Various
The Red Bird Story Part Two (2lp)
Double 180-gram deluxe vinyl DMM cut. 60 original recordings from the celebrated New York label including classic tracks from The Shangri-Las, The Dixie Cups and more. Founded in 1964 by esteemed songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Red Bird Records may only have been operational for three years, but during that time the label became synonymous with the '60s girl group sound, particularly due to the success of The Shangri-Las and The Dixie Cups, both of whom scored No.1 hits for Red Bird in its fledgling year. The secret to Red Bird's 'Hit factory' lay in no small part with the chart-topping Brill Building songwriting team of Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, who had earlier penned hits for producer Phil Spector's Ronettes and Crystals. In the years prior to the British Invasion, the husband and wife team wrote prolifically for most of the label's biggest names, including the aforementioned Shangri-Las ('Leader Of The Pack', 'Out In The Streets') and Dixie Cups ('Chapel Of Love') The Butterflys ('Goodnight Baby'), Sam Hawkins ('Hold On Baby'), The Ad Libs ('He Ain't No Angel') and Andy Kim ('Hear You Say'), as well as occasionally recording in their own right. This deluxe 4LP set, split into two parts, draws together the best of Red Bird, along with tracks from its Blue Cat Soul/R&B subsidiary and material from the short-lived Tiger and Daisy affiliates. Carefully compiled and annotated by Roger Dopson, this compilation incorporates lesser-heard gems alongside the labels' major hits. TRACKLISTING: DISC #1: 01. THE SHANGRI-LAS - OUT IN THE STREETS 02. JEFF BARRY - I'LL STILL LOVE YOU 03. JIMMY RICE - OR NOT AT ALL 04. RONNIE MITCHELL - HAVING A PARTY 05. THE TRADE WINDS - THE GIRL FROM GREENWICH VILLAGE 06. SAM HAWKINS - HOLD ON, BABY 07. STEVE ROSSI - NOBODY BUT YOU 08. THE AD-LIBS - ASK ANYBODY 09. THE BOUQUETS - WELCOME TO MY HEART 10. THE GOODIES - THE DUM DUM DITTY 11. EVIE SANDS - TAKE ME FOR A LITTLE WHILE 12. ELLIE GREENWICH - YOU DON'T KNOW 13. ELLIE GREENWICH - BABY 14. BARRY MANN - WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS PLACE 15. RODDIE JOY - IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT (LET ME KNOW). DISC #2: 01. ANDY KIM - I HEAR YOU SAY (I LOVE YOU, BABY) 02. ORPHEUS - MY LIFE 03. JIMMIE CROSS - HEY, LITTLE GIRL 04. SAM HAWKINS - I KNOW IT'S ALL RIGHT 05. EVIE SANDS - I CAN'T LET GO 06. SIDNEY BARNES - I HURT ON THE OTHER SIDE 07. TINY TIM - LITTLE GIRL 08. TINY TIM - APRIL SHOWERS 09. LINDA JONES - FUGITIVE FROM LOVE 10. DIDI NOEL - LET THE MUSIC PLAY 11. RAL DONNER - IT WILL ONLY MAKE ME LOVE YOU MORE 12. RAL DONNER - LOVE ISN'T LIKE THAT 13. KANE & ABEL - HE WILL BREAK YOUR HEART 14. THE YOUNG GENERATION - THE HIDEAWAY 15. THE SHANGRI-LAS - PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE.