Great pop-folk sixties group
357257
Staff turnover eventually took their toll on the New Christy Minstrels, but this compilation only covers the period 1962 to 1965, their peak years. Even during this period, the number of line-up changes was staggering. The extensive liner notes show all the changes. Of all the pickers and singers who were members during this period, Barry McGuire (who was only a member for a few months) is surely the most famous - he later had a solo hit with Eve of destruction - but Larry Ramos, later of the Association, was also a member.
The group's founder, Randy Sparks, set out to design a group that had it's roots in folk, but was more pop-orientated, and avoided all the controversial topics so beloved of (say) Pete Seeger. He wanted a fun group out to have a good time. That is what he achieved. Even after he quit the group in 1964 (selling his interest in the group for a large sum of money), the basic ethos remained. Once the thing no longer became fun, that's when the fortunes of the group collapsed.
So, what you get here is 45 tracks of great entertainment, including their big hit (Green green), novelty songs (Three wheels on my wagon), classic folk (This land is your land) and much, much more. The number of different singers (which also included a few ladies) also adds to the variety.
Sixties music was about many things, but above all else, it was about having fun. You certainly get that with this collection.
348087
Old LPs from You am I are quite difficult to find on the web but they deserve the effort! One of the best band in the word, definitely. The MP3 you may find on some music stores are certainly from their last LP and do not reflect their early production, which is really a jewel of pop music (close to Brit Pop more than indie rock  actually).

TRY THEM!!!!
1427012
I love this group!!! If you enjoy good alternative music and good visual display, this could be an excellent DVD to add to your collection. The instrumentation is eclectic & the voice or voices in harmony are quite pleasant. Great selections, original & traditional.
4165044
Having owned the original "Atlantic Favourites", I acquired this album and wasn't disappointed. While the original contained many songs native to the Atlantic Canadian Provences, this issue contains many Northeast folk songs and a few not associated with Canada; "Waltzing Matilda" and "American Pie" (full version), to name a couple . If you enjoy toe-tapping music with  a Celtic flavor, McGinty comes through with a well-rounded band and good vocals. Although not so well known in the US, the group has several albums to their name, sadly, most of which are not available at present. Hopefully, these will be re-issued so folks can enjoy their music.
372923
Hard to beat the music of the Platters - at least for those who were around in the 50s/early 60s.
3068632
In the early sixties music was in the doldrums (sound familiar?) Elvis was in the army, Chuck Berry was in jail after bring caught with Sweet Little (white) Sixteen, Buddy Holly died in a plane crash (the Day the Music Died), Jerry Lee Lewis was in disgrace after marrying his fourteen year old cousin, Little Richard found religion. The innovators were gone. Into this gap jumped the Mafia, pushing Payola, forcing DJ's to play Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, and let's not forget the fabulously talented Fabian Forte.

More sophisticated listeners were turned off. The Next Big Thing was Folk Music, especially with the college crowd! There were two movements here, the "authentic" group, where a song had to be old, traditional, to be "folk" , Joan Baez, Ian and Silvia, Kingston Trio, early Judy Collins were of this group and the new "relevant protestors" like Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, et al, writing new music in a traditional folk idiom. Tom Rush was from the Cambridge authentic group.  His songs are black blues, chain gang songs, Woody Guthrie, cowboy songs, gathering eclectically from the best available. Even a Leiber/Stroller Coasters song!

What makes Rush so great is his tart delivery and his deep baritone voice (too many wimpy high tenors out there). He sings with a twinkle in his eye. He sings likes he has stones. He takes that line "these Big City women they sure do make me tired / They got two hands full of gimme/ And a mouth full of much obliged"  and uses it in three different songs on three different albums. And why not, great line. That's how blues/folk was, Robert Johnson wrote a line and if you liked it, you stole it and put it in your song. So many of these songs and lyrics overlap. None of these songs are Rush originals, but for years I thought they were, his was the first and best versions I heard.

He sings Woody Guthrie's advice to Tom Joad Oakies trying to get into California "If you ain't got the Do-Ra-Mi/ If you ain't got that Do-Ra-Mi/ You'd better go back to beautiful Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Georgia, Tennessee.." Some old folk music sounds stale, some old folksongs are downright embarrassing or preachy now, but Tom Rush is a fresh as ever!

