Reviews

Le ragazze dei capelloni – Icone femminili beat e yé-yé 1963-1968
Strictly speaking, this book isn’t new. It was published in 2010 – but it’s new to us and it looks set to become the bible for lovers of Italian girl pop of the 1960s. The bulk of its contents is selected articles from Italy’s three pop magazines of the period: Ciao amici, Big and Giovani. Focusing on the beat and yé-yé period of 1963 to 1968, the book reproduces interviews with the top stars of the day, such as Caterina Caselli, Rita Pavone and Carmen Villani. Even more enticingly, it also includes features on lesser-known female singers, such as Luisa Casali, Rita Monico and Vibeke. The book opens with an interview with Catherine Spaak, the cover star of the very first issue of Ciao amici, and closes with short biographies and discographies for many of the ragazze beat. This is an absolute must-buy for fans of Italy’s female singers of the 1960s.

Clodagh Rodgers – Come back and shake me: The Kenny Young years 1969-71
What Brit girl fans really want of a Clodagh Rodgers CD is a compilation of all of the singer’s 1960s releases, from her early days at Decca to the hit years at RCA. In the meantime, we have this. Like the budget CDs that have gone before, this collection brings together the cream of Clodagh’s recordings from her time at RCA, under the guidance of Kenny Young. On it, you’ll find the catchiest of pop, including hits such as Come back and shake me, Goodnight midnight, Biljo and, of course, Clodagh’s 1971 Eurovision entry, Jack in the box. It also includes lesser-known but equally good releases, such as Everybody go home the party’s over and The colors are changing. Where it differs from its predecessors is in the bumper number of tracks (25 in total) and in the liner notes. With a booklet packed full of information and quality photos, this CD sits head and shoulders above previous Clodagh Rodgers compilations.

Nana Mouskouri – The white rose of Athens
Nana Mouskouri’s life story reads like a fairytale. A shy, bespectacled girl charms audiences in the tavernas of Greece before being catapulted onto the world stage. The theme song to the film Never on a Sunday brought Athens-born Nana her initial success, and the singer has gone on to sell some 350 million records over the course of her career. This CD, issued on the Cherry Red label, aims to add a few more sales to that tally – and there’s every reason to think that it will do so easily. It brings together Nana’s French and German recordings from 1961, including the million-selling German hit Weisse Rosen aus Athen. It also includes a selection of songs from Epitaphios, a series of poems written in 1936 by Yannis Ritsos, which were then set to music in 1960 by Mikis Theodorakis and performed by Nana Mouskouri. The result is considered something of a masterpiece of contemporary Greek culture. Say no more.

Read our older book, CD and DVD reviews.