THE CHIFFONS "HE'S SO FINE" LAURIE#2018-ORIG('63) HEAR

$

30

REMARKS: ORIGINAL HARD TO FIND!

THE CHIFFONS

Did the recording history of the Chiffons begin with "He's So Fine" in 1963, or three years earlier, with "Tonight's the Night"? The experts do not seem to agree. What they do agree on is that the group was formed in 1960 at James Monroe High School in the Bronx. Originally they were a trio. The lead singer was Judy Craig (born August 6, 1946) and she sang along with Patricia Bennett (born April 7, 1947) and Babara Lee (born February 6, 1944). A fourth member, Sylvia Peterson (born September 30, 1946), was added in 1962.

John Clemente, author of the book "Girl Groups : Fabulous Females That Rocked the World" (2000), claims "He's So Fine" to be the first Chiffons record. "There was another group, possibly out of LA, named The Chiffons, who had brief chart action in 1960 with a version of The Shirelles' "Tonight's the Night", on Big Deal Records. Reissue LP's, some as early as 1964, feature the other group's songs, but the pictures are of the New York Chiffons. They are not the same group." (Clemente, p. 52.) However, many others, including Jay Warner, in his authoritative "Billboard book of American singing groups" (1992), consider this to be one and the same group. Two other pre-"He's So Fine" singles were released in 1962 : "Never Never" on Wildcat Records and "After Last Night" on Reprise. These are ignored by Clemente, but not by Warner.

>From 1963 onwards, there is no controversy. "He's So Fine", with its classic "doo-lang doo-lang" riff, became one of the biggest hits of 1963. The record was produced by The Tokens (Hank Medress, Jay Siegel, Phil Margo and Mitch Margo), of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" fame. They had already offered the master to 14 record labels before Laurie Records agreed to release the disc, in December 1962. On March 30, 1963, the song hit # 1 in Billboard (both pop and R&B), where it stayed for four weeks. The song has been the subject of a prolonged lawsuit ("He's So Fine" vs "My Sweet Lord"). The loser was George Harrison, who was told by a judge in 1976 that his number one song "My Sweet Lord" had been subconsciously copied from "He's So Fine". The winner was the estate of Ronnie Mack, the young composer who died shortly after his song "He's So Fine" was awarded a gold record. Harrison sardonically commented on the affair in his composition "This Song". The second Laurie release, "Lucky Me" was a complete flop, but the Tokens quickly rushed out another single, "One Fine Day", written by Carole King (who also plays the pounding piano intro) and her husband Gerry Goffin. This was originally a demo by Little Eva, whose vocal was wiped off, though the backing vocals by the Cookies were left intact. It peaked at # 5 in the summer of 1963 and also made the Top 30 in the UK. ("He's So Fine" went to # 16 there.)

The Tokens decided to create a multiple personality for the group. The Chiffons also recorded as the Four Pennies for Laurie's Rust subsidiary. As such, they had two chart entries: "My Block" (# 67) and "When the Boy's Happy" (# 95), both in 1963. With further hits (as the Chiffons) in the shape of "A Love So Fine" (# 40) and "I Have A Boyfriend" (# 36), 1963 was an extremely good year for the female quartet. But with eight singles and two LP's in one year, there was the danger of overexposure. Several strong Chiffons recordings followed in 1964, but the charts now seemed to belong more to the British than to the Bronx. Only "Sailor Boy" did any chart business (# 81) and 1965 was no better with only one chart entry. A legal dispute with the Tokens didn't help, although it was ruled in the girls' favour. But the foursome made a strong comeback in 1966 with what is perhaps their finest recording, "Sweet Talking Guy", which went to # 10. In the UK it stalled at # 31, but when it was reissued on London in 1972, it went all the way to # 4.

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A1 He's So Fine   

A2 Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow   

A3 Oh My Lover   

A4 Why Do Fools Fall in Love   

A5 My Block   

A6 ABC-123   

B1 Lucky Me   

B2 Why Am I So Shy   

B3 See You in September   

B4 Wishing   

B5 Mystic Voice   

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RECORD OR COVER GRADED VG or LESS WILL BE "SOLD AS IS"

MINT: Unplayed, still sealed.
 

NM RECORDS: are shiny, with no visible defects, they might have one or 2 minor superficial scuff and they should play without any noise. Writing, stickers or other markings cannot appear on the label, nor can any “spindle marks” from someone trying to blindly put the record on the turntable. Major factory defects also must not be present; a record and label obviously pressed off center is not Near Mint. If played, it will do so with no surface noise. (NM records don’t have to be “never played”; a record used on an excellent turntable can remain NM after many plays if the disc is properly cared for.)

NM COVERS:

have no creases, ring wear or seam splits of any kind.

Picture Sleeves: should look as if they never housed a record. This is a great reason to remove your 45s from their picture sleeves and keep them separate. Just keeping the 45 inside the sleeve will cause damage than can reduce the grade of the sleeve.  

VG++ (Excellent) RECORDS: 
Barely noticeable play wear and background noise. May have surface scuffs and/or superficial marks, which will be inaudible or indiscernible from the background, no scratches. Very nice, flaws noted.
VG++ COVERS:
Artwork is still as close to perfect as can be. Some impression to the cover (minor outer ring wear) but no ink wear! Some slight creases to the corners, but not wrinkled and obtrusive to the eye. The corners can show white (where the artwork pasted slick was) meaning, slight wear. No seam splits or writing on the cover or taped repairs can make this grade.  

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may show some slight signs of wear, including light scuffs or very light scratches that do not affect the listening experience. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are OK. Minor signs of handling are OK, too, such as telltale marks around the center hole, but repeated playing has not misshapen the hole. There may be some very light ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable.

VG+ COVERS:
should have only minor wear. A VG+ cover might have some very minor seam wear or a split (less than one inch long) at the bottom, the most vulnerable location. Also, a VG+ cover may have some defacing, such as a cut-out marking. Covers with cut-out markings can never be considered Near Mint.

VG+ PICTURE SLEEVES:
might show some very light creasing where it is obvious that a record once resided (or still does reside). A VG+ picture sleeve might have some very minor seam wear or a split (less than one inch long) at the bottom, the sleeve’s most vulnerable location. 

VG RECORDS:

They have more obvious flaws than their counterparts in better shape. They lack most of the original gloss found on factory-fresh records. Groove wear is evident on sight, as are light scratches deep enough to feel with a fingernail. When played, a VG record has surface noise, and some scratches  may be audible, especially in soft passages and during a song’s intro and ending. But the noise will not overpower the music otherwise. Minor writing, tape, or a sticker can detract from the label. Many collectors who have jukeboxes   will use VG records in them and not think twice. They remain a fine listening experience, just not the same as if it were in better shape.

VG COVERS and PICTURE SLEEVES:
will have many signs of human handling. Ring wear  in the middle or along the edges of the cover where the edge of a record would  reside, is obvious, though not overwhelming. Some more creases might be  visible. Seam splitting will be more obvious; it may appear on all three sides,  though it won’t be obvious upon looking. Someone might have written or stamped  a price tag on it, too.

RECORDS GRADED VG OR BELOW WILL BE "SOLD AS IS" 

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Carlos A. Flores 25830 Crippen Dr. Land O' Lakes, FL  34639