40 Years: The Complete Singles Collection (1966-2006)

Artist	Tommy James & the Shondells
Label Name	Collectors' Choice Music
Song List	1: Hanky Panky [Original Mono Single Version] (2:56) 2: Say I Am [Original Mono Single Version] (2:23) 3: It's Only Love [Original Mono Single Version] (2:07) 4: I Think We're Alone Now [Original Mono Single Version] (2:09) 5: Mirage [Original Mono Single Version] (2:45) 6: I Like the Way [Original Mono Single Version] (2:45) 7: Gettin' Together [Original Mono Single Version] (2:17) 8: Out of the Blue [Original Mono Single Version] (2:34) 9: Get Out Now [Original Mono Single Version] (2:13) 10: Mony Mony [Original Mono Single Version] (2:48) 11: Somebody Cares [Original Mono Single Version] (2:31) 12: Do Something to Me [Original Mono Single Version] (2:30) 13: Crimson and Clover [Original Mono Single Version] (3:22) 14: Sweet Cherry Wine [Original Mono Single Version] (4:19) 15: Crystal Blue Persuasion [Original Mono Single Version] (4:01) 16: Ball of Fire (3:05) 17: She (1:59) 18: Gotta Get Back to You (3:02) 19: Come to Me (2:36) 20: Ball and Chain [Original Mono Single Version] (3:30) 21: Church Street Soul Revival (3:23) 22: Adrienne (2:42) 23: Draggin' the Line [Original Mono Single Version] (2:42) 24: I'm Comin' Home [Original Mono Single Version] (2:06) 25: Nothin' to Hide [Original Mono Single Version] (2:43) 26: Tell 'Em Willie Boy's a Comin' [Original Mono Single Version] (2:48) 27: Cats Eye in the Window (3:49) 28: Love Song (3:27) 29: Celebration (2:44) 30: Boo Boo Don't Cha Be Blue (3:29) 31: Calico (3:31) 32: Glory Glory (3:14) 33: I Love You Love Me Love (3:12) 34: Tighter Tighter (4:26) 35: Love Is Gonna Find a Way (5:17) 36: Three Times in Love (4:21) 37: You Got Me (3:52) 38: You're So Easy to Love (4:01) 39: Say Please (3:26) 40: Go (3:55) 41: You Take My Breath Away (4:20) 42: Who Do You Love? (4:31) 43: I Love Christmas (4:26) 44: Sweet Cherry Wine [Gospel Version] (4:14) 45: Isn't That the Guy (3:58) 46: Love Words (4:16) 47: Hold the Fire (3:57) 48: Long Ponytail [*] (2:24)
Format	CD
Release Date	2008 11 25
Genre	Rock
Style.Categories	AM Pop, Sunshine Pop, Bubblegum, Pop/Rock, Soft Rock, Singer/Songwriter

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A blast of energetic rock & roll just as psychedelia and progressive rock were beginning their rise to the top, Tommy James & the Shondells harked back to an earlier era, specifically the late '50s and early '60s, when simple, high-energy rock and pop were twin tickets to the top of the charts. By 1966, however, when they began their chart career, high-energy pop was for kids (the Monkees, Paul Revere & the Raiders) and two paths -- heavy studio experimentation or a soft pop sound -- were the ways to get heard by the young music-listening public. Like their compatriots in the pop/rock game (Revere, Johnny Rivers, etc.), the group nevertheless kept on plugging with a raft of bright, hooky rockers that charted solidly but never seemed to reach as high as they deserved. 40 Years: The Complete Singles Collection (1966-2006) surveys that great career, hitting every major peak -- from "Hanky Panky" to "Mony Mony" to "I Think We're Alone Now," "Crystal Blue Persuasion" to "Ball and Chain" to "Draggin' the Line" -- with a two-disc set that may end up being close to the most Tommy James & the Shondells ever offered in one package (not that they don't deserve the full box treatment). Produced by James himself, it's authoritative and includes great remastering as well as the original mono single versions of each early hit. But since this is such an important set, it's a shame that it falls prey to the usual career-spanning foibles, moving through the artist's prime just a little too quickly and spending more than half the set on post-peak material (i.e., the Tommy James solo years after his 1971 heyday). Also, it's a strict singles compilation, which means that many great songs are bypassed simply because they weren't judged worthy of a single -- and the Shondells pumped out some excellent B-sides. (So, for instance, this set is lacking a trio of well-known songs: "Love's Closin' in on Me," "One Two Three and I Fell," and "Sugar on Sunday.") The solo career of Tommy James post-Shondells is well worth investigating for those who focus only on the early material, but spending one-third of the set's running time on the mid-'80s and beyond smacks of hubris. That leaves Rhino's excellent single-disc Anthology as the best Tommy James for the money, with 40 Years: The Complete Singles Collection (1966-2006) being content to open up the career of these hitmakers beyond their '60s prime. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide