#422

Release Date: 1964
Previously Owned: No
First Time Listen: Yes

Impressions: This album comes in a middle of a pocket of three ’60s girl-group entries on this list. A coincidence? Or just some weird thematic grouping by the editors? Who knows? Let’s put it on… Immediately recognizable Phil Spector “Wall of Sound” production style,  in “Walking In The Rain” which won a Grammy for Best Sound Effects for it’s rainstorm noises. Some of these songs suffer a little in comparison to the more mature Supremes. “So Young” and “(The Best Part Of) Breakin’ Up”  sound more like the “teenage symphonies to God” that Spector was striving for compared to the more sophisticated and urbane Motown sounds.  Woah, Cher and Sonny Bono both performed on “(The Best Part of) Breakin’ Up” and “Be My Baby,” is that how they met? Their cover of “What’d I Say” is kinda fun but lightweight compared to the original. The mono-lithic production of some of these songs sounds like they were made to punch out of an AM transistor radio, but ends up sounding kind of murky on a more modern stereo. From the opening BUM BU-BU-BUM rhythm, “Be My Baby” still packs a wallop. Everything comes together in this perfect 2:41 slice of pop heaven: swooning strings, chiming bells, and doo-wop background vocals. Not to mention, most of the songs have “Baby” in them; which turns out to be a pretty solid formula for radio success. “How Does It Feel” sounds like a Pet Sounds outtake, which not suprising since Spector’s sound inspired the Beach Boys. The cover version of The Dixie Cups “Chapel of Love” kinda drags, but still, a solid collection of songs that I liked, but didn’t quite fall in love with.