Produced by Tom Petty! CD

Great material from the second chapter of Del Shannon – a time when the previous pop legend opened up to trippier modes – which makes for a really great blend on this gem of an album from 1968! Even at his pop best, there was always a genuine strain of soul-searching sadness in his voice that underscored the material, going all the way back to "Runaway" and on some of the better, if lesser-remembered work after that immortal hit. He manages to carry that trait strongly into the psych era here, with a lot of lusher baroque pop elements, and some great instrumentation – all orchestrated by Don Peake. Includes "Thinking It Over", "Be My Friend", "Silver Birch", "Rover Cool", "Colour Flashing Hair", "Gemini", "Runnin' On Back", "Conquer", "Been So Long", "Magical Musical Box", and "New Orleans (Mardi Gras)". LP, Vinyl record album

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Rare Bacharach galore – an assortment of under-reissued tracks all penned by the mighty Burt – most of which are from the heyday of 60s uptown soul! Despite the 1952 in the date range on the title, almost all the tunes here are from the mid 60s – that time when Bacharach was writing new tunes like a demon, and getting most of them recorded by a range of great talents on the New York scene. Singers are a good mix of soul, pop, rock, and vocal artists – and although the material was done for a variety of different labels, there's a relatively unified feel – thanks to that snapping syncopation that Burt always brought to work like this. CD features 26 titles in all – including "How About" by Della Reese, "Third Window From The Right" by Dean Barlow, "I Wake Up Crying" by Del Shannon, "I Looked For You" by Charlie Gracie, "That's Not The Answer" by Vi Velasco, "More Time To Be With You" by Brook Benton, "Three Friends" by The Turbans, "Move It On The Backbeat" by Burt & The Backbeats, "You're Telling Our Secrets" by Dee Clark, "Thirty Miles Of Railroad Track" by The Hammond Brothers, "The Story Of My Life" by Big Al Downing, "Made In Paris" by Trini Lopez, "Rain From The Skies" by Adam Wade, and "True Love Never Runs Smooth" by Don & Juan. CD

Includes music from Dion, Del Shannon, Bruce Channel, Jan & Dean, The Kinks, The Beach Boys, The Shirelles, The Shangri-Las, Chris Kenner, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Lewis, and more – 20 tracks in all. CD

Music from Del Shannon, Chris Kenner, the Shirelles, Gary Bonds, the Tokens, the Capris, the Marcels, Bobby Lewis, the Miracles, the Jive Five, Dion, Dee Clark, the Marvelettes & more. CD

Music from The Supremes, The Rivieras, The Drifters, Gene Pitney, Jan And Dean, Lesley Gore, Roy Orbison, Mary Wells, Del Shannon, Bobby Freeman, J. Frank Wilson And The Cavaliers, Martha And The Vandellas, and more - 22 songs in all. CD

A real departure in the career of Brian Hyland – and light years away from his earlier fame as a teen pop singer! The Hyland of this record is a brooding one – mature, sometimes slightly folksy – but also able to draw on a wealth of soul, blues, and other musical references that were never part of his earlier music. The album unites Hyland with another older 60s star – Del Shannon, who wrote some of the songs, played guitar, and also produced the album. Shannon, like Hyland, was at a similar head-searching point in his career – and was a perfect foil for the new ideas that were bubbling around in Brian's head. There's a strangely somber feel to the set – handled partially by intimate guitar work, but also by some large, but gentle arrangements that use strings sparingly to create the same sort of sad, evocative sounds that you might expect from a Tim Hardin album. Hyland actually scored a hit with the album's great remake of "Gypsy Woman", but the original tunes are really the best – and include "On The East Side", "Mail Order Gun", "I'm Without You", "Driving Me Crazy", and "You & Me". CD

A killer tribute to the 60s songcraft of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart – who are probably best-known as the songwriters behind many songs by The Monkees – but they're terrific performers in their own right, on top of penning tunes for the creme of the 60s crop! This set goes a long way towards demonstrating their range. It's got all great songs by legendary groups and singers – including veterans like Fats Domino and Chubby Checker – who were seeking fresh heat at the time – plus great stuff by Boyce & Hart themselves, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Dino, Desi & Billy, The Shangri-Las, The Ikettes, The Standells, The Honeybeats and more! Includes "Valleri" by The Monkees, I Can't Get Him Out Of My Mind" by Sandra Dee, "(He's Gonna Be) Fine Fine Fine" by The Ikettes, "She" by Del Shannon, "Lazy Elsie Molly" by Chubby Checker, "Too Many Teardrops" by Bobby Hart, "Be My Guest" by Fats Domino, "Beverly Jean" by Curtis Lee and more. 26 in all. CD

Rerecorded hits from Bobby Vee, Jackie Wilson, the Earls, Dee Clark, the Charts, Dion, the Turbans, Hank Ballard, the Moonglows, Del Shannon, the Tymes, Ben E King, and more. CD

One of the folksiest albums we've ever heard from Jackie DeShannon – a record that's heavy on acoustic guitar and folk-styled numbers, but which also features some top-shelf LA arrangements from the great Jack Nitzsche! Jackie takes on a number of folk hits of the day, but delivers them with a surprisingly strong approach – still a bit pop, but with an expressive quality in her vocals that may well beat most of the other pop folkies of the time. Titles include "Walkin Down The Line", "Don't Think Twice It's Alright", "Baby Let Me Follow", and "Jailer Bring Me Water" – but the set also includes "Needles & Pins", which is one of Jackie's most soulful tunes ever! LP, Vinyl record album

That's not a typo in the title – the compilation's a collection of tracks that all bear the mark of Phil Spector – Spector's Spectres, if you will! It's a well known fact that Phil had a monumental impact on 60s rock, pop, and soul music – as his "wall of sound" production style forever transformed the sound of the single back in the sixties. And although there's been lots of compilations that focus on Phil's own work, this is the first one we've seen to showcase his proteges and contemporaries – a surprisingly wide range of studio talents who all picked up on Phil's tricks and twists! The tunes on the set include some great 60s soul and pop numbers, and a bunch of the tracks are reissued legally here for the first time. Plus, the set's got some wonderful liner notes – really taking you through the tracks, and explaining the connection to Spector and the overall sound of the music. Features production work by Nick DeCaro, Van McCoy, Jan Davis, Abner Spector, Brian Holland & Lamont Dozier, Brian Wilson, Sonny Bono, and Jack Nitszche – and titles that include "When You Walk In The Room" by Jackie DeShannon, "When The Boy's Happy" by The Four Pennies, "Hang On" by The Wall Of Sound, "Tremblin" by Gene Pitney, "A Little Love" by Alder Ray, "On The Spanish Side" by The Corsairs & Landy McNeil, "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" by The Beach Boys, "Just You" by Sonny & Cher, "I Can't Make It Alone" by PJ Proby, "And That Reminds Me" by The Dolls, "You're So Fine" by Dorothy Berry, "Missing My Baby" by Clydie King, and "I Just Couldn't Say" by Lorraine & The Delights. CD