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Jay & the Americans seem to have lost out in the reputation sweepstakes to their contemporaries the Four Seasons, but as this triple-CD collection amply demonstrates, they were a prodigiously talented group. The 66 single sides here were recorded across a decade that overlapped with the British Invasion, folk-rock, the psychedelic era, and the birth of heavy metal, acid rock, etc. And through it all, the music of Jay & the Americans remained amazingly consistent, five phenomenal voices soaring to some of the most beautiful melodies of their era. The dimensions of the set and its price may seem like overkill, and for casual fans it probably is -- they would do better to grab the hits collection Come a Little Bit Closer: The Best of Jay & the Americans. But for those with the inclination to go deeper, this set offers almost three solid hours of enjoyment. The quality of the singing, led first by Jay Traynor and then Jay Black, works its spell, along with the killer song selection: around the familiar hits ("She Cried," "Come a Little Bit Closer," etc.) are a large selection of low- (and non-) charting gems that are worth hearing, which dedicated fans of the group will welcome, especially in their original mono mixes. The selection also provides a close look at the tightrope that this group walked across the '60s: from Drifters-style pop-R&B at the start of the decade, they plunged into the British Invasion era with some fine but heavily retro-pop-based rock & roll ("Goodbye Boys Goodbye") before grabbing a chunk of the Top Ten with "Come a Little Bit Closer" and "Cara Mia," never veering too far from the pop side of R&B or the Broadway and European pop traditions that allowed the members (especially Jay Black) to push their pipes in the best faux-operatic tradition. Even when they tried for a more contemporary sound, as on the guitar- and rhythm-heavy "Girl" and "Sunday and Me," the singing style still seemed a half-decade out of date, which is fine, as it fits with everything else here. The group would push the envelope in those two directions, updating their repertory while keeping an older-style declamatory vocal delivery, and yield a major hit just often enough to keep going for most of the decade; ironically, the material from the psychedelic era, when their string finally runs out, yields some of the group's most interesting experiments, including "Shanghai Noodle Factory," "French Provincial," and "(We'll Meet In The) Yellow Forest," efforts at sunshine pop that almost remove the group from its moorings, but not quite. They find their collective "voice" again halfway through the last disc with "This Magic Moment," in a setting that's almost as much sunshine pop as doo wop, heralding a triumphant finale, closing out with Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man" in a rendition that is smoothly elegant (if not as moody as Diamond's own). The sound quality is generally excellent throughout, and the annotation is thorough.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
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Leonard Bernstein, ComposerLyricist - Jerry Leiber, Producer - Mike Stoller, Producer - Stephen Sondheim, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1961 Capitol Records, LLC
Jerry Leiber, Producer - Mike Stoller, Producer - Robert Goldstein, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - John Gluck Jr., ComposerLyricist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1961 Capitol Records, LLC
Jerry Leiber, Producer - Mike Stoller, Producer - Tony Powers, ComposerLyricist - Manuel Barkan, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1962 Capitol Records, LLC
Barry Richards, ComposerLyricist - Jerry Leiber, Producer - Mike Stoller, Producer - Ted Daryll, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1962 Capitol Records, LLC
Jerry Leiber, Producer - Mike Stoller, Producer - Ellie Greenwich, Composer - Tony Powers, Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1962 Capitol Records, LLC
Jerry Leiber, Composer - Mike Stoller, Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Gilbert Garfield, Composer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1962 Capitol Records, LLC
Jerry Leiber, Producer - Mike Stoller, Producer - Ted Daryll, Composer - Greg Richards, Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1962 Capitol Records, LLC
Jerry Leiber, Composer, Producer - Mike Stoller, Composer, Producer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1962 Capitol Records, LLC
Norman Meade, ComposerLyricist - Jerry Leiber, Producer - Mike Stoller, Producer - Winifred Robinson, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1963 Capitol Records, LLC
Van McCoy, ComposerLyricist - Jerry Leiber, Producer - Mike Stoller, Producer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1963 Capitol Records, LLC
Barry Mann, ComposerLyricist - Jerry Leiber, ComposerLyricist - Mike Stoller, ComposerLyricist - Cynthia Weil, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Leiber & Stoller, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1963 Capitol Records, LLC
