VA - Lovesick Blues - Gems From The MGM Vaults [2013] (3 x CDs)

POP

VA - Lovesick Blues - Gems From The MGM Vaults [2013] (3 x CDs)

Lovesick Blues, Gems From The MGM Vaults digs into a corner of American popular music that often gets overshadowed by the big‑name narratives. MGM Records, founded in 1946 by the film studio of the same name, built a catalogue that moved easily between country, early rock ’n’ roll, doo‑wop, novelty hits, and orchestral pop. This 2013 three‑disc set from One Day Music pulls together 75 tracks from across that spectrum, giving a wide‑angle view of the label’s golden‑age output.

What makes the collection work is its range. You get the expected touchstones, Hank Williams, Conway Twitty, Connie Francis, but they sit alongside lesser‑known artists who filled jukeboxes, radio slots, and regional charts throughout the fifties and early sixties. The sequencing moves briskly, shifting from country shuffles to teen‑pop croons, from novelty smashes to early rockers, all held together by MGM’s unmistakable studio sheen. It’s a reminder that the label wasn’t just chasing hits, it was documenting the full breadth of post‑war American taste.

The remastering keeps the warmth of the original recordings while giving them enough clarity to feel alive again. You hear the room in the country cuts, the tight vocal stacks in the doo‑wop sides, and the bright, cinematic arrangements that MGM often favoured. Nothing feels over‑processed or flattened, the character of the era remains intact.

As a listening experience, the set paints a lively portrait of a label that helped shape mid‑century popular music in ways that aren’t always acknowledged. It captures the charm, the variety, and the sheer craft of the MGM vaults, offering a generous sweep through an era when genres overlapped freely and the studio system still had a hand in shaping the sound of the charts. (B)

==========================================================

ALL 

OR

ALL 

OR

ALL 

===========================================================

Track lists

CD1

01 Ben Colder - Don't Go Near The Eskimos 3:23

02 Connie Francis - Who's Sorry Now 2:20

03 Berry Kids - You're My Teen Age Baby 2:10

04 Andy Starr - One More Time 2:06

05 Hank Williams - Hey, Good Lookin' 2:55

06 Conway Twitty - It's Only Make Believe 2:12

07 Chants - Respectable 2:14

08 Richard Chamberlin - Theme From Dr Kildare (Three Stars Will Shine Tonight) 2:42

09 Sheb Wooley - The Purple People Eater 2:15

10 Clyde McPhatter - The Glory of Love 3:51

11 Danny Valentino - Stampede 2:01

12 David Rose & His Orchestra - The Stripper 1:58

13 Impalas - Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home) 2:34

14 Billy Eckstine - I Apologize 2:52

15 Connie Francis - Breakin' in A Brand New Broken Heart 2:39

16 Wilson Pickett - Let Me Be Your Boy 2:48

17 Carson Robison - Rockin' and Rollin' With Grandmaw 2:38

18 Jimmy Jones - Handy Man 2:01

19 Marvin Rainwater - Whole Lotta Woman 2:37

20 Russ Hamilton - Gonna Find Me A Bluebird 2:28

21 Hank Williams - Your Cheatin' Heart 2:43

22 Stereos - I Really Love You 2:19

23 Tommy Edwards - It's All in The Game 2:38

24 Connie Francis - Second Hand Love 2:52

25 Gene Kelly - Singin' in The Rain 2:55

CD2

01 Hank Williams - Lovesick Blues 2:46

02 Connie Francis - Everybody's Somebody's Fool 2:40

03 Clyde McPhatter - Let's Try Again 2:30

04 Bette Davis & Debbie Burton - Whatever Happened to Baby Jane 2:46

05 Danny Valentino - Biology 2:32

06 Berry Kids - Go, Go, Go 2:22

07 Five Satins - Can I Come Over Tonight 2:03

08 Connie Francis - Stupid Cupid 2:14

09 Don Gibson - I Ain't A Studying You Baby 2:04

10 Conway Twitty - Mona Lisa 2:25

11 Johnny Ferguson - Angela Jones 2:28

12 Cecil Campbell - Rock and Roll Fever 2:24

13 Buck Griffin - Watchin' The 7-10 Roll By 2:33

14 Berry Kids - Rootie Tootie 2:14

15 Mark Dinning - Another Lonely Girl 2:16

16 Jimmy Jones - I Told You So 2:04

17 Conway Twitty - Lonely Blue Boy 2:15

18 Marvin Rainwater - Why Did You Have to Go and Leave Me? 2:48

19 Connie Francis - Freddy 2:41

20 Richard Chamberlain - Love Me Tender 2:24

21 Sheb Wooley - Skin Tight, Pin Striped, Purple Pedal Pushers 2:46

22 Hank Williams - Half as Much 2:43

23 Stereos - Do You Love Me 2:08

24 Tommy Edwards - My Melancholy Baby 2:40

25 Mark Dinning - Teen Angel 2:42

CD3

01 Jimmy Jones - Good Timin' 2:12

02 Connie Francis - Lipstick on Your Collar 2:18

03 Conway Twitty - Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On 2:55

04 Bob Gallion - My Square Dancin' Mama 2:10

05 Hank Williams - Jambalaya (On The Bayou) 2:53

06 David Rose & His Orchestra - Sunset Strip 2:20

07 Berry Kids - Love Me, Love 2:16

08 Impalas - Oh What A Fool 2:20

09 Johnny Ferguson - No One Can Love You Like I Do 2:28

10 Johnny Cymbal - Always Always 2:31

11 Connie Francis - Vacation 2:22

12 Sheb Wooley - Hoot Owl Boogie 2:39

13 Marvin Rainwater - I Dig You Baby 1:40

14 Stereos - The Big Knock 2:50

15 Tommy Edwards - I Really Don't Want to Know 2:18

16 Joni James - Summer Love 2:06

17 Stereos - Please Come Back to Me 2:36

18 Hank Williams - Settin' The Woods on Fire 2:37

19 Conway Twitty - Danny Boy 2:46

20 Wanderers - There is No Greater Love 2:13

21 MGM Studio Orchestra - Rock Around The Clock 1:53

22 Sue Lyon - Turn of The Moon 2:24

23 Five Satins - These Foolish Things 2:45

24 Sheb Wooley - Mule Boogie 2:20

25 Connie Francis - Together 3:03

=============================================================

=============================================================

Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

=============================================================

=============================================================