Gates, Grills & Railings

Gates, Grills & Railings
Studio album by
Bobby Vee
ReleasedMarch 1969
GenrePop
Length37:49
LabelLiberty
ProducerDallas 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"/"Thank You"
    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.

It features originals and covers such as "One", "Younger Generation", and "I Just Can't Help Believing".[1] It also includes songs by John Sebastian, Harry Nilsson, David Gates, and Mark Marvin, along with a number of self-penned songs.[2]

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.[3]

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 3-week stay,[4] number 92 on the Cashbox singles chart,[5] and number 84 in Canada.[6] This marked Vee's last album to featured a charting single.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[7]

Billboard selected the album for a "Pop Special Merit" review, and stated that "an attractive foldout cover should help make it a commercial success."[8]

Cashbox called it "a change of pace album", and stated that Vee "finds the usually teen-oriented songster performing in a slightly heavier vein."[9]

The Honolulu Advertiser felt that he "felt probes the richly sensuous songs of the times from a lonely.[10]

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."[11]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."She Doesn't Live Here Anymore"Toni Wine, Carole Bayer2:36
2."The Passing of a Friend"David Gates2:50
3."One"Harry Nilsson4:34
4."(I'm Into Lookin' For) Someone to Love Me"Toni Wine, Carole Bayer2:45
5."London's Not Too Far"Hank B. Marvin2:27
6."Younger Generation"John Sebastian3:40
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I Just Can't Help Believing"Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil2:55
2."Jenny Came to Me"Don Dunn, Tony Macaulay3:26
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 Velline3:07

Charts

Singles[12][6]

