Sounds of Silence (Modern Sound MS-1020)--A Hit Records classic from 1966!

 

I've given the date as 1966 (question mark), because there's the slimmest chance that 1965 was the release year.  But I doubt it, since Day Tripper (released in December, 1965) enjoyed its peak Billboard chart position in January of 1966.  This leaves a tiny window for this LP to have happened in 1965.  Maybe I could give the year as "1966-ish."

UPDATE: Hit Records expert Paul W. Urbahns informs me that this was released in January, 1966.  Thanks, Paul!

Bergen White himself was kind enough to identify the clever (and poignant) Another Year as one of his own Hit Records "B" side compositions; Then I found it in Discogs' Country & Western Hits discography, where I grabbed the artist's name (pseudonym?): Bob Adams.  The rest of these (all in excellent compatible stereo, a special type of stereo mastering which allowed play with both stereo and monaural styli) were first released as Hit Records singles, and so I've given the artist credits in the playlist (since, in the usual fashion, they weren't provided on the LP).  And how about that cover design?  Pretty snappy, no?  My scan very nearly captured the pink hue, though I had to doctor things a little.  I also had to clone out bends, wear spots, and a rip, but it's all part of the blogging biz.  I tried to keep the contrast consistent, but scans don't always work as they should.  Scanners have their own mind, sometimes.

Enough behind-the-blog data--What about the music?  Well, a perfectly decent Sounds of Silence fake by Sandy and Theodore (of whom Bergen was a member), and a more than adequately performed and beautifully engineered You're Just My Style copy by (brace yourself) Jason Allen and the Gigolos.  And I'll pause while we all recover from that credit.  Next, Paul and Paula's (Ray Hildebrand and Jill Jackson) Young Lovers, as faked by Bob & Bobbie (aka Bob and Bobby; see comment section), and then the near-excellent Bergen White You're Not the Same Now, which is amazingly effective for a rushed-to-press "B" side.  The song had considerable potential, and ditto for the aforementioned Another Year.  I especially like the payoff tag (how's that for a term?) at the close of the latter--"At least I'll never have to wait another year."  A very distinguished example of build-up-to-the-final-punch lyric writing.

The Sheridan Brothers give us a fine Flowers on the Wall imitation which ranks with the best of Hit Records' output, imo, and then we get to enjoy two Fab Four numbers, included the hauled-out-of-the-back-catalog-during-Beatlemania My Bonnie.  If I had to pick a favorite Hit Records track, Bonnie would be it--this wild and energetic, rock-the-needle cover may be even better than the original (by Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers, aka you-know-who, 1962).  This version of Day Tripper has a special place in my fake-hits heart, as well, being a very effective Fab Four counterfeit, almost in spite of itself.  That is to say, the middle-break harmonies don't quite come together as planned, obviously, but it's such a nice try, and I love the way the group almost gets it right.  Someone decided things were close enough, and they were right.  And the track has a lot of punch--perhaps even more than the original.  

The Roamers' 1964 Never Forget Me is quite well-performed, and this Bergen White effort is an ingenious copy of the British Invasion sound--it could pass for the real deal.  Given the epic number of downright awful budget-label attempts to steal said style, Bergen's number is all the more impressive.  Quite the budget exception, we could say.  Then, Connie Dee (Connie Sue Landers) with Once a Cheater, Always a Cheater, a beautifully performed, dead-perfect imitation of the Girl Group sound, and apparently penned by Connie herself.  That is, it's hard to imagine that composer "Connie Sanders" would have been anyone but Connie Sue.  Great side.

This may well be the most fun Hit Records/Modern Sound offering yet to make its appearance here.  And thanks again to Bergen for his composer i.d.

DOWNLOAD: Sounds of Silence (Modern Sound MS-1020; Jan., 1966)

Sounds of Silence--Sandy Sammy and Theodore

She's Just My Style--Jason Allen and the Gigolos

Young Lovers--Bob and Bobbie

You're Not the Same Now (Bergen White)--Fred Hess

Another Year (Bergen White)--Bob Adams

Flowers on the Wall--The Sheridan Brothers

Day Tripper--The Jalopy Five

My Bonnie--The Boll Weevils

Never Forget Me (Bergen White)--The Roamers

Once a Cheater, Always a Cheater (Connie Sanders)--Connie Dee

Lee