All Strung Out

 (7 customer reviews)

Having lost some momentum from their smash 1963 #1 'Deep Purple', Nino and April reinvented themselves when they signed on to White Whale in 1967. The title song had been offered to the Righteous Brothers, and when they passed on it, Nino took the helm, and arranged it for he and April, calling on his experience working with Phil Spector in the Philles heyday. What a lucky break for us. This CD presents 3 lush wall-of-sound arrangements, backing the perfect blend of these siblings' voices. Also included are some contemporary rock arrangements, a couple of 'covers', and a couple of their trademark reworkings of tin pan alley standards . At his best, Nino is one of the most versatile singers in pop, whipping his voice around the octaves with amazing accuracy. April purrs, then scolds, then soars, as always a mistress of style. The melodies and arrangements recall the Monkees, John Phillips, Spector, and other styles that will seem vaguely familiar, and exemplify the era in...Read more

The brother and sister act of Nino Tempo and April Stevens are best known for their Grammy-winning remakes of old standards ("Deep Purple") during their stint at Atco records in the early 60's. Both also had some chart success individually before and after their Atco hits.

This CD presents their material from their recordings at White Whale records during 1966 and 1967. Included here is their "All Strung Out" album with some additional bonus track singles. Though less commercially successful, this material presents Nino and April at their best. Their counterpoint voices, Nino's writing and his Spector-influenced production yield some incredibly musically sophisticated pop recordings. While "All Strung Out" and "I Can't Go On Living" were their two top-100 chart successes, "The Habit Of Loving You" is a Spectorian triumph. Rounding out the album are tracks of diverse styles, all handled superbly by Nino and April.

Sound quality is excellent with all tracks in...Read more

Prior to signing on with White Whale Records, Nino and April were basically a fairly decent duo specializing in easy listening music. These earlier tracks were a blend of enjoyable tunes and simpering retoolings of much older standards. This CD, "All Strung Out" focuses on the duo's later releases, and the improvement is obvious. The diversity of selections reveals the talent and versatility of which Nino and April were capable. The best tracks are the "Wall of Sound style" songs: "All Strung Out," "The Habit of Lovin' You Baby" (which sounds like "Barry Manilow Meets The Walker Brothers," but it works extremely well) and "You'll Be Needing Me, Baby." April also does an excellent cover of Bobby Hebb's "Sunny." In short, a highly recommended CD!