The CD gains some strength with “Save Your Heart For Me,” and the streak continues on for the next eight songs (“Without a Word of Warning,” "Everybody Loves a Clown,” "Time Stands Still,” "She’s Just My Style,” "I Won’t Make that Mistake Again,” "Sure Gonna Miss Her,” "I Don’t Wanna Say Good Night,” and Green Grass”). “She’s Just My Style,” is another obvious Beach Boys “influenced” song, but written and produced so well, it could have been found tucked between “Wouldn’t it be Nice” and “Caroline, No” on Pet Sounds if not for Lewis’ vocal range, or lack thereof.
With the simplistic “I Can Read Between the Lines,” the CD nose-dives once again and ends with a forgettable version of “Down on the Sloop John B.” These two tracks offer nothing new, and in some instances like “Paint Me a Picture,” are sadly even a little laughable. It’s at this point, that you realize there is still another disc to go before you have completed The Complete Liberty Singles.
Disc two features some interesting songs, but no major hits like "This Diamond Ring." Those who are still listening may find themselves reaching for a Beach Boys or the Beatles album, since these songs draw heavily from those two bands but lack the same artistic and musical quality. There is, however, a sprinkling of decent material on this CD. An example is, track one “Where Will the Words Come From,” a fine song to be sure, but it’s followed by, “May the Best Man Win,” a vocal monstrosity. Sung in a higher register, by a man who never sounds comfortable with his normal voice, you can guess the outcome. The next track, “The Loser,” another good song, this time by producer Russell, never realizes its full potential, again because of poor vocals. Tracks four through seven, “Ice Melts the Sun,” "Girls in Love,” "Let’s Be More then Friends,” and "Jill,” are more or less unlistenable.
“New in Town,” one of the highlights on this CD, starts off with a funky bass line, lending some respectability but "Happiness," is a perfect example of terrible songwriting, with annoyingly campy lyrics like, “Happiness to kids is peanut butter.” The similarly campy lyrics of “Sealed With a Kiss” actually help create the song's mood and it’s probably the best example of the type of song for which Mr. Lewis’ voice is best suited, although on the recording, he is sometimes pitchy and flat. “Sealed With a Kiss” was the last song to make it into the top 20 for Gary and the Playboys, and the rest of the songs on the CD show why Gary Lewis was left standing still in an ever changing music scene. At the dawning of Aquarius, there was no room for these campy somewhat pleasant songs. The listening public was becoming more sophisticated and wanted more substance from their bands, and Gary Lewis and The Playboys had nothing to give them.
Article comments
1 - JANK
Harsh, but accurate. Great group & producers though.
2 - Jamie Sanders
I always loved Gary's voice.