In the "Panama Limited", Rush does this virtuoso job of simulating various train sounds using only a bottleneck slide. It was this song that first drew me to his incredible ability on guitar. (On his later albums, sadly, he leaves the guitar lead to others.)

Eventually the fashion or zeitgeist went to singer-songwriters, the new original folkies like Dylan or John Fahey. Tom Rush was less effective in later albums singing ballads from Joni Mitchell. He was a classic but, now he's pretty much forgotten, a footnote. The best of Rush is early, this album, his first on Elektra ('65) and earlier ('62-'63) Prestige/Fantasy "Got a Mind to Ramble" and "Blues, Songs and Ballads". Elektra (where The Doors recorded) was originally a folk label! Here Rush does a damn fine job of playing guitar with authority. That's Tom Rush, singing with authority. There isn't a bad song here, highly entertaining!

Recording quality on this version is quite good.

 This stuff came out on Elektra originally, who has not seen fit to reissue, so get it while you can in this edition.
Highly Recommended.
1111342
The first Cowsills album features their hit song "The Rain, The Park, and Other Things (a.k.a. I Love The Flower Girl), which some could say is an anthem to '60's psychedelic pop. Pennies is another very well done piece of 60's nostalgia, and even though the lyrics are downbeat ("Saving your pennies for a rainy day, counting the hours while your life slips away"), the music is extremely fun and upbeat with great harmonies. The other songs - La Rue Du Soliel, Thinkin' About the Other Side, Dreams of Linda, River Blue, Gettin' Into That Sunny, Sunny Feelin' Again, That's My Time of the Day, Troubled Roses, Is Anyone There, How Can I Make You See?, and I'm the One You Need aren't as strong as the first two, but are very well sung and have a nice 60's pop music style. We Can Fly is, in my opinion, not only The Cowsill's best album, but one of the best albums I've heard. We Can Fly was the top 40 hit song, but the others had potential to do well on the charts. Gray, Sunny Day, What is Happy?, In Need of a Friend, Beautiful Beige, Mister Flynn, Gotta Get Away From it All, and One Man Show are well crafted, excellently sung, great examples of what '60's music was all about. Heaven Held, Yesterday's Girl, and A Time For Rememberance are more adult contemporary in style and are, to put it simply, good songs. The Bonus singles are from the album The Cowsills/Lincoln Park Zoo and include the 50's rock influenced Party Girl and Most of All. Could It Be, Let Me Know is an upbeat, energetic song. The other bonus track, "A Most Peculiar Man" a Simon and Garfunkel cover, is one of the best Cowsills songs. It's probably the nicest sounding, most harmonious song ever made about suicide. The Cowsills were definitely a talented group. They could sing, play their own instruments (they were teenagers and pre-teens), and they made very catchy, memorable songs.
506079
This duo is so good, still, that they are getting rave reviews on their British tours today, now that they have started working together again after a decades-long hiatus and separation of playing with other people. Much better than most folk-pop musicians of their time, the songs Sonny Condell and Leo O'Kelly each write explores emotion gentle and raw and each tunes in to the other's mood and music so that they meld into a kind of hypnotizing Celtic magic when they play live together. If you want to smell the ancient turf fires and hear the wailing winds of the Irish land and modern Irish people with an unsullied psychic umbilical cord to their ancestors, listen to Tir na n'Og. Their music is and will always be forever young. Also check out their individual music - each is an excellent songwriter in his own right.
1046084
Almost all the hits from one of the best girl groups of the 60s.
811878
A folky-type group like the Mamas and the Papas, with original songs led by Tom Pacheco.  I have had the album from the late '60s, and on it are very notable songs, particularly "Seldom Seen Slim" is really a true story about an old prospector, long past his prime and long past any gold and the sole inhabit of a one-man town.  You can look Slim up in the history books of California. Very good.  This is an upbest album of great songs that should have been played more often, but "The Mamas..." and Fifth Dimension did it at the same time.  It's worth exploring.
1965180
The Journeymen.  I pride myself on being a true lover of the folk genre, but I had not included them on my "master list" of artists that I wanted to upgrade from vinyl to CD.  Recently, I found an old issue of "Smoke Signals," the Florida State University magazine, from 1962  which contained an article covering their appearance on campus. A light  went on, and I recalled that their concert was one of the best folk music  events I had ever attended.
