A new volume in Ace’s Songwriters series is always a cause for celebration, and all the more so when the writers concerned are Gerry Goffin and Carole King. As arguably the greatest of the so-called Brill Building teams, their catalogue is unmatched in its quality and hit-rate. No songwriters of the era articulated the emotions of adolescence and the pains of teen-dom with quite the same mix of innocence and sophistication of Goffin and King; they were, after all, still teenagers themselves when they were crafting much of this material, so were experiencing the same emotions as their audience. Even so, you might think that, this being Ace’s third collection of their compositions, the well of hits might have run dry. But then “Something Good” opens with the Drifters’ joyous ‘At The Club’ (the superior and rarely heard single version) and you know that once again Mick Patrick and Tony Rounce have served up another peerless compilation of classics, near misses and lost obscurities.

You’ll find hits aplenty on “Something Good”, including essential recordings from the Chiffons (‘One Fine Day’), the Byrds (‘Goin’ Back’) and the Cookies (‘Don’t Say Nothin’ Bad (About My Baby)’). But, as is their way, the compilers have again taken the path less travelled, usually plumping for a more obscure interpretation (or, more often, an earlier recording) of a catalogue favourite. Thus we get Bunny Sigler’s version of ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ over the Shirelles’, ‘The Loco-Motion’ interpreted by Dee Dee Sharp rather than Little Eva, and a version of ‘It Might As Well Rain Until September’ from Bobby Vee instead of Carole’s own take. Whether this is by design isn’t clear (or particularly relevant), but boy, it ain’t half refreshing.

Revelations also come thick and fast. Bobby Goldsboro’s warm, optimistic ballad ‘The Time For Us’ is new to me, and is the only known recording of this number. At the other end of the spectrum is the Eccentric’s’ (that’s not a typo!) ‘What You Got’, a snotty, clangourous freakbeat gem apparently modelled very closely on Carole’s original demo. She could turn her hand to anything, it seems. And it’s always a joy – though one tinged with melancholy – to hear Lesley Gore’s ‘The Old Crowd’, a vibrant yet achingly wistful rumination on lost youth, and for me as good as anything Gerry & Carole wrote.

The sleeve notes tell the story behind each recording, and the booklet is brimful with the kind of photos and details you come to expect from Ace. The CD’s strapline indicates that this third instalment of the Goffin & King songbook might just be the best one yet. Who am I to argue?

By Harvey Williams (Ace Records)

1 AT THE CLUB
The Drifters
2 ONE FINE DAY
The Chiffons
3 I'M INTO SOMETHING GOOD
Earl-Jean
4 HEY GIRL
Freddie Scott
5 GOIN' BACK
The Byrds
6 THE RIGHT TO CRY
Lenny Welch
7 YOU'RE MY GIRL
The Tokens
8 I'D NEVER FIND ANOTHER YOU
Billy Fury
9 THE TIME FOR US
Bobby Goldsboro
10 SOUL WALTZIN'
Big Dee Irwin
11 DOWN HOME
Rick Nelson
12 EASY TO LOVE (SO HARD TO GET)
Skeeter Davis
13 I DON'T THINK YOU KNOW ME
The American Breed
14 WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW
Bunny Sigler

15 SWEET YOUNG THING
The Monkees
16 WHAT YOU GOT
The Eccentrics
17 TALKIN' ABOUT YOU
Tony Orlando
18 SOME KINDA WONDERFUL
Little Eva
19 YOU'RE MY INSPIRATION
The Mad Lads
20 DON'T SAY NOTHIN' BAD (ABOUT MY BABY)
The Cookies
21 IT MIGHT AS WELL RAIN UNTIL SEPTEMBER
Bobby Vee
22 CHAINS
The Everly Brothers
23 THE OLD CROWD
Lesley Gore
24 CAN'T STOP TALKING ABOUT YOU
Tobin Matthews
25 THE LOCO-MOTION
Dee Dee Sharp
26 TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY BABY
Dion

17.00 €