California Nights [Bonus Tracks]

by Lesley Gore

Overview

When Lesley Gore recorded California Nights in 1967, it had only been two years since her last big hit -- "Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows," which made it to 13 in 1965 -- but it felt like even longer due to all the shifting trends of the late '60s. Assisted by producers Bob Crewe (who helmed seven of the LP's ten tracks) and Quincy Jones (who is responsible for the three other cuts, all arranged by Jack Nitzche), Gore dove right into the fashionable sounds of Los Angeles in 1967. It was hardly hippie and not quite psychedelic but those trippy sounds were certainly in the air and can be heard on California Nights via fuzz guitars, mind-bending echoes, and whirling strings, but all this is tempered by a good dose of go-go beats and middle of the road pop. All these accouterments make California Nights very much a record of its time, and if it didn't make many waves at the time -- the appealingly hazy title track made it to 16 but the album stalled at 169 -- it stands as something of an underrated period piece, anchored by the gorgeous, cinematic productions of Crewe and enlivened by the savvier Jones, who is responsible for the snappy rock & roll of "Off & Running" and the liquid pulse of "Cry Like a Baby," which effectively splits the difference between uptown soul and hip Hollywood flair. [Ace's 2015 reissue expands California Nights with 16 bonus tracks, most taken from the 1965 albums My Town, My Guy & Me and All About Love, along with a few singles and three cuts that first surfaced on Bear Family's big Lesley Gore box from 1994. All this material is more straightforward than California Nights, falling somewhere between middle of the road pop and pop-soul, and while that may mean it's not quite as distinctive, it's still well-crafted and pleasurable. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	06/02/2015
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667071826
Rank:	59960

Tracks

1. California Nights
2. Treat Me Like a Lady
3. Bad
4. I'm Going Out (The Same Way I Came In)
5. Maybe Now
6. Love Goes on Forever
7. Off and Running
8. Lilacs and Violets
9. The Bubble Broke
10. Cry Like a Baby
11. My Town, My Guy and Me
12. Let Me Dream
13. Start the Party Again
14. I Won't Love You Anymore (Sorry)
15. I Just Can't Get Enough of You
16. To Know Him Is to Love Him
17. Will You Love Me Tomorrow
18. Only Last Night
19. With Any Other Girl
20. I Can Tell
21. We Know We're in Love
22. Yeh, Yeh, Yeh (That Boy of Mine)
23. That's What I'll Do
24. Happiness Is Just Around the Corner
25. Hold Me Tight

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lesley Gore   Primary Artist
Teddy Randazzo   Conductor
Jack Nitzsche   Conductor
Alan Lorber   Conductor
Don Costa   Conductor
Herb Bernstein   Conductor
Hutch Davie   Conductor

Technical Credits

Ray Bloodworth   Composer
Paul Kaufman   Composer
Shelby Singleton   Producer
Bob Crewe   Composer,Producer
Kenny Young   Composer
Jack Nitzsche   Arranger
Eydie Gormé   Liner Notes
Larry Weiss   Composer
Michael Gore   Composer
Marvin Hamlisch   Composer
Carole King   Composer
Joel Hirschhorn   Composer
Lesley Gore   Composer
Joshie Armstead   Composer
Valerie Simpson   Composer
Lou Stallman   Composer
Van McCoy   Composer
Quincy Jones   Producer
Nick Robbins   Mastering
Alan Lorber   Arranger
Artie Kornfeld   Composer
Al Kasha   Composer
Gerry Goffin   Composer
Phil Spector   Composer
Steve Duboff   Composer
Steve Lawrence   Liner Notes
Don Costa   Arranger
Carole Bayer Sager   Composer
Charles Koppelman   Composer
Les Reed   Composer
Josephine Armstead   Composer
Nickolas Ashford   Composer
Toni Wine   Composer
Herb Bernstein   Arranger
Hutch Davie   Arranger
Fred Anisfield   Composer
Howard Liebling   Composer
Gary Knight   Composer
Larry Brown   Composer
Rickie Page   Composer
Malcolm Baumgart   Liner Notes
Don Rubin   Composer
Shelly Coburn   Composer
Raymond Bloodworth   Composer
Barry Mason   Composer
Bob Elgin   Composer
Niall McCormack   Package Design
George Motola   Composer
Bobby Weinstein   Composer
Artie Resnick   Composer
Teddy Randazzo   Arranger,Composer