the Vandellas) and the Fran-Cettes’ tremendous recording of ‘Heart For Sale’. As with previous volumes in the series, the album comes with a fully-illustrated inner bag featuring a 2,500-word track-by-track commentary by compiler Mick Patrick.