Trouble with Jackie Dee
Jackie DeShannon
Teenager Records 609
1991
I bought this Danish import in a used records store that does not generally carry bootlegs and I see it is also available on Discogs which prohibits the sale of bootlegs, but I find it hard to believe that this is a legitimate release. This is mostly a collection of DeShannon's early singles many of which were issued by Liberty Records but there is no mention of any licensing agreement with EMI who owned the label at the time. Also the cover artwork is a straight ripoff from DeShannon's debut album "Jackie DeShannon" including the liner notes which makes no sense since none of the songs mentioned in them are on this album. So this may be considered "legal" in Denmark but I consider it a bootleg. Nonetheless I also consider it a very useful album and even if JDS is not collecting royalties from it, I'm still happy to have it. The record begins with her self-composed first single for Liberty "Buddy" backed with "Strolypso Dance" from 1958 when she was still billing herself as Jackie Dee. The rockabilly style "Buddy" is lots of fun and the album is worth purchasing for that song alone. JDS rocks out big time with lots of passion. The flipside is more subdued but I love the hiccupy vocal. The single seems very influenced by Brenda Lee. This is also true of JDS's cover of the Leiber and Stoller song "Trouble" which was the b-side of a 1959 single for P. J. Records where she was billed as Jackie Shannon. JDS has a pronounced southern accent on the song and I find her performance very charming. JDS leaves rockabilly behind with her own "So Warm" which was a 1960 single on Edison International. It is a lively song but more in the vein of a girl group sound. The self-penned "I Wanna Go Home" was the b-side and it is similar in style. "Teach Me" by D. Abrams and B. Helms and JDS's "Lonely Girl" was a 1960 single for Liberty. "Lonely Girl" is the better of the two and has a rhythm and blues flavor with a delightfully husky vocal from JDS. "Teach Me" is a romantic doo-wop style ballad that JDS sings with a lot of feeling. Side one concludes with "Back-Talk" (listed as "Back Track") which JDS recorded with Bobby Vee for the 1966 film "C'mon Let's Live a Little." It is a rocking little number that JDS sings a lot more convincingly than Vee. Despite its late recording date it fits in with the early 60s rock and roll vibe on the rest of side one. Side two opens with the JDS composition "Try To Forget Him" which was recorded in 1961 but first released on JDS's 1965 album "You Won't Forget Me." It features a big vocal from JDS that cuts through an overly fussy arrangement. It is followed by the 1962 single "You Won't Forget Me" written by JDS and Shari Sheeley. I consider it one of the best early songs in the JDS discography and her vocal is delivered with a lot of spirit. JDS's cover of the Goffin-King classic "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" is taken from the 1966 album "Are You Ready For This?" The song is taken at a faster tempo than normal and JDS has a very smooth and sweet vocal that reminds me of Diana Ross. It is a little too slick for my taste, I prefer the earnestness of the Shirelles' hit version. "After Last Night" was written by P. J. Proby and appeared on JDS's 1965 album "This is Jackie DeShannon." It is pure girl group with an appealing vocal from JDS. The Buddy Holly covers "Maybe Baby" and "Oh Boy" both appeared on "You Won't Forget Me." I think Holly was probably an influence on JDS and her covers are respectful of his originals. I like them both but neither adds anything interesting to the originals. Randy Newman's "Did He Call Today, Mama?" was the b-side to the 1963 "Needles and Pins" single. It is another girl group type song but JDS doesn't sound very engaged by it. The album concludes with another soundtrack song, "Glory Wave" by William Dunham and Jimmy Haskell from the 1964 film "Surf Party." It is a rocker with a gospel flavor that JDS delivers with verve. Given that the soundtrack album is pricey and hard to find, I'm happy that the album's curator decided to add it to the collection. This is a real hodgepodge of a collection but it does have a consistent sound since it focuses on the pop music styles of the early 1960s. I would have preferred that it feature more of her early singles and fewer album tracks but overall I find it very satisfying. Fans of the more sophisticated pop styles JDS employed later in the decade might find this collection a bit primitive or crude, but personally I love everything she sings. Recommended to fans of Brenda Lee.
