Volume 1: Popsicles And Icicles (1995)

01. The Exciters – Do-Wah Diddy
02. Betty Everett – You’re No Good
03. Shirley Ellis – The Name Game
04. The Cookies – Chains
05. Carole King – It Might As Well Rain Until September
06. Earl-Jean – I’m Into Something Good
07. Skeeter Davis – I Can’t Stay Mad At You
08. Little Peggy March – I Wish I Were A Princess
09. Linda Scott – I’ve Told Every Little Star		play
10. Janie Grant – Triangle
11. Toni Fisher – West Of The Wall
12. Dodie Stevens – Pink Shoe Laces
13. The Sensations – Music, Music, Music
14. The Hearts – Dear Abby
15. Reparata & The Delrons – Whenever A Teenager Cries
16. The Murmaids – Popsicles & Icicles
17. Robin Ward – Wonderful Summer
18. The Paris Sisters – I Love How You Love Me
19. Bonnie Guitar – Dark Moon
20. The Aquatones – You					play
21. The Angels – ‘Til
22. Kathy Young – The Great Pretender
23. Rosie & The Originals – Angel Baby
24. The Teen Queens – Eddie My Love
25. The Chantels – He’s Gone
26. The Shirelles – Dedicated To The One I Love
27. The Blossoms – Son-In-Law
28. The Essex – Easier Said Than Done

Leave it to one of England's premier re-issue labels to put together a compilation that rivals Rhino's excellent "The Girl Groups" series. While a few of these songs fall outside the strict definition of girl groups (1961-1965), this is a super collection and at 28 tracks you won't find a more generous single disc compilation.

There are a few late Fifties hits: 13-year-old Dodie Stevens' "Pink Shoe Laces," Gale Storm's "Dark Moon," and the Aquatones' "You." The rest are early-Sixties classics and also-rans.

You get the Exciters' version of "Do-Wah-Diddy" (later a No. 1 for Manfred Mann), Betty Everett's "You're No Good" (which Linda Ronstadt took to No. 1 in 1975) and the Cookies' lead singer Earl-Jean's minor hit "I'm Into Something Good" (which would become Herman's Hermits' first U.S. hit).

There are seven songs that overlap with the Rhino series, but that's a minor complaint. Where Rhino gave you the Angels' oft-anthologized "My Boyfriend's Back," here you get their earlier 1961 hit "'Til." While the Rhino series included three Shirelles' songs, it did not include their classic "Dedicated to the One I Love" found here.

This Ace release also includes several artists not on the Rhino series: "The Name Game" by Shirley Ellis, "I Wish I were a Princess" by Little Peggy March, "I've Told Every Little Star" by Linda Scott, and Rosie & The Originals' "Angel Baby."

Don't think of this as a competing series with Rhino, but a companion series. And just like Rhino, you get crisp, clean sound and extensive liner notes on each of the songs and the artists. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED ---Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE)

While the second volume of the Early Girls series is heavier on chart hits, the first collection offers more choice rarities (which, truth be told, is the real value in retrospectives of this kind). A handful of these 28 cuts are overly cloying (Earl-Jean's "I'm into Something Good" and Little Peggy March's "I Wish I Were a Princess" are almost sickeningly sweet), but the good far outweighs the bad -- alongside familiar singles like Shirley Ellis' "The Name Game" and the Shirelles' "Dedicated to the One I Love" are forgotten classics like Toni Fisher's amazing "West of the Wall" (an echo-drenched ode to Cold War-era romance) and Dodie Stevens' delightfully goofy "Pink Shoe Laces"; early favorites from Phil Spector (the Paris Sisters' "I Love How You Love Me") and Carole King (the superb "It Might as Well Rain Until September," her lone solo hit before breaking through with Tapestry a decade later) round out this smartly compiled, well-annotated and consistently engaging set. ---Jason Ankeny

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Volume 2: 1997

01. Barbie Gaye – My Boy Lollipop
02. The Exciters – Tell Him
03. Ruby & The Romantics – Our Day Will Come
04. The Secrets – Boy Next Door
05. The Pips – Everybeat Of My Heart
06. Lesley Gore – You Don’t Own Me
07. Terry & The Tunisians – The Street
08. Marcie Blane – Bobby’s Girl
09. The McGuire Sisters – Sugartime
10. The Bonnie Sisters – Cry Baby
11. Patience & Prudence – Tonight You Belong To Me	play
12. The Raindrops – Kind Of Boy You Can’t Forget
13. Peggy Lee – Fever
14. Dinah Washington – September In The Rain
15. Damita Jo – I’ll Save The Last Dance For You
16. April Stevens – Teach Me Tiger
17. Ann-Margret – I Just Don’t Understand
18. The Shirelles – I Met Him On A Sunday (Ronde Ronde)
19. Rosie & The Originals – Lonely Blue Nights
20. Babs Tino – Forgive Me (For Giving You Such A Bad Time)
21. Kathy Young & The Innocents – A Thousands Stars
22. The Sensations – Let Me In
23. The Chantels – Well, I Told You
24. The Hearts – Lonely Nights
25. The Pearlettes – Duchess Of Earl
26. The Blossoms – Move On					play
27. Gladys Knight & The Pips – Letter Full Of Tears
28. Timi Yuro – What’s A Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You)

This is a delightful 28-track compilation encompassing solo artists, girl groups and male backing groups fronted by a female lead singer. This second volume plows turf similar to the first, with an emphasis on Hot 100 hits like "Tell Him" by the Exciters, "Our Day Will Come" by Ruby and the Romantics, "Every Beat of My Heart" by the Pips, "Bobby's Girl" by Marcie Blaine, "A Thousand Stars" by Kathy Young, "Let Me In" by the Sensations, "Tonight You Belong to Me" by Patience and Prudence, and "You Don't Own Me" by Lesley Gore. But just as important to the big picture are left-field delights like Barbie Gaye's 1956 original of "My Boy Lollipop," Rosie and the Originals' Highland Records version of "Lonely Blue Nights," Terry and the Tunisians' "The Street," Babs Tino's "Forgive Me (For Giving You Such a Hard Time)" and Ann-Margret's "I Just Don't Understand," replete with early fuzztone guitar, backup from the Jordanaires and harmonica from Charlie McCoy. Selections from Peggy Lee ("Fever"), the Raindrops ("The Kind of Boy You Can't Forget"), the McGuire Sisters ("Sugartime"), the Bonnie Sisters ("Cry Baby"), April Stevens ("Teach Me Tiger"), and the Shirelles ("I Met Him On a Sunday") round out this excellent -- though wildly scattershot -- package. ---Cub Koda, All Music Guide

While the song selection on this second volume is not as strong as volume one, this UK Ace release still makes a fine companion to Rhino's Best of the Girl Groups series. Factor in that this single-disc compilation has 28 songs (only two of which appear on the Rhino series) and this is a real bargain.

Like volume one, there are a few Fifties selections: the McGuire Sisters No. 1 smash "Sugartime" (1958), the No. 4 hit "Tonight You Belong to Me" (1956) by Patience and Prudence, the Bonnie Sisters 1956 version of "Cry Baby" (not the 1963 cover version by Garnett Mimms), and Peggy Lee's sultry reading of the Little Willie John classic, "Fever," from 1958.

Lee, who sang with Benny Goodman in the Forties, on the surface seems something of an odd choice, but hers is the definitive version of this song. Dinah Washington, who sang with Lionel Hampton in the Forties, also makes an appearance with "September in the Rain" from 1961.

Volume two also features more obscure artists like Babs Tino ("Forgive Me"), Terry and The Tunisians ("The Street"), Barbie Gaye ("My Boy Lollipop"--not the Millie Small hit version), the Hearts ("Lonely Nights"), the Pearlettes ("Duchess of Ear"), the Blossoms ("Move On"), and April Stevens without her brother Nino Tempo ("Teach Me Tiger").

There are also hits that rarely get anthologized like "The Boy Next Door" (No. 18) by the Secrets, "What's a Matter Baby (Is It Hurting You) (No. 12) by Timi Yuro, "I'll Save the Last Dance for You" (No. 22) by Daminta Jo, and "I Just don't Understand" (No. 17) by movie starlet Ann-Margret.

Then there are the big hits like Ruby & the Romantics' No. 1 "Our Day Will Come," The Pips' first Top Ten from 1961 "Every Beat of My Heart," Marcie Blane's "Bobby's Girl," and the Sensations' "Let Me In."

If you love the girl group sound of the late-Fifties and early-Sixties, you can't go wrong with this second installment. And as one of England's premier re-issue labels, Ace provides excellent sound and informative liner notes on each of the songs and the artists. RECOMMENDED ---Steve Vrana (Aurora, NE)

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Volume 3: 2000

01. Girlfriends – My One And Only Jimmy Boy
02. Little Peggy March – I Will Follow Him
03. Alice Wonder Land – He’s Mine			play
04. Shelly Fabares – Johnny Angel
05. Ginny Arnell – Dumb Head
06. Cathy Jean And Roommates – Please Love Me Forever
07. Etta James – At Last
08. Percells – What Are Boys Made Of
09. Della Reese – Don’t You Know
10. Lillian Briggs – I Want You To Be My Baby
11. Jodie Sands – With All My Heart
12. Margie Rayburn – I’m Available
13. Patti Page – Old Cape Cod
14. Shelby Flint – Angel On My Shoulder
15. Timi Yuro – Hurt
16. Joanie Sommers – Johnny Get Angry
17. Diane Ray – Please Don’t Talk To The Lifeguard	play
18. The Pixies Three – Birthday Party
19. Carla Thomas – Gee Whiz (Look At His Eyes)
20. Faye Adams – Shake A Hand
21. Etta Jones – Don’t Go To Strangers
22. Bernadette Carroll – Party Girl
23. The Starlets – Better Tell Him No
24. The Charmaines – What Kind Of Girl (Do You Think I Am )
25. Esther Phillips – Release Me
26. Debbie Dovale – Hey Lover
27. The Chantels – Look In My Eyes
28. Suzie Clark – Ain’t Gonna Kiss Ya

England's ACE Records has become the premiere reissue label in the world. They have done everything Rhino has done for years. Used top grade source tapes, excellent sound, well written and informative liner notes and top-notch song selection. And for my money, they've upped the ante. The booklet is a 20-page, full-color collection of publicity stills, handbills and notes on each artist and song. And you get 28 songs! No other label is this generous.

And these are all wonderfully chosen songs. All but one of these (Suzie Clark's "Ain't Gonna Kiss Ya") made the pop or R&B charts. There are No. 1 hits like Shelley Fabares' "Johnny Angel" and Little Peggy March's "I Will Follow Him." Faye Adams topped the R&B charts with the rousing "Shake a Hand," and Etta James' hit No. 2 with "At Last." And then there are other forgotten pop gems sprinkled throughout this collection, like the Chantels' highest charting hit "Look In My Eyes," and Cathy Jean and the Roommates' hit version of "Please Love Me Forever" (six years before Bobby Vinton returned it to the charts).

Unlike Rhino's Girl Group series, which focused on the early Sixties, the ACE series spans the years 1953 to 1964. So there is very little overlap between the two. In fact, only Joanie Sommer's "Johnny Get Angry" is duplicated from the Rhino series, so these two series complement each other very nicely. If you already own the two earlier volumes (or even the two volumes of the Rhino series), this latest installment is a welcome addition. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

The third installment in Ace's series of female-sung pop/rock from the pre-British Invasion era is an erratic combination of well-known classics with more obscure items that are sometimes decent, and more often forgettable. Mostly it's from 1960-1964, with a few odd inclusions of solo female performances from 1953-1959, several of them pop with little or no rock influence. The best cuts are usually the most famous ones: Etta James' "At Last," Little Peggy March's "I Will Follow Him," Carla Thomas' "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)," Esther Phillips' "Release Me," Timi Yuro's "Hurt," and the Chantels' "Look in My Eyes." The thing is, none of these have been very hard to find on reissues. The majority of the disc is in fact comprised of songs that have escaped oldies radio rotation, whether because they only made it to around the middle of the Top 100, or because (as in Patti Page's "Old Cape Cod" or Jodie Sands' "With All My Heart") there was no rock & roll in their soul. However, with the exception of the Girlfriends' dynamite 1963 mid-charter "My One and Only, Jimmy Boy" -- one of the best Phil Spector soundalike productions ever, and a should-have-been Top Ten hit -- none of the rarer items are great. In fact most are inconsequential, and some are downright bad: there ought to be a law against licensing Ginny Arnell's 1963 single "Dumb Head," one of the most idiotic records ever to crack the Top 50. Some of the more interesting also-rans are Lillian Briggs' 1955 hit "I Want You to Be My Baby," which in fact is far more like jazzy Tin Alley pop than rock; Faye Adams' 1953 crossover R&B/pop hit "Shake a Hand"; and Suzie Clark's "Ain't Gonna Kiss Ya," a non-charting cover of a song on an obscure girl-group single by the Ribbons that was later covered by the Searchers. --- Richie Unterberger, AMG

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Volume 4: 2005

01. Brenda Lee – Dum Dum
02. Nancy Wilson – (You Don’t Know) How Glad I Am
03. LaVern Baker – I Cried A Tear
04. Annette With The Afterbeats – Tall Paul
05. The McGuire Sisters – Sincerely
06. Doris Day – Secret Love
07. Sue Thompson – Sad Movies (Make Me Cry)
08. The Teddy Bears – Oh Why
09. Debbie Reynolds – Tammy
10. Georgia Gibbs – Tweedle Dee
11. Annie Laurie – It Hurts To Be In Love
12. Theola Kilgore – The Love Of My Man
13. The Cookies – Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad (About My Baby)
14. Priscilla Wright With Don Wright & The Septette – The Man In The Raincoat
15. Betty Johnson – Little White Lies				play
16. Bonnie Lou – Daddy-O
17. The Essex Featuring Anita Humes – A Walkin’ Miracle
18. Jamie Horton – My Little Marine
19. Jeanne Black – He’ll Have To Stay
20. Marcy Joe – Ronnie
21. Patience & Prudence – Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now	play
22. Anita Bryant – Paper Roses
23. The Tassels – To A Soldier Boy
24. Tracey Dey – Teenage Cleopatra
25. The Toy Dolls – Little Tin Soldier
26. Rosemary Clooney – This Ole House
27. Little Eva – Keep Your Hands Off My Baby
28. Mary Ann Fisher – I Can’t Take It

This impressive collection of recordings by female singers, laid down in the late fifties and early sixties, is the fourth volume in the series. It seemed for a long time that there would only be three volumes but I'm glad that the record label extended the series. With Brenda Lee (Dum dum), Doris Day (Secret love), Rosemary Clooney (This old house), Little Eva (Keep your hands off my baby) and Nancy Wilson (You don't know how glad I am), there are plenty of big names here although this compilation will mainly appeal to those looking for more obscure material.

Other famous songs include Sincerely (McGuire sisters), Sad movies (Sue Thompson), Paper roses (Anita Bryant) and Tammy (Debbie Reynolds). Of course, many people now associate Paper roses with Marie Osmond who had a major international hit with her cover of it in the seventies. Of the others, A walking miracle (The Essex) became an international hit in the seventies for Limmie and the family cooking while Gonna get along without you now (Patience and Prudence) was also an American hit for Teresa Brewer in the fifties and a British hit for Viola Wills in the seventies. Another song that may sound familiar is He'll have to stay (Jeanne Black), which is a riposte to Jim Reeves who sang He'll have to go.

You are likely to recognize the Teddy Bears, represented here by an obscure song (Oh why) rather than their classic song (To know him is to love him) which didn't feature in any of the earlier volumes either. You might also recognize one or two other names such as the Cookies and Lavern Baker but most of the other tracks are by long-forgotten one-hit wonders. As with the earlier volumes, it's great to find these songs available again.

If you are interested in female singers of the era and you're looking for less obvious material, you should check this out.

What can you say about a compilation that follows Rosemary Clooney with Little Eva, and LaVern Baker with Annette Funicello? You can say it is the fourth installment of Ace's entertaining Early Girls series. This volume focuses on chart hits between 1954 and 1964, and isn't afraid to include anyone though most of the artists are straight pop like Patience and Prudence, Doris Day, Debbie Reynolds, and the McGuire Sisters. There are also girl groups (the Cookies, the Essex), unknown R&B singers (Theola Kilgore, Annie Laurie), sweet teenagers (Marcy Jo, Jamie Horton), country crooners (Sue Thompson) and untamed forces of nature (Brenda Lee). The volume strikes a nice balance between well-known artists and obscurities, the highlights of the disc come from both camps. From the former are Brenda Lee's knock-out novelty "Dum Dum," the Cookies candy kissed "Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)," Nancy Wilson's " (You Don't Know) How Glad I Am," Patience and Prudence's perky "Gonna Get Along Without You Now"; from the latter are Tracey Dey's silly but fun "Teenage Cleopatra," Theola Kilgore's "The Love of My Man," the Toy Dolls' "Little Tin Soldier" and best of all from a woman who managed to be the paramour of both Ray Charles and Little Jimmy Scott, Mary Ann Fisher's absolutely fierce R&B howler "I Can't Take It." Overall the disc may lean a bit heavily on the orchestras and schmaltz but if you can stand it, Early Girls, Vol. 4 is a fun and sweet trip through an oft-ignored area of American pop. ---Tim Sendra

