Joanie Sommers - The Complete Warner Bros. Singles (2011) @ 320

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Best known for the 1962 ditty "Johnny Get Angry," wherein the narrator pleads for the titular boyfriend to show some spine when other boys cut in on them while they're dancing, Joanie Sommers made a sizable splash in the early-‘60s pop music world before the Beatles and flower power came along to shake things up. Her pleasant voice and pretty, girl-next-door appeal also made her a natural for television, where she was a frequent variety show and talk show guest and jingle singer (she was known as "The Pepsi Girl"). She also headlined in Vegas and appeared in two films, and later in her career explored more serious and adventurous jazz and bossa nova. This compilation includes 36 tracks never before assembled into one collection, and concentrates on her earlier work. The fluffy ‘60s hits are here -- "Don't Pity Me," "One Boy" (from Bye Bye Birdie), "Kookie's Love Song (While Dancing)" -- as well as lesser-known but lovely tracks like the peppy "Bobby's Hobbies" and the doo wop ballad "Wishing Well." Also included are some cute commercial spots that capture the goofy innocence of early-‘60s radio. If nothing else, this singles collection may whet listeners' appetites for her more substantive latter-career recordings.

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