The Bell Notes – That’s Right! – Complete Singles and Rarities, 1958-1960

Hailing from Long Island, New York, the five man Bell Notes came up with one of the pivotal 45s of the late 1950s at their first attempt and spent the rest of their career trying to follow it up with varying degrees of success across a two year period from 1958-60. They might never have found a hit of the size and durability of their debut chartbuster “I’ve Had It” but they made some really good music in the course of trying!

“That’s Right” collects every recording they made in their brief two year life and charts their progress from garage band to supercharged rockers. They never had an album release at the time these were recorded and have never hitherto had a UK CD compilation. Jasmine is happy to remedy that with a collection that is unlikely to ever be beaten in terms of completeness.

As well as ‘I’ve Had It’, you can hear its hit follow up (and our title track) ‘That’s Right’ and a number of other rockers co-written by R&B tunesmiths Leroy Kirkland (subject of his own Jasmine CD a while back) and legendary guitarist Mickey Baker of Mickey & Sylvia fame, who almost certainly plays on some of these tracks too. It closes with their supercharged version of ‘Real Wild Child’ which may or may not have been the version that inspired Iggy Pop’s 80s hit rendition.

An important addition to Jasmine’s ever-growing list of collections by one-or-two hit wonders who actually made a lot more great music than chart books give credit for, “That’s Right” shines a spotlight on a fine group who deserved better than to be remembered for basically one song.

And if “that ISN’T right”, goodness knows what is!

THE ORIGINAL MONO SINGLES

1. I’VE HAD IT
2. BE MINE
3. DREAM STREET
4. A SAD GUITAR
5. OLD SPANISH TOWN
6. SHE WENT THAT-A-WAY
7. THAT’S RIGHT
8. BETTY DEAR
9. YOU’RE A BIG GIRL NOW
10. DON’T ASK ME WHY
11. WHITE BUCKSKIN SNEAKERS AND CHECKERBOARD SOCKS
12. NO DICE
13. SHORTNIN’ BREAD

14. TO EACH HIS OWN
15. REAL WILD CHILD
16. FRIENDLY STAR

STEREO VERSIONS AND RARITIES

17. I’VE HAD IT (Stereo)
18. THAT’S RIGHT (Stereo)
19. BETTY DEAR (Instrumental)
20. OLD SPANISH TOWN (Instrumental)
21. A SAD GUITAR (Instrumental)
22. SHE WENT THAT-A-WAY (Stereo)
23. PROTECT MY LOVE (Instrumental)
24. DREAM STREET (Instrumental)
25. STAY WITH ME
26. BABY YOU FLIP ME