Friday, December 03, 2021

The Feel it Advent-ure 2021: Door 3


This is one of those records I can't play just once. I recorded it onto mp3 at the third play tonight. Then, when I came to save it I found it was already on the computer. Furthermore when I came to upload it I found it was all ready and waiting to be shared. The file date was 25/01/21, which means I must have had it lined up to post back at the beginning of the year just before I went off air here. It all adds up because it was right at the bottom of one of two stacks of 45s I pictured behind Door 1.

Like many people in the UK I knew of The Manhattans because of their big hit Kiss And Say Goodbye, and it's follow up Hurt, back in 1976. But it wasn't until probably this century that I caught up with this New Jersey group's fairly extensive 60s and early 70s output on the Carnival and De Luxe labels. They made so many great records, especially the Carnival releases! And looking at their discography on 45cat I see that they actually had two of those records released on a UK Carnival label in 1966 (with the same label design too, which must have been particularly eye catching to UK record buyers considering the staid look of most labels in the UK in the 60s) . Sadly all of the original members of the group are now deceased, including George Smith, the lead singer on this track I think, who tragically died of a brain tumour just before his 31st birthday.

This track is so easy on the ear.

The Manhattans – I Bet'cha (Couldn't Love Me) 1966

2 comments:

Marc said...

Lovely! I too first heard Kiss & Say Goodbye, and then Shining Star a couple years later. Like you, it wasn't until much later that I found out they had a long career before that point.

I was very happy to see Feel It return after the hiatus!

Marc

Darcy said...

Thanks Marc!