Neil Sedaka never gets the respect that he deserves because he's a man out of time. His heyday was in the early '60s, when rock & roll was in recession and before the Beatles came across the Atlantic and changed everything, and in a way, he epitomized the era -- he wasn't rock & roll, he was informed by it, but he was at his heart a pop tunesmith, and his best songs, whether performed by him or not, were in the Tin Pan Alley tradition but given a contemporary polish to appeal to the kids. This means some of his recordings are inextricably tied to their era, but he was such a savvy songwriter that the best of his work -- such as "Oh Carol," "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen," "Calendar Girl," and "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do," which is his greatest song -- has stood the test of the time, while still standing as the sound of the early '60s. That doesn't necessarily mean that his work lends itself to the exhaustive Bear Family box set treatment, though. Pop was his medium, whether it was 45s or individual songs, and when they're collected as a body of work as they are on Bear Family's eight-disc Oh Carol: The Complete Recordings 1956-1966, the result is a little exhausting. There are two problems: the first is that his non-hit material is simply not as strong as his hits, but that's not the big problem -- no, the big problem is that half of this set is dedicated to non-English recordings, which is solely the province of archivists and completists. Those listeners will surely enjoy this set since, after all, it is produced with the same love and care as any Bear Family set, and it does contain the complete recordings of Sedaka at his peak. If they know what they're getting into, Oh Carol is worth the investment, but most listeners will find that concise single-disc hits collections will give them what they need. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Oh Carol: The Complete Recordings 1956-1966
11/25/2003 | Bear Family
All Music Guide Review
Oh Carol: The Complete Recordings 1956-1966 Track Listing
Credits of Oh Carol: The Complete Recordings 1956-1966
- Carl Lynch
- Guitar
- Charles Macey
- Banjo, Guitar
- Irwin "Marky" Markowitz
- Trumpet
- Art Marotti
- Percussion
- Barbara Massey
- Choir, Chorus
- Charles McCracken
- Cello
- Al Nevins
- Producer, A&R
- Jimmy Nottingham
- Trumpet
- George Ockner
- Violin
- Gene Orloff
- Violin
- Frank Owens
- Piano
- Romeo Penque
- Saxophone, Sax (Baritone)
- Charlie Persip
- Drums
- Raoul Poliakin
- Violin
- Max Pollikoff
- Violin
- Benjamin Powell
- Trombone
- Carl Pruitt
- Bass
- Walter Raim
- Guitar
- Samuel Rand
- Violin
- Joe Rene
- Producer, A&R
- George Ricci
- Violin, Cello
- Albertine Robinson
- Choir, Chorus
- Richard Romoff
- Bass
- Margaret Ross
- Choir, Chorus
- David Sackson
- Violin, Viola
- Buddy Saltzman
- Drums
- Murray Sandry
- Viola
- Russell Savkas
- Bass, Bass (Electric)
- Julius Schachter
- Violin
- Lucien Schmit
- Cello
- James Sedlar
- Trumpet
- Harvey Shapiro
- Cello
- Garry Sherman
- Leader, Piccolo, Saxophone
- Sylvan Shulman
- Violin
- Melvin Smith
- Choir, Chorus
- Todd Sommer
- Percussion, Vibraphone
- Irving Spice
- Violin
- Louis Stone
- Violin
- Morris Stonzek
- Cello
- Lloyd Trotman
- Bass
- Joseph B. Wilder
- Trumpet
- Toni Wine
- Choir, Chorus
- Eugene Bianco
- Harp
- Hank Medress
- Vocals
- Mel Tax
- Flute, Bassoon, Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor), Contractor, Orchestra Bells
- Julius Brand
- Violin
- Doles Dickens
- Bass
- Robert Gregg
- Drums
- Emily Houston
- Choir, Chorus
- Anne Phillips
- Vocal Contractor
- Willard Suyker
- Bass, Guitar, Guitar (Electric)
- Stanley Webb
- Saxophone
- Jerry Graff
- Choir, Chorus, Vocal Contractor
- William Slapin
- Saxophone
- Lois Winter
- Choir, Chorus
- Lillian Clark
- Choir, Chorus
- Milton Schlesinger
- Percussion
- George Hilliard
- Choir, Chorus
- Danny Jordan
- Choir, Chorus
- Trudy Marlin
- Choir, Chorus
- Paul Winter Consort
- Violin
- Andrew Ackers
- Piano
- Elise Bretton
- Choir, Chorus, Vocal Contractor
- Wallace Richardson
- Guitar, Guitar (12 String)
- Al Richman
- Horn
- Gerald Sanfino
- Saxophone
- Lammar Wright, Jr.
- Trumpet
- R.A. Andreas
- Photography, Illustrations
- Richard Weize
- Reissue Producer, Photography, Illustrations, Tape Research, Discography
- Gene Steck
- Choir, Chorus
- Morty Craft
- Producer
- Jurgen Crasser
- Mastering
- Malcolm Dodds
- Choir, Chorus
- Alan Sokoloff
- Choir, Chorus
- Holger Von Bargen
- Art Direction
- Maurice Wilk
- Violin
- Michael A. Turner
- Photography, Illustrations
- Miriam Workman
- Choir, Chorus
- William Rodriguez
- Percussion
- Joseph Macho, Jr.
