The Swinging Sixties: 15 Classic Tracks (Re-Recorded Versions)

Any time you see the words (Re-recorded Version) be warned that none of the songs on this album or any that are re-recorded sound good. In most cases they are downright awful. I buy a lot of CDs from Amazon. If you want a good oldies CD- try 60's gold . Don't waste your money on cheaply made re-makes that insult the orginal versions.

these are NOT by the original artists...totally lame!

There's exactly one original hit on here … and it's "Hey Baby". The rest are low-budget mid-1970s remakes with "one or more members of the original group", as the fine print used to say. Despite what some other reviewers say, K-Tel was in fact the originator and most prolific source of "stereo re-recordings" of oldies hits. Yep, you can blame them for the whole mess. Starting in the mid-1970s, they'd drag a few former group members away from their day jobs and have them wheeze out cheaply recorded, ineptly engineered remakes of their hit(s), and then assemble compilations without needing to pay licensing fees to the original labels. They did pick up original hits outright when they could get them cheaply enough (hence "Hey Baby"). But oldies collectors learned early on to beware of any post-1975 oldies compilation that mentioned K-Tel, or its subsidiaries Key Seven, San Juan Music Group, SJ Productions, Imperial Music, or Era Records. I advise you to do the same here. Many of these remakes are just sad. "Hey Baby" is a classic #1 hit with a great beat and a great harmonica. Just buy it, and leave the rest alone. Unfortunately buying oldies on iTunes can be a minefield. It would be nice if Apple made at least a small effort to clean up the mess (and ENFORCE COPYRIGHT LAWS, but that's another story not relevant in this case).

"You've got your troubles" sounds pretty decent but I don't know if its the original group. "Hey Baby" is original. "I'm goin make you mine" sounds like Lou Christie. "Here comes my baby" is pretty close,

poorly spent . . . .

I just purchased a TIME-LIFE '60s compilation from a local drugstore bargain-bin that included Vanity Fare's "Hitchin' a Ride". The offering here is clearly not the '60s radio original I remember. Re-recording? Who knows. The original recording's vocals have a higher pitch! These re-recordings sound like a movie that re-created period music for their soundtrack??!! I think K-tel crossed the line in terms of ethics, by offering other CD's with disguised re-recordings- just my opinion. They used to be cutting-edge during the 70's and 80's in releasing pricey LP's with original contemporary hits! Use this offering to learn what you like and who you like. Then... for starters, perhaps seek the originals through iTunes (and read the reviews!!!) :)

I can't see that anyone would like re-recordings unless they never heard the first recordings. Bach to Rock

Album title does not reflect these tunes, which were likely recorded after the 60's. Little Things by Dave Berry was originally recorded by Bobby Goldsboro in 1965. I never heard of Dave Berry, sounds like an el-cheap -o artist and tune. Smart people that know RockNRoll will never buy newer versions either by original or fake artists.

Don't know about other tracks, but I've bought "Bend Me, Shape Me", "98.6", "Hitchin' a Ride", and "Tobacco Road" from this album and all four are either exactly the same radio hits I remember or so close that the difference is imperceptible. Only thing I don't get is the wildly inaccurate "cover art" which promises such bands as Mott the Hoople, Staus Quo (sic), T-Rex (sic), Dawn, and Edison Lighthouse. Looks like they stuck on the cover art from some other album.

This is the lamest excuse for an album I've ever heard. I'm saddened by this, since I've bought many vinyl K-Tel albums in the past & liked them. There are better choices here on iTunes.