Reparata And The Delrons, "Take A Look Around You" c/w "I Can Tell," RCA-Victor 47-6721 (rel. 11/1965)
This tougher-than-average girl group from Long Island always gets a good response here. The group's fortunes took a turn for the worse when they moved from the small World Artists label to the megalopolis of RCA-Victor. This top dog of the record world bought artists' contracts by the score and did nothing to publicize their releases.
I believe corporate hubris ruled the roost at RCA. Their execs thought everything the company issued was pure gold, and the public privileged to be able to hear and purchase their wares. An Elvis, Sam Cooke or Porter Wagoner brought in such reliable income that their little-known acts could sink or swim. Thus, there are hundreds of thousands of excellent records that died without the necessary marketing that got them into the hands of disc jockeys and other influencers (or to the attention of the public, who mattered the most in this equation).
A performer or group might take initial pride in being associated with the lable. That enthusiasm soon palled when record after record went nowhere--because no one knew it existed!
This group had two charters with World Artists: the iconic "Whenever a Teenager Cries" and the brutal ear-worm "Tommy;" as a solo act, Reparata scored with the introspective "A Summer Thought." (The latter two just got onto the bottom of the pop charts.)
A performer or group might take initial pride in being associated with the lable. That enthusiasm soon palled when record after record went nowhere--because no one knew it existed!
This group had two charters with World Artists: the iconic "Whenever a Teenager Cries" and the brutal ear-worm "Tommy;" as a solo act, Reparata scored with the introspective "A Summer Thought." (The latter two just got onto the bottom of the pop charts.)
None of the group's five RCA-Victor platters made any noise in the Babel of 1965 and '66, as countless voices vied for attention in one of pop music's most fertile and innovative periods.
1965 was the year of folk-rock and songs like "Eve of Destruction" and "Like A Rolling Stone." For their Victor debut, this trio boarded the social commentary express via "Take a Look Around You," penned by producer Bill Jerome and Mary Catherine Aiese (BKA Reparata). Piano and fuzz guitar frame this moody, garage-flavored item. Reparata plays Cassandra in this laundry-list of society's many ills; she urges the listener to do something and not be complacent. This song seems apt for the uncertain world of 2026--a year determined to top 2025 in its sheer awfulness.
This group approached the vibe of their better-known neighbors The Shangri-las at times, and this song fits that category well. The Delrons give solid vocal back-up on this turn for the serious and timely from a group who trafficked in teen heartbreak songs. Had it been heard, "Take a Look..." might have struck a responsive chord in the hearts of American teens.
1965 was the year of folk-rock and songs like "Eve of Destruction" and "Like A Rolling Stone." For their Victor debut, this trio boarded the social commentary express via "Take a Look Around You," penned by producer Bill Jerome and Mary Catherine Aiese (BKA Reparata). Piano and fuzz guitar frame this moody, garage-flavored item. Reparata plays Cassandra in this laundry-list of society's many ills; she urges the listener to do something and not be complacent. This song seems apt for the uncertain world of 2026--a year determined to top 2025 in its sheer awfulness.
This group approached the vibe of their better-known neighbors The Shangri-las at times, and this song fits that category well. The Delrons give solid vocal back-up on this turn for the serious and timely from a group who trafficked in teen heartbreak songs. Had it been heard, "Take a Look..." might have struck a responsive chord in the hearts of American teens.
"I Can Tell," co-written by Artie Kornfeld and Steve Duboff, begins in full Shangri-las mode. The ominous spoken-word intro turns into a bar-room sing-along that skirts the morning-after issue with typical girl-group glee: he's such a swell guy he won't get me into trouble!
I hope Reparata & Co. were right in their 101% trust. This was pegged as the A-side; as with yesterday's single, it was the wrong choice. Sometimes the best song hides on the B-side. Well-performed nonetheless, "I Can Tell" was a weak sister for potential chart appeal.
I hope Reparata & Co. were right in their 101% trust. This was pegged as the A-side; as with yesterday's single, it was the wrong choice. Sometimes the best song hides on the B-side. Well-performed nonetheless, "I Can Tell" was a weak sister for potential chart appeal.
Reparata's next single, which I'd love to own, is a devastating unwed mother narrative penned by Jeff Barry. Once heard, "I'm Nobody's Baby Now" is never forgotten. It's one of the late masterpieces of the girl-group genre. After RCA dropped them, the group moved to Mala, where they managed a minor hit with "Captain of Your Ship" (a major hit in the UK) and dropped a Northern Soul monster in "Panic" c/w "Saturday Night Didn't Happen," a 1968 release that fetches in excess of 200 dollars for a clean copy.
You can obtain the cream of this group's work on the Ace Records CD The Best of Reparata and The Delrons, which includes an excellent booklet that tells the hard-luck story of this talented trio, for 1/20th of that single's median price.
Tomorrow: Latino teen rock from Bob and Tony, via a ridiculously obscure Peerless Records platter from sometime between 1958 and 1964.
You can obtain the cream of this group's work on the Ace Records CD The Best of Reparata and The Delrons, which includes an excellent booklet that tells the hard-luck story of this talented trio, for 1/20th of that single's median price.
Tomorrow: Latino teen rock from Bob and Tony, via a ridiculously obscure Peerless Records platter from sometime between 1958 and 1964.
Gosh— I sure hope the guy in "I Can Tell" does indeed wear protection because it appears he's gonna get lucky. What a hoot!
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