What do the small Time, Brent, and Shad labels have in common? Aside from being minor indies of the late-'50s/early-'60s, they were all run by producer Bob Shad. Like a bunch of indie entrepreneurs of the era, his didn't subscribe to a set vision. Doo wop, primeval guitar rock'n'roll, rockabilly, novelty, ballads, girl group: all and more got a shot with Shad. And some succeeded: the Bell Notes' "I've Had It," a pretty cool mid-tempo song juxtaposing winsome lamenting harmonized vocals against growling guitars, made number ...
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What do the small Time, Brent, and Shad labels have in common? Aside from being minor indies of the late-'50s/early-'60s, they were all run by producer Bob Shad. Like a bunch of indie entrepreneurs of the era, his didn't subscribe to a set vision. Doo wop, primeval guitar rock'n'roll, rockabilly, novelty, ballads, girl group: all and more got a shot with Shad. And some succeeded: the Bell Notes' "I've Had It," a pretty cool mid-tempo song juxtaposing winsome lamenting harmonized vocals against growling guitars, made number six in 1959, while Skip and Flip almost made the Top Ten with both the catchy rockaballad "It Was I" and the slicker "Cherry Pie." All of those are on this 30-song compilation, which has some other interesting moments along the way. The Genies' "Who's That Knocking" is exuberant up-tempo doo wop; "The People Hater" is a disagreeable novelty about a misanthrope (really); the Beau-Marks were among the first Canadian rockers to make an impact in the States with their generic 1960 rocker "Clap Your Hands"; and the Donays made a girl-group classic with their only single, "Devil in His Heart," covered by the Beatles in 1963 (the B-side, "Bad Boy," is also here). Strangest of all are no less than four songs graced by the presence of a young Lou Reed -- yes, the Lou Reed. As a teenager he sang on the Jades' unremarkable 1958 doo wop single "So Blue"/"Leave Her for Me." More remarkably, this CD also unearths two previously unreleased (and previously unknown) 1962 solo tracks, credited to "Lewis Reed," which are typical commercial 1962 rock (penned by Reed himself) that would be utterly undistinguished if not for his unmistakable vocals. Still, about half of this CD is unmemorable period filler, making it a hit-and-miss listen. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi
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