Jerry Leiber, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Mike Stoller, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1963 Capitol Records, LLC
Jerry Leiber, ComposerLyricist - Mike Stoller, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Lew Futterman, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1963 Capitol Records, LLC
T. Powers, Composer - Jerry Leiber, Producer - Mike Stoller, Producer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - M. Maurer, Composer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1963 Capitol Records, LLC
Burt Bacharach, ComposerLyricist - Hal David, ComposerLyricist - Artie Ripp, Producer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1964 Capitol Records, LLC
Jerry Leiber, Producer - Mike Stoller, Producer - Burt Bacharach, Composer - Hal David, Author - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1964 Capitol Records, LLC
Jerry Leiber, Producer - Mike Stoller, Producer - Ellie Greenwich, ComposerLyricist - Tony Powers, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1964 Capitol Records, LLC
Michele Del Prete, ComposerLyricist - Jerry Leiber, Producer - Mike Stoller, Producer - Mogol, ComposerLyricist - Sid Tepper, ComposerLyricist - Adriano Celentano, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Roy C. Bennett, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1964 Capitol Records, LLC
Bobby Hart, ComposerLyricist - Kevin Farrell, ComposerLyricist - Tommy Boyce, ComposerLyricist - Artie Ripp, Producer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1964 Capitol Records, LLC
Wes Farrell, Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Gerry Granahan, Producer - Alfred Roy, Composer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1965 Capitol Records, LLC
Jerry Leiber, ComposerLyricist - Mike Stoller, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Gerry Granahan, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1966 Capitol Records, LLC
Wes Farrell, ComposerLyricist - Artie Ripp, Producer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Alfred Roy, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1965 Capitol Records, LLC
Artie Ripp, Producer - R. Passman, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - E. Marshall, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1965 Capitol Records, LLC
DISC 2
G. Robinson, ComposerLyricist - N. Levenson, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Gerry Granahan, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1965 Capitol Records, LLC
Mantovani, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Gerry Granahan, Producer - B. G. Lewis, ComposerLyricist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1965 Capitol Records, LLC
Richard Rodgers, Composer - Oscar Hammerstein II , Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1965 Capitol Records, LLC
Fred Milano, Composer - Angelo D'Aleo, Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1965 Capitol Records, LLC
Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - N. Diamond, ComposerLyricist - Gerry Granahan, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1965 Capitol Records, LLC
Mark Barkan, Composer - Ben Raleigh, Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1965 Capitol Records, LLC
PHIL SPECTOR, Composer - Brian Wilson, Composer - Mike Love, Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1965 Capitol Records, LLC
Wes Farrell, ComposerLyricist - Al Kasha, ComposerLyricist - Joel Hirschhorn, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Gerry Granahan, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1966 Capitol Records, LLC
Sandy Deane, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Jay Black, ComposerLyricist - Gerry Granahan, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1966 Capitol Records, LLC
Joe Melson, Composer - ROY ORBISON, Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Gerry Granahan, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1966 Capitol Records, LLC
Tony Michaels, ComposerLyricist - Marty Sanders, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Gerry Granahan, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1966 Capitol Records, LLC
Kenny Vance, Composer - Marty Sanders, Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Jay Black, Composer - Gerry Granahan, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1966 Capitol Records, LLC
KENNY YOUNG, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Gerry Granahan, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1966 Capitol Records, LLC
George Morton, ComposerLyricist - Tony Michaels, ComposerLyricist - Vinny Gormann, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Gerry Granahan, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1966 Capitol Records, LLC
Kenny Vance, ComposerLyricist - Sandy Deane, ComposerLyricist - Marty Sanders, ComposerLyricist - Howie Kane, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Jay Black, ComposerLyricist - Gerry Granahan, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1966 Capitol Records, LLC
