Hung on You: More from the Gerry Goffin & Carole King Songbook

Tributees: Gerry Goffin; Carole King.
Liner Note Author: Mick Patrick.
A sequel to Ace's two previous Gerry Goffin & Carole King songbook collections -- the first, Goffin & King: A Gerry Goffin & Carole King Song Collection 1961-1967, arrived in 2007, while Something Good: From the Goffin & King Songbook, came in 2012 -- Hung on You: More from the Gerry Goffin & Carole King Songbook covers the same era as its predecessors: the '60s, when Goffin & King were reliable hitmakers and one of the few Brill Building teams to ease into the late '60s without a hitch. Hits aren't the order of the day on Hung on You, though. The success of the two prior Goffin & King songbooks allows compiler Mick Patrick to dig deep into the songwriters' repertoire, selecting songs that weren't hits; in fact, the only readily recognizable featured song is "That Old Sweet Roll (Hi-De-Ho)," here performed by Dusty Springfield in 1969 but also associated with Blood, Sweat & Tears. Many familiar names fill out the 26 tracks -- the Righteous Brothers, the Shirelles, Dion, the Drifters, all acts who had hits with Goffin & King songs -- and even though there's a heavy dose of girl groups and dramatic Brill Building pop, there's also a bit of variety here, with the Tokens dipping their toe into psychedelia and Hearts and Flowers opting for cosmic folk-rock. Nevertheless, the bulk of Hung on You is built upon the classic pop traditions of the '60s, one that placed emphasis on craft both behind the scenes and in front of the microphone, a value system that this compilation justly celebrates through its conspicuous lack of hits. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine