Classic oldies love songs in Oldies Music

"Rock & Roll Classic Love Songs" (01/28/2003) Oldies Various Artists, Varese (Japan)Compilation producers: Cary E. Mansfield, Steve Massie. Recorded between 1959 & 1967. Includes liner notes by Steve Massie. Liner Note Author: Steve Massie. Director: Bert Berns. Arrangers: Joe Craig Jones; Fred Weismantel; Mike Stoller; Carole King. Rock & Roll's Classic Love Songs is an 18-song disc with a misleading title. These love songs are definite classics of the early '60s, but they are a lot more pop than they are rock & roll. There's no Eddie Cochran or Chuck Berry or Little Richard; instead, there are plenty of sweet melodies from the likes of Ketty Lester ("Love Letters"), Johnny Tillotson ("Poetry in Motion"), the Crests ("Angels Listened In"), the Casinos ("Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye"), Frankie Avalon ("Just Ask Your Heart"), and the Dixie Cups ("Chapel of Love"). It's not without reason that this was released a couple weeks before Valentine's Day; it's not a bad compilation of songs from the period that fit the mood. ~ Andy Kellman This collection from the always-reliable Varese Sarabande label compiles 18 chart hits that appeared roughly between 1959 and 1967. Each song appears in its original charting version; the liners include label, arrangement, songwriting, and production credits, as well as the songs' highest charting position. The set isn't chock-full of smash hits, but that's exactly what makes it entertaining. Rock & Roll Classic Love Songs is kind of a misleading title, since these songs recall the last gasp of 1950s vocal pop, before rock & roll really took over with the British Invasion. It possesses a time-capsule quality that's a bit nostalgic, sure, but also emblematic of the strong production and songwriting behind these numbers. While the biggest hits chart-wise here are "Chapel of Love" (Dixie Cups, Pop Number One, 1964), and "Hey Paula" (Paul & Paula, Pop Number One, 1962), the real standout -- and standard-bearer for the collection -- is the fabulous Phil Spector production "I Love How You Love Me," which the Paris Sisters took to Number Five in 1961 behind Priscilla Paris' alluring vocal. The song's dreamlike quality pervades much of Rock & Roll Classic Love Songs, making it a solid purchase not only for collectors, but anyone with a soft spot for one of pop music's bygone eras. ~ Johnny Loftus Rock & Roll's Classic Love Songs is an 18-song disc with a misleading title. These love songs are definite classics of the early '60s, but they are a lot more pop than they are rock & roll. There's no Eddie Cochran or Chuck Berry or Little Richard; instead, there are plenty of sweet melodies from the likes of Ketty Lester ("Love Letters"), Johnny Tillotson ("Poetry in Motion"), the Crests ("Angels Listened In"), the Casinos ("Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye"), Frankie Avalon ("Just Ask Your Heart"), and the Dixie Cups ("Chapel of Love"). It's not without reason that this was released a couple weeks before Valentine's Day; it's not a bad compilation of songs from the period that fit the mood. ~ Andy Kellman