Smash Boom Bang! The Songs and Productions of Feldman - Goldstein - Gottehrer

The names of this cultish triumvirate spring off the page like a law firm but their business was writing and producing hits - or records that sounded like hits.

Bob Feldman, Richard Gottehrer and Jerry Goldstein hit their stride in the mid-60s with a varied portfolio that included the US #1s Hang On Sloopy by the McCoys and My Boyfriend's Back by the Angels - and several chartmakers by the Strangeloves, the selfsame trio masquerading as a rock band.

Initially, they specialized in girl groups - some real, some fabricated - and applied their distinctive touch to every one before moving into the rock field with the McCoys, the Strangeloves and the Sheep.

Not for F-G-G the honeyed subtleties of a Burt Bacharach or Van McCoy. Hard rockers at heart, their gritty productions usually featured brutal rhythms in which the percussion was probably the most vital component. Yet, for all this, there were surprising moments of tenderness too, as reflected in songs such as Ray Pollard's The Drifter, one of the great unsung soul ballads of the 60s.

It's exciting stuff from end to end, much of it new to CD and all held together by the distinctive F-G-G production imprimatur.

This collection comes to you with the full co-operation and involvement of Feldman-Goldstein-Gottehrer themselves and is packaged in a sumptuous booklet packed with rare memorabilia.

Compiled by Rob Finnis and Mick Patrick, the brains behind several other volumes in our much-admired Producer and Songwriter series.