Tommy James & the Shondells
40 Years: The Complete Singles Collection (1966-2006) (Rhino/Collectors’ Choice Music)Here’s Tommy James & the Shondells’ string of unassailable 1960s singles in a 2-CD set that’s a perfect case for single-disc packages. The Ohio-born James started churning out hits in 1966 with obscure Ellie Greenwich-Jeff Barry B-side “Hanky Panky.” Its twang and irresistible beat throbbed out of transistor and car radios, followed by the monster hit “I Think We’re Alone Now” that kept teenagers everywhere lip-locked while crickets chirped. James kept the standard golden with “Mony Mony” and backseat soundtracks such as “Crystal Blue Persuasion.” The innocent AM airwaves of the mid-1960s gave way to progressive rock on FM frequencies, but despite the shimmery psych of “Crimson and Clover,” James remained a pop fixture after going solo and scoring with “Draggin’ the Line.” The Shondells-free James of Complete Singles‘ second disc sinks with schlocky, religion-tinged pop (“Glory”), but the saving grace is its last track, the oldest recording in the set and a second George (“Say I Am”) Tomsco song, “Long Ponytail.” It’s a much-needed dose of pre-Beatles rock & roll from 15-year-old Tommy James. Definitive U.S. pop.
This article appears in December 19 • 2008.