Various Artists - Hard To Find 45s On CD Volume 12 60s 70s Pop Classics (19 tracks) +Album Reviews

Another Winner From Eric Records!

Music Luvr | 02/28/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Eric Records continues to impress with another fabulous volume in their Hard to Find 45s on CD series! Hard to Find 45s on CD, Volume 12: 60s & 70s Pop Classics starts off with the world premier of the stereo mix of the #1 hit, "Game of Love" by Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders, which sounds superb! The CD includes many songs which made the Top 20 as well as some which peaked just outside of the Top 20. I was particularly pleased that Eric Records included "Toast and Marmalade for Tea" by Tin Tin, which rarely gets any airplay on most so-called oldies stations. The rare stereo mixes of "Dancing in the Moonlight" by King Harvest and "Black Pearl" by Sonny Charles & The Checkmates, Ltd. are included on the CD and sound wonderful! As with all Eric Records CDs, the song selections, sequencing, sound quality, and the included booklet are all top notch! Eric Records appears to be the only remaining company in the U.S. producing this type of various artist compilation. We are fortunate that they take such great pride in producing collections that are valuable and enjoyable additions to our music libraries! This CD collects many songs which you already know and love and will introduce you to some great songs which you may have missed back in the 60s and 70s!"

Keeps the Ball Rollin'

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 02/23/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"In this latest volume of Eric Records' "Hard to Find 45's on CD", the music spans the period from the British invasion to the heart of the disco era. The pop tunes collected here run the gamut from Shirley Ellis' pre-novelty phase r'n'b ditty "The Nitty Gritty" through the Sandpipers' dreamy "Come Saturday Morning". Amongst the tasty other flavors here are the Spectorian grandeur of "Black Pearl", the foreign-language hit "Eres Tu", Smith's harder-edged remake of the Shirelles' early 60's classic "Baby It's You" and the Gibb music factory's "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" from youngest brother Andy.

Among the 19 tracks, all but two were top-20 45's in their day but even those two slightly lower charting tunes, namely Chris Montez' "Call Me" and Coven's "One Tin Soldier", were both more widely known than their relatively unimpressive chart positions would imply. And, while billed as "hard-to-find", there are no obscurities here and most fans of music from the era will be drawn into the majority of these songs within the first few notes.

Although there are no new-to-CD tracks in this collection, what elevates this piece above the pack is Eric's commitment to production standards. Sound quality is paramount here and what truly makes this collection unique is the first-time new stereo mix of "Game of Love". All the other tracks included are stereo single versions with the exception of the lone mono track, "Toast and Marmalade for Tea". And, as with previous volumes in this long-running series, the music is brought to life in another dimension through the extensive liner notes booklet.

This most recent effort from Eric Records is another outstanding entry in their lineup of CD reissues and compilations. If there were anything to have been desired here, it would have been the appearance of one or more of the charting tunes of the era that has yet to appear on legitimate CD. Perhaps that is a wish to be fulfilled in (hopefully) further volumes in the series. Until then, we can all enjoy what Eric continues to do better than any other domestic reissue company - with this and the other CD's - in their top-notch series of "Hard to Find CD's on 45"."

Hard to Find 45s-Volume 12 (60's and 70's Pop Classics)

Mitchell S. Friedman | Walnut Creek, CA | 03/31/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am collector of obscure yet still great recordings that might have not got the credit they deserved when they were first released, so this collection is right up my alley. After all, if you do NOT like "Apple, Peaches, Pumpkin Pie" or "Long Lonesome Highway" then this collection is not for you. if you love those songs as I do, then this collection is a must-have for you."

Another winner in the series

Music fan in the Midwest | USA | 03/07/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I have more than a half-dozen Eric "Hard to Find 45s on CD" compilations (and that series' various offshoots -- "Orchestral Instrumentals," "Pop Instrumentals," etc.), and I've always been impressed with the superb remastering on them. Eric's engineering/research/production team can always be counted on to spend the requisite time on each analog track to bring out even the subtlest nuances of the instruments and voices for a great listening experience in the Digital Age. (The Sir Douglas Quintet's remastered "Mendocino" on the "Dick Bartley Presents: Classic Oldies 1965-1969" compilation deserves some kind of "We Baby Boomers Thank You, Eric Records" award.)

Volume 12 of "Hard to Find 45s on CD" is another winner. It, like earlier volumes in the series, offers a wide range of styles and performers. So, as with earlier volumes, I bought this one for specific songs (and usually for a different reason for any given song). In some cases, I wanted a digital upgrade of a song I've had in my collection for years (e.g., "Dancing In The Moonlight" and "Toast And Marmalade For Tea" -- which is in mono but the remastering allows it to really soar). In other cases, I didn't have the recording at all (e.g., "Keep The Ball Rollin'" and the stereo mix of "Game Of Love"), and Eric Records kindly saw fit to provide it.

For me, standout cuts include the four I've just mentioned, as well as "Born A Woman," which is a longer version than the one I have on another remastered compilation and which features a different (and, I think, better) vocal on the fade, and "Black Pearl," a terrific, soulful performance from Sonny Charles and the Checkmates, Ltd., and one of producer Phil Spector's finest "wall of sound" arrangements. In his detailed liner notes to the CD, author and historian Fred Bronson calls this stereo presentation "breathtaking," and that's not hype, folks. It really is that good. Play the track through your speakers, not the headphones, and let it fill the room; you'll hear for yourself.

One track that I actually prefer in a previous incarnation is Shirley Ellis's "The Nitty Gritty." The remastered sound here is, of course, excellent, but it's a shorter version than the one that leads off "The Very Best Of Shirley Ellis" (Taragon Records, 1995) by a good 30 seconds and has a different mix than the one I'm used to. This 2:20 version from Eric is likely the Top 40 radio edit that I originally heard as an adolescent in late 1963/early 1964, but because I've been listening to the nearly 3-minute version for 15 years now, it remains my favorite by default (plus, the sound quality on the Taragon CD is also excellent).

Eric Records continues to provide us older fans with superb compilations of recordings from the 1960s and 1970s. Granted, some tracks are available on other remastered CDs (e.g., "Garden Party"), and a few older baby boomers like me may not recall some of the mid-1970s tracks (e.g., "I Like Dreamin'" or "Do You Wanna Make Love") as well as they recall the older hits. But Eric Records has done it again. This new volume 12 is another winner in the "Hard to Find 45s on CD" series.

"

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