Red Bird and Blue Cat were the brainchildren of songwriters
Jerry Lieber
and
Mike Stoller
with help from old-time record-biz guy
George Goldner
. Formed at the cusp of the
Beatles'
arrival in the U.S., their success ratio was phenomenal, keeping the girl-group sound alive and actually extending it into the area of mop-top mania that had redefined pop music. Although this material has often been bootlegged over in Europe, this marks the first time it's been legitimately reissued and in real stereo. Although
Alvin Robinson's
"Down Home Girl"
(later covered by the
Rolling Stones
) and
Ellie Greenwich's
minor pop masterpiece "You Don't Know" are conspicuously missing, this 15-track collection brings together all the notable tracks from the
Dixie Cups
, the
Shangri-Las
Jelly Beans
Ad-Libs
and marvelous one-offs from the
Butterflys
and the
Trade Winds
, making this a one-stop primer of the label's best and biggest. Sound is superb and liner notes from
Colin Escott
are equally wonderful. ~ Cub Koda