Top 40 Radio's Swingin' Soft Drink Spots of the 60's, Vol. 1

This two-disc set collects soft drink spots from 1964 and '65 (one disc each). It also blends the jingle snippets -- featuring pop acts like the Coasters, the Supremes, and Gary Lewis & the Playboys singing the praises of Coke, Sprite, and the like -- with soundbites of the era's deejays that'll be a huge boon for radio buffs. "Coke is what's happenin' baby! You dig?" That's what the Shirelles have to say about the drink. Jan & Dean change the chorus of "Little Old Lady From Pasadena" to "Things go better with Coca-Cola," and most of the deejays seem to think a squawking clown horn is a hilarious sound effect. Some of the material on Swingin' Soft Drink Spots of the '60s is available elsewhere, particularly the Coke-themed stuff; however, in continuous mix form and cut with the radio recordings, this comp becomes a non-stop ride into the past. And it's a bewildering one at that, as the cut-up pieces of tape blend together like reclaimed space transmissions.