The Newbeats

The Newbeats' third album was anchored by their 1965 smash hit "Run Baby Run," which had a sort of Four Seasons-meets-Motown sound. The rest of the record was, unfortunately, rather typical of the hasty way in which many rock LPs of the time were filled out. There were about half-a-dozen extraneous covers of mid-'60s hits by the likes of the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Roy Orbison, and the Supremes. A handful of other mediocre numbers drew lightly on contemporary influences like Merseybeat, Motown (particularly on "This Old Heart"), Tommy Tucker's "Hi-Heel Sneakers" (whose gait is aped in "Lookin' for Love"), and the Four Seasons, all using one of the shrillest male falsetto voices (Larry Henley's) to grace 1960s rock recordings. [Ace's 2004 CD reissue added 15 bonus tracks, all taken from 1965-1968 singles. For the most part they were mainstream pop/rock efforts in varying styles, from Motown-lite and a near Middle Eastern polka hybrid called "Short on Love" to a cover of the Everly Brothers' "Bird Dog." There was also a mono version of "Run Baby Run" and a number called "Swinger" that sounded like a rejected James Bond theme.] ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide