The Rue-Teens, "I Don't Cry Over Girls" c/w "Lucky Boy," Louis 45-6805 (rel. 11/64...?)

 

Today's record is an odd outlier. Recorded in late 1964 and apparently released at the start of 1965, this was a curious choice for the year when pop music took a dramatic shift away from the past. (But it was also the year that a two-year-old recording by goofy UK band Freddie and The Dreamers shot to #1 on the pop charts. Anything was possible in 1965 pop!)

The group came from The Bronx and were disciples of the doo-wop sound. They eschewed the grating screech of The Four Seasons and, on the superior B-side of this rare item from the "Louis" label, sound like a mixture of Del Shannon and The Beach Boys. Who this recording was intended for is a puzzler. There were East Coast vocal groups like Jay and The Americans who continued to hit the charts in '65; perhaps this was a hat thrown into that ring. 

It's well-recorded and benefits from uncredited lead guitar by Tommy Cosgrove, who would later record with Dr. John and Todd Rundgren, among others. "I Don't Cry Over Girls" opens with crisp, intense percussion and a rock rhythm section. The song is a moody item about an arrogant young fellow who considers himself a case-hardened survivor of love's battlefield. Jimmy Appollo's lead vocal is compelling and solid. He has a great, expressive voice and his pitch is perfect. His fellow Rue-Teens deliver backup harmonies that further the pensive mood of this declaration of male hubris. Cosgrove gets in a slinky, downlow solo that adds to the effect of this little surprise out of nowhere.

Copies weren't sent to the music magazines, which makes it hard to date the release of this seldom-seen single. The label seems to have issued one single every year. This, by the way, came from a batch of unplayed promo 45s from the London Records company. Those patterned orange labels are London's style; unlike their retail copies, issued on flimsy styrene with lousy musical range, their promos are on quality vinyl and deliver high fidelity. These singles had been sealed in their original mailer since 1964. This single received its first-ever play when I acquired it last week.

"Lucky Boy" is a show-off piece for the Rue-Teens' impressive harmony vocals. They sang sans instruments most of the time, and their collective ear was solid gold. This slow item is more old-fashioned sounding, and exceeds the usual pop song timing at 3:10. 

It's so well-recorded! Though a bit of a dull song, the performance is big-sounding and impressive. Best of all is the intro and outro--long excursions into a cappella harmony. This could have been recorded in 1956 without a single change.

And that's all we have on this beguiling oddity. It stood little chance of success on the national pop scene, but I imagine it sold well in the boroughs of New York where this style of music thrived despite global changes all around it. 

Tomorrow: powerful Black vocal group The Originals, with lead singer Tony Allen, deliver a raucous rocker coupled with an elegant ballad. Rare 1960 issue on the Original Sound label outta LA.