Gary Lewis & The Playboys Albums Episode 1: This Diamond Ring (1965)
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"Who wants to buy This Diamond Ring?"
Well I did! How else can I have a complete collection of Gary Lewis & The Playboys albums?
Many of the albums in the Playboys' discography never made it beyond the original LP stage, but they also had quite a few big hits and notable successes. Where do these fall in their career? Which albums are worth seeking out?
Their hasty debut album features the eponymous classic along with many covers from a wide variety of artists: 2 Bobbies (Vee and Darin), Chuck Berry, The Kinks, Jewel Akens, and (especially) The Searchers. Also see a couple tunes that ride the boundary between cover and not.
Does it hold up? Find out in this video. Please like and comment your favorite Gary Lewis & The Playboys tunes below.
Пікірлер: 6
Nice happy songs. Real 60s sound brings back memories of my childhood. Will never be anything like that decade again.
@betamaxblocker
2 ай бұрын
This is definitely a "feel-good" album (with plenty more to come from the group!)
The AFM contract from the session on Nov 30, 1964 indicates the musicians on This Diamond Ring was Gary Lewis, Allen Ramsey (bass); David Costell (guitar), and John West (electronic accordion) of the Playboys were supplemented by Bridges "Leon" Russell (the session leader) and Hal Blaine replacing Lewis on Drums. So as far as the first single Gary Lewis is basically right. The other two union contracts listed at the wreckingcrewfilm also indicates members of the band did participate in the sessions. I was glad to see you had an original mono copy of the first album, as many of the Gary Lewis albums sound best in mono. This Diamond Ring (the song) sounds fuller in mono. As far as the first album's contents, since Gary Lewis and the Playboys were playing gigs at Disneyland before being discovered, I have long felt the song selection was probably taken from the covers they performed there. It would make sense as the album was put together rather fast. But I haven't read anything to back that up. It just makes sense. For an upcoming video, I thought I'd tell you in an interview Gary Lewis said that "Sure Gonna Miss her" was their biggest seller in digital downloads, which kinda surprised him. You can cover the albums, but honestly, Gary Lewis and The Playboys was a "singles" band.
@betamaxblocker
2 ай бұрын
Thanks for clearing that up! That was very helpful! I'm not even sure how many of their songs were even mixed to stereo. Certainly few of those made it to LP anyway. I could see Best of CDs using them quite a bit though. Agree 100% that they are a "singles" band but I kind of wanted to cover each of their LPs as they aren't really documented anywhere else. This series could be a resource for people getting into the band if nothing else. "Sure Gonna Miss Her" is a great song but I too am a bit surprised by that. Thanks for the great and insightful comments!
This Diamond Ring (the single) was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 28, 1967. The only album certified GOLD by the RIAA was the "Golden Greats" album with the green cover, on September 29, 1969.
@betamaxblocker
2 ай бұрын
Thanks for the info! I'll be reviewing both that hits album and its follow-up when I get there in the discography.