My Town, My Guy & Me
By Lesley Gore
| . | . | . | . |
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
Track listing
- A1 My Town, My Guy and Me 2:28
- A2 What's a Girl Supposed to Do 2:26
- A3 What Am I Gonna Do with You 3:11
- A4 You Didn't Look 'Round 2:52
- A5 I Don't Care 2:29
- A6 No Matter What You Do 2:50
- B1 The Things We Did Last Summer 3:01
- B2 A Girl in Love 2:45
- B3 Baby That's Me 2:45
- B4 Just Another Fool 2:00
- B5 Let Me Dream 2:24
- B6 Before and After 2:54
- Total length: 32:05
Rate/Catalog
Catalog
Set listening
Review
To rate, slide your finger across the stars from left to right.
3 Issues
- Release view [combined information for all issues]
-
My Town, My Guy & Me [p] 33 rpm, Mono
-
-
My Town, My Guy & Me 33 rpm
2 Reviews
Some internal changes between production/arrangement team means that both Quincy Jones and Klaus Ogermann went to greener pastures and Jack Nitzsche steps in the picture, bringing Phil Spector grandeur with him - this is most Spectorian of all Lesley Gore albums, which actually suits her just fine as beautiful, symphonic "What Am I Gonna Do With You?" shows. You can actually clearly hear what was produced by Quincy Jones (poppy, hand-clapping, shoop shoop) and what by Nitzsche (thunder, lighting, earthquake). I absolutely don't see the point of bringing old, worn-out American songbook pop standards from 1940s into this, but Gore must have wished to distance herself from girl group ditties when she decided to sing "The Things We Did Last Summer" - she is not Streisand. Much better is her return to girl-group melodrama written by Jackie DeShannon "Baby, That's Me" which is truly one of the prettiest Lesley Gore songs ever - its kind of Lesley Gore dressed up in pop-folk, bells tinkling dress of 1960s.
Published
ADVERTISEMENT
Before you all start second guessing me, hear me out. Yes, you all know "It's My Party" and "You Don't Own Me". You might've seen her performance on The T.A.M.I. Show (or you might've just ran for the bathroom). It would be my (unoriginal) hypothesis that Ms. Gore is overlooked and possibly even ripe for critical reappraisal. As you may or may not know, this album, and much of her early work, was produced by Quincy Jones. Yes that Quincy Jones, producer of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and more. Here are some other elements that are worth bringing up:
-The proto-Elephant 6 percussion that establishes the base of the album's single "My Town, My Guy and Me", which vacillates between metronome and triplets. The song has a sheen of professional orchestral flourishes, both brass and strings. The single went to no. 32 on the U.S. charts in 1965.
-Inimitable songwriting credits, including Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich ("What's a Girl Supposed to Do"), Gerry Goffin ("What Am I Gonna Do with You"), Jack Nitzsche and Jackie DeShannon ("Baby That's Me"), and Van McCoy ("Before and After") Goffin's "What Am I Gonna Do with You" is a very alluring slice of mid-60s pop that nicks the orchestral plinks from one of Shadow Morton's finest, The Shangri-las' Out in the Streets / The Boy. It may not rival the sheer grandeur of the aforementioned comparison, but Gore's effort at least comes in shouting distance.
Note to whoever reads this in the interim: I'll get back to this review tomorrow, I doubt that Lesley Gore critical reappraisal is happening between now and tomorrow (11/01/2010).
(11/13/2010 - The Return)
I "DID look 'round!!", Lesley. So while I was away, did the Lesley Gore critical reappraisal begin without me? No? Well then, let's continue...
The most striking thing about the first half of this album? Not anything listed above, but, on "No Matter What You Do", FUZZ GUITAR SHREDDING YOUR FACE OFF!!!. How did this happen? Can anyone explain it? A.J. Jones, brother of Quincy Jones? Hey A.J., I'm looking for answers, not saw dust in boxes. I guess Lesley Gore was really influenced by The Rolling Stones' (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction / The Spider and the Fly. Who knows?
