New York Graffiti - 1619-1750 Broadway: An Independent American Pop Story 1958-1968, Various Artists, 4CD Boxset

NEW YORK GRAFFITI IS A STUDY OF AMERICAN POP MUSIC DURING THE TIME IT EXPLODED INTO A RECORD INDUSTRY...

Some Americans reference the music of their parents from the late 1950s to mid-1960s as the American Graffiti generation. The term coined by George Lucas in his movie homage to that period and the youth coming of age during that time. And so RPM uses that reference as it’s setting to focus on the records produced by a group of music companies operating in the ‘tin pan alley’ of New York from the Brill Building at 1619 Broadway and up around the block.

A fascinating story emerges surrounding the growth of a group of independent US Publishing Companies, some 28 in number, the oldest of which Broadway Music was founded in 1914, and how by the end of 1968 all had come under the ownership of one, the Edward Kassner Music Company.

New York Graffiti is set in the time when the song publishers launched their own in house record labels. Not only that, these companies were part of the business as a vertical integration of publishers, writers, arrangers, producers, labels, studios, artists, management, DJs, radio. Most in the same district of New York, often in the same building. With control of ‘the Song’ then it was about manipulating as much as possible around it’s exploitation for maximum commercial exposure. With our group of Publishers they specifically launched and ran the labels Joy Records, Seville Records, President Records, Duel, Gulf, Shell Records, Select, and the recordings on this collection are drawn from them.

An 80 page perfect bound book(let) reveals this story in detail, including photos and images never before published, history of the songs, along with biogs of every artist in the box. These include the singer / songwriters Neil Diamond’s early single as Neil & Jack, and Tom Pacheco in his first band The Raggamuffins, artists Shirley Ellis pre-‘Clapping Song’ as Shirley Elliston, soon to be backing Elvis and Dusty in American Studios ‘Memphis Boy’ Bobby Wood, pre-Three Degrees producer Richard Barrett, ‘Montego Bay’ Bobby Bloom during his time with The Imaginations.

And many examples of where the Song is King such as Prisoner of Love, a 1946 Perry Como record, here as a glorious swing beat number by Billy Duke months before James Brown’s soul defining version. Ricky Shaw’s stab at Rick Nelson with A Fool’s Memory subsequently covered by Billy Fury, Bobby Sherman’s RnB classic Do You Want To Dance here given the then-on-trend ‘twist’ treatment by Joey &The Twisters just before Cliff Richard’s upbeat pop version, Earl Wade’s bossa version of Feel So Bad which was soon followed by Elvis’s hit single version, and more obscurely Laura Lynn’s beautifully swooning It Took A Long Time Coming then covered by Robert Plant as an early solo single.

Not to mention the label’s own hits including ‘Bobby’s Girl’, ‘Shout Shout (Knock Yourself Out)’, ‘Little Band Of Gold’, ‘Heartbreaker’, ‘Hootenanny’, ‘Pushin’ Your Luck’.

Over half the set is on CD for the first time with three tracks previously unreleased, two more freshly mixed down from multi track tapes. Many very collectable, such as the garage sound of The Barbarians, the early Neil Diamond as Neil & Jack, Northern and early Soul classics including those from Pat Hervey, Roger Pace, Linda Cumbo, Pat Jarvis, Sonny Stiles, The Kampells, Millie Foster, Curtis Knight. This gorgeous box set comprises over 100 tracks and 250 minutes of music.

New York Graffiti - a romp through a decade of American Pop history, 1958-1968, following a specific set of Publishers and their record labels who mirrored all the key Pop music movements of that period: Doo Wop, Rock n Roll, RnB, early Soul, Girl Group, Folk, Beat, Garage.

DISC ONE: CD

1. ANKLE BRACELET - The Pyramids
2. STORY TELLIN' BABY - The Jodimars
3. ROCK AND ROLL KITTENS – Judy and Joyce
4. SOCK HOP - The Gorman Sisters
5. LAVENDER COFFIN - Russ Cassata
6. BLUE FLUTE - Don Harper
7. I AM YOURS - Richard Barrett And The Sevilles
8. BUT ARE YOU SURE - Ronnie Mitchell
9. THE KING - Gregg Madden
10. FEELLING THIS THING CALLED LOVE –
Wallie Hawkins
11. BABY YOU'RE A LONG TIME DEAD - Freddie Scott
12. BOCA RATON - Ronnie Mitchell
13. PITTER PATTER - The Five Fleets
14. A BEAUTIFUL LOVE - Shirley Elliston
15. LOST THE RIGHT (take 9) - Freddie Scott
16. DON'T BELIEVE THEM - Wallie Hawkins
17. FEEL SO BAD - Earl Wade
18. HURRICANE - Kenny Dana
19. YOU'RE STILL MY BABY - Earl Wade
20. FOOLS FALL IN LOVE - Starfires
21. HEY YOU - The Imaginations
22. SHOUT! SHOUT! (KNOCK YOURSELF OUT) –
Ernie Maresca
23. IT WAS LIKE HEAVEN - Little Joey & The Flips
24. HEART BREAKER - Dean Christie
25. LOVE IS THE GREATEST THING - The Delacardos
26. OH LOVE (STOP KNOCKIN ON MY DOOR) –
Jamie Horton
27. PRETTY BABY - Charlie Gracie
28. BOSSA ROCK - Bellino

DISC TWO: CD

1. WHEN YOU'VE GOT LOVE - Curtis Knight
2. NIGHT AND DAY U.S.A. - Charlie Gracie
3. WHEEL AND DEAL - Bill Roxy
4. DO YOU WANT TO DANCE - Joey & The Twisters
5. EARLY SUNDAY - Mort Garson and his Orchestra
6. LOVIN' TIME - The Hideaways
7. GO SHOUT IT FROM A MOUNTAIN - Jamie Horton
8. BOBBY'S GIRL - Marcie Blane
9. LOVE WHEEL - Millie Foster
10. JIGSAW PUZZLE - The Chelmars
11. A FOOL'S MEMORY - Ricky Shaw
12. EVEN THOUGH - Susan Lynne
13. LOVIN' TIME - Sleepy King
14. YOU'RE GONNA BE SORRY - Curtis Knight
15. BITTERNESS - Millie Foster
16. THERE'LL BE NO GOODBYES - Susan Lynne
17. I'M AFRAID - Neil & Jack
18. TIL YOU'VE TRIED LOVE - Neil & Jack
19. BYE BYE TRAVELIN MAN - Hughie Garrity
and The Hollywood Playboys
20. REAL CHURCHY - Al Tousan
21. THAT'S ALL I NEED - Bobby Wood
22. MIDNIGHT HASSLE - The Frank Virtue Combo
23. NOBODY KNOWS –
Michael Zara and The Compliments
24. TELL ME MORE - Scotty Carrol
25. LITTLE BAND OF GOLD - James Gilreath
26. SUMMERS COME AND GONE –
The Brandywine Singers
27. HOOTENANNY - The Glencoves

DISC THREE: CD

1. DID I THINK ABOUT YOU - Millie Foster
2. WILL YOU WAIT (PT 1 ) - Larry Banks
3. WHAT A THRILL - Millie Foster
4. DEVIL'S WAITIN' (ON BALD MOUNTAIN) –
The Glencoves
5. 609 - Billy Duke
6. LARRY - The Allen Sisters
7. THE SWEETEST BOY - The Kittens
8. YOU GOT IT BAD - The Kampells
9. THE STREET - Terry and The Tunisians
10. SNOW SURFIN' - Zeke Sheppard
11. BOYS CRY - The Four Coins
12. GET LOST - The Sillaways
13. JUST LIKE MY BABY - Joan Berry
14. I'M HURT AND SO IS MY HEART - Little Gigi
15. DON'T DECEIVE ME - Jimmy & Jack
16. JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME - Billy Lee
17. WHEN I MEET A GIRL LIKE YOU - The Pageboys
18. YOU'VE GOT TO UNDERSTAND - The Barbarians
19. POMPTON TURNPIKE - Floyd Morris
20. PEOPLE IN LOVE - The Taylor Brothers
21. TAKE THE BITTER WITH THE SWEET - Little Gigi
22. HELLO LADY - Ludaway
23. I DON'T WANT TO MAKE YOU CRY - Billy Lee
24. SHA LA LU LUMA - The Twilights
25. HEY LITTLE BIRD - The Barbarians
26. I HAVE LOVE - The Pageboys

DISC FOUR: CD

1. DIXATAY - Billy Butterfield
2. PRISONER OF LOVE - Billy Duke
3. DID YOU EVER LOSE YOUR MIND OVER A BOY –
Linda Cumbo
4. THE HURTIN KIND - Marcie Blane
5. IT'S THEIR WORLD - Ernie Maresca
6. FOOLS PARADISE - Bobby Wood
7. NOW I'M AT THE TOP - Scott Bedford Four
8. FOUR TIMES FASTER - Fish 'n' Chips
9. LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN - Scott Bedford Four
10. GIRL CAN'T TAKE A JOKE - The Druids
11. SHE BELONGS TO ME - Ray Emmett and The Superiors
12. YOU DAY IS COMING - James Gilreath
13. THE TRUTH HURTS - Dick Roman
14. THE MINUTE MY BACK WAS TURNED - Roger Pace
15. GIVE A LITTLE BIT - Sonny Stiles And His Kings Men
16. YOU COPPED MY SOUL - The Demetrons
17. HERE SHE COMES - Sonny Stiles And His Kings Men
18. YESTERDAY,TODAY AND TOMORROW - Linda Cumbo
19. THE SOUL OF MY MAN - Pat Jarvis
20. CAN'T GET YOU OUT OF MY MIND –
Pat Hervey with The Tiaras
21. IT TOOK A LONG TIME COMING - Laura Lynn
22. ALLEY POND PARK - Culver Street Playground
23. HATE TO SEE A GOOD THING HAVE TO GO –
The Raggamuffins
24. CRY ALONE - Guardians of The Rainbow
25. IT WASN'T HAPPENING AT ALL - The Raggamuffins
26. YOU CAN'T DO THAT - Doris Willingham