The latest Ace Records “Songwriters” compilation offers a second snapshot of the work of Brill Building luminaries ELLIE GREENWICH and JEFF BARRY. Both hailed from Brooklyn and they joined forces in 1962 with spectacular results. This new set – entitled ‘Da Doo Ron Ron’ – offers 24 of their very best songs and like the first collection it includes many big classics and lots of lesser known gems. Because of a recent relaxation in the ability to license PHIL SPECTOR productions, many of those “big classics” came out of the SPECTOR studios. So here there’s THE RONETTES’ ‘Baby I Love You’, BOB B SOXX’S ‘Not Too Young To Get Married’, DARLENE LOVE’S ‘Wait Til’ My Bobby Gets Home’ and THE CRYSTALS’ ‘Da Doo Ron Ron’ –which gives the long player its title.
Other soul cuts include THE DIXIE CUPS’ ‘Chapel Of Love’, THE JELLY BEANS’ ‘I Want To Love Him So Bad’, SAM HAWKINS’ ‘I Know It’s All Right’ and THE EXCITERS’ ‘All Grown Up’. There’s plenty of great 60s pop too from people like LESLEY GORE, THE MONKEES, CONNIE FRANCIS, JAY and the AMERICANS, THE McCOYS and MANFRED MANN.
GREENWICH and MANN also nursed ambitions as performers and the album ends with a couple of their own efforts –JEFF’S ‘I’ll Still Love You’ and ELLIE’S ‘Goodnight, Goodnight (What’s So Good About It’) –both proving they could’ve been contenders.
