(Oldies 50's / Brill Building Pop / Rock' n' Roll) Barry Mann - Inside The Brill Building: Complete Recordings 1959-1964 - CD Box - 3 CD's - 1995, MP3 (tracks), 128 kbps

Disc 1
1.- Ain't that a kick in the head;
2.- War paint (Alt. Version);
3.- Don't play number
4.- When I'm not teenage anymore;
5.- Wondering love;
6.- Only if you care;
7.- One girl;
8.- Venus in blue jeans;
9.- Young as we are;
10.- The golden rule of love;
11.- Sure as you're born;
12.- On a night like this;
13.- A beggar with a dream;
14.- I whisper your name;
15.- Don't ask me what is love;
16.- The story of the civil war;
17.- The home of the boy I love (with Cynthia Weil);
18.- Carefree;
19.- Any day;
20.- Stroll that stole my heart (with Cynthia Weil);
21.- I do, I do, I do (with Cynthia Weil);
22.- Too far out;
23.- Dream on little princess;
24.- Where is she;
25.- How many times (Must I fall in love);
26.- Dimples;
27.- Summer fun.
Disc 2
1.- Burn old bridges;
2.- Variety;
3.- Tomorrow's another day;
4.- Forty winks away;
5.- My ex-best friend;
6.- My best friend Barbara (Neil Sedaka);
7.- School of broken hearts;
8.- Waiting for your love;
9.- Makes me feel so good;
10.- The smile that breaks my heart;
11.- Time has a way;
12.- A million different ways;
13.- Quiet girl;
14.- Trampin' on the trampoline;
15.- Hawaii;
16.- When you're gone for me;
17.- Somewhere in this wide wide world;
18.- Remember me to you;
19.- Hopelessly;
20.- It's a most inpossible dream;
21.- Lonesome lullabye;
22.- Gotta getta girl;
23.- Momma-Poppa;
24.- Time machine.
Disc 3
1.- Who put the bomp (In the bomp, bomp, bomp);
2.- The way of a clown;
3.- I love how you love me;
4.- Bless you;
5.- Sweet little you;
6.- The millionaire;
7.- War paint;
8.- Counting teardrops (Instead of sheep);
9.- Footsteps;
10.- Find another fool;
11.- Love, true love (I put you down);
12.- Happy birthday, broken heart;
13.- Hey baby, I'm dancing;
14.- Little Miss USA;
15.- Teenage has-been;
16.- Like I don't love you;
17.- Happy being blue;
18.- What else can do;
19.- I was born to cry;
20.- A teenager in heaven;
21.- Hopelessly in love;
22.- Graduation time;
23.- Amy;
24.- Johnny Surfboard;
25.- All the things you are;
26.- A love to last a lifetime;
27.- Talk to me baby.

There are no less than 80 songs on this three-CD box set, 58 of them unreleased, spanning 1959-1964. As Barry Mann was one of the greatest Brill Building songwriters (usually in collaboration with Cynthia Weil), your appetite might be sparked for a lost treasure chest. But it's best to approach this package with caution even if you're a Brill Building enthusiast, and certainly don't expect anything on the order of "On Broadway," "We've Gotta Got Outta of This Place," or "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." Like Brill Tone's retrospective of fellow Brill Building giant Carole King (Brill Building Legends: Complete Recordings 1958-1966), more than half of this consists of demos of a quality far below the composer's famous classics. It's also important to note that only four of the 58 previously unissued tracks were Mann-Weil compositions; that some of them were not even written or co-written by Mann, although he's on vocals; and that Mann does not sing on a half-dozen of the selections. Those vocals get turned over to either unidentified female singers, Cynthia Weil (for "The Home of the Boy I Love"), or Neil Sedaka (for "My Ex-Best Friend"). The unreleased songs, regardless of whatever their connection to Mann is, are usually mawkish and formulaic late-'50s/early-'60s pop. Some of these were eventually recorded by artists like Sedaka, Frankie Avalon, or Bobby Vee (or total no-names like Lori Martin and Noeleen Batley). At times it's obvious that Mann was probably trying to tailor a tune to a specific artist; one of the best, "The Smile That Breaks My Heart," was obviously designed for the Everly Brothers, right down to the Chet Atkins-like guitar that opens the demo. At other times, particularly the novelty-oriented tunes, it's difficult to believe anyone could have taken their prospects seriously; "A Teenager in Heaven" is an absolutely ridiculous recounting of a dream in which God's judgment is pronounced upon a soul, "Teenage Has-Been" is a tongue-in-cheek teen idol satire, and "Charlie Chan, Can You Get Me a Man?" is self-evidently ludicrous. On "Too Far Out," Mann seems to be moving into somewhat bolder and more adult lingo and subject matter, but for the most part it's hard to envision most of these making it past the first listen in the demo go-round. Disc three is by far the most listenable of the trio, as it's comprised primarily of material Mann actually released, including his entire 1961 LP Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp (paced by the hit title track) and rare non-LP singles he did for ABC, Colpix, JDS, and Red Bird between 1959-1964. The 1961 album is okay but unmemorable Brill Building pop, aside from "Who Put the Bomp (In the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp" itself. The singles, though quite rare and thus appealing to serious collectors, are similarly lightweight, although the 1964 45 "Talk to Me Baby" is fair white soul-pop that's similar to the Reflections' "(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet," and his 1959 JDS 45 is a pretty spot-on early Paul Anka sound-alike. Overall this set certainly has value to dedicated Brill Building historians, but to appreciate the true legacy of Mann, you have to hear the best covers of the Mann-Weil songs by other artists.