What The World Needs Now Is Love
Jackie DeShannon
Imperial LP 12404
1968
This is not a real studio album, but rather a compilation that focuses on DeShannon's work with Burt Bacharach. Five of the twelve songs on it were composed by Bacharach and Hal David and four of those were produced and arranged by Bacharach as well. The title track is the best of the five and was a top ten single for DeShannon in 1965. After "Put a Little Love in Your Heart" it is probably her most popular recording. "A Lifetime of Loneliness" was also a 1965 single. Both songs appear on her 1965 album "This is Jackie De Shannon." "Windows and Doors" was a 1966 single and "So Long Johnny" was its b-side. Both tracks appeared on her terrific 1966 album "Are You Ready For This?" which also provided the fifth Bacharach-David song on the album, "To Wait For Love." All five songs are wonderful, among DeShannon's best work in the 1960s. Dionne Warwick was Bacharach's muse and they had a long and fruitful collaborative relationship, but I've never been into their sound. Warwick was an extremely polished and technically proficient singer, an ideal vehicle I suppose for Bacharach's elaborate arrangements but the results leave me cold. Their songs are too perfect, too remote for me to relate to. I think DeShannon worked a lot better with Bacharach. She was certainly no slouch as a singer, but her voice has some grit to it, she's happy to let her accent show and her characteristic warmth and charisma shake loose the shackles of Bacharach's orchestra. In her hands the songs come alive and are vibrant and immediate in their impact. The remaining non-Bacharach songs are delightful as well. "Are You Ready For This?" was the source for Tony Hatch's "Call Me" which was a hit for Chris Montez and "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me" which was one of Dusty Springfield's biggest hits. DeShannon's performance of "Call Me" is my favorite version of the song and although she can't match the drama and sheer power of Springfield's version of "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me", her earthy performance offers a more intimate take on the song which I like. Tommy Edwards' big hit "It's All In The Game," "Changin' My Mind," and "Everything Under the Sun" were lifted off of DeShannon's 1967 album "For You" and "Where Does The Sun Go?" came from "New Image" also from 1967. Edwards' single is too sappy for my taste, I prefer DeShannon's light and playful performance. "Changin' My Mind" and "Everything Under the Sun" are sparkling pop songs exuberantly sung by DeShannon. "Where Does The Sun Go?" is the only original DeShannon composition on the album, but it is a great one, one of her very best. I love George Tipton's arrangement and DeShannon's vocal melts me every time I hear it. "Little Yellow Roses" dates all the way back to 1963 when it was released as a single and appeared on her debut album "Jackie De Shannon." With its folky flavor and spare arrangement, it does not fit in with the sophisticated pop of the rest of the album, but it is still a lovely song. If you collect DeShannon's Imperial albums you certainly don't need this album. It is basically a greedy record company rip-off, but since I knew it was a rip-off when I bought it, I don't feel ripped off. I'm happy I have it and play it often. I like the cover pictures and I like the selection of music, it has many of my favorite DeShannon songs and it is a nice mix of romantic music. Recommended to people who only need one Jackie DeShannon album.
Jackie De Shannon
Jackie DeShannon
Liberty LRP-3320
1963
In The Wind
Jackie DeShannon
Imperial LP-12296
1965
You might notice that the songs on these two albums are largely identical. I unfortunately didn't notice and once again got rooked by a major record label. It's not the first time and probably won't be the last time. I bought "In The Wind" many years ago, it was one of the very first Jackie DeShannon albums that I acquired. The problem with having a lot of records though is that it is hard to remember what songs are on all of them. A year or two ago, I was rummaging through the bins at the Pasadena City College Flea Market and I saw "Jackie De Shannon" which was her debut album. I was quite taken by the cover and even though I remembered some of the songs from "In the Wind" I didn't hesitate to buy it. I don't really regret it, the debut album's cover photo is awesome and it has more extensive liner notes, the notes on "In the Wind" have been edited out of the ones on the debut and are only half as long. The debut album is all folk songs mostly from the commercial folk repertoire. Both albums have 12 songs, "In The Wind" substitutes "Needles and Pins" and "Don't Turn Your Back On Me" for "Betsy From Pike" and "Sing Hallelujah." "Needles and Pins" is a classic song, it should have been a hit for her and she wrote the passionate "Don't Turn Your Back On Me" but although they are great songs neither is a folk song and they disrupt the atmosphere and consistency of the "In The Wind" album compared to "Jackie De Shannon." I really like her version of the 19th Century ballad "Betsy From Pike" and her singing on the gospel song "Sing Hallelujah" is excellent. They are two of my favorite songs on the debut album, which is another reason why I don't mind having it. I don't know the rationale for reissuing the debut album under another guise but I'm assuming that Imperial was trying to capitalize on Bob Dylan's growing fame or Peter, Paul and Mary's commercial success as well as trying to exploit the Searcher's success with their version of "Needles and Pins" in 1964. Both albums feature three Dylan songs plus one that he popularized, "Baby Let Me Follow You Down." My favorite of the four is her exuberant version of "Walkin' Down The Line." Three songs associated with Peter, Paul and Mary also appear on the record. "Puff (The Magic Dragon)" is not a good fit for her and she delivers a robust cover of "If I Had A Hammer" but there is nothing interesting about it. The best of the three is her country flavored version of "500 Miles" which she sings with great feeling. There is also a soulful vocal on "Oh Sweet Chariot" and her husky vocal on Bobby Darin's "Jailer Bring Me Water" is very effective. That isn't really a folk song and neither is "Little Yellow Roses" which was written by the English actor Trevor Peacock, but both are arranged to sound like folk songs. Considering her background in pop and her skill at songwriting, it is surprising to me that her debut album featured only folk style songs, none of which she wrote. It is a tribute to her great skill as a vocalist and her versatility that the album is still completely convincing. I like it better than any album Joan Baez ever made. The instrumentation is mostly acoustic guitar and bass with occasional harmonica and percussion and DeShannon is tastefully supported by background singers throughout the album. Both albums are really worthwhile, if you are a fan of DeShannon you ought to own at least one of them. If I had to choose just one, I'd pick "Jackie DeShannon" because it has better song sequencing and I prefer the packaging. Recommended for people who think that Tom Rush is a better folk singer than Pete Seeger.
