Condition Red: The Complete Goodees The Goodees

£12.56

Genre:
Girls
Label:
Ace Records
Format:
CD
Catalogue Id:
CDCHD 1291

As 1968 drew to a close the golden age of girl groups had seemingly been and gone. The Shangri-Las, the Ronettes and the Chiffons hadn’t had a sniff of a hit record since 1966. Then along came the ominous ‘Condition Red’, a cleverly-produced psychodrama enacted by the Goodees, a trio of foxy teenagers from the roster of Stax Records’ small rock-oriented Hip offshoot. The group comprised childhood pals Sandra Jackson, Judy Williams and Kay Evans, all residents of the Sherwood Forest neighbourhood of East Memphis, Tennessee.

The group’s previous single, ‘For A Little While’, penned and produced by Stax’s top songwriting duo Isaac Hayes and David Porter, was one of the last sessions to feature the original Bar-Kays, who perished alongside Otis Redding in that fateful plane crash in December 1967.

Production duties then shifted to the Detroit-based team of Don Davis and Freddie Briggs, the brains behind ‘Condition Red’, which brilliantly re-cast the group as ladies in waiting to the Shangri-Las. The success of the single led to the release of the girls’ “Candy Coated..Goodees” LP, a mix of original material with covers of familiar numbers. To hear the lyrics of the Swingin’ Medallions’ ‘Double Shot’ sung by girls must have raised a few eyebrows at the time.

The Goodees’ third 45, ‘Jilted’, was another intriguing and complex number, but was there a market for a four-minute opus about a knocked-up teen dumped at the altar? That there wasn’t soon became apparent and this rich slab of Southern Gothic sank without trace. Their final single ‘Goodies’, written and produced by giants of Southern soul Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, went the same way, just as the girls hung up their rock’n’roll shoes.

This collection contains every known recording the Goodees made, 18 of which are making their CD debut. In addition to the complete “Candy Coated..Goodees” album are four sides drawn from non-LP singles and seven previously unissued titles. ‘Show Me How’, ‘Last Of The Good Guys’, ‘Have You Ever Hurt The One You Love’ and the alternate version of ‘Didn’t Know Love Was So Good’ all emanate from the trio’s early Memphis sessions with Hayes and Porter. Produced by Penn and Oldham, ‘Angry Eyes’ and ‘Love Me Love’ were cut in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The final track ‘Love Pill’, to the best of Sandra’s memory, was recorded as a demo at American Studios in Memphis. The set comes with a booklet featuring notes based on an exclusive interview with Sandra, illustrated with a host of rare memorabilia and gorgeous photographs from her collection.

By Mick Patrick

Share

Track listing

Show

Side 1

Delivery & Returns

Show

We offer free P&P to UK addresses. For all other territories packaging is free and postage is charged on a weight basis.

We use Royal Mail First Class for UK deliveries and standard Air Mail for all other territories, very large orders will usually be sent via parcelforce. You may cancel your order at any time prior to your order being dispatched by emailing us at orders@acerecords.com ensuring that you quote your name, address and order reference number or by telephoning +44 (0) 208 453 1311 between 9am and 5pm GMT/BST, Monday to Friday. Please note: As music downloads are dispatched immediately after purchase, there is no possibility of cancelling these orders.

In the event that any products supplied to you by us are damaged or defective, we agree to replace or repair the damaged or defective products or refund the amount you paid for such goods (including postage & packaging) providing you notify us (either via post at or e-mail: orders@acerecords.com ) and return the goods within 28 days of purchase. Physical goods should be sent back to us in the same condition you received them to: “Returns” Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the e-mail address above including a copy of your notification.

You have the right to cancel your order within seven days of purchase, or seven days of receipt of the goods (whichever is the longer). If you choose to cancel your order, full payment will be returned to you. Returned items should be sent to: “Returns” c/o Ace Records, Such Close, Letchworth Garden City SG6 1JF, United Kingdom. Music downloads should be returned to us via the email address: orders@acerecords.com including a copy of your notice of cancellation and order number.

Customer reviews

Show

Customers who bought this item also bought