Ain't That a Shame & 11 Others (Vee Jay, 1963)

[John]

Now here we start talking, because there is some superb music on this third regular Vee Jay album. I will define this one as Harmony Rock. The sound is very basic group backing with powerful vocals and very hard-hitting Valli. The falsetto is not so in-your-face. The total effect is much more New York reality and is quite sophiosticated compared to the first two albums. The CD re-release has two supern bonus tracks that were not widely available, Silver Wings and Starmaker. Both real highlights. other highlights of the album were the hit Candy Girl, the solid rock number Soon (I'll Be Home Again), Stay (still performed on stage today), Melancholy and the full version of Ain't That a Shame with all the vocals intact. There are sonme CD releases which are incomplete and a total waste of space as a result.

A classic album and recommended to all.