The Raindrops

good

Die CD ist insgesamt sehr gut, aber Abzug gibt es für einige Titel die so zwangsstereoisiert wurden, dass man sie sich unbedingt in MONO wünschen würde.

ザ・レインドロップスは、作曲チームとして多くのヒットを放ったエリー・グリニッチ＆ジェフ・バリーによるグループ。リードはエリー、女性コーラスもエリーの多重録音、そしてジェフ・バリーはベース・ヴォーカルを担当。ジャケット写真は上からエリー、ジェフ、エリーの妹のローラ。ローラはジャケット写真のみで、歌には参加していないそうです。本CDは1999年に米コレクタブルズより発売されたもので、20曲収録。唯一のアルバム収録の12曲以外にも、シングル盤などからプラスして編集されています。ステレオ録音は2、5、6、7、9、11、12で、他はモノーラルですが、なかなか迫力のある音質となっています。ザ・クリスタルズやボブ・B・ソックス、ザ・フォー・ペニーズ（ザ・シフォンズの変名グループ）などに提供した曲のセルフ・カヴァーを始め、当然ですがほとんどの曲が自作。後にトミー・ジェームス＆ザ・ションデルズでナンバー・ワン・ヒットとなる「Hanky Panky」のオリジナル・ヴァージョンも収録。ヒットした「What A Guy」、「The Kind Of Boy You Can't Forget」、「That Boy John」、「Book Of Love」、「One More Tear」以外にも、良い曲が多いです。ジ・オーキッズという無名グループに提供した「That Boy's Messin' Up My Mind」や、ザ・ディキシー・カップスが歌った「Another Boy Like Mine」などは特に良い出来。それにしても、エリーは歌が上手い。自作の歌を吹き込んで売りみ、業界で付いたあだ名は「デモ・クイーン」。ライターになる前はソロ歌手だったのですが、成功しなかったのは不思議です。

テレビバラエティーのオープニングで有名なHanky Pankyから６０年代のリズムたちが　他のボーカルバージョンで有名な曲を含め、このRAINDOROPSバージョンで又新しい発見がある一枚だと思います。６０年代ガールズから　又奥に入った感じです

Since I was a child of the 70's, i had almost missed some of the greatest stuff from the 60's, if it were not for my older sister, who lived through the 60's. I missed an era of music that helped define how pop music had changed in such a way that no longer were vocal groups fabricated, but honest to goodness groups who wrote their own music, and performed their own instruments.In between all of that, were those who wrote and produced. Ellie Greenwich, and Jeff Barry, two very talented individuals took songwriting and producing to many levels.The late Ellie Greenwich dabbled in recording from an early age, and Jeff, a talented writer who had a few writing credits on some pop songs met up and decided to collaborate. To see how much material they amassed in such a short span on time, well, not enough space here.This cd includes almost all of their recordings under the name of The Raindrops, a name that Ellie took when Dee Clark's 'Raindrops' was #1 on the Pop charts.Mind you, most of these tracks are demos, a product that a producer creates to give a singer an idea of what the vocal 'sound' should be like. Ellie and Jeff worked for Trio Music, and while trying to peddle one of their new songs that was on acetate to their boss, he liked it so much that he wanted the song to be released, just as it was. Thus we have 'What A Guy'. With added drums and echo, the song was released and actually did well on the Pop charts.As for the other songs, including one of my favorites 'The Kind Of Boy You Can't Forget', the sound is pure pop.Ellie and Jeff's work extended to working with Phil Spector, creating classics like 'Da Doo Ron Ron', to their nurturing the talent of Neil Diamond.For a fun listen, this cd delivers.

This obscure group includes two Rock and Rock songwriter hall of famers, Jeff Barry and Ellen Greenwich. The only reason I purchased this was to verify that song #26 (no credits given) on another CD, 'The Girl Group Sound' (Red Bird Records) was the same song as The Raindrops 'Another Boy Like Mine'. This was the case, but after listening to other Raindrop songs I was pleasantly surprised with some of the other songs. I like two songs that I believe were written and recorded by the RainDrops before other groups made them famous: 'Hanky Panky' and 'Da Doo Ron Ron'. Other songs on the CD that I had never heard before but like is 'What A Guy', 'Isn't That Love', 'Not Too Young to Get Married', and 'Let's Go Together'. And lastly I like their version of 'Book of Love' and 'Don't Let Go', written by others. Sometimes Jeff Barry's occasional deep vocals get in the way, but he wrote it so he can sing on it.

With the talent here I was expecting a little more...but I guess everyone has to start somewhere. Sort of worth it for the single (The Kind Of Boy...) which is really fantastic, but the rest sometimes a little flat.