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Volume 5: 2008

01. Andrea Carroll – It Hurts To Be Sixteen
02. Cinderellas – Baby Baby (I Still Love You)
03. Patti Duke – Don’t Just Stand There
04. Royalettes – Blue Summer
05. Rag Dolls – Dusty
06. Anita & Th’ So-And-So’s – Joey Baby
07. Sheppard Sisters – Don’t Mention My Name
08. Bermudas – Donnie				play
09. Doris Troy – Just One Look
10. Sarah Vaughan – Broken Hearted Melody
11. Elektras – All I Want To Do Is Run
12. Patty Lace & The Petticoats – Sneaky Sue
13. Gloria Dennis – Richie
14. Cathy Carroll – Poor Little Puppet
15. Janie Black – Lonely Sixteen
16. Carol Shaw – Jimmy Boy
17. Paris Sisters – Be My Boy			play
18. Jo Ann Campbell – A Kookie Little Paradise
19. Four Coquettes – Sparkle And Shine
20. Sue Thompson – Paper Tiger
21. Chantels – Eternally
22. Diane Renay – Navy Blue
23. Victorians – What Makes Little Girls Cry
24. Starlets – P.S. I Love You
25. Wendy Hill – Without Your Love
26. Maureen Gray – Dancin’ The Strand
27. Chiffons – Tonight’s The Night
28. Tina Robin – Play It Again

This popular series returns to its roots for a final hurrah - gone are the Debbie Reynolds, Rosemary Clooneys and Doris Days of the last volume and in come the glittering teen goddesses of the Brill Building/Phil Spector era.

The girl group genre remains one of the most collectable in the reissue market and this compilation must rank as one of the strongest in the series and on the market as a whole since it mops up a lot of scarce lesser hits as well as some better known ones.

Compilers Rob Finnis and Trevor Churchill have gone to great lengths to bring you those missing links and 13 of the titles on Volume 5 are new to CD with two (by the Chantels and Patty Lace) being released in stereo for the first time.

Fabulous cover art plus sleeve notes by Rob Finnis and a sound quality second to none.

Missed any of the previous volumes? All four are all still in catalogue. ---Editorial Reviews

The fifth volume of this long-running series of girl group-styled music offers 28 singles from the early to mid-'60s, all of which managed to make the national Billboard chart. That doesn't mean, however, that you'll remember all of them, even if you were listening to the radio at the time, as the majority of these songs failed to crack the Top 40, some of them only managing to reach the section for those 45s "bubbling under" the Top 100. Partly for that reason, this isn't nearly as memorable as girl group comps that focus on the big hits, though there are a few Top Ten smashes here, like Diane Renay's "Navy Blue," Patty Duke's Lesley Gore-styled "Don't Just Stand There," Doris Troy's classic "Just One Look," and Sarah Vaughan's "Broken Hearted Melody" (which isn't exactly a girl group tune, but welcome as it's considerably superior to most of the rest of the set). There are a few good obscurities here: the Cinderellas' "Baby, Baby (I Still Love You)" (co-written by Cynthia Weil) is, in fact, one of the finest little-known Brill Building girl group gems, while the Rag Dolls' "Dusty" is a pretty good Four Seasons knockoff. The Royalettes' "Blue Summer" is gossamer soul-pop; the Shepherd Sisters' "Don't Mention My Name" also takes its cues from Four Seasons-styled production; the Paris Sisters' "Be My Boy" is a studied attempt by producer Phil Spector to replicate the sound of the Teddy Bears' "To Know Him Is to Love Him"; and the Chiffons' cover of the Shirelles' "Tonight's the Night," weirdly, seems upon research not to be the Chiffons of "He's So Fine" fame, but an entirely different group. It seems like much of the rest didn't catch on in a big way for a good reason, however; the songs just aren't strong enough, sometimes reflecting the more vacuous face of early-'60s pop/rock pandering to the most blandly innocuous segment of the teen audience. That makes it an uneven listen even for girl group collectors, but they'll appreciate the thorough liner notes, which draw connections from a lot of these relics to some surprisingly well-known musicians, songwriters, and producers. ~ Richie Unterberger 2008 release, the fifth and final installment in this popular series. Gone are the Debbie Reynolds, Rosemary Clooneys and Doris Days of the last volume and in come the glittering teen goddesses of the Brill Building/Phil Spector era. The girl group genre remains one of the most collectable in the reissue market and this compilation must rank as one of the strongest in the series and on the market as a whole since it mops up a lot of scarce lesser hits as well as some better known ones. Compilers Rob Finnis and Trevor Churchill have gone to great lengths to bring you those missing links and 13 of the titles on Volume 5 are new to CD with two (by the Chantels and Patty Lace) being released in stereo for the first time. Ace.

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