Girls! Girls! Girls! – ELVIS PRESLEY***

Girls! Girls! Girls!/I Don’t Want To Be Tied/Where Do You Come From/I Don’t Want To/We’ll Get Together/A Boy Like Me A Girl Like You/Earth Boy/Return To Sender/Because Of Love/Thanks To The Rolling Sea/Song Of The Shrimp/The Walls Have Ears/We’re Coming In Loaded

Girls! Girls! Girls! was the start of Elvis Presley’s mid-1960s slide into mediocrity as he came to rely on sub par movie soundtrack albums. Includes the redeeming track Return To Sender, a US No. 2 and UK No. 1 hit single. (US:3 UK:2)

“Only one essential song, the mega hit Return To Sender. The rest is plain filler.”

“Girls Girls Girls is not considered to be one of the better Elvis Presley films. It was universally panned at the time of its release. The mid-tempo pop track Return To Sender remains one of Elvis’s signature songs. There were several other quality tracks. The title song was a smooth uptempo number that still makes most people smile. The rocking I Don’t Wanna Be Tied and Thanks To The Rolling Sea are both very listenable and stand on their own merits outside of the movie’s context. The downside is that it is the first film to present a growing number of poorer quality songs. It is only because of Elvis’ voice that they are acceptable.”

“This album marks the beginning of Presley's 1960s decline into near irrelevance. He was already locked into making awful movies; here it's made painfully clear that the songs wouldn't be any better. Only the title track and Return To Sender make any significant positive impression amid the pointless garbage being peddled here.”

“By 1962 Elvis movies were quickly becoming an assembly line of uninventive plots and forgettable music. The dispensability of Elvis' movie music is highlighted by the parallel quality of his regular material, which in 1962 included Good Luck Charm and She's Not You. Elvis rose to the occasion when given quality material, and could make magic happen with mediocre songs, but even the King couldn't turn lead into gold. The bulk of the album features good-if-not-great rock 'n' roll numbers and several forgettable ballads.”

“The movie was pleasant and fun and the album is the same. It helps however if you have seen the movie when listening to the album. This is an average Elvis soundtrack with the title song being the only real keeper.”

Bo Diddley – BO DIDDLEY***

I Can Tell/Mr Khrushchev/Diddling/Give Me A Break/Bo’s Bounce/Please Mr Engineer/Who May Your Lover Be/You Can’t Judge A Book By Looking At The Cover/Babes In The Wood/Sad Sack/Mama Don’t Allow No Twistin’/You All Green/Bo’s Twist

R & B guitar legend Bo Diddley achieved his first UK album chart success with this self titled set. It should not be confused with Bo's eponymous first album released in 1958. (UK:11)

"Includes the monumental You Can't Judge A Book By Its Cover (written by Willie Dixon) and its much covered original B-side I Can Tell, as well as a sprinkling of Bo's always popular dual-guitar instrumentals."

"Bo Diddley was a huge influence on the British blues revolution of the sixties especially on bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Pretty Things, The Yardbirds and The Animals, to name just a few."

"The lyrics of his songs were relatively simple, the secret was in the rhythm. His sound was quite unique and way ahead of its time."

"Diddley's style (and the famous Diddley beat) hardly changes. This is no bad thing, as he knocked out track after track of classic uptempo blues."

"A lot of white rock & rollers obviously learned a thing or two from this LP, whether it was doing a cover version of one of the songs, or just taking notes on what a proper rock & roll band should sound like."

"The instrumentals Diddling and especially Sad Sack show Bo's experimental side, with trebly, off-kilter reverb-drenched lead guitar played over repetitive bass and drum rhythms."

"Mama Don't Allow No Twistin' and Bo's Twist are two of my least favourite - halfhearted attempts at cashing in on the Twist fad. Bo's Twist is also completely out of tune, which doesn't help."

Big Band Bossa Nova – ENOCH LIGHT****

Desafinado/One Note Samba/Perdido/E Luxo So/Galanura/Lullaby Of Birdland/Rio Junction/Sem Saudades De Voce/La Puerta Del Sol/Brazil/Besame Mucho/Tak The A Train

On Big Band Bossa Nova audiophile arranger Enoch Light turns his attention to some Latin tunes for his distinctive stereophonic treatment. Although this was his last US top twenty album, his LPs continued to make the lower reaches of the chart until the early 1970s. (US:8)

“In 1962, the well-known conductor and audiophile avant-gardist Enoch Light gathered a big band around him to present twelve Latin songs, some of them classics, others brand new. And the band really is big, as 22 musicians play vivid, upbeat interpretations.”

“As is common with big band albums, you either like the jumpy performance and incessant shifts between gentle breezes and rumbling eruptions or you soon tire of them. In the right doses, every big band album works. I believe Enoch Light's Big Band Bossa Nova is no exception to this rudimentary rule of thumb. The songs are presented in pitch-perfect sound quality, and the insistence on Latin mannerisms and particular keys is surprisingly low.”

“Those who cannot stand the overly clichéd and stereotypical presentation of Latin material should give Big Band Bossa Nova a spin, as the vast majority of it is free of any old fashioned garbage.”

“This is definitely one of the better covers of One Note Samba, a very good arrangement indeed. But then it's quite rare to be disappointed by Enoch and his band.”

Surfin’ Safari – THE BEACH BOYS***

Surfin’ Safari/County Fair/Ten Little Indians/Chug-A-Lug/Little Miss America/409/Surfin’/Heads You Win Tails I Lose/Summertime Blues/Cuckoo Clock/Moon Dawg/The Shift

Surfin’ Safari was the debut album from The Beach Boys, one of the greatest rock acts of the 1960s. A poor start but they would soon get a lot, lot better. The title track was a US No. 14 hit single. (US:32)

“An incredibly uninspired debut album from The Beach Boys. Plenty of feel-good, party intended music, but it just makes you cringe rather than feel good.”

“I don't think any of this is essential and certainly not groundbreaking. That being said, it's a fairly listenable album if nothing more and the number of original songs for a 1962 debut is respectable. The Beach Boys' sound would vastly improve almost immediately after, so this is interesting more on a historical level. The pacing is decent with the better tracks being interspersed through the album tastefully, and although the highs are nothing to write home about, there's nothing that is bad here either.”

“The Beach Boys are well-known for their harmonic prowess, but they certainly had plenty of work to do; the 'hit' the album is based around, Surfin' Safari, sorely needs the vocal precision that would characterize their work in a few short years.”

“It was common in the early 1960s to build albums around a few hit songs and the early Beach Boys albums would follow this trend. Thus Surfin’ Safari contains a lot of what can only be called filler songs. Such throwaway songs as Cuckoo Clock, Moon Dawg and The Shift have mercifully disappeared into the mists of time. Surfin’ Safari remains historically important as the first release from one of the great American rock & roll bands. While its sound would be quickly replaced by the brilliance of future Beach Boys recordings, in 1962 it was still a significant first step.”

“As is typical for albums released about this time, their souls were owned by the record company. They had little creative control, so the results of this debut album are predictably sketchy. It was rushed out really fast, recorded very quickly with whatever songs the group happened to have lying around, plus a single or two. Thus the album is inconsistent, with just a few indicators of their genius for singing and crafting melodies. As you would expect, the singles are the best songs here. And one of them is totally classic - the opening Surfin' Safari is the ultimate surfing ode.”

All Alone – FRANK SINATRA****

All Alone/The Girl Next Door/Are You Lonesome Tonight/Charmaine/What’ll I Do/When I Lost You/Oh I Miss You Tonight/Indiscreet/Remember/Together/The Song Is Ended

All Alone was a concept album from Frank Sinatra where he explores unrequited or disappointed love. Some commentators found it to be rather too depressing. (US:25)

“All Alone may not be a complete failure, but it is certainly not a great success. Though Sinatra wages a strong war with his voice, All Alone is a losing battle. There are too many songs with too little variation in terms of theme, tempo and production. The album is persistently depressing to the point where it is positively exhausting.”

“All Alone reflects the thematic content of the album, which is filled with torch songs, tales of unrequited love, and tunes about romance gone wrong. Needless to say, this is not the jazzy, swinging, finger-snapping side of Sinatra, but rather the slow and tepid side of Sinatra’s discography.”

“On the whole, this isn't a Sinatra album to be overwhelmed by, but rather one to play as the shadows fall across the lawn in the early autumn twilight, listened to (preferably alone, to heighten the mood) over brandy and a nice, aromatic cigar. Recommended, despite its flaws.”

“This LP is nothing short of a masterpiece. Sinatra is in top vocal form as once again he guides us through the sorrows of lost loves, hopes and dreams. He doesn't just sing the music, he sings the words. Words by master song-crafter Irving Berlin are embellished by Sinatra's full emotional range and delivered expertly to the listener with lush arrangements by Gordon Jenkins.”

