Collector's Gold Series

Album Review

Collectors Gold Series is essentially a reissue of Tossin' & Turnin', Relic's out of print Bobby Lewis anthology from 1992, with a different track sequence. Lewis' number one hit, "Tossin' and Turnin'," is presented in its mono and stereo versions, making Collectors Gold Series longer than the previous collection by one track (all other tracks are in stereo). Lewis was a powerful shouter with great presence, but as "Lonely Teardrops" shows, his technique was not very nuanced — his performance is closer to Freddy Cannon than Jackie Wilson. The catchy "One Track Mind" was his only other Top Ten hit, but he registered on the charts a total of five times. All of his chart hits and their flip sides are included along with cuts from his 1961 album (also titled Tossin' & Turnin'), accounting for nearly all of his Beltone label recordings from 1961-1963. The production is dense and loud on the rockers, with the clatter of hi-hat cymbals creating a constant roar of white noise in the background. Aside from a few ballads and pop songs, most of Lewis' recordings rework the high-energy rock and soul sound of "Tossin' and Turnin'" with varying degrees of success.