(11/20/2010: Sweet Jesus, this thing is harder to get through and review than Metal Machine Music: The Amine β Ring for some reason).
Moving on to the album's second side, Sammy Cahn co-write "The Things We Did Last Summer" IMMEDIATELY dissipates the awesomeness of "No Matter What You Do". The only original Gore composition "A Girl in Love" seamlessly mingles a stronger vocal performance with the professional sheen of orchestral accompaniment. (Special credit to the timpani flourishes in the song's fade). "Baby That's Me" surprisingly utilizes harpsichord in it's intro and verses. A very worthy album track indeed. "Just Another Fool" seethes above a memorable trumpet part and then ends as quick as it begins. "Let Me Dream" is pleasantly forgettable while album closer "Before and After" almost succeeds in spite of the fact that the opening words are "Gee whiz". Almost.
I can understand why this album might be written off, Lesley Gore has your mother's haircut on the cover and there's really only one song on the second side that is worth putting on your turntable ("Baby That's Me"), while a couple others are wholly inoffensive to listen to, (including the Gore composition). Overall, I spent a dollar on this album. It was totally worth it, especially for the fuzz guitar freak out of "No Matter What You Do". It's a shame Lesley Gore never took Eddie Phillip's offer to join The Creation, because her critical reappraisal definitely would've happened by now.
Don't just zip by this album in disdain while digging in crates!
-The proto-Elephant 6 percussion that establishes the base of the album's single "My Town, My Guy and Me", which vacillates between metronome and triplets. The song has a sheen of professional orchestral flourishes, both brass and strings. The single went to no. 32 on the U.S. charts in 1965.
-Inimitable songwriting credits, including Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich ("What's a Girl Supposed to Do"), Gerry Goffin ("What Am I Gonna Do with You"), Jack Nitzsche and Jackie DeShannon ("Baby That's Me"), and Van McCoy ("Before and After") Goffin's "What Am I Gonna Do with You" is a very alluring slice of mid-60s pop that nicks the orchestral plinks from one of Shadow Morton's finest, The Shangri-las' Out in the Streets / The Boy. It may not rival the sheer grandeur of the aforementioned comparison, but Gore's effort at least comes in shouting distance.
Note to whoever reads this in the interim: I'll get back to this review tomorrow, I doubt that Lesley Gore critical reappraisal is happening between now and tomorrow (11/01/2010).
(11/13/2010 - The Return)
I "DID look 'round!!", Lesley. So while I was away, did the Lesley Gore critical reappraisal begin without me? No? Well then, let's continue...
The most striking thing about the first half of this album? Not anything listed above, but, on "No Matter What You Do", FUZZ GUITAR SHREDDING YOUR FACE OFF!!!. How did this happen? Can anyone explain it? A.J. Jones, brother of Quincy Jones? Hey A.J., I'm looking for answers, not saw dust in boxes. I guess Lesley Gore was really influenced by The Rolling Stones' (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction / The Spider and the Fly. Who knows?
(11/20/2010: Sweet Jesus, this thing is harder to get through and review than Metal Machine Music: The Amine β Ring for some reason).
Moving on to the album's second side, Sammy Cahn co-write "The Things We Did Last Summer" IMMEDIATELY dissipates the awesomeness of "No Matter What You Do". The only original Gore composition "A Girl in Love" seamlessly mingles a stronger vocal performance with the professional sheen of orchestral accompaniment. (Special credit to the timpani flourishes in the song's fade). "Baby That's Me" surprisingly utilizes harpsichord in it's intro and verses. A very worthy album track indeed. "Just Another Fool" seethes above a memorable trumpet part and then ends as quick as it begins. "Let Me Dream" is pleasantly forgettable while album closer "Before and After" almost succeeds in spite of the fact that the opening words are "Gee whiz". Almost.
