The Cascades Meet Barry and the Tamerlanes

Just a short FYI. All those who buy this disc are familiar with the Cascades and Barry and the Tamerlanes, so I am not about to preach to the choir. Just beware that this is the second disc of B and T that I bought that does NOT have the correct b-side to their big hit single: the Don't Go version here is again not the original version from the 45 single. I don't know why this happens on their compilations, but it makes me angry. The other songs are fine and the sound is good. But can't we please have the original Don't Go sometime soon.

Singer/songwriter and producer Barry De Vorzon, born in New York City on July 31, 1934, had his first success in spring 1958 when Marty Robbins recorded Just Married and took it to # 1 Country and # 26 Billboard Pop Top 100. In August 1960, another of his compositions, Dreamin’, became Johnny Burnette’s first hit at # 11 Hot 100. DeVorzon also managed Johnny’s older brother Dorsey and co-wrote (with Dorsey) his June 1960 hit Hey Little One (# 48 Hot 100) and its flipside, Big Rock Candy Mountain.His success led to his launching of Valiant Records in 1960, with distribution arrangements through Warner Brothers, and it got off to a decent start when Shelby Flint had a # 22 Hot 100 with Angel On My Shoulder on Valiant 6001. Overall, however, the label did not have a whole lot of major commercial success (it was sold to Warner outright in 1967) except for a few significant entries by two groups in particular.The first were The Cascades from San Diego (lead John Gummoe along with David Stevens, Eddie Snyder, David Wilson and David Zabo) who took Rhythm Of The Rain to # 1 Adult Contemporary (AC) and # 3 Hot 100 in February 1963 on Valiant 6026 b/w Let Me Be, after initially missing with There's A Reason/Second Chance on Valiant 6021 in late 1962. Only There’s a Reason is not included here. However, in May 1963 The Last Leaf finished at a low # 63 Hot 100 while the B-side, Shy Girl, ended up at # 91 on Valiant 6028. Both are here.At this point, DeVorzon offered them a song he had composed, I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight?, but they turned it down in favour of I Wanna Be Your Lover/My First Day Alone which came out on Valiant 6032 - and bombed (neither is included). By late 1963 The Cascades were with RCA where they had For Your Sweet Love struggle to # 86 Hot 100 in December b/w Jeannie (a version of For Your Sweet Love is included). They then resurfaced in August 1969 with the # 61 Maybe The Rain Will Fall on Uni 55152 b/w Naggin’ Cries. Versions of both are included. They would never have another charter.Meanwhile, DeVorzon decided to cut the record he offered The Cascades with support from Terry Smith and Bodie Chandler (The Tamerlanes), and with arranging by Perry Botkin, Jr., it reached # 21 Hot 100 in October/November 1963 on Valiant 6034 b/w Don’t Go. That would be the only hit under that name as none among 1964's Roberta/Butterfly (Valiant 6040), Lucky Guy/I Don't Want To Be Your Clown (Valiant 6046), A Date With Judy/Pretty Things (Valiant 6050), Gee/Don't Cry Cindy (Valiant 6059) and 1965's re-release of I Wonder What She's Doing Tonight?/Roberta (Valiant 703) could get them back on the charts. Of course, flying into the teeth of the British Invasion didn’t exactly help. All the sides are here.The other group to have major success with Valiant was The Association who, in 1966, had Along Comes Mary go to # 7 Hot 100 in June/July on Valiant 741, Cherish reach # 1 Hot 100/# 38 AC in September/October on Valiant 747, and Pandora’s Golden Heebie Jeebies top out at # 35 Hot 100 in December on Valiant 755, before struggling a bit in February 1967 with the # 51 No Fair At All on Valiant 758. Then came the sale to Warner.DeVorzon wasn’t quite finished, however, and in 1976 he re-worked his song Colton’s Dream, written for the 1971 film he scored, Bless The Beasts And Children and later used as the theme for TV’s The Young And The Restless. Re-naming it Nadia’s Theme in honour of Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci who was wowing them at the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics, and in conjunction with Perry Botkin, Jr., it got to # 8 on both the Hot 100 and AC listings early that fall on A&M 1856 b/w Down The Line. Then, in February 1977, the same collaboration took Bless The Beast And Children to 24 AC/# 82 Hot 100 on A&M 1890 ith the same B-side.Others films and TV productions for which he composed the scores include: Hard Times; Dillinger; The Warriors; The Ninth Configuration; Xanadu; Tattoo; Looker;, The Exorcist III;S.W.A.T; Simon And Simon; Renegades; Private Benjamin; V; The New Twilight Zone; Intimate Strangers; and The Belarus File.Decent sound reproduction (those with an asterisk (*) in the listing are in true stereo - the rest are mono) and interesting liner notes make this a good purchase.