Los Angeles-based was the brainchild of owner , a frustrated vocalist who formed the label after both and told him he was in fact a terrible singer. Undaunted, he channeled his earnings as a grocery store bagger into making records with an ace staff who included songwriter and arranger , and while never cracked the charts, today its output is widely celebrated among connoisseurs of classic . The first volume in 's series concentrates on the label's uptempo efforts -- these two dozen cuts are ebullient, shimmering efforts in the classic L.A. tradition, and while there are a few duds, it's a mystery that the highlights (among them ' ) didn't make a huge splash. ~ Jason Ankeny