This volume in the series is more cohesive than most, opening with the Premiers' 1964 hit "Farmer John" and generally confining itself to eminently danceable rockers from that same period by the likes of the Atlantics, Larry Tamblyn & the Standells ("The Girl in My Heart"), the Jaguars, the Romancers, the Soul-jers ("Gonna Be a Big Man"), and Sammy Lee & the Summits. As with the other three parts of this series, there's not a weak song here, whether it's Cannibal & the Headhunters (backed by the King Curtis band) doing ...
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This volume in the series is more cohesive than most, opening with the Premiers' 1964 hit "Farmer John" and generally confining itself to eminently danceable rockers from that same period by the likes of the Atlantics, Larry Tamblyn & the Standells ("The Girl in My Heart"), the Jaguars, the Romancers, the Soul-jers ("Gonna Be a Big Man"), and Sammy Lee & the Summits. As with the other three parts of this series, there's not a weak song here, whether it's Cannibal & the Headhunters (backed by the King Curtis band) doing "Follow the Music," the edgier, less lyrical, but more rousing "Sloop Dance" by the Atlantics, or the soul rave-up "That's Why I Love You" by the Romancers. Maybe the most interesting tracks here are two covers: the instrumental "Chinese Checkers," a piano-dominated version of the Booker T. and the MG's track cut by the Mixtures, and the extroverted rendition of "Love Is Strange" by the Salas Brothers and the Jaguars. And, oddly enough, the Standells, who were more influenced by doo wop in the early '60s, are outclassed in the garage band department by the Romancers' "She Took My Oldsmobile." The sound is excellent throughout. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi
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