This obscure little number recently unearthed by England’s Rev-Ola label is one of the hippest reissues of the year. Lori Burton and her songwriting partner Pam Sawyer were responsible for penning a number of hits for various artists during the’60s. The duo was also briefly signed to Motown Records and was one of the only all-female production teams in the New York rock scene.
Under the alias of the fictitious Whyte Boots, the pair recorded “Nightmare,” a morbid little tale of lust and revenge. Sounding like a cross between girl-group hitters The Shangri-La’s and Motown mavens the Supremes—with a dash of garage greasiness for good measure—the song tells the twisted tale of one girl who’s mad at another, beats the hell out of her, then kills her…all over some hapless dude! If that wasn’t enough, sounds from the “fight” are even included in the song for dramatic effect. At the end, our heroine pleads: “I didn’t want to fight … but what could I do?”
This extraordinary single is worth the price of this disc alone—which also features several other blue-eyed soul and tough R&B gems brimming with Burton’s deep, raspy vocals and tunesmith talents—as further evidenced in “There Is No Way.” For something completely different, this reissue rocks!
+ Jim Kaz
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