THE CLASSICS IV

The lead singer of this 1960s group was Dennis Yost.

Greatest Hits

Total time - 27:01

1. Spooky (2:51) - This moderate-speed tune has a guitar in the left speaker, a tambourine in the right. During the middle instrumental, a sax plays lead in the left speaker, as is also the case for the next four songs. When the narrator asks his girlfriend for a date, she says no at first, but then changes her mind. She winks at other guys, but then smiles and holds the narrator's hand. Her fickle demeanor scares him like a ghost, but he still loves her, so he chooses Halloween as the day he'll ask her to marry him. During the last line of each verse, there's even a sound effect simulating an eerie breeze.

2. Soul Train (2:43) - The tempo is similar to that in the previous song and so are the opening guitar licks; if not for the "doo doo doo" scat singing, the first few seconds would sound much like a reprise of "Spooky." The narrator has lights turned on low and plenty of records to play, so he asks her to relax with him to some soul music. "You don't have to hurry on a soul train ride," so climb aboard and let the music take you away!

3. Stormy (2:47) - This song is slightly faster than the previous two. Now that the girl has left the narrator, the weather in his heart is stormy; it used to be warm when they were together. He begs her to "bring back that sunny day" by coming back to him and starting their relationship anew.

4. Traces (2:46) - The tempo is moderate. In the opening measures, I hear first an oboe, then guitar strums played a la the ones in "Spooky." Orchestral strings (in the right speaker) are also featured. The narrator looks at faded pictures, ticket stubs and other remnants from a romantic relationship that didn't last.

5. Every Day With You Girl (2:31) - The mood of this moderate-speed song is different from that in most of the previous ones. The narrator has a girlfriend whom he loves more than he did the previous day, and will love even more the next.

6. Change Of Heart (2:56) - I hear the first five songs on the radio every now and then, but from here on, the songs are non-hits. This song, slightly slower than moderate, features orchestral strings and an oboe. In the first verse, the narrator is the one whose heart changes; when he least expects to find love, the girl finds him and he falls for her. As time went on and he became dependent on her, she left him for another guy. Now the narrator prays that her heart will change and she will come back to him.

7. Midnight (2:53) - This moderate-speed song opens with finger snaps and a saxophone. The sax plays lead during the middle instrumental. A lonely narrator looks back on a bygone midnight when he used to have a girlfriend and they kissed under a bright moon and stars. He even called her Midnight because of her black hair.

8. The Funniest Thing (2:36) - The tempo is moderate. Instruments include a flute, a tambourine, and orchestral strings. The day before the setting, the narrator saw the strangest thing he ever saw: his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend walking together. An even stranger thing: she introduced the narrator to his new love!

9. Where Did All The Good Times Go (2:35) - This moderately slow song features horns. A sax plays lead during the middle instrumental. The narrator and the girl used to live near each other and laugh together when they were younger. But "summers in the shade, winters by the fireplace" and other good times are all gone and he wonders why.

10. Mamas And Papas (2:07) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. Instruments and sound effects include an organ, a tambourine and handclaps and horns. The narrator and his blonde girlfriend like fast, loud music and talking on the phone for hours. They may be young, but they still resent their parents' objection to and interference with their relationship.

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