VA - Chartbusters USA Volume 3

 

Review by Richie Unterberger  

Like the previous two volumes in Ace's Chartbusters USA series, this assembles as much music as is possible to fit onto a single-disc compilation of quality, though thematically unrelated, American chart hits from 1963-1969. The latest tracks here are actually from 1968, but it's still a good survey of smashes from the golden age of '60s rock, mixing superstars with one-shots. Classic hits from several genres are on hand here: surf and hot rod music (the Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun," the Hondells' "Little Honda"), British Invasion (the Zombies' "She's Not There"), blue-eyed soul (the Box Tops' "The Letter"), Motown (Junior Walker's "(I'm A) Road Runner" and Marvin Gaye's "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"), garage rock (the Music Machine's "Talk Talk"), instrumentals (Booker T. & the MG's' "Soul Limbo," Hugh Masekela's "Grazing in the Grass"), Chicago soul (the Impressions' "People Get Ready"), Stax (Wilson Pickett's "In the Midnight Hour"), novelties (Henry Mancini's "The Pink Panther Theme"), psychedelia (Steppenwolf's "Born to Be Wild"), blues-rock (Canned Heat's "Goin' Up the Country"), and even blues (Slim Harpo's "Baby Scratch My Back"). As for tracks that don't often show up on these kind of anthologies, there aren't many, but there are a few, those including the Rose Garden's one-shot pop-folk-rock hit "Next Plane to London," the Marvelows' superb clapalong harmony soul single "I Do," and Timmy Shaw's "Gonna Send You Back to Georgia," which is certainly the most off the beaten track song here, and is better known to many in its cover version by the Animals (who changed the title to "Gonna Send You Back to Walker"). Many '60s collectors will already have most of this, but for more general fans it's a rollicking good time, buttressed by Ace's usual excellent, thorough liner notes.

01 - Jr. Walker & The All Stars - (I'm A) Road Runner 

02 - The Box Tops - The Letter 

03 - The Beach Boys - Fun, Fun, Fun 

04 - The Zombies - She's Not There 

05 - Bobbie Gentry - Ode to Billy Joe 

06 - The Association - Along Comes Mary 

07 - Sonny & Cher - I Got You Babe 

08 - The Rose Garden - Next Plane to London 

09 - Billy Joe Royal - Down in the Boondocks 

10 - Ian Whitcomb - You Turn Me On (Turn on Song) 

11 - The Sandpipers - Quantanamera 

12 - Little Anthony & The Imperials - Goin' Out of My Head 

13 - The Marvelows - I Do 

14 - Marvin Gaye - I Heard It Through the Grapevine 

15 - Wilson Pickett - In the Midnight Hour 

16 - Timmy Shaw - Gonna Send You Back to Georgia 

17 - Paul Revere and The Raiders - Just Like Me 

18 - Henry Mancini - The Pink Panther Theme 

19 - Canned Heat - Going Up the Country 

20 - The Impressions - People Get Ready 

21 - Booker T. & The MG’s - Soul Limbo 

22 - Slim Harpo - Baby Scratch My Back 

23 - Hugh Masekela - Grazing in the Grass 

24 - The Music Explosion - Little Bit O' Soul 

25 - The Music Machine - Talk Talk 

26 - Gale Garnett - We'll Sing in the Sunshine 

27 - The Knickerbockers - Lies 

28 - The Hondells - Little Honda 

29 - Steppenwolf - Born to Be Wild 

Thanks Cor !

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