Micheal Yates | lexington, ky United States | 11/04/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"was just reading the reviews of this cd and it made me feel so nostalgic that i have to add my own to the list.
i never cease to be surprised how many other people throughout the country waited for the sun to go down and WLS to come on at '89. it was like a miracle--one minute there was nothing but static and noise--and the next there was the greatest radio ever. i started with ron riley and art roberts and was still hanging around at the end of 1989 with john landecker.
those were the days of real radio--not programming companies in seattle that make every station play the same playlist and not dj's who get to read a liner and then aren't allowed to talk.
radio stations had their own personality and their own playlists and broke their own records in their market.
which leads to this wonderful cd and the joy of hearing all the new colony six records on WLS.
growing up in rural western kentucky we knew the chicago bands as well as anyone in chicagoland. american breed--buckinghams--shadows of knight--cryan shames and of course new colony 6. i remember the early stuff--"I confess"--"let me love you" and it was fine. but the ballads--oh my! they were simple and yet beautiful. delicious tennage angst! in a parked car under the stars these songs were the soundtrack of many a french kiss and decent grope. on the dance floor if you had pitch you could softly sing along to "i will always think about you" close to your date's ear and become a romantic.
in 1968--age 16--i was hired as a dj at a local radio station that played top 40--and they let me pick my music--heaven on earth. amazingly our playlist included all the chicago bands that we heard after dark on WLS. we didn't care what billboard magazine said was no. 1.
my greatest dream at that time was to live in chicago--visit WLS and go to all these great "battle of the band" shows. this cd takes me back to that time and reading these other reviews lets me know that there were a lot of us that knew we were living in a special time. no--you can't go back there--but you can turn the lights down and turn up the stereo with this cd on--and for a few minutes smell "heaven scent" perfume and think about getting your tux at "carole's red hanger shoppes" and your new stereo at "playback--the electronic playground"."
Remembering the New Colony Six
Micheal Yates | 02/20/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Once the sun set on Little Rock back in the day, the radio came alive with stations outside of our normal listening area. The king of them all was WLS in Chicago. It was "89" that played quality music from dusk till dawn. I often fell asleep at night with Art Roberts spinning the hits through my transistor radio. One of the great things about WLS was the exposure to regional Chicago bands. My favorite was the New Colony Six. It amazes me they never cracked the Billboard Top Forty. This collection by Rhino covers their years as a garage band (At The River's Edge)through their development as pop balladeers (I Will ALways Think About You). I knew most of the songs on this set. The unknown songs were a pleasant surprise and did nothing to change my opinion of the band. I recommend this as a superb collection from one of the good bands who never seemed to get the recognition they deserved."
A Definitive Anthology
Micheal Yates | 06/26/1998
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The New Colony Six were never big hitmakers (out of 10 charted pop hits, only two made the Top Forty), and many music fans born after the early 60s may never have heard of them, but they are perhaps the most underappreciated American pop group of the late 1960s. One listen to the touching ballad "I Will Always Think About You," or its companion piece, the beautiful "Things I'd Like to Say," should put a lump in anyone's throat. Other tracks run the gamut from garage rock ("I Confess," their first charting) to Brit-pop (the Holliesish "Can't You See Me Cry") to late 60s vocal pop-rock (the Turtleseque "I Could Never Lie to You"). With excellent liner notes, this CD is the best possible introduction to a band that should be remembered as one of the era's best."
"I Love You So Much"
jerry kamper | upstate New York | 02/12/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I was looking for a song by a Chicago group called "I Love You So Much". What a surprise to find my way to Amazon.com and not only find this song but 3 New Colony Six CD's. I am 52 years old and a native of the South Side of Chicago. I am not sure these days what was fact or fiction about growing up on the southside of Chicago. I seem to recall seeing groups like The Cyran Shames,Buckinghams and The New Colony Six in Battle Of The Bands at Brother Rice Hight School. I can't recall who won the contest but I do recall how much I liked the music. WLS in Chicago played this Chicago Garage Band music all the time but having grown up and entering the Army I lost track of most of these bands. The Buckinghams and Cyran Shames signed with good record labels but the best band,for my money,The New Colony Six, ever really got off the ground. I can recall picking up WLS in Ft Polk LA at about 2 in the morning and hearing "I Love You So Much",it was such a relief to be able to escape these turbulent times. I was on my way to Viet Nam and both Bobby and Martin Luthur King had just been killed. Yhank you Amazon.com for bringing these songs back to life. I highly recommend these CD to all midwest 60's music lovers. Playing this CD will remind you of all the songs you have forgotten even existed. These are some of the best examples of Chicago based Garage based music. I dont know who was responsible for this group never reaching their public but thank you Amazon.com for giving them one more chance to reach their music lovers. The ballads in this collection are some of the best arranged and performed songs you will ever hear. The New Colony Six were caught in the British invasion and besides poor management got over looked like many other American bands during this time. "I Will Always Think About You","Things I'd Like To Say","I Want You To Know",I Could Never Lie To You". All These songs sound great. I can still recall the poor quality of the old 45's and LP's,what a great sound to be recaptured on this great CD."
One of Chicago's best 60's band.
Roger Hillberg | Crandon, WI USA | 11/11/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Living in northern Wisconsin in the 60's was as good as a desert isle..but thanks to Larry Loujack, John Landecker, et al of Chicago's famed am rocker WLS, we kept up with the current sound. It was a tossup between The New Colony Six and The Buckinghams as to who was my favorite group at the time (and still so). But the NC6 was my favorite "back seat" group..many hours parked with that special someone, waiting for one of their songs to come on. It was guaranteed kissing practice. It was always hard to understand as to why the NC6 got just modest national recognition..listen to these songs, and you will wonder also. "Things I'd Like To Say" sums up every man's thought about the latest breakup..and still brings back floods of memories. A masterpiece of lyric and music. Lead singer Ray Graffia hangs out all the feelings in this and all the songs, and you will not find better harmonizing in any other group. "I Will Always Think About You" put them on the Billboard map to stay, and is another song about adolescent fretting."