Although this compilation is billed to
Ernie Maresca
, and does include his hit
"Shout! Shout! (Knock Yourself Out),"
he in fact is the artist on just seven of the 30 tracks. This CD is not so much an
anthology as an overview of his work as a writer, assembling
Maresca
compositions or co-compositions, mostly though not exclusively from 1961-1966, as recorded by numerous acts, including
the Regents
,
Dion
the Chiffons
the Delrons
Bernadette Carroll
the Belmonts
himself, and a host of no-names. Other than
'
"Runaround,"
and the pair of
hits licensed for inclusion (one of which,
"The Wanderer,"
is presented in an alternate take), this is pretty samey-sounding and mediocre, though not terrible, period early-1960s New York pop/rock.
milked the riffs that anchored the
hits to death, and they never sounded nearly as good in those variations. Be mindful, too, that a couple of songs that were hits are not presented in the versions that were the hits:
"Whenever a Teenager Cries"
is sung here by
the Jeans
, not
Reparata & the Delrons
, while
"Child of Clay"
is done by
the 1929 Depression
Jimmie Rodgers
(though collectors might find that an incentive as this
1929 Depression
version is actually the original one). Any standouts worth noting? Not really, though
's small innocuous girl group-style hit
"Party Girl"
is here; the mid-1960s singles by
the Hubcaps
and
Sal Corrente
show him trying to tailor his writing to the
Jan & Dean
hot-rod sound; and the original fuzzy late-1950s demo of
sung by
himself, is a historically valuable find. That could not be said of the really bizarre 1977 version of
"The Wanderer"
by
the Foreign Intrigue
, an unfunny comic parody by a singer using a deep-spoken foreign accent. ~ Richie Unterberger