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From the Vault...
11/10/2002
#811 |
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info
Len Barry
"The Very Best Of Len Barry"
© Taragon/MCA Records
Year of Release: 1994
Rating:
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track listing
Introduction By
Len Barry
Lip Sync
(To The
Tongue Twisters)
1-2-3
Like A Baby
Somewhere
It's A Cryin' Shame
It's That Time
Of The Year
Happily Ever After
I Struck It Rich
Love Is
You Baby
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Len Barry
"The Very Best Of Len Barry"
Len Barry may not be a household name, yet for those who do remember him,
may only refer to him to his most popular 1965 hit: "1-2-3."
What's interestingly enough, is that where many may remember only one hit by
an artist or group, listening to their other popular hits (if any) and other
songs when discovering an artist's career, or they may bring back a particular
unknown song that could just become a hit, the second time around, years or
decades later.
Len Barry began his career with the group The Dovells; their most famous
hit was "Bristol Stomp" in the early 1960s. Len Barry would record on his own
in 1965, as The Very Best Of Len Barry covers his solo hits from
1965-1966.
The album starts out with an "Introduction by Len Barry", as this was
recorded around the same time when "1-2-3" was popular. "Lip Sync
(To The Tongue Twisters)" has a more early 60s R&B style. A true soulful
style is heard on "Happily Ever After," as it could easily fit the style
of
Billy Stewart.
As many artists encountered this in the 1950s and 1960s, there were other
songs recorded which would have a somewhat similar style to the most popular hit
they had at the time. Songs such as "Like A Baby," where the main verses
have the same style (in a sense) as "1-2-3."
"Somewhere" has a more pop sound, as many groups in the mid-60s had,
such as Tommy James & The Shondells. Likewise, we can say the same for "It's
A Cryin' Shame," "It's That Time Of The Year," and "I Struck It Rich."
However, they all have a soul style, yet they can also be classified as pop,
with a touch of soul. More pop than soul is heard on "Love Is."
On songs such as "1-2-3" and "You Baby," the opening drums
are very similar to a more recent song,
Edwyn Collins'
"A Girl Like You." Yet the main verses are different than Collins', we
can see where songs of the past can be an influence (if this is true, if the
songwriters of the Collins' song used this opening drumming from Len Barry) --
by "borrowing" certain riffs from old songs into new ones.
The Very Best Of Len Barry captures the pop style of music, where
many new artists at the time were trying to capture a popular audience for
their music. (1965 -- The Beatles and more groups and artists that would
surface from the British Invasion.) Music back then was positioning itself
into a new direction, and many groups and artists would have their own sound,
and became part of music history. Len Barry may really be famous for one
song, "1-2-3," yet it's interesting to hear his other songs, and see
that he had a pop and soulful style that would be influenced for many artists
to later become popular in the next decades.
© WSVNRadio.net. All rights reserved.
Review or any portion may not be reproduced
without written permission. Cover art is the
intellectual property of
Taragon/MCA Records
and is used for reference purposes only.
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