In that enticing, enthralling school of 1960s “girls with guitars”, Goldie & the Gingerbreads are top of the class. Self-contained and accomplished as instrumentalists, with an eminently soulful vocal prowess, the Gingerbreads remain true pioneers of women in rock’n’roll, and with a fascinating history to boot. 

Born in the discotheques of Gotham, Goldie & the Gingerbreads were a popular club act with a handful of recordings under their belt when an admiring Animals caught them on a NYC visit in late 1964. “Imported” into the UK, the group scored a hit with ‘Can’t You Hear My Heartbeat’ and went on to tour with the Rolling Stones, Kinks and others, as well as maintaining a high visibility in the UK on their own. They made several more worthy if unsuccessful discs with producer Shel Talmy before splitting in 1967. 

“Thinking About The Good Times” is the first-ever Goldie & the Gingerbreads collection, and it’s a fine testament to their undoubted abilities. Gathering together their sessions for Scepter, Decca and Atlantic, the versatility of the group is quite apparent on tracks that range from chunky beat and R&B (‘Look For Me Baby’, ‘Think About The Good Times’) through dramatic soul balladry (‘That’s Why I Love You’, ‘Little Boy’) to classic girl group sounds (‘Sailor Boy’, ‘Something Beautiful’). 

Ace’s package also benefits from first-generation source material that includes several unissued titles. All three surviving members of the group – Genya “Goldie” Ravan, Ginger Bianco and Margo Lewis – contribute to a lengthy oral history of the Gingerbreads’ career, and opened their personal files for a feast of visuals in the 40-page CD booklet.

The deluxe vinyl version distils the CD tracklist down to approximate the LP the Gingerbreads might have released in 1965, housed in a period jacket with inner sleeve