So, this is a mostly very good collection of cheap sound-alikes, save for two tracks which, though the artists may try hard, don't quite make the 99¢ cut. I refer to the potentially good fake of Lonely Teardrops, a song to which the singer seems well-suited--but he repeatedly botches things, suggesting that his voice was worn out on that particular day. And that the folks at SPC said, "What the heck--it's a take." And we can be fairly certain that SPC (Synthetic Plastics Co., though there's no actual SPC credit anywhere on this LP) frowned on multiple takes. Or (especially) the prospect of rescheduling a session. What they got was what they pressed. Whatever I just typed.
The other not-so-good band is She Say (Oom Dooby Doom), a Barry Mann hit for the Diamonds in 1959. The vocal blend--and, especially, the half-step-climbing falsetto--isn't what it could be, but it should be noted that (at least in my opinion), this SPC version is the least inadequate of the three I've heard (the other two courtesy of Gateway and Broadway). If "least inadequate" can be considered praise (and maybe it should be when we're talking fake hits), then thumbs up for this track. But it should have been better.
A number of the other tracks make up for things--in particular, a strong Peter Gunn cover (not, it turns out, the version on that Tiara boxed set, as I had thought), a fine Manhattan Spiritual, an equally fine Stagger Lee, and an All American Boy imitation that captures the lighthearted and sarcastic feel of the original pretty skillfully. And I find myself confused about the intention of that particular novelty, because it seems pro-r&r in spots and pro-anti-r&r in others. Maybe it's not a song for deep thought.
Oh, and someone (on the Promenade single, the credit goes to Jimmy Grant and the Promenade Orch. and Chorus) pulls off an able imitation of Andy Williams on Hawaiian Wedding Song. If only more practice had gone into the performance of She Say, and if only the Lonely Teardrops singer had been allowed to come back after his voice had enjoyed a rest. But a very fun bunch of top tunes, regardless. 1959 seems the logical year for this. Download link follows...
DOWNLOAD: Top Tune Time (SPC SP 106; prob. 1959)
Hawaiian Wedding Song
Peter Gunn
All-American (or, All American) Boy
My Happiness
Stagger Lee
Manhattan Spiritual
Lonely Teardrops
The Lonely One
She Say (Oom Dooby Doom)
Donna
Lee