The Bobbettes - "Come-A, Come-A"/"Speedy" (Atlantic)

Hello everybody, it's the other half of this blog chiming in. No doubt we're still a bit hung over from celebrating our third anniversary, but it's been and continues to be a whole lot of fun for both of us. As for myself, it's always cool to be able to share some vinyl madness with you and I hope you all have enjoyed them as much as both Todd and myself have. Okay, on to today's entry.

We go back to 1957 for this double-dose of girl group doo-wop mayhem. Two sides of giddy gladness await you with this one. Once again, Todd, that suave man of taste, hipped me to it and I immediately grabbed one for myself and it has made many, many returns to my turntable. It's really that good.

The Bobbettes came from New York and were a group of girls then aged 11 to 17. They were originally called The Harlem Queens. They scored a big hit that year with a song called "Mr. Lee," which proved to be their only hit. Surprisingly, "Mr. Lee" would be their only appearance on Billboard's R&B charts, while they would appear in the lower reaches of the Billboard Hot 100 charts 4 more times. In addition to Atlantic, they would record for Triple-X, Kings and other labels before calling it a day.

This record is the follow-up to "Mr. Lee." It failed to chart anywhere, but that's not how we judge things at "It's Great Shakes." We judge things by how they cook and both sides swing really hard and swell. I especially like the way the girls go "Come-a-come-a-come-a baby!" on "Come-A, Come-A." It really adds a touch of wildness to the already hectic proceedings. But really, both sides of this chug along at a breathless pace and keep you tapping in time to the swift rhythm all the way to the end. Check 'em both out. Me thinks you'll be happy you did. And if you're not, well there's something a mite wrong with you.