This Is Jackie De Shannon
Jackie DeShannon
Imperial LP 12286
1965
Jackie De Shannon is one of my favorite singers. I suppose most casual music fans can get by with a good comp of hers, but I have most of her Imperial albums and think they are all worthwhile. This was De Shannon's third album. It features one of her most famous hits, "What The World Needs Now is Love" which was written and produced by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. They are also responsible for "A Lifetime of Loneliness" which is a terrific song as well. The powerful arrangements and the dramatic vocal perfomances combine with some very memorable lyrics to produce the two best songs on the record. JDS was an excellent songwriter in her own right and has credits on three of the better songs on this album, "Am I Making It Hard On You," "Hellos and Goodbyes" and "I Remember The Boy." The latter song is particularly fine, a mix of folk-rock and swelling romantic ballad, it really sends me. "I'm Gonna Be Strong" builds nicely with a stirring vocal from JDS that is reminiscent of Timi Yuro or Gene Pitney (who in fact had a hit single with the song.) This performance demonstrates her chops as a singer. "After Last Night" is a charming romantic song with a girl group flavor. The rest of the album is pretty ordinary. "Take Me Away" is by Randy Newman although I would never would have guessed that. It is a pretty song but loaded with romantic cliches. Despite its corniness, JDS sings it with such conviction that she makes it a lot better than it really is. "Take Me Tonight" is an old fashioned ballad, it sounds like something from the late 1950s or early 1960s. She sings it quite well, but it is not really my thing especially with the heavy strings and the sappy background chorus. The strings and chorus are back on "Go On Your Way" but it is a meatier song and De Shannon's earthy vocal reminds me of Ray Charles or Janis Joplin. She actually takes on Ray Charles covering his version of "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" and does a credible job, but as much as I like her I know she is not going to top Charles. I like her dramatic version of "Summertime" but it also seems pretty pointless, there are so many other versions. Even with lesser material, JDS is such a good singer that I never get bored or impatient with this record. She sings with so much feeling and style that I always find something to appeal to me with every song. Recommended to Bacharach/David fans who wish that Dionne Warwick sang more like Ray Charles.
Jackie
Jackie DeShannon
Atlantic SD 7231
1972
My favorite of DeShannon's post-Imperial albums. Her recording for Atlantic prompted my hope for a Jackie "Dusty In Memphis" type classic, but this record falls short, not much of a radical departure from DeShannon's classic sound, a bit more soulful for sure, but there isn't much here that would sound out of place on "To Be Free" or "Laurel Canyon." DeShannon only contributed 4 songs, but 3 of them are among the best songs on the record: "Vanilla 'Olay" should have been a hit, "Laid Back Days" is the rockinest song on the album and "Anna Karina" is a charming song that would be worthwhile for the song's subject alone. The covers don't offer much. I like her version of John Prine's "Paradise" mostly because I prefer her voice to his. Her sweet genteel cover of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" seems misguided to me and her pleasant version of Van Morrison's "I Wanna Roo You" is basically pointless - she can't sing better than him and her version offers nothing new. All of the remaining songs are fine, sung tastefully with feeling but I've already forgotten most of them by the time the next song starts. The record has a nice vibe as they used to say back in the 1970s and it sounds really good late at night. I gave it a spin in the early afternoon and I got a little bored with it. Recommended for Dusty Springfield fans who wish Dusty had stayed in Memphis.
