Do-Wah-Diddy: Words and Music by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry

by N/A

Overview

As part of its excellent ongoing series on major American pop/rock songwriters of the 1950s and '60s, Ace presents a couple dozen '60s recordings of tunes penned by Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry -- usually working together, though on occasion with others, Barry penning one alone -- on this compilation. Like other anthologies in this series, it's not a best-of, instead being a more collector-oriented cross-section of hits, misses, original versions, and rare versions. That might disappoint some looking for a quick fix of the most well-known covers of Barry-Greenwich songs, as this is missing most of the ones that became big hits, including all of those produced by Phil Spector and most of the ones done by the Shangri-Las. However, for those fans who have most or all of those tracks somewhere in their collection anyway, it's a very nifty selection of fine Brill Building records, more often than not of the classic girl group variety. It's true that the best tracks are the most familiar, all of them medium to big hits: Lesley Gore's "Maybe I Know," the Beach Boys' "I Can Hear Music," the Jelly Beans' "Baby Be Mine," the Butterflys' "Good Night Baby," the Chiffons' "I Have a Boyfriend," the Shangri-Las' superb drama "Out in the Streets," and the Exciters' original version of "Do-Wah-Diddy," soon covered for a chart-topping British Invasion hit by Manfred Mann. But there are some rarities to entertain the collector that are good on their own terms, especially the Darlettes' "Here She Comes," a first-rate vengeful girl group number, and the young Andy Kim's moody 1965 single "I Hear You Say (I Love You)." Even some of the classics presented not-quite-in-their-original versions are cool, like the Summits' 1963 single "Hanky Panky" (the first occasion that song was released on 45) and Nilsson's respectable interpretation of "River Deep -- Mountain High." It's only occasionally that there's a real misfire, like the Majors' "What Have You Been Doin'," which is a blatant rewrite of that doo wop group's only hit "A Wonderful Dream." Otherwise it's a fine trawl through this great songwriting team's less anthologized contributions to the Brill Building sound, with Ace's usual fine liner notes and track-by-track annotation. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	10/14/2008
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667034029
Rank:	122838

Tracks

1. I Can Hear Music  - Jeff Barry  -  Beach Boys  - Ellie Greenwich  - Phil Spector
2. I'll Take You Where the Music's Playing  - Jeff Barry  -  Drifters  - Ellie Greenwich
3. Out in the Streets  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich  -  Shangri-Las
4. Maybe I Know  - Jeff Barry  - Lesley Gore  - Ellie Greenwich
5. He Ain't No Angel  -  Ad Libs  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich
6. I Have a Boyfriend  - Jeff Barry  -  Chiffons  - Ellie Greenwich
7. Baby Be Mine  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich  -  Jelly Beans  - Steve Venet
8. Do-Wah-Diddy  - Jeff Barry  -  Exciters  - Ellie Greenwich
9. Everybody Come Clap Your Hands  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich  -  Moody & The Deltas
10. Nobody But You  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich  -  Tokens
11. Here She Comes  - Jeff Barry  -  Darlettes  - Ellie Greenwich
12. Hold on Baby  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich  - Sam Hawkins
13. You Should Have Seen the Way He Looked at Me  - Jeff Barry  -  Dixie Cups  - Ellie Greenwich
14. Good Night Babys  - Jeff Barry  -  Butterflys  - Ellie Greenwich  - Steve Venet
15. I Hear You Say (I Love You)  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich  - Andy Kim
16. Little Boy  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich  - Phil Spector  - Karen Verros
17. I Want You for My Sweetheart  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich  - Bobby Sheen  - Steve Venet
18. That Boy Is Messin' Up My Mind  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich  -  Orchids
19. Hanky Panky  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich  -  Summits
20. What Have You Been Doin'  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich  -  Majors
21. Every Little Beat  - Jeff Barry  -  Fleetwoods
22. I Won't Be Me Anymore  - Jeff Barry  - Vic Donna  - Ellie Greenwich
23. True True True  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich  - Tony Pass
24. River Deep - Mountain High  - Jeff Barry  - Ellie Greenwich  - Harry Nilsson  - Phil Spector

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Harry Nilsson   Primary Artist
The Tokens   Primary Artist
Andy Kim   Primary Artist
The Beach Boys   Primary Artist
The Majors   Primary Artist
The Chiffons   Primary Artist
The Jelly Beans   Primary Artist
The Drifters   Primary Artist
The Dixie Cups   Primary Artist
Vic Donna   Primary Artist
Lesley Gore   Primary Artist
Sam Hawkins   Primary Artist
The Darlettes   Primary Artist
Tony Pass   Primary Artist
The Orchids   Primary Artist
The Shangri-Las   Primary Artist
Moody & The Deltas   Primary Artist
The Butterflys   Primary Artist
Karen Verros   Primary Artist
The Ad Libs   Primary Artist
The Exciters   Primary Artist
The Fleetwoods   Primary Artist
Bobby Sheen   Primary Artist
The Summits   Primary Artist
Jack Nitzsche   Conductor
Ellie Greenwich   Conductor
Bert Keyes   Conductor
Gene Page   Conductor
Jeff Barry   Director
Artie Butler   Conductor

Technical Credits

Alan Lorber   Arranger
George Tipton   Arranger
Duncan Cowell   Mastering
Mike Minor   Producer
Andy Kim   Composer
Mick Patrick   Liner Notes,Memorabilia,Photo Courtesy
Jack Nitzsche   Arranger
Carl Wilson   Producer
Claus Ogerman   Arranger
Ellie Greenwich   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Jerry Leiber   Producer
Jerry Ragovoy   Arranger,Producer
Stephen J. McParland   Photo Courtesy
Steve Venet   Composer,Producer
Neil Dell   Package Design
Mick Patric   Liner Notes
Malcolm Baumgart   Memorabilia
Bob Reisdorff   Producer
Joe Craig Jones   Arranger,Producer
Harvey Williams   Memorabilia
Rick Jarrard   Producer
Quincy Jones   Producer
Mike Stoller   Producer
David Hassinger   Producer
Phil Spector   Composer
Bert Berns   Producer
Gene Page   Arranger
George "Shadow" Morton   Producer
Jeff Barry   Arranger,Composer,Producer
Artie Butler   Arranger
Bert Keyes   Arranger