Lori Burton - Breakout CD (Rev-Ola)

“Yeahhhhh, no boy’s worth the trouble that I’m in.” That’s the perfect first line of the Whyte Boots’ classic death rock anthem, a sexy, shocking, deliriously catchy girl-fight-gone-wrong raver that takes the Shangri-Las’ template, pushes every musical and emotional meter into the red, and leaves you feeling like you’re the one face down on the hall linoleum. Well, forget about those sexy Whyte Boots gals, because they were a fraud hired to play at being a girl group, and their oft-comped “Nightmare” just one of the fantastic tunes penned and sung by Miss Lori Burton and her British writing partner Pam Sawyer. This release compiles Lori’s sole album (Mercury, 1967), the mono single version of “Nightmare” and a non-LP single, and it’s essential.

For while the Burton-Sawyer team were highly skilled soul-pop craftswomen providing hits to the Young Rascals, Lulu and others, Lori Burton had the vocal chops to sell songs that would have tried the best singers of the day. Raunchy, breathy, emotional-yet-controlled, eating stupid boyfriends like hors d'oeuvres, hers is one of the great forgotten voices, and the big Spectoresque production serves it beautifully. “Nightmare’s” isn’t even the best first line on the disk. If you dig distaff sixties pop, you want to hear this.