The early/mid 60s girl group sound is one of the most enduring and distinctive sounds in pop history and if you’re a fan you’ll need to know that US reissue specialists REAL GONE MUSIC have just released wonderful 19 track snapshot of the genre.
‘HONEYBEAT…. GROOVY 60s GIRL POP’ cherry picks 19 gems from across nine different labels – Columbia, Date, RCA Victor, Epic, Bell, OKeh, Sound Stage 7, Groove, and Amy . Eschewing the obvious, the compilers have gone for real collectors’ items. Indeed a half a dozen of so of the tracks have never been reissued before while one cut, Dorothy Jones’ ‘Talk That Sweet Talk’ is previously unissued anywhere! That one’s a brill Brill Building gem from the pens of Goffin and King and anoraks will know that Dorothy Jones was a sometime member of the Cookies.
The collection boasts another Goffin/King item… Skeeter Davis’ ‘I Can’t Stay Mad At You’… a sonic definition of the girl group genre if ever there was one! Amongst the other featured writers is the ever-dependable Van McCoy. His ‘Baby You’re Mine’, sung by Sandi Sheldon is an album highlight.
Amongst the other featured artists are Little Eva, The Sweet Things, The Lollipops, The Glories, Linda Carr and the Avons and along with all the others they deliver sweet, naive, innocent pop/soul. Yes the world has changed beyond belief since this music was recorded and it does speak of a different age….. but it’s also oddly timeless. And, as ever, with Real Gone albums, the sleeve notes and accompanying essay (courtesy of Sheila Burgel) tell you everything you could possibly need to know
