Lesley Gore - Sunshine Lollipops & Rainbows: Best of

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Music reviews of Sunshine Lollipops & Rainbows: Best of

Music Review: Unfairly derided aspect of rock history
Rating: 5 Stars

Going in I thoroughly knew Gore's biggest hits (tracks 1, 2, 5, 8 & 18), plus the collection's sugary title track from her appearance in "Ski Party" (a hoot of a film in which James Brown appears out of the snow to sing "I Got You" and afterwards is promptly ushered out the door to fend for himself against wolves and the elements). These songs were all well written, produced (by Quincy Jones) and sung, but like so many songs from that era were overplayed on radio, TV and in the movies in recent decades, as well as being included far too often on those generic "Hits of the 60's" compilations. Thus it was more out of historical obligation and completist mania I got this than anything.

So what a revelation it was to hear the rest of her output, which was consistantly strong as well as musically diverse, too often a rarity in many careers, as these songs run the stylistic gamut, from the downcast "I Don't Want To Be A Loser" to the raucus, Spector-like "Look Of Love". While the themes may be similar, mostly revolving around love, especially dealing with untrue boys, the perspectives and outlooks contained within constantly change from song to song, as does the musical atmosphere behind them, making the disc refreshingly non-repetitive. Gore's double tracked vocals shimmer and she manages to throw in some effective growls, especially on the infectious "That's The Way Boys Are", that belie her clean cut image. There truly isn't a bad song to be found, and in fact, the first two cuts, by far her biggest hits, are comparatively the weakest of the lot, which is saying something.

As for the packaging and notes, while containing no bells and whistles, they are uniformly solid, with 6 pages of biographical information and song by song summary, plus the requisite chart and release info and a few pictures, while the sound quality of the disc is immpecible. The one complaint is the lack of 5 lower charted songs from '65 & '66, while not essential, would give a complete overview of her career. What Mercury & Rhino see in withholding them is anyone's guess. Other than that, all of her charted records are here, plus a few B-sides, and the picture these songs paint is a vibrant one of an underappriciated singer and style.

The "girl group" sound of the early to mid-60's is often put down by those seeking something more earth-shaking in their rock 'n' roll, but as long as one of the roles of music is to provide aural enjoyment for those listening, there will always be a place for catchy, simple, but not simplistic, songs like these. The real mark of just how well Gore fulfilled that need is evidenced by the fact she burst upon the scene in 1963, at the pinnical of the girl group era, yet unlike so many of the time who quickly faded away, she wracked up 19 hits through 1967. Meaning she surivived and thrived amidst the surf-rock tidal wave of '63, the British Invasion of early '64 and subsequent blues-rock imports from later that year, the folk-rock explosion of '65, the avant garde experiments of '66 and the psychedelic Summer of Love in '67, not to mention the steady presence of Motown and southern soul, plus all the momentary trends that came and went during those five years.

That's a pretty impressive feat no matter how you slice it, and the irrefutable proof that Lesley Gore earned every bit of that success can be found on this collection.

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