VA - Where The Girls Are, Volume 5 (A Decade Of Columbia Femme Pop) (2003)

This eclectic collection of girl group-style treasures from the Columbia vaults features a host of Brill Building rarities, most making their CD debut. The Brill Building lends its name to a generation ofNew Yorksongwriters, led here by Gerry Goffin & Carole King with songs performed by the Orchids, Peggy Lipton, Erma Franklin and Dorothy Jones. Boy genius Van McCoy is represented via offerings from the Sweet Things, Aretha Franklin and Sandi Sheldon. Elsewhere, the Pussycats sing Shadow Morton, Bernadette Peters performs Brute Force, Nancy Ames renders a great Bert Berns number and Marlina Mars gets to grips with the Burt Bacharach & Hal David songbook. Other writers showcased include husband and wife teams Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry and Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, plus Bob Crewe, Neil Diamond and Phil Spector.