I'll Be Spinning: The J&S Recordings

by Johnnie & Joe

Overview

While Johnnie & Joe are remembered as a one-hit wonder for their 1957 doo wop smash "Over the Mountain, Across the Sea," they did have a couple of other singles that charted strongly on the R&B listings ("I'll Be Spinning" and "My Baby's Gone, On, On"), as well as recording quite a few singles for several labels over the next few years. This collection has 30 of their tracks (including all the aforementioned hits), dating mostly from 1957-1963, although a few stray items from the late '60s and early '70s are on board as well. In the doo wop world, this male-female duo did have an unusual, somewhat spooky sound -- Joe Rivers carried the bulk of the vocal duties, with Johnnie Louise Richardson often not so much a harmonizer or co-lead singer as one who wove around wordlessly in the distance, occasionally adding a spoken recitation. That's the formula that made "Over the Mountain, Across the Sea" so memorable. Unfortunately, it's a formula they milked quite a bit, sometimes to the point of blatant rewrites/remakes of "Over the Mountain, Across the Sea," as this anthology makes clear. That makes the disc useful primarily to serious doo wop fans and collectors, although the pair, working both together and on their own, did manage to record some sides (a few of which are found on this CD) in a more updated soul style in the late '60s and early '70s. Ace does its usual fine job with the packaging, with thorough liner notes and a discography. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	01/09/2007
Label:	Ace
UPC:	0029667024327

Tracks

1. I'll Be Spinning
2. Over the Mountain, Across the Sea
3. Over the Mountain, Pt. 2
4. My Baby's Gone, On, On
5. Feel Alright
6. Darling
7. False Love Has Got to Go
8. Why, Oh Why
9. It Was There
10. My Baby's Gone (And Left Me)
11. Where Did She Go?
12. Who Do You Love?
13. Red Sails in the Sunset
14. If You Tell Me You're Mine
15. We Get That Feelin'
16. There Goes My Heart (On Fire for You)
17. Warm Soft and Lovely
18. I Was So Lonely
19. Why Did She Go
20. Across the Sea
21. Tell Me
22. You're the Loveliest Song I Ever Heard
23. Speak Softly (Angel)
24. You Can Always Count on Me
25. I Pray to Keep Our Love Strong
26. Let Sleeping Dogs Lie
27. Be Sure
28. Sincere Love
29. Let Your Mind Do the Walking
30. Jamaica - Our Thing

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Johnnie & Joe   Primary Artist
Johnnie Richardson   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Julio Cesar Sanders   Composer
Peter Gibbon   Discography
Brian Lee   Photo Courtesy
Duncan Cowell   Mastering
Kenneth Williams   Composer
Rex Garvin   Composer,Producer
Johnnie Richardson   Composer
Hector Munoz   Composer
Zelma Sanders   Composer
Ralph Bailey   Composer
Jimmy Lee Bailey   Arranger
Ken Williams   Arranger
Mick Patrick   Liner Notes
James Kennedy   Composer