record sale last week, I discovered that this concept had been undertaken years before -- in 1972, when the songs were new -- on the obscure final album by The Brooklyn Bridge.
The distinctive voice of Johnny Maestro was one of those from the vocal group era to successfully make the transition into the post-Beatles era. As a member of The Crests, he was on the pop charts repeatedly and has remained a staple of oldies radio due to the near-standard "Sixteen Candles." He resurfaced in the late '60s with The Bridge in Blue, released as by the Bridge, was the group's last album during its original run. Along with a couple other covers and one long band original, it showcased five songs by Wainwright, given the full-on large band arrangements that were the group's hallmark. While this does tend to take away some of the bite of Wainwright's original versions -- there's no way to escape his dark wit when the only thing covering his fire is a guitar -- the songs are strong enough to not get lost in the band's new frameworks. What makes the album's choice to highlight Wainwright somewhat more interesting is that it appears to have been released before his left-field hit "Dead Skunk," since all the songs are from his first two albums for Atlantic. So, the Bridge gets bonus points for excellent taste if for no other reason.