Girl Group Sound: 25 All Time Greatest Hits From Red Bird Records

Varese Sarabande's Girl Group Sound: 25 All Time Greatest Hits From Red Bird Records comes ten years after Charly Records released the four-disc Red Bird Story. This single disc whittles the previous 96 tracks down to 25, and the result feels like a sampler more than a stand-alone hits collection. Girl Group Sound: 25 All Time Greatest Hits From Red Bird Records is a disc that falls somewhere between an introduction for newbies and a treat for serious girl group collectors. Half the disc consists of well-known songs that charted in the Top 50 (i.e., "The Boy From New York City" by the Ad Libs), whereas the rest are lower-charting (but memorable) tracks or B-side cuts, like "I Wonder" by the Butterflys (with great production by Phil Spector). All the rare, non-hit tracks were part of the four-disc set, so ardent fans would be unlikely to choose it. Girl Group Sound: 25 All Time Greatest Hits From Red Bird Records is probably designed for the newer girl group fan who is familiar with the famous songs but may be hesitant to dive headfirst into larger box sets. If nothing else, Girl Group Sound: 25 All Time Greatest Hits From Red Bird Records proves the strength and depth of the girl group genre. Standout tracks include the original version of "Go Now" by Bessie Banks and an alternate version of "The Kind of Boy You Can't Forget," made famous by the Raindrops but here recorded by the Jellybeans. Since the complete Red Bird Story is unavailable, this is a great intro to the Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller label which employed Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich.