TOMMY BOYCE & BOBBY HART"The Singles" Vol. 2

If it's not quite as compelling as The Albums: Vol. 1, this second volume of Boyce & Hart's A&M Records catalog still has a lot to recommend it as it ties up all of the loose ends left by its predecessor. Appropriately given its title, it opens with the mono single mix of "Out and About," a number 39 hit in the summer of 1967 (which appeared in its stereo album version on the other volume). That song, and the "Paperback Writer"-like "Sometimes She's a Little Girl"; the soaring, lyrical "Love Every Day"; and the punchy "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight" all make for a bracing opening section to this compilation. Then comes the realm of rarities with the group's version of "The Ambushers" and "Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows," the title tracks from those two movies. The latter song is a lot cooler than the movie to which it's attached, describing a young woman and an interest in her that would hardly have passed muster in the family-oriented comedy-drama. Sandwiched between them is "Goodbye Baby (I Don't Want to Make You Cry)," which shows the influence of "Penny Lane," among other songs. This part of the disc also includes Boyce & Hart's versions of a pair of songs better known in their recordings by the Monkees, "I Wanna Be Free" and "P.O. Box 9847," as well as the surprisingly upbeat and catchy "LUV (Let Us Vote)," their contribution to a burgeoning political movement aimed at securing the right to vote for 18 year olds. The duo's effort at a serious single, "We're All Going to the Same Place," is also here, and it echoes sensibilities that were presented more successfully on "In the Year 2525." The contents of the third Boyce & Hart album, It's All Happening on the Inside (1968), follow, the latter a mix of gospel ("Maybe Somebody Heard"), pop/rock ("It's All Happening on the Inside," "We're All Going to the Same Place," "Alice Long"), and late psychedelic balladry ("Strawberry Girl"). These are interspersed with some surprises, including an extended instrumental ("Abracadabra") that leads into a slow cover of the Stones' "Jumping Jack Flash," the fuzztone-laden "Thanks for Sunday," plus a Motown cover ("Standing in the Shadows of Love"). The remainder of the disc includes two versions of "I'm Gonna Blow You a Kiss in the Wind," a song by the duo that was featured on an episode of the TV series Bewitched, and it finishes with the A- and B-sides of Tommy Boyce's 1966 solo single for A&M. The sound is uniformly excellent and the annotation is exceptionally thorough. (Bruce Eder, AMG)

trax:
01 Out & About 02 Sometimes She's A Little Girl 03 My Little Chickadee 04 Love Every Day 05 I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight? 06 The Ambushers 07 Goodbye Baby (I Don't Want To See You Cry) 08 Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows 09 P. O. Box 9847 10 Six + Six 11 We're All Going To The Same Place 12 L.U.V. (Let Us Vote) 13 I Wann Be Free 14 Prelude 15 Change 16 Maybe Somebody Heard 17 It's All Happening On The Inside 18 Abracadabra 19 Jumping Jack Flash 20 We're All Going To The Same Place 21 Strawberry Girl 22 Thanks For Sunday 23 My Baby Loves Sad Songs 24 Standing In The Shadows Of Love 25 Alice Long (You're Still My Favorite Girlfriend) 26 I'm Gonna Blow You A Kiss In The Wind 27 Smilin' 28 I'm Gonna Blow You A Kiss In The Wind (Alternate Version) 29 Sunday, The Day Before Monday 30 The Green Grass (Is Turning Brown)
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