The Red Bird Story on 2 CDs

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 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. Rising Phoenix-like from earlier try-outs with Tiger (founded in 1962) and later Daisy (in 1963), Red Bird was unique among indie labels in that its output was of a consistently high standard and almost half of its releases made a commercial impact.

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’d previously penned hits for producer Phil Spector’s Ronettes and Crystals. In the years prior to the British Invasion, the husband and wife 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 (‘I Hear You Say’), as well as occasionally recording in their own right.

This deluxe two disc set 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 is a worthy successor to previous volumes incorporating lesser-heard gems alongside the major hits. (charly. co. uk)

Disc 1
Tippy & The Clovers – Bossa Nova Baby
Cathy Saint Big Bad World
Moody & The Deltas Everybody Come Clap Your Hands
Leola & The Lovejoys He Ain’t No Angel
Bessie Banks Go Now
Dee Dee Warwick Don’t Think My Baby’s Coming Back
The Dixie Cups Chapel Of Love
Alvin Robinson Something You Got
The Jelly Beans I Wanna Love Him So Bad
Chi Chi McCauley I Know He Loves Me
The Rockaways Top Down Time
The Shangri-Las Remember (Walkin’ In The Sand)
The Butterflys Goodnight Baby
Alvin Robinson Down Home Girl
The Jelly Beans Baby Be Mine
The Dixie Cups No True Love
The Shangri-Las Leader Of The Pack
Barry Mann Talk To Me Baby
The Butterflys I Wonder
Ellie Greenwich Another Boy Like Mine
The Dixie Cups Wrong Direction
The Ad-Libs The Boy From New York City
The Tradewinds New York’s A Lonely Town
Roddy Joy Come Back Baby
Roddy Joy Love Hit Me With A Wallop
The Soul Brothers I Got A Dream
Jimmy Rice Spanish Perfume
Alvin Robinson I’m Gonna Put Some Hurt On You
The Dixie Cups Iko Iko
The Shangri-Las Out In The Streets

Disc 2
Jeff Barry I’ll Still Love You
Jimmy Rice Or Not At All
Ronnie Mitchell Having A Party
The Tradewinds The Girl From Greenwich Village
Sam Hawkins Hold On Baby
Steve Rossi Nobody But You
The Ad-Libs Ask Anybody
The Bouquets Welcome To My Heart
The Goodies The Dum Dum Ditty
Evie Sands Take Me For A Little While
Ellie Greenwich You Don’t Know
Ellie Greenwich Baby
Barry Mann We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
Vic Donna I Won’t Be Me Anymore
Roddy Joy If There’s Anything Else You Want (Let Me Know)
Andy Kim I Hear You Say (I Love You Baby)
Orpheus My Life
Jimmy Cross Hey Little Girl
Sam Hawkins I Know It’s Alright
Evie Sands I Can’t Let Go
Sidney Barnes I Hurt On The Other Side
Tiny Tim Little Girl
Tiny Tim April Showers
Linda Jones Fugitive From Love
Didi Noel Let The Music Play
Ral Donner It Will Only Make You Love Me More
Ral Donner Love Isn’t Like That
Kane & Abel He Will Break Your Heart
The Young Generation The Hideaway
The Shangri-Las Past, Present & Future

Rezensionen

,,Unterm Strich steht ein Top-Kapitel amerikanischer Musikgeschichte der Frühsechziger und ein Füllhorn mit Raritäten dazu." (Good Times, 06 / 07.2011)