“Sinatra is in excellent voice on this and Jenkin's arrangements are superb. Together they really set the mood. I'm sure Irving Berlin was thrilled when he heard this LP. I'd venture to guess that he never heard his songs done so well.”

"Only one thing keeps this album from being a dismal failure: Sinatra himself. His vocal performance is particularly effective throughout, and is characterized by a surprising depth of feeling. At times his voice is soft and pleading, while at others it is startlingly powerful, as if he is gaining confidence in the anguish of the material.”

What Kind Of Fool Am I – SAMMY DAVIS JR****

What Kind Of Fool Am I/Once In A Lifetime/A Lot Of Livin’ To Do/Begin The Beguine/Can’t We Be Friends/ Something’s Coming/Gonna Build A Mountain/Someone Nice Like You/Too Close For Comfort/My Romance/ Thou Swell/Lost In The Stars

Versatile vocalist Sammy Davis Jr’s first album on the Reprise label, What Kind Of Fool Am I, consists of show tunes arranged by Marty Paich. The Grammy winning title track was a US No. 17 hit single. (US:14)

“What Kind Of Fool Am I would go on to become one of Davis' most revered and highest charting long-players during the 1960s. Under the direction of Marty Paich, Davis practically redefines himself as a decidedly hip and modern interpreter of American popular song. This in itself is notable, as rock & roll had all but relegated singers of his calibre to becoming dinosaurs. But nothing could be further from the truth, as many of the melodies gathered here remained essential entries in Davis' performance repertoire for the rest of his career.”

“Few singers can match this man's voice. You can count 'em on two hands. This man is on the first set of five fingers. But thank you Mr. Davis for recordings that are up there with the best in the business.”

“Sammy Davis, Jr. saw Stop The World I Want To Get Off and decided to record four songs from the show. He also recorded eight other songs from stage shows to have enough songs for an album. What Kind Of Fool Am I became Sammy's first hit song for Reprise Records and also won the Grammy for Song of the Year. This is a very good album highlighted by a version of Begin The Beguine where Sammy is only accompanied by drums. Sammy fans will dig it.”

“This guy was the epitome of style and class. His voice and talent were truly one of a kind. Such massive ability.”

“Quite simply, every kid who is considering a career as a singer should be made to watch as much of Sammy as possible before picking up a microphone. If for no other reason than to teach by example. One of our true treasures in this world.”

Warm & Willing – ANDY WILLIAMS****

Embraceable You/How Long Has This Been Going On/The Touch Of Your Lips/I See Your Face Before Me/The Way You Look Tonight/If Ever I Would Leave You/My One & Only Love/Stranger On The Shore/Warm All Over/ More Than You Know/Love Is Here To Stay/Warm & Willing

For Warm & Willing relaxed easy listening vocalist Andy Williams goes back to the 1920s and 1930s for inspiration on most of these romantic popular standards. (US:16)

“It consists largely of pop standards from the 1920s and '30s. Williams and his arranger, Robert Mersey, were taking a leaf from Frank Sinatra's songbook and constructing a concept album of great ballads that set a romantic mood.”

“Warm & Willing showcases some of the best work Andy Williams ever recorded; the sound is immensely rich and enveloping, the vocals as warm as a balmy summer evening, and the arrangements as heavenly old fashioned as all the stars in the night sky. Luxuriate in this album and I defy you to ever want to listen to the tinny teenage trivia that passes for talent nowadays. A master at his masterful best.”

“Andy Williams really shines on this LP with beautiful orchestrations and incredible singing. This album will be one of your most played.”

“Andy is in excellent form throughout this LP; indeed, every song is exquisite as only he could make it with that amazing voice of his. His sense of timing, his phrasing, and his diction all combine to enhance his singing even more terrific.”

“Romantics of this world, fix yourself a drink, sit down on your sofa and put this LP on. This is Andy Williams at his peak, delivering the goods for his fans. Crooning is an art that we have almost forgotten. This is one of my favourite recordings, each song is so intimate and the words so meaningful.”

“Warm & Willing, contained many classic songs from the Great American Songbook, including three Gershwin compositions and an outstanding version of The Way You Look Tonight. Among these oldies is a song that was new at the time - Stranger On The Shore."

“This LP starts off with Andy singing his heart out on two classic Gershwin tunes. The arrangements are beautiful and Andy delivers these with great sensitivity.”