Ex-Vernon Girl Samantha Jones somehow never managed to get a hit, though on the evidence of this re-promoted RPM collection there were plenty of contenders. Initially, and again later, produced by Charles Blackwell, her records got full arrangements, complete with tympani, but sadly these never appeared on a breakthrough song. The previously unreleased As Long As You’re Happy Baby, with its Jackie DeShannon feel, could have worked, though.
1965 saw Jones try recording in New York, where the slam-bam Spector-alike I Deserve It was cut to delight all girl group aficionados. Back with Blackwell in ’67 she cut the commercial title track and a good cover of The Association’s Never My Love, but suffered from a plethora of other musical happenings that year. The following year she tried with producer Mark Wirtz, leading to the snappy and danceable And Suddenly, which should have worked for her. There are some classy productions here, but never quite with the right material at the right time.
