Genre: country
Rating: 2 stars **
Title: She Loves To Hear the Music
Company: Guinness
Catalog: GNS
36052
Year: 1977
Country/State: US
Grade (cover/record): VG+ / VG+
Comments: --
Available: 1
GEMM catalog ID: 5738
Price: $100.00
Like many taxscam releases, namesake Andy Mann is a mystery.
Over the years I've seen this one occasionally show up on dealer lists as a fairly high priced offering tagged as a pop, or country-rock effort. At the same time, as far as I can tell there are no online reviews of this one ... Part of the reason for that absence of information may have to do with the fact about two thirds of "She Loves To Hear the Music" showcased a set of conventional country music. In fact the track 'Country Music' even had the lyric 'I don't like rock and roll music'. Anyhow, I'll readily admit I'm not a county fan, so there was no way this one was going to get a very high rating from me. All nine tracks were credited as Mann originals and while the guy certainly had a nice voice, typical done-me-wrong faire such as 'The Hell with Women', 'Does Your Ring Still Shine' and 'Time Is Passing By' just didn't cut it with me. So here's where it gets weird. Taxcam labels were renown for packaging multiple artists under an album and that appears to have happened here. The four tracks on side one and 'Country Music' and 'I Love You, You Love Me' from the flip side seemed to be by the same artist - presumably Andy Mann. Having apparently run out of material, Guinness seems to have decided to round out the collection with four mystery tunes (one not even listed). The irony was the four 'throwaway' tracks were way better than the country stuff.
- ' I Let Love Go By' had a distinctive mid-1960s blue-eyed/garage feel. By the way, judging by the chorus the track title was probably 'Turn On Your Love Machine'.
- 'I Gotta Feeling' has a similar 1960s flavor. A nice mid tempo piece with some cool organ, the track had a fantastic chorus that could have gotten some top-40 airplay. Again judging by the lyrics, the original title was probably 'I Keep On Trying'.
- The third and unlisted track (probably entitled 'Love 'Em and Leave 'Em' had a distinctive Young Rascals blue-eyed soul vibe. Probably the stand out track.
- The title track was one of those irritating mid-1970s story-teller styled pieces that guys like Rupert Holmes managed to parlay into commercial success - oh, the plotline is secretary in a record studio tries to sleep her way to happiness.
One other curiosity, both the liner notes and the inner label track listings are incomplete and show the wrong track sequencing. The correct song sequence is shown below. By the way, had this been a straight country set it would have gotten one star, but due to the four mystery tracks, it gets 2 stars.
"She Loves
To Hear the Music" track listing:
(side 1)
1.) The Hell with Women (Andy Mann) -
2.) Does Your Ring Still Shine (Andy Mann) -
3.) Time Is Passing By (Andy Mann) - (Andy Mann) -
4.) Sunshine (Andy Mann) -
(side
2)
1.) Country Music (Andy Mann) -
2.) I Love You, You Love Me (Andy Mann) -
3.) I Let Love Go By (Andy Mann) -
4.) I Gotta Feeling (Andy Mann) -
5.) unlisted
6.) She Loves To Hear the Music (Andy Mann) -