I can understand why this album might be written off, Lesley Gore has your mother's haircut on the cover and there's really only one song on the second side that is worth putting on your turntable ("Baby That's Me"), while a couple others are wholly inoffensive to listen to, (including the Gore composition). Overall, I spent a dollar on this album. It was totally worth it, especially for the fuzz guitar freak out of "No Matter What You Do". It's a shame Lesley Gore never took Eddie Phillip's offer to join The Creation, because her critical reappraisal definitely would've happened by now.
Don't just zip by this album in disdain while digging in crates!
Published
ADVERTISEMENT
Votes are used to help determine the most interesting content on RYM.
Vote up content that is on-topic, within the rules/guidelines, and will likely stay relevant long-term.
Vote down content which breaks the rules.
Vote up content that is on-topic, within the rules/guidelines, and will likely stay relevant long-term.
Vote down content which breaks the rules.
Catalog
27 Apr 2023
27 Dec 2022
8 Aug 2022
-
A1
My Town, My Guy and Me
-
A2
What's a Girl Supposed to Do
-
A3
What Am I Gonna Do with You
-
A4
You Didn't Look 'Round
-
A5
I Don't Care
-
A6
No Matter What You Do
-
B1
The Things We Did Last Summer
-
B2
A Girl in Love
-
B3
Baby That's Me
-
B4
Just Another Fool
-
B5
Let Me Dream
-
B6
Before and After
19 Jul 2022
-
A1
My Town, My Guy and Me
-
A2
What's a Girl Supposed to Do
-
A3
What Am I Gonna Do with You
-
A4
You Didn't Look 'Round
-
A5
I Don't Care
-
A6
No Matter What You Do
-
B1
The Things We Did Last Summer
-
B2
A Girl in Love
-
B3
Baby That's Me
-
B4
Just Another Fool
-
B5
Let Me Dream
-
B6
Before and After
15 Jun 2022
28 May 2022
13 Feb 2022
-
A1
My Town, My Guy and Me
-
A2
What's a Girl Supposed to Do
-
A3
What Am I Gonna Do with You
-
A4
You Didn't Look 'Round
-
A5
I Don't Care
-
A6
No Matter What You Do
-
B1
The Things We Did Last Summer
-
B2
A Girl in Love
-
B3
Baby That's Me
-
B4
Just Another Fool
-
B5
Let Me Dream
-
B6
Before and After
2 Jan 2022
9 Mar 2021
9 Mar 2021
-
A1
My Town, My Guy and Me
-
A2
What's a Girl Supposed to Do
-
A3
What Am I Gonna Do with You
-
A4
You Didn't Look 'Round
-
A5
I Don't Care
-
A6
No Matter What You Do
-
B1
The Things We Did Last Summer
-
B2
A Girl in Love
-
B3
Baby That's Me
-
B4
Just Another Fool
-
B5
Let Me Dream
-
B6
Before and After
4 Feb 2021
29 Jan 2021
1 Jan 2021
-
A1
My Town, My Guy and Me
-
A2
What's a Girl Supposed to Do
-
A3
What Am I Gonna Do with You
-
A4
You Didn't Look 'Round
-
A5
I Don't Care
-
A6
No Matter What You Do
-
B1
The Things We Did Last Summer
-
B2
A Girl in Love
-
B3
Baby That's Me
-
B4
Just Another Fool
-
B5
Let Me Dream
-
B6
Before and After
20 Dec 2020
28 Nov 2020
Contributions
Log in to submit a correction or upload art for this release
- Be respectful! All the community rules apply here.
- Keep your comments focused on the release. Don't post randomness/off-topic comments. Jokes are fine, but don't post tactless/inappropriate ones.
- Don't get in arguments with people here, or start long discussions. Use the boards for extended discussion.
- Don't use this space to complain about the average rating, chart position, genre voting, others' reviews or ratings, or errors on the page.
- Don't comment just to troll/provoke. Likewise, don't respond to trollish comments; just report them and ignore them.
- Any spoilers should be placed in spoiler tags as such: [spoiler](spoiler goes here)[/spoiler]
Note: Unlike reviews, comments are considered temporary and may be deleted/purged without notice.