Lou Christie

This two-fer compiles Lou Christie's LPs for the Roulette label. His self-titled debut introduces a singer and songwriter of uncommon substance. Where other teen idols swooned over puppy love, Christie explored the ugly twists and turns of the male psyche with depth and honesty, unleashing the operatic intensity of his potent falsetto to articulate emotions long verboten in popular music. Compare the facile drama of covers like Maurice Williams' "Stay" and Little Anthony's "Tears on My Pillow" to Christie-penned hits like "The Gypsy Cried" and "Two Faces Have I." The latter songs travel into dark, disturbing terrain where no one else dared go, exploring romantic turmoil in explicitly adult terms. Because the cover material wins out -- only four of the album's 12 songs were penned by Christie and writing partner Twyla Herbert -- Lou Christie is by no means a great album in any conventional sense; the material worth hearing is readily available on several greatest-hits collections, however, and demands the attention of all serious pop aficionados. After a two-year stint in the military, Christie returned to the pop charts in 1966 with his cinematic masterpiece "Lightnin' Strikes." In response, Roulette assembled Lou Christie Strikes Again, 12 odds and ends compiled from the singer's brief tenure with the company. Despite the shamelessness of the album title -- after all, "Lightnin' Strikes" appears nowhere here -- this is not quite the brazen cash-in one might imagine; nine tracks are Christie/Herbert originals, and while none match the twisted grandeur of the singer's biggest hits, they nevertheless possess real maturity and intensity. And Christie's vocals are remarkable regardless of the material he's singing. Not even Frankie Valli could hit the high notes with as much dramatic flair. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide