VA - The Colpix-Dimension Story (1994)

In the first half of the 1960s, Colpix and Dimension were record-label offshoots of Columbia Pictures; Colpix tended toward teen idols, while Dimension was mainly an outlet for the compositions of the Gerry Goffin/Carole King songwriting team. This 40-song double CD includes all the major hits on the labels by the Marcels, James Darren, Shelley Fabares, Paul Petersen, Little Eva, the Cookies, and Carole King herself, as well as quite a few rarities. Although the compilers have done a thorough job, the jumble of disparate styles – sappy teen-idol pop, rhythm and blues, girl groups, soul, even a garage band – makes for tough end-to-end listening. Several of the sides by Darren and Petersen are unbearably cloying; the ones by Fabares, Teddy Randazzo, and Sandy Stewart are barely any better. The hits by Little Eva and the Cookies, on the other hand, are great dynamic girl-group performances. And some of the rarities are pretty cool – Carole King's odd, almost folk-rockish flop single "He's a Bad Boy," Earl-Jean's original version of "I'm Into Something Good" (covered for a hit by Herman's Hermits), the Girlfriends' "My One and Only, Jimmy Boy" (the best Wall of Sound girl-group record not produced by Phil Spector), the little-anthologized Top Ten soul hit "Hey Girl" by Freddie Scott, rare sides by Lou Christie and Duane Eddy, a silly Beatle parody by Sonny Curtis, and extremely rare (if not terribly good) singles by David Jones and Michael Nesmith before they joined the Monkees.

Review by Richie Unterberger

Tracklist
CD1
01 - The Marcels - Blue Moon
02 - The Wildwoods - Here Comes Big Ed
03 - James Darren - Goodbye Cruel World
04 - The Marcels - Heartaches
05 - James Darren - Her Royal Majesty
06 - Shelley Fabares - Johnny Angel
07 - Paul Petersen - She Can't Find Her Keys
08 - James Darren - Conscience
09 - Shelley Fabares - Johnny Loves Me
10 - Paul Petersen - Keep Your Love Locked (Deep In Your Heart)
11 - Little Eva - The Loco-Motion
12 - Carole King - It Might As Well Rain Until September
13 - Little Eva - Keep Your Hands Off My Baby
14 - Paul Petersen - My Dad
15 - The Cookies - Chains
16 - Sandy Stewart - My Coloring Book
17 - Teddy Randazzo - Big Wide World
18 - Little Eva - Let's Turkey Trot
19 - The Cookies - Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)
20 - Carole King - He's A Bad Boy

CD2
01 - Big Dee Irwin - Swinging On A Star
02 - Freddie Scott - Hey, Girl
03 - The Cookies - Will Power
04 - Big Dee Irwin - Happy Being Fat
05 - The Girlfriends - My One And Only, Jimmy Boy
06 - The Cookies - Girls Grow Up Faster Than Boys
07 - The Cinderellas - Baby, Baby (I Still Love You)
08 - Sonny Curtis - A Beatle I Want To Be
09 - Earl-Jean - I'm Into Something Good
10 - Henry Alston - Hey Everybody
11 - The Cookies - The Old Crowd
12 - Lou Christie - Guitars And Bongos
13 - Jackie & The Raindrops - Down Our Street
14 - The Jewels - Opportunity
15 - David Jones - What Are We Going To Do
16 - Gamma Goochee Himself - (You Got) The Gamma Goochee
17 - Just Us - I Can't Grow Peaches On A Cherry Tree
18 - Duane Eddy - House Of The Rising Sun
19 - The Princetons - Georgianna
20 - Michael Blessing - The New Recruit