BOB FELDMAN, Producer - Ronnie Dante, ComposerLyricist - Gene Allen, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1966 Capitol Records, LLC
Neil Levenson, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Gerry Granahan, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1966 Capitol Records, LLC
Edward Snyder, Composer - PAUL VANCE, Composer - Jay Black, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1966 Capitol Records, LLC
D. DiMinno, Composer - C. Lombardo, Composer - Jay Black, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1966 Capitol Records, LLC
Jeff Barry, Producer, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1967 Capitol Records, LLC
Arnold Goland, Producer - EDEN AHBEZ, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1967 Capitol Records, LLC
DISC 3
Billy Carl, Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Reid Whitelaw, Composer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1967 Capitol Records, LLC
Marty Sanders, Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1967 Capitol Records, LLC
Jeff Barry, Composer - Marty Sanders, Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1967 Capitol Records, LLC
JIM CAPALDI, Composer - Steve Winwood, Composer - Chris Wood, Composer - Jimmy Miller, Composer - Larry Fallon, Composer - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1967 Capitol Records, LLC
Richard Rodgers, Composer - Oscar Hammerstein II , Author - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1968 Capitol Records, LLC
Marty Sanders, ComposerLyricist - Jay & The Americans, MainArtist - Jay Black, ComposerLyricist - Henry Jerome, Producer
(C) 2009 Capitol Records, LLC ℗ 1968 Capitol Records, LLC
Album review
Jay & the Americans seem to have lost out in the reputation sweepstakes to their contemporaries the Four Seasons, but as this triple-CD collection amply demonstrates, they were a prodigiously talented group. The 66 single sides here were recorded across a decade that overlapped with the British Invasion, folk-rock, the psychedelic era, and the birth of heavy metal, acid rock, etc. And through it all, the music of Jay & the Americans remained amazingly consistent, five phenomenal voices soaring to some of the most beautiful melodies of their era. The dimensions of the set and its price may seem like overkill, and for casual fans it probably is -- they would do better to grab the hits collection Come a Little Bit Closer: The Best of Jay & the Americans. But for those with the inclination to go deeper, this set offers almost three solid hours of enjoyment. The quality of the singing, led first by Jay Traynor and then Jay Black, works its spell, along with the killer song selection: around the familiar hits ("She Cried," "Come a Little Bit Closer," etc.) are a large selection of low- (and non-) charting gems that are worth hearing, which dedicated fans of the group will welcome, especially in their original mono mixes. The selection also provides a close look at the tightrope that this group walked across the '60s: from Drifters-style pop-R&B at the start of the decade, they plunged into the British Invasion era with some fine but heavily retro-pop-based rock & roll ("Goodbye Boys Goodbye") before grabbing a chunk of the Top Ten with "Come a Little Bit Closer" and "Cara Mia," never veering too far from the pop side of R&B or the Broadway and European pop traditions that allowed the members (especially Jay Black) to push their pipes in the best faux-operatic tradition. Even when they tried for a more contemporary sound, as on the guitar- and rhythm-heavy "Girl" and "Sunday and Me," the singing style still seemed a half-decade out of date, which is fine, as it fits with everything else here. The group would push the envelope in those two directions, updating their repertory while keeping an older-style declamatory vocal delivery, and yield a major hit just often enough to keep going for most of the decade; ironically, the material from the psychedelic era, when their string finally runs out, yields some of the group's most interesting experiments, including "Shanghai Noodle Factory," "French Provincial," and "(We'll Meet In The) Yellow Forest," efforts at sunshine pop that almost remove the group from its moorings, but not quite. They find their collective "voice" again halfway through the last disc with "This Magic Moment," in a setting that's almost as much sunshine pop as doo wop, heralding a triumphant finale, closing out with Neil Diamond's "Solitary Man" in a rendition that is smoothly elegant (if not as moody as Diamond's own). The sound quality is generally excellent throughout, and the annotation is thorough.
© Bruce Eder /TiVo
About the album
- 3 disc(s) - 66 track(s)
- Total length: 02:52:49
- Main artists: Jay & The Americans
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: Capitol Records
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2009 Capitol Records, LLC This Compilation ℗ 2009 Capitol Records, LLC
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