This 20-track compilation gathers together the best of Johnston's and Melcher's best sides for Columbia under the B&T moniker. That's important, because this collection could just as easily have been double the length if they had amassed all the tracks that
Bruce & Terry had recorded under other names like
the Rip Chords, etc. including the hit "Hey Little Cobra." Because
Bruce & Terry were a virtual vocal overdubbing machine, some of the tracks on here ("Custom Machine," "Don't Run Away," "I Love You Model T," "Come Love," "Raining In My Heart") appear in mono-only formats. This becomes the only way to hear the final product as it was etched into black phonograph records, as B&T would overdub right directly onto the final single track mix. It also gives the sound of these tracks an edgy, mid-rangey "squashed" kind of compression to them, making them leap out of the speakers. As a musical satellite orbiting around the
Brian Wilson/
Jan & Dean/Wrecking Crew axis, the music here reflects that time and sound beautifully. These are the beginnings of two long-standing careers in the record business and the records they literally cut their teeth on. ~ Cub Koda