The Complete Red Bird Recordings

• Artist: The Dixie Cups
• Rating:
• Release Date: August 13, 2002
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Rock

Review

Only three years before the release of this CD, another comprehensive Dixie Cups anthology, Chapel of Love: The Very Best of the Dixie Cups, had appeared on the Collectables label. This has a very slight edge, however, as in addition to including everything from that prior compilation, it adds two more tracks: the fair mid-tempo pop/rocker "Wrong Direction," previously only available on the 1979 import compilation Teen Anguish, Vol. 1, and a less notable mono single version of "Gee the Moon Is Shining Bright." In any case, it's a very good collection, containing the A-sides and B-sides of half a dozen 1964-1965 singles they did for Red Bird, rounded off with less essential odds and ends (including an alternate version of "People Say" and an a cappella alternate version of "Iko Iko"). The Dixie Cups are usually remembered only for "Chapel of Love" and perhaps "Iko Iko," but as this disc demonstrates, there were a good number of solid girl group sides on their other Red Bird recordings. Many of them were written by the estimable Brill Building hitmaking team of Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, and some are quite good despite almost total obscurity (such as "Little Bell" and "Another Boy Like Mine"); a few other tracks have a strong New Orleans R&B influence. It's one of the better single-artist girl group anthologies, and makes one regret that such a likable, melodic act was unable to record longer for Red Bird, where the group teamed with such a suitable production and songwriting supporting cast. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Chapel of Love (Lyrics)	Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector, Jeff Barry	Dixie Cups	(2:48)
Gee the Moon Is Shining Bright	Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector, Jeff Barry	Dixie Cups	(2:21)
I'm Gonna Get You Yet		Dixie Cups	(2:41)
Girls Can Tell	Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector	Dixie Cups	(2:50)
All Grown Up	Ellie Greenwich, Phil Spector, Jeff Barry	Dixie Cups	(2:18)
Iko Iko (Lyrics)	James "Sugarboy" Crawford, Joan Marie Johnson, Barbara Anne Hawkins, Rosa Lee Hawkins	Dixie Cups	(2:07)
Gee Baby Gee	Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich	Dixie Cups	(2:45)
Ain't That Nice		Dixie Cups	(2:19)
People Say (Lyrics)	Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich	Dixie Cups	(2:25)
Little Bell	Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich	Dixie Cups	(2:46)
No True Love	Robert Mosely, Peter Miller	Dixie Cups	(2:36)
You Should Have Seen the Way He Looked at Me	Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry	Dixie Cups	(2:31)
Another Boy Like Mine	Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich	Dixie Cups	(2:54)
Thank You Mama, Thank You Papa		Dixie Cups	(2:40)
Wrong Direction		Dixie Cups	(2:00)
Gee the Moon Is Shining Bright [Mono Single Version]	Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry	Dixie Cups	(2:18)
People Say [Alternate Version]	Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry	Dixie Cups	(2:42)
Iko Iko [A Cappella Alternate Version]	Barbara Anne Hawkins, Rosa Lee Hawkins, James "Sugarboy" Crawford, Joan Marie Johnson	Dixie Cups	(2:11)

Credits

Steve Massie (Project Assistant), Joe Craig Jones (Producer), Bill Pitzonka (Design), Jerry Leiber (Producer), Artie Butler (Arranger), Mike Stoller (Arranger), Marty Wekser (Producer), Bill Dahl (Producer), Bill Dahl (Liner Notes), Mike Stoller (Producer), Wardell Quezergue (Arranger), Cary E. Mansfield (Producer), Bill Pitzonka (Art Direction), Evren Göknar (Mastering), Joe Craig Jones (Arranger)