The Cryan Shames - Sugar And Spice. Sundazed.

* Artist: The Cryan' Shames
* Rating: StarStarStarHalf Star
* Release Date: July 14, 1992
* Type: Compilation (best of)
* Genre: Rock

Review
The Cryan' Shames' debut album was typical of the more thrown-together rock LPs of the era: both sides of their first two singles and a bunch of cover versions. The singles, actually, were pretty good, including their most well-known song, "Sugar and Spice," a cover of a Searchers hit that actually was more memorable and imaginative than the original. Its B-side, "Ben Franklin's Almanac," was a respectable original with shades of the Byrds, the Yardbirds, and California harmonies; the second single, "I Wanna Meet You," was a decent meld of Beatles-Byrds jangle with Beach Boys harmonies; and its flip, "We Could Be Happy," was an OK soft rock number. Throw in the sole original composition not from a single, "July" (one of the better 1966 Byrds sound-alikes), and you have half a decent (though not great) period pop/rock album. The problem is, though, that the cover versions that fill out the record -- including songs written and/or popularized by the Beatles, the Byrds, and the Animals, along with "Heat Wave" -- are neither too creatively done or even imaginative selections. "Sugar and Spice" and all four of the originals appear on the Legacy compilation Sugar & Spice, which makes this album superfluous if you already have that anthology. The 2002 CD Sundazed reissue is bolstered by six bonus songs: their 1967 single "Mr. Unreliable" (different from the LP version) and its laid-back B-side "Georgia," a cover of the Beatles' "You're Gonna Lose That Girl," and three previously unreleased 1969 tracks that found them going into a mellow folk-country/soft rock direction. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi


This review is from: Cryan Shames (Audio CD)
This is some of the best of the Cryan' Shames...including songs that aren't on the "Sugar & Spice" compilation like their brilliant version of "If I Needed Someone". Legend has it that George Harrison nixed them releasing this cover (originally found on the Beatles freshman effort "Please Please Me") as a single...even though it's so faithful to the original. And there is a great send-up of "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place", or "Out of this Place We're Gotten To Get" as mirthful lead singer Tom Doody calls it, using his fake British accent that caused many people to mistakenly think he was a Brit. Of course there is there signature tune "Sugar & Spice" (also done at the time by the Searchers--who had the bigger national hit). Another great tune and a favorite in Chicagoland to this day on oldies radio is "I Wanna Meet You". Jim Peterik, leader of the Ides of March (another Chicago band), Survivor ("Eye of the Tiger") and the brains behind 38 Special once awed at the Cryan' Shames...he said they could walk up on the stage, plug in and "Boom...I first saw you in a magazine, I wanna meet you..." They were pro's, and this is where it started.


Tracklist:

1. Sugar And Spice
2. We Could Be Happy
3. Heat Wave
4. We'll Meet Again
5. Ben Franklin's Almanac
6. She Don't Care About Time
7. Hey Joe (Where You Gonna Go)
8. If I Needed Someone
9. July
10. I Wanna Meet You
11. We Gotta Get Out Of This Place
12. You're Gonna Lose That Girl
13. Mr. Unreliable (45 vers.)
14. Georgia
15. It Don't Matter To Me
16. Bits And Pieces (vers. one)
17. The Road (prev. unissued)

Thanks go to COR for sending this post!!!

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