Six years before screaming "Rape! Murder!" on a Rolling Stones record, Merry Clayton released a few singles for the Capitol label. The first was "Nothing Left To Do But Cry," a song written by David Gates. But it's b-side is the killer. "Usher Boy" is a blast of girl group bliss, written by Shalom Giskan, better known as Kenny Young who along with Artie Resnick wrote a much bigger hit, "Under The Boardwalk" for The Drifters one year later.
This record just slays me, in a Darlene Love meets The Ramones kind of way.
I was going to make this Girl Group Week, as I discovered a few other gems I wanted to share, but decided against it. Some of you may not care for the girl group sound and I didn't want to put you off by announcing a week's worth of this stuff. But for those who may love it as much as I do, I've got at least one more post coming where I'll double up.
For now, check out Miss Merry Clayton.
12 comments:
Me, I've got Girl Group Greats and More Girl Group Greats, and the 4-CD box One Kiss Can Lead To Another- Girl Group Sounds, Lost and Found. So Girl Group it up! You can't have too much Ronettes!
This is great - bring on the Girl Groups!
Randy
Very cool record. Thanks!!!
How can anybody not like the Girl Group Sound? It's American as Apple Pie!
Post as much girl group sounds as often as you want to Sal. I'll be all in!
Captain al
"I've got at least one more [girl group] post coming"
Bring. It. On.
I just picked up a Merry Clayton disc on a weekend trip to St. Louis. What a coincidence. These early Merry Clayton are awesome. Thanks.
Cool song...thanks. Tangentially, Kenny Young also wrote - by himself this time - a song that Herman's Hermits took to #7 on the Billboard Charts in the fall of 1965. Kenny had released the song on ATCO about a year earlier. Here's Kenny's version of "Just A Little Bit Better."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw9LCRXxmPA&t=106s
Great song. Keep 'em comin'. I can listen to girl groups all day.
That is fuckin' TUFF.
Big fat WOW, right there.
Thank you.
Loved it!
After Shelly Duvall's passing, I watched an early film she did with Robert Altman, Brewster McCloud.
I was surprised to see one of the main songs on teh soundtrack, White Feather Wings, was sung by Merry. Very nicely done!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoY0KFyJzdk
Girl groups are great! The more the Merry(er)! And was there ever a better album title than the girl group par excellence Shangri-Las Myrmidons of Melodrama?
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