First off, I wanted to mention how much more I liked this Outsiders release than their later reunion CD '30 Years Live' (see my review). As huge of a live lp fan that I've always been, this band is one that I would really rather listen to their original album versions than their live takes on their material. Total of twenty-five tracks, as I soaked my thoughts heavily into "Time Won't Let Me", "Girl In Love", the rocking "Backwards, Upsidedown", "Since I Lost My Baby", the awesome "Help Me Girl", "Gotta Leave Us Alone" and "Think I'm Falling". Now, I can fully understand why so many of their old fans liked them for their soul-inspired sound. Works real good here, I thought. Definitely recommended.

Some very good groups, especially from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, will forever be assigned to that ignominious category known as the One-Hit Wonder, while others managed to eek out another hit or two. For some the reason can be traced directly to the fact that they had the misfortune of being handled by small labels which simply didn't have the funds to promote them properly (or fork over Payola during that period). Others had limited success because, well, they weren't that good (or never had good material to work with).

The Outsiders from Cleveland (lead Sonny Geraci, lead guitarist Bill Bruno, guitarist Tom King, bassist Mert Madsen, and drummer Rick Baker) certainly can't blame their limited commercial success on the inability of their label to promote their records because they were with one of the giants - Capitol. Their first, Time Won't Let Me, was their best as it rose to # 5 Billboard Pop Hot 100 in early 1966 b/w Was It Really Real?

After that, they had respectable, if not spectacular, results with their other three hits in 1966, seeing Girl In Love go to # 21 in June b/w What Makes You So Bad You Weren't Brought Up That Way, Respectable (written by The Isley Brothers) reach # 15 in August b/w Lost In My World, and Help Me Girl top out at # 37 in November/December b/w You Gotta Look. And that was it. Not exactly Hall Of Fame material. But then again, the Hall DID induct sludge like The Velvet Underground, a group with multiple singles and not one that could make the Hot 100, and Frank Zappa, more of a satirist than a musician, as his meager three hits will attest, the best a # 32 in 1982. So, why not?

Geraci would go on to have a # 3 Hot 100/# 6 Adult Contemporary in early 1972 as the lead singer of Climax with Precious And Few, adding one more Hot 100/AC hit that May with Life And Death as Climax featuring Sonny Geraci (# 15 AC/# 52 Hot 100), and in November 1973 a # 38 AC with Walking In The Georgia Rain billed to Sonny Geraci And Climax. All were on the small Rocky Road label, so there, perhaps, he had a reason for not having greater success with that group.

What earns this 5 stars is the fact all eight sides to their four hits are here, with excellent sound reproduction, along with the five pages of background notes written by Tom King in January 1991, the numerous photographs, and the full discography of the contents.

I can't recommend this CD highly enough. Why The Outsiders aren't better known and haven't been inducted into the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame is beyond me. A person can't really have all the basic CDs from the 60s and 70s without owning this one.

My cousin was the original drummer on The title cut Time wont let me. We watched him grow up thru the ranks of amatuer to professional. When I here that song today I still get a kick hearing it. He has since passed away, but this small reminder still lives on!
Thanks Denny!

Think "Time Won't Let Me" makes The Outsiders nothing but a one hit wonder?Think again!This collection presents a nice comprehensive set of hits,near hits,rarities and the great sound alike parody of "Time Won't Let Me" called "Lost In My World".(Which could've easily been their breakthough song had it been released first!)Excellent liner notes to boot.
Cleveland Rocks!