Various Artists: Hearts For Sale! - Girl Group Sounds USA 1961-1967 (Vinyl LP)

Hearts For Sale is the fifth and latest in  series of 12-inch vinyl albums spotlighting the US girl group sound of the 1960s. The collection opens with ‘Street Dance’ by Bonnie Jean, a little-known must-have for collectors of the genre, with Darlene Love and the Blossoms clearly audible on background vocals. Issued on Lew Bedell’s Doré label, this exciting faux- live deck in the style of Shirley Ellis’ ‘The Nitty Gritty’ was written by Guy Hemric and Jerry Styner, a hip team known for supplying songs for the soundtracks of B movies such as Muscle Beach Party and Thunder Alley.

The Hollywood-based Doré imprint is also the source of ‘You Really Never Know Till It’s Over’ by the Vel-Vetts (which shares a backing track with the Superbs’ ‘I Was Born When You Kissed Me’), ‘One Way Street’ by the Swans, a soulful update of the Teddy Bears’ ‘To Know Him Is To Love Him’ by the Darlings and – featuring lead vocals by Sheilah Page, a former member of groups such as the Bermudas, Becky and the Lollipops, the Majorettes, Joanne & the Triangles and Beverly and the Motor Scooters – ‘He’s Groovy’ by the Front Page & Her.

Other highlights include the Sweethearts’ Supremes- influenced ‘No More Tears’, the sophisticated slowie ‘Lonely Girl’ by the Lovettes (that’s them on the front sleeve), ‘My Heart Tells Me So’ by the Del-Phis (an early incarnation of Martha and the Vandellas) and the Fran-Cettes’ terrific recording of ‘Heart For Sale’. As with the earlier volumes in the series, the album comes with a fully-illustrated inner bag featuring a 2,500-word track commentary by compiler Mick Patrick.

1. Street Dance – Bonnie Jean
   
2. That's No Way To Spend My Time - The Pen Etts
   
3. Boy Trouble - The Rev-lons
   
4. I Can Tell (I'm Losing Your Love) – Lena Calhoun & The Emotions
   
5. You Really Never Know Till It's Over – The Vel-vetts
   
6. Heart For Sale - The Fran-cettes
   
7. One Way Street - The Swans
8. No More Tears - The Sweethearts
   
9. To Know Him Is To Love Him - The Darlings
   
10. Boy You Move Me - Joan Moody
    
11. Lonely Girl - The Lovettes
    
12. My Heart Tells Me So (Aka I Know It's You) – The Del-phis
    
13. Surfers Memories - The Fashions
    
14. He's Groovy - The Front Page & Her