The Carolines, "Can't Stop Lovin' The Boy" c/w "You're My Baby," Roulette R-4709 (rel.11/1966)

The Carolines’ story is one of countless meet-cute events in pop music. Girl group relaxes on the beach in Long Island, NY, to combine vitamin D infusion and singing practice. Their dulcet tones are overheard by an ambitious songwriter-producer who’s taken with their sound. He approached them, introduces himself and asks them to audition for him in a Manhattan studio. Yeah, right, the group’s leader, Carrel Mancuso scoffs. Larry Weiss, future composer of “Rhinestone Cowboy,” convinces them he’s on the level.

The girls do one recording session, where at least five songs are taped. Two of them are written by Weiss and earmarked for a potential single. Mob-infested Roulette Records (king of the intriguing one-shot releases) puts the record out in late 1966, a couple of years past the group’s stylistic appeal; they do some local publicity, but the record fails. Though what The Carolines had as an act is polished and full of feeling, it’s strictly 1964 stuff.

What they do, they do well: a fascinating impersonation of Phil Spector-produced girl group icons The Ronettes. And despite the morbid aspects of a group whose sound is so modeled on another’s, the single is an excellent showcase. But it goes nowhere, and is destined to be on many a girl group afficionado’s want list, as it was on mine until I unearthed a copy for cheap at the recent Canby Record Extravaganza.

This single is a fascinating last gasp of the classic (pre-Supremes) girl-group style. “Can’t Stop Lovin’ the Boy” is a mishmash of the Spector sound, the vibe of Little Anthony & The Imperials’ recordings with producer/writer Teddy Randazzo and a sprig of Burt Bacharach. Mancuso’s vocal style has a bit too much of Ronnie Spector’s approach (her signature vibrato, for example) but she’s a belter and her nasal Long Island voice packs a punch.

With a majestic backing of strings, brass and thundering percussion, it sounds like a show-tune from some lost girl-group Broadway musical. A few months earlier, fellow LI group The Shangri-las had their final single for Red Bird Records, which folded soon thereafter. The two records represent the end of an era and thus have a poignancy that exceeds the music itself.

A bit late for such a grand-sounding girl-group single, but Cash Box deemed it worthy.

“You’re My Baby” was chosen as the closing track to a much-admired Japanese CD anthology of girl-group sounds, Hanky Panky: Warner Girl-Group Nuggets, Vol. 2 (2015). The sun sets on the classic girl-group genre with this heartfelt, rousing and good-natured song, Mancuso soars on this endearing ode to a guy who’s just an all-around nice fellow, and he’s not put on a pedestal or frowned upon. Carell sells the song with urgency and joy. The other Carolines have little to do on either side of this single, but their backup is solid. 

The group recorded again for Larry Weiss in 1968 as Karyl Mann and The Little Bits for Bob Crewe’s DynoVoice label; again, the results failed to get into the mainstream pulse. Ace Records (UK) issued a three-track EP of the other cuts from the group’s 1966 session on a 45-rpm EP that I wouldn’t mind owning. And that’s all we got!

Tomorrow: more New York girl-group goodness with The Orchids on another massive-sounding twin-spin, this time for Columbia Records in 1964. One side really tries for the Spector sound!