Gates, Grills & Railings

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Gates, Grills & Railings
Bobby Vee - Gates, Grills & Railings.png
Studio album by
Bobby Vee
ReleasedMarch 1969
Genre Pop
Length37:49
Label Liberty
Producer Dallas Smith
Bobby Vee chronology
Do What You Gotta Do
(1968)		Gates, Grills & Railings
(1969)		Nothin' Like a Sunny Day
(1972)
Singles from Gates, Grills & Railings
  1. "(I'm Into Lookin' For) Someone to Love Me"
    Released: November 1968

Gates, Grills & Railings is the nineteenth studio album by American singer Bobby Vee, released in March 1969 by Liberty Records. His final album for the label, it features one single, "(I'm Into Lookin' For) Someone to Love Me". Dallas Smith arranged and produced the album.

Contents

It features originals and covers such as "One", "Younger Generation", [1] and the early recordings of "I Just Can't Help Believing" (which would become huge hits for B. J. Thomas and Elvis Presley in 1970). [2] It also includes songs by John Sebastian, Harry Nilsson, David Gates, and Mark Marvin, along with a number of self-penned songs. [3]

Vee also covers Cliff Richard's album track "London's Not Too Far"; Marvin was the lead guitarist of Richard's backing band the Shadows. [1]

The album was released on compact disc by Beat Goes On on August 7, 2006 as tracks 1 through 12 on a pairing of two albums on one CD with tracks 13 through 23 consisting of Vee's 1972 album under His Birth Name Robert Thomas Velline, Nothin' Like a Sunny Day. [4]

Singles

"(I'm Into Lookin' For) Someone to Love Me" made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on December 28, 1968, eventually spending one week at number 98 during its three-week stay, [5] number 92 on the Cashbox singles chart, [6] and number 84 in Canada. [7] This marked Vee's last album to featured a charting single.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]

Billboard selected the album for a "Pop Special Merit" review, and stated that "an attractive foldout cover should help make it a commercial success." [9]

Cashbox called it "a change of pace album", and stated that Vee "finds the usually teen-oriented songster performing in a slightly heavier vein." [10]

Record World referred to as "soft, thoughtful album" and notes "The recurring themes are love, loss of love, youth, change." [11]

The Honolulu Advertiser believed that he "probes the richly sensuous songs of the times". [12]

The Missoulian stated it that "has nothing to do with railroads. It used to be that singing groups copped crazy names but albums decided to move in on the action." [13]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."She Doesn't Live Here Anymore" Toni Wine, Carole Bayer 2:36
2."The Passing of a Friend" David Gates 2:50
3."One" Harry Nilsson 4:34
4."(I'm Into Lookin' For) Someone to Love Me" Toni Wine, Carole Bayer 2:45
5."London's Not Too Far"Hank B. Marvin2:27
6."Younger Generation" John Sebastian 3:40
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Just Can't Help Believing" Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil 2:55
2."Jenny Came to Me"Don Dunn, Tony Macaulay 3:26
3."Lavender Kite"Graeme Krosberg, Raul Abeyta2:46
4."The Beauty And The Sweet Talk"Bob Stone3:28
5."Santa Cruz"Robert Taylor, Stan Spindler3:15
6."Annie Joined The Band" Robert Thomas Velline 3:07

Charts

Singles [7] [5] [6]

YearSingleChartPeak
1968"(I'm Into Lookin' For) Someone to Love Me"US Billboard Hot 100 [5] 98
US Cash Box [6] 92
Canada Top Singles (RPM) [7] 84

References

  1. 1 2 Reynolds, Robert (April 19, 2016). The Music of Bobby Vee. Lulu.com. ISBN   978-1-365-05412-9.
  2. ↑ Leszczak, Bob (March 13, 2014). Who Did It First?: Great Pop Cover Songs and Their Original Artists. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 97. ISBN   9-7814-4223-0682.
  3. ↑ Dunbavan, Peter (February 28, 2017). An Avid's Guide to Sixties Songwriters. AuthorHouse. ISBN   978-1-5246-3345-5.
  4. ↑ "Gates, Grills and Railings/Nothin' Like a Sunny Day". allmusic.com. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles: 1955-2002. Menomonee Falls, Wis.: Record Research. p. 742. ISBN   0898-2-0155-1.
  6. 1 2 3 Downey, Pat (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. pp. 362–363. ISBN   1-56308-316-7.
  7. 1 2 3 "Top Singles - Volume 10, No. 21 January 20, 1969". Library and Archives Canada . July 17, 2013.
  8. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1446. ISBN   9781846098567 . Retrieved August 22, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Billboard Pop Special Merit Pick: Gates, Grills And Railings" (PDF). Billboard . March 22, 1969. p. 62.
  10. ↑ Cash Box. Cash Box Pub. Co. March 22, 1969. p. 46.
  11. ↑ "Album Reviews: Pick Hits" (PDF). Record World . March 22, 1969. p. 12. Retrieved May 23, 2025.
  12. ↑ "The Honolulu Advertiser from Honolulu, Hawaii". Newspapers.com. March 7, 1969. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  13. ↑ "The Missoulian from Missoula, Montana". Newspapers.com. March 6, 1969. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
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