- Bass (Electric)
- James " Jimmie" Maxwell
- Trumpet
- Albert Lucas
- Bass
- Arthur Butler
- Organ, Percussion, Piano, Harpsichord, Triangle, Vibraphone
- Jack Brown
- Choir, Chorus
- Jim Dahl
- Trombone
- Wolfgang Taubenauer
- Artwork
- Jerry Packer
- Vocal Contractor
- Tommy Wynn
- Choir, Chorus
- Audrey Marsh
- Choir, Chorus
- Keith Booth
- Choir, Chorus
- Robert Harter
- Choir, Chorus
- David Mankowitz
- Viola
- Sylvan Schulman
- Violin
- Robert M. Rosengarden
- Drums
- Delia Warrick
- Choir, Chorus
- Alexander Caiola
- Guitar
- Joseph Haber
- Violin
- Arthur S. Ryerson
- Guitar
- David A. Vogel
- Choir, Chorus
- Stefan Wriedt
- Reissue Producer, Photography, Transfers, Illustrations, Tape Comparison, Discography
- Peggy Powers
- Choir, Chorus
- John "Don" Abney
- Piano
- Jack Best
- Choir, Chorus
- Robert Block
- Guitar
- Robert Eric Carlson
- Choir, Chorus
- Ronnie Dante
- Choir, Chorus
- Bertell Dache
- Choir, Chorus
- Joyce DeYoung
- Choir, Chorus
- Eugene Duane
- Choir, Chorus
- Jerry Dunce
- Choir, Chorus
- Irving Faberman
- Jew's-Harp
- Fima Fieldman
- Violin
- James Foglesong
- Choir, Chorus
- Horst Fuchs
- Producer
- Joseph L. Gaber
- Violin
- Charles Ganian
- Oud
- David Guilet
- Violin
- Gary Chester Gurcillio
- Drums
- Gary Chester Gurciullo
- Percussion
- Frank Heyward Henry
- Saxophone
- Johnny Beecher
- Photography, Illustrations
- Harry Breuer
- Percussion
- Harold Lieberman
- Trumpet
- Mickey Baker
- Guitar
- Alan Lorber
- Arranger, Leader, Conductor
- Trade Martin
- Guitar
- David Nadien
- Violin
- Jimmy Wisner
- Leader
- Brian Gari
- Liner Notes
- George Duvivier
- Bass
- Wayne Andre
- Trombone
- Stan Applebaum
- Arranger, Leader
- Don Arnone
- Guitar
- George Avakian
- Producer, A&R
- Seymour Barab
- Cello
- Everett Barksdale
- Guitar
- Wilbur Bascomb, Sr.
- Trumpet
- Richard Berg
- Horn
- Albert Berry
- Choir, Chorus
- Maurice Bialkin
- Violin
- Bob Bollard
- Producer, A&R
- Maurice Brown
- Cello
- Norman Burnett
- Choir, Chorus
- Kenny Burrell
- Guitar
- Francine Caroll
- Choir, Chorus
- Al Casamenti
- Guitar
- Mac Ceppos
- Violin
- Burt Collins
- Trumpet, Flugelhorn
- George Devens
- Percussion, Vibraphone, Tambourine, Drums (Bass), Marimba
- Sal DiTroia
- Guitar
- Richard Dickler
- Viola
- Harry Duvall
- Choir, Chorus
- Arnold Eidus
- Violin
- Harvey Estrin
- Saxophone
- Sticks Evans
- Drums
- David "Panama" Francis
- Drums
- Eric Gale
- Guitar
- Vincent Bell
- Guitar, Guitar (Steel), Bazouki
- Paul Gershman
- Violin
- Harry Glickman
- Violin
- Leroy Glover
- Piano
- Bernie Glow
- Trumpet
- Al Gorgoni
- Guitar
- Emanuel Green
- Violin
- Paul Griffin
- Piano
- Joseph Grimaldi
- Clarinet, Sax (Baritone), Sax (Tenor), Sax (Soprano), Saxophone, Flute
- Sol Gubin
- Drums
- Louis Haber
- Violin, Contractor
- Harry Lookofsky
- Violin, Contractor
- Ernie Hayes
- Organ, Piano
- Julius Held
- Violin, Conductor, Contractor
- Milt Hinton
- Bass
- Dick Hixson
- Trombone
- Bill Inglot
- Mixing
- Isadore Zir
- Violin
- Theodore Israel
- Violin, Viola
- Marilyn Jackson
- Choir, Chorus
- Jack Jennings
- Percussion
- Dorothy Jones
- Choir, Chorus
- Arthur Kaplan
- Clarinet, Sax (Baritone), Contractor, Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet (Bass)
- Harry Katzman
- Violin
- Jack Keller
- Piano
- Don Kirshner
- Producer, A&R
- Harold Kohon
- Violin
- Leo Kruczek
- Violin
- Charles Libove
- Violin
- Warren Luckey
- Saxophone
- Neil Sedaka
- Piano, Vocals, Vocal Overdubs
- Carole King
- Vocals
- Phil Bodner
- Saxophone, Woodwind
- Urbie Green
- Trombone
- Mundell Lowe
- Guitar
- Bucky Pizzarelli
- Guitar
- Jerome Richardson
- Saxophone, Sax (Baritone)
- Bernie Leighton
- Piano, Harpsichord
- Hal McKusick
- Saxophone
- Frank Rehak
- Trombone
- Ernie Royal
- Trumpet














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