Where the Girls Are, Vol. 8

Liner Note Authors: Malcolm Baumgart; Mick Patrick.
Illustrators: Martin Roberts; Eric Charge; Malcolm Baumgart; Ady Croasdell; Mick Patrick.
Photographers: John Clemente; David Bell; Gilles Pétard; Rudy Calvo; Dianne Christian Toppin; Tony Rounce.
Eight volumes in, Where the Girls Are maintained its level of immense quality and discovery, leaping over mere girl group compilation standards into something more like a resource for those obsessed with the bottomless well of rarities and lost classics from the golden era of '60s girl group and female soul vocalists. The collection's 25 cuts range from deeper selections by better-known artists like Dee Dee Sharp and Little Eva to previously unheard acetate and demo recordings by strong upstarts from the era like the Fran-cettes and the Del-Phis. As with previous volumes, Vol. 8 touches on several different girl group styles, with lovesick teenage melodrama on tracks like the Four Havens' innocent doo-woppy "Gee But He's Fine," Motown-styled soulfulness on Kendra Spotswood's "Stickin' with My Baby," and even some demented acid rock-informed 12-string guitar twang on the Witches' "My Little Baby." The lengthy comp covers an incredible amount of ground, and almost every track is an unheard treasure. For the crate-digging, 45-spinning girl group fanatic, Where the Girls Are is pure gold, and Vol. 8 continues the series' strong streak for interesting -- even mesmerizing -- curation of deep cuts. ~ Fred Thomas