Sheeley does not sing on this collection of 1959-66 demos, nor is there any indication in the liner notes that she played any instruments on these recordings. These 28 tracks -- most of them, it is thought, from the early '60s -- were demos by session musicians, most likely for the purpose of the songs getting shopped around to other artists by publishers. Most of the tunes were cut in Los Angeles, and actually feature a number of notable future stars (
Glen Campbell,
P.J. Proby,
Herb Alpert,
Mac Davis,
Delaney Bramlett) as lead vocalists. So why's the disc credited to
Sheeley? Because she co-wrote every song, about half of them in collaboration with the great
Jackie DeShannon. It all sounds enticing, but in the event, these are average or substandard early-'60s pop-rock tunes, often with a pronounced country or ballad influence. The only one here likely to be recognized by most rock fans is "He's the Great Imposter" (sung here by
P.J. Proby, and a small 1961 hit for
the Fleetwoods). The truth is, there aren't any shoulda-been-hits on-board, except maybe "Blue Ribbons," which sounds like something that would have been well-suited for
Brenda Lee (it's sung here by
Glen Campbell, and covered by
the Paramounts and
Dobie Gray). Most of this, to be realistic, sounds like album filler, or derivative compositions that some artists might have taken a bite at if they'd wanted to sound like a hot artist of the day.
Jeff Beck appears on rhythm guitar and backup vocals on
Ben Findon's mid-'60s recording "Something Different," although you wouldn't know it was
Beck. This disc does have its value for
Jackie DeShannon fans or intense scholars, but ultimately it's only so-so early-'60s rock, albeit with a lot of curiosity value considering how many name players were involved. ~ Richie Unterberger