That said, I checked out Amazon to see  if, by any chance (slim I assumed), there might be a CD available.  Lo and  behold, there was this one lonely emission listed.
I had to have it, and  I'm truly glad I ordered it. In my review of Bob Gibson's "Joy!  Joy!," I stated that he was the forgotten man of the folk era.  Well,  trust me, this is the forgotten group.  I've always thought that The  Brothers Four had a more melodic and harmonius style than The Kingston Trio  (althought The KT remain my favorites), I discovered that The Journeymen  probably had a better style, both vocally and instrumentally, than the Bros  IV.
Their renditions of "River, She Comes Down,"  "Fennario," "Dark As A Dungeon," "All The Pretty  Little Horses," and "What'll I Do" may be among the best  presentations ever recorded of those titles. Their offering of  "Ja-Da" is extremely compelling. But above all, listen to  "Make Me A Pallet," and see if you don't feel that this is one of  the most beautiful and moving songs (folk or otherwise) that you have ever  heard.
While The Journeymen may not be familiar to most folk music buffs,  two of their members will long be remembered by pop afficianadoes.  John  Phillips later became a member of The Mamas And The Papas, and Scott  McKenzie had a Top 10 hit in the mid-'60s with the immortal "San  Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)."
Highly  recommended.  Buy this one and you'll buy many hours of blissful music that  won't be heard by many of your friends (unless they visit your home)>
4473074
I place this 60s Beat Girl  set in the top 5 that I own on this genre and I have a good number of them. The number 1 is "Am I Dreaming: 80 Brit Girl Sounds Of The 60s" but many won't want to start with a 3-CD set. This is devoted to Girl Singers and Groups who were under contract to the Pye Label. Sandie Shaw, who adorns the cover, and Petula Clark were two of Pye's biggest singers under contract in the 60s are here. They aren't represented with their hits but by songs which may be new to you. They are excellent songs.
The rate for new Girl Singer and Groups was quite poor. The male acts were considered far more important than the female acts. For every five male acts, there was, at best, one female act. Girls, and many were teenagers, were put under contract believing they'd be stars. Most only were only left with a handful of singles that didn't chart. Meet Jan Panter, Billie Davis, Val McKenna, Tawny Reed, Antoinette, The Breakaways, Barbara Ruskin and Julie Grant. WHO? Be open minded because this is excellent Beat, Northern Soul and Pop music. The titles were carefully selected and arranged to provide a sequential flow. You'll definitely enjoy this CD and you may very well want the Decca set. Buy this now and enjoy a top-drawer compilation without twee and easy listening filler. Enjoy as I know you will
1110397
~ This 50-minute, 20-song collection released in 2001 along with it's companion&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Girl-Group-Greats/dp/B000059T9D/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Girl Group Greats</a>&nbsp;serve as a wonderful introduction to the fabulous music created by the best 1960's girl groups and several solo artists.  The two disks also provide the listener with a great survey of the wonderful music coming out of the Brill Building in the early-to-mid 1960's.  Many of the tracks are written by such notables as Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, Cynthia Weil, and Barry Mann.  Most of the songs will be familiar to anyone who was alive in the early-to-mid 1960's, although a few tracks (like "`Til" by The Angels) are lesser-known gems.  The sound quality if excellent; much better than I remember hearing through my transistor radio.  Production values, many of which are by George "Shadow" Morton, are in the "wall of sound" vein usually associated with Phil Spector.
~ The reason for the 4-star rather than 5-star rating is the short timing of the disk.  Rhino has demonstrated on their numerous other compilations that they have licensing access to enough great music to have fleshed this CD out to a more reasonable 70+ minutes.
2485350
Gotta be a fan to really enjoy this recording.  There were a few songs I did not have on vinyl which this took care of.  Great 60's band with their own style and sound.  I'm glad to have purchased this one, only thing is you really have to like them to appreciate this.
3353658
John's Children are always connected with Marc Bolan  (who was in the band briefly) which seems to be the band's only claim to fame.  But the band had an interesting sound during the late 60's.  Admittedly they were a minor band during an era when so many other better  bands were getting all the attention.

But don't discount this band altogether.  They released several pretty good singles under the management of Simon Napier Bell (who felt they were "positively the worst group I'd ever seen") who also managed The Yardbirds during this period.  The band's sound  (a cross between rock/pop/mod/psyche influences) was definitely of it's period.  But several of the singles are well worth hearing if you're a fan (like me) of that period of British music.  Tracks like "The Love I Thought I'd Found", "Strange Affair", the banned in the U.S. and BBC "Desdemona" (with Marc Bolan's vocals), and several others are all good examples of British psyche. Combining swirling organ and stabs of electric guitar, occasional sound effects, and a sometimes early Who-like sound (sometimes using session musicians), the music has a fresh period sound and feel.

This set has all the band's singles and many solo sides by singer Andy Ellison, and several alternate versions and a couple of instrumentals.  Plus there's three tracks by The Silence, John's Children by another earlier name.  And when you include their fake "live" album "Orgasm", you now have everything the band recorded during this period.  Even some of the alternates are worth hearing.  Check out the alternate of "Strange Affair" with Dusty Springfield, Madeline Bell, and Rod Stewart on background vocals.  Oftentimes the alternate tracks were altered both lyrically and instrumentally which gave some of these sides a freshness different from the originals.

While it's too bad the original master tapes have been missing/destroyed for many years, the sound is actually pretty good/good.  For this set good quality vinyl record sources were used--not a copy of a CD copy.  So this sounds pretty darn good overall.  The 21 page booklet has an excerpt from Andy Ellison's forth coming autobiography which tells the band's story during their hey-day.  Plus there's period photos (including a great shot of the band on stage) and other memorabilia.  There's also track by track notes by Ellison which helps give this music some foundation, and puts the music in better perspective for listeners.

If you're a fan of late 60's British pop/psyche/rock you should probably check this out.  I wasn't really expecting too much in the way of good, interesting music, but I was wrong.  The lyrics are prime era wacky/innocent sometimes, but the arrangements are  better than you'd think.  After listening to this collection I have to confess that I'm a convert to John's Children--and not because of Bolan's fleeting presence--the band was interesting before and after him.  An interesting second-tier band.
88900
The Critters are remembered, if remembered at all, for their harmony rich soft-rock original, "Mr. Dieingly Sad," and their straightforward cover of the Lovin' Spoonful's "Younger Girl." But in three years on Kama Sutra and Kapp they waxed numerous other terrific sides, heavy on the vocal harmonies and light on the beat. Their first single, a cover of Jackie DeShannon's "Children and Flowers" brings to mind other under appreciated mid-60s harmony pop acts like The Robbs and Every Mother's Son. The minor chords of "He'll Make You Cry" bring to mind the Left Banke, and the backing vocals the Beau Brummels. When the group moved the tempo upbeat and added some edge, such as on "Little Girl" and "It Just Won't Be That Way" they sound a bit like The Nightcrawlers or Five Americans, albeit with more of a rumpus room sound than that of a genuine garage. The band wrote most of their own material, and though it's lightweight by design, it has memorable melodies and vocal arrangements. Dylan's nasal influence can be heard on the folk-blues original "New York Bound," and some of the latter sides, particularly 1967's "Walk Like a Man Again" caught up with the folk-rock of a year or two earlier. Everything here is crisply remastered in true stereo except for cuts 4 and 19, which are mono. This is a terrific compilation of underappreciated vocal pop gems. 4-1/2 stars, if allowed fractional ratings. [2007-2015 Hyperbolium]
2096298
Many years ago, I owned both of these LP records. It is GREAT to see them re-issued on CD. The first four recordings are perhaps the very best from Judys' "folk period". (see my review of 3 & 4)

There are some minor technical problems on the first record (not bad, but noticeable), no doubt due to the age of the original tape. If you are a fan of folk-era music, this CD is a must !