The disc opens with “You’re The One,” which was written Petula Clark and Tony Hatch, and originally included on Clark’s 1965 LP I Know A Place. But it is this rendition by The Vogues that everyone knows. It was a big hit for the group, reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 list, and it’s a lot of fun. Its flip side, “Some Words,” isn’t as well known. Herb Cohen, the “Co” of the record label, is one of the co-writers of this sweet, slow, romantic number. “Some words can tell how much I miss you/Some words express the way I feel.” The group’s second single for the label was also a huge hit, “Five O’ Clock World.” It too got to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and later was featured in the movie Good Morning, Vietnam, and included on its soundtrack album. The element that I have always loved from this song is that near-yodel at the end of the chorus. It’s a great song even without that, but that yodel helps it stand out. This song was written by Allen Reynolds. The flip side is a slow doo-wop number titled “Nothing To Offer You,” featuring some really good vocal work. Like the first single’s flip side, this one was also co-written by Herb Cohen.
The group’s next single, “Magic Town,” didn’t do as well as the first two, but still reached #21, which of course isn’t bad. It was written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, the writing team responsible for The Monkees’ “Shades Of Gray,” The Animals’ “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place,” and “Shape Of Things,” that great song from Wild In The Streets, among many others. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Where’s the magic/To make all my big dreams come true/I’ve got to find it, girl, before I send for you/They said in this town, you get rich in no time/But here I am, and I’m down to my last dime.” Continuing the trend, that single’s flip side, “Humpty Dumpty,” was co-written by Herb Cohen. This one has a Bo Diddley beat, which makes it a totally fun track to dance to. It’s also a playful tune. “And then you shake it to the right/And then you move it to the left now/Oh, I can do it all night.”
“The Land Of Milk And Honey” is an interesting song that first describes youthful folly and attitudes. “And I did my best to dodge anything/That looked at all like work/I was prone to standing on corners.” Then he raises his voice as he asks, “Please take me to the land of milk and honey/To the land of love and sunshine/To the land of milk and honey, please take me.” I love that “Cha” whispered at end of the chorus and into the next verse. By that second verse, he’s a little older, but still in trouble, now in adult trouble. But before the end, things are looking up. This one was written by John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins. This time, the flip side was co-written by Nick Cenci, the “Ce” of the label’s name. “True Lovers” is a song in which he hears that his true lover might not be so true after all. He doesn’t want to believe it at first. “We planned so many things for the future/And that, that we’d be married soon/But now our love, our love has ended/And there’s nothing, nothing I can do.” This track includes some “sha-la la-la and “shoo-bop” backing vocals.
The next single is a cover of “Please, Mr. Sun,” a song that was a hit for both Johnnie Ray and Tommy Edwards in 1952. This version by The Vogues features some wonderful harmonies, but it didn’t reach higher than #48 on the Billboard chart. The flip side is “Don’t Blame The Rain.” Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Now your life is empty/And lonely tears remain/Your high hopes turned to heartaches/Your freedom into chains/Don’t blame the rain and the wind and the darkness.” I don’t recall hearing this one before, but it’s a good song. And at just under two minutes it is over oh so quickly. Then “That’s The Tune” is an upbeat, positive number. As it begins, it will likely remind you of The Four Tops’ “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch).” “That’s the tune our hearts will dance to/That’s the tune that we’ll romance to.” Its flip side is “Midnight Dreams,” a slower song of longing. “Midnight dreams, dreaming of you/My midnight dreams will never come true/Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, I’m so lonely for your love.” It contains some nice work on guitar. This song was written by the four band members.
“Summer Afternoon” is the first single from 1967, and there is a hint of a psychedelic influence heard in that instrumental introduction. This one was written by Don Addrisi and Dick Addrisi, the team responsible for writing The Association’s “Never My Love.” They also wrote The Vogues’ “Don’t Blame The Rain.” The flip side to “Summer Afternoon” is a livelier number, “Take A Chance On Me Baby.” “There is no one else who turns me on the way you do/If I had but one wish, I’d like it to come true/I’d like to have a groovy girl like you.” Oh yes, it is clearly 1967. This song was written by one of the band’s members, Bill Burkette. The final of the band’s singles recorded for Co & Ce is “Lovers Of The World Unite.” In this one they sing, “All good people, hear my song/If you feel the world is wrong/All division, no one shares/Dreams are dying, and no one cares.” Hmm, those lines still apply, don’t they? Its flip side, “Brighter Days,” is an energetic number featuring more good vocal work. This one was written by Charles Blasko, one of the band’s members.
And More
The rest of this collection’s tracks were not originally issued, but were included on the 1996 compilation You’re The One: The Best Of The Vogues. The first of those tracks is “You Baby,” a song written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri, the team responsible for writing a lot of The Grass Roots’ songs, including “Where Were You When I Needed You” and “Things I Should Have Said.” This track was recorded in 1965, and I wonder why it wasn’t initially released. This song became a hit for The Turtles in 1966. And The Grass Roots put out their own version as well. This version by The Vogues is really nice. That’s followed by “Bonnie’s Part Of Town,” which was co-written by Allen Reynolds, who wrote “Five O’ Clock World.” You’d think that would be enough of a reason for the label to release it. “People here so civilized and proud/Too blind to see the world outside their crowd/But things aren’t so pretty in Bonnie’s part of town.”
Like “You Baby,” “Autumn” was written by P.F. Sloan and Steve Barri. Again, it seems strange that this song was not released back in the day. It was also recorded by Gary Lewis & The Playboys, who included it on their 1966 album Hits Again. This version by The Vogues is at least as good as that one. That’s followed by “Where Did We Go Wrong.” The first big hit by The Vogues was written by Petula Clark and Tony Hatch. Well, this song was also written by that same pair. The Vogues deliver a strong rendition, which for some reason that must be known to someone somewhere, was not released until much later. Then “How Wonderful Our Love Is” is a cheerful number written by Don Addisi and Dick Addisi. This song isn’t quite as good as the others written by that team, but I do like the delivery of these lines: “In these dark and angry times/When other loves fall through/Safe inside each other’s arms/Our love is bright and new.” That section saves this song from getting too sugary. That’s followed by “Lonely Mixed-Up Girl,” which was written by Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil and Roger Christian. It was also recorded by The Charaydes in 1966. “Now I know what she’s going through/Because long ago someone hurt me too/Now that poor kid needs a guy like me/To give her love and lots of sympathy.” This collection concludes with “Come And Get Me,” a song written by Roger Atkins and Helen Miller. This is a fairly fun track. “Oh, you’re trying to upset my soul/And make me lose my self-control.”
CD Track List
- You’re The One
- Some Words
- Five O’ Clock World
- Nothing To Offer You
- Magic Town
- Humpty Dumpty
- The Land Of Milk And Honey
- True Lovers
- Please Mr. Sun
- Don’t Blame The Rain
- That’s The Tune
- Midnight Dreams
- Summer Afternoon
- Take A Chance On Me Baby
- Lovers Of The World Unite
- Brighter Days
- You Baby
- Bonnie’s Part Of Town
- Autumn
- Where Did We Go Wrong
- How Wonderful Our Love Is
- Lonely Mixed-Up Girl
- Come And Get Me
At Co & Ce – The Complete Singles & More is scheduled to be released on February 24, 2023 through Omnivore Recordings.
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