LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

During the decade that bridged the first flowering of rock’n’roll and the rise of self-sufficient writer-performers such as Bob Dylan and the Beatles, the record charts were dominated by artists who, in the main, did not write their own material. At this time an exciting crop of talented young songwriters began to emerge.

Over the last couple of years we have built up an impressive series of songwriter-based compilations focusing on the work of the Burt Bacharach, Jackie DeShannon, Randy Newman and the Leiber & Stoller, Pomus & Shuman, Greenwich & Barry, Mann & Weil and Goffin & King teams.

“Honey & Wine” is our second foray into the songbook of Gerry Goffin and Carole King, one of the most lauded songwriting partnerships of all-time. As with our earlier volume, the set includes familiar hits such as Maxine Brown’s ‘Oh No Not My Baby’, the Drifters’ ‘Up On The Roof’ and Gene McDaniels’ ‘Point Of No Return’, overlooked gems (Chuck Jackson’s ‘I Need You’, Jan & Dean’s ‘The Best Friend I Ever Had’ and ‘I Happen To Love You’ by the Myddle Class, to name just three and new-to-CD rarities ‘Stage Door’ by Peter James, ‘They’re Jealous Of Me’ by Connie Stevens and Carolyn Daye’s ‘A Long Way To Be Happy’.

1. Every Breath I Take - GENE PITNEY

2. Oh No, Not My Baby - MAXINE BROWN

3. Up On The Roof - THE DRIFTERS

4. Not Just Tomorrow, But Always (Mono single version)

5. Tell Daddy - BEN E KING

6. He Knows I Love Him Too Much - ARLENE SMITH

7. Point Of No Return - GENE MCDANIELS

8. The Best Friend I Ever Had - JAN & DEAN

9. Make The Night A Little Longer - TAMMY MONTGOMERY

10. Go Away Little Girl - BOBBY VEE

11. Brand New World - FREDDIE SCOTT

12. They're Jealous Of Me - CONNIE STEVENS

13. I Need You - CHUCK JACKSON

14. That Boy I Used To Know - ANDREA CARROLL

15. Stage Door - PETER JAMES

16. He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss) - JODY MILLER

17. Don't Forget About Me - BARBARA LEWIS

18. Pleasant Valley Sunday - THE MONKEES

19. A Long Way To Be Happy - CAROLYN DAYE

20. Honey & Wine - THE HOLLIES 

21. Take A Giant Step - THE RISING SONS

22. Is This What I Get For Loving You - MARIANNE FAITHFULL

23. Child Of Mine - JACKIE DESHANNON

24. I Happen To Love You - THE MYDDLE CLASS

25. So Goes Love - THE TURTLES

26. No Easy Way Down - NANCY WILSON

Compilation and notes by Mick Patrick and Tony Rounce