Smash Boom Bang! The Songs and Productions of Feldman-Goldstein-Gottehrer

Liner Note Author: Rob Finnis.
Photographers: William Randolph; Jerry Shatzberg; Eddie Smith .
Arranger: Bassett Hand.
A 1960s songwriting, production, and sometimes performing team, Bob Feldman, Jerry Goldstein, and Richard Gottehrer haven't gotten the attention of similar hit-making songwriting teams of the era like Boyce & Hart, Mann & Weil, or Goffin & King, maybe because Feldman, Goldstein and Gottehrer sounds more like a law firm than anything else. But these guys made hits, including "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys, "You're So Good to Me" by Debra Swisher, and "My Boyfriend's Back" by the Angels, among others, and even managed a hit performed by themselves, the immortal "I Want Candy," which was attributed to the Strangeloves. Built off a Bo Diddley rhythm, "I Want Candy" follows the team's typical production approach, featuring a huge drum sound (more often than not provided by New York session vet Herb Lavelle), plenty of room sound and reverb, and an offbeat, kinetic, and joyous energy that made the trio's productions sound big, full, and driving coming out of radio car speakers and juke boxes. The three only worked together for around four years, but as this delightful collection shows, they obviously had fun and didn't take all of this too seriously, and since they weren't trying to write a song that might earn them a place in the American Songbook, the records they made had a kind of goofy, bouncing energy that still seems fresh and immediate nearly 50 years later. ~ Steve Leggett