London American Label, Year by Year: 1964

Liner Note Author: Tony Rounce.
Ace's ongoing chronicle of American recordings licensed to the London American label in the U.K. reaches 1964 with this 28-track, 2013 release. London American didn't have a deal with one specific U.S. label, they cherry-picked from a number of different imprints, but things began to shift in 1964, and not just due to the international spread of Beatlemania. During that year, EMI and Pye ramped up their own American specialty labels, narrowing the scope of what London American could license; halfway through, Atlantic and Dot moved elsewhere. This means that the 28 tracks here -- 28 of 111 singles the label released in 1964 -- aren't really representative of the sound sensations that swept the charts in 1964, even though there's a killer Beatles rip-off in the Chartbusters' "She's the One." There aren't even that many big hits here, either: only Louis Armstrong's "Hello, Dolly!" reached the Top 10 in both the U.S. and U.K., with the Crystals' "Uptown" peaking at 13 in the U.S. and the Ronettes' "Do I Love You?" reaching the Top 40 on both sides of the Atlantic. Hits may be in short supply, but big names are not, as Jerry Lee Lewis, the Drifters, Rufus Thomas, Solomon Burke, Del Shannon, the Coasters, Ben E. King, Willie Mitchell, and Otis Redding are all here, represented either by early or latter-day singles, depending on the artist (indeed, the Killer's contribution "Lewis Boogie" dates all the way back to 1958). All of these recognizable names contribute solid singles -- and the Coasters' "T'Ain't Nothin' to Me" is an atypical, stripped-down, bluesy live cut -- but the fun is in discovering the Buddy Holly imitators (David Box's "Little Lonely Summer Girl," Ray Ruff's "I Took a Liking to You"); hearing a slow, sophisticated ballad from Gloria Lynne ("I Wish You Love"); Jimmy Holiday's histrionic uptown groover "I Lied"; the ridiculous, easy listening, south of the border instrumental "Comin' in the Back Door" by the Baja Marimba Band; Terry Stafford crooning through "I'll Touch a Star," and Don & Dewey tearing through the delirious "Get Your Hat." These obscurities are the reason to dig deep into a collection, and this 1964 installment of The London American Label, Year by Year provides more than enough of them to make it worthwhile. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine