It’s amazing how good music can stand the test of time. When you first turn on “Down Memory Lane”, you’re sure you won’t recognize any ofthe 60s-era cuts. And then you do, and it’s like coming home.
“Down Memory Lane” kicks off with the classic Simon and Garfunkel ht, “The Sound Of Silence” (remember “The Graduate”?), keeping the tempo going with Andy Williams’ “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” and Ricky Nelson’s “Dream Lover”. “Casablanca” by Bertie Higgins isn’t one I’d heard before, but it quickly became my favourite song on this album, perfectly combining the twin streams of romance and adventure into one beautifully strung-together number.
Andy Williams shows up again with “Where Do I Begin?” (from “Love Story”), and The Drifters step up the pace with their jazzy, smoky “Under The Boardwalk”. Next up, a couple of true gems, and ones which I was thrilled to find: the original “Mambo Italiano”, by Rosemary Clooney (the remix by Shaft is racing up the charts today - see what I mean about good music?) and “Baby Love” by the Supremes.
Tony Bennet’s incredible music is well-represented too - both “The Lady Is A Tramp” and “I Left My Heart In San Franciso” will have you rushing to the store for a Tony Bennet compilation, and well they should. Finally, Percy Sledge brings the curtain down with the incredible (and still surprisingly powerful) ode to love, “When A Man Loves A Woman”.
What am I trying to say? Don’t waste time - buy this one today. In fact, buy two and give one to your neighbor’s sixteen-year-old. He could do with an education.
This article was first published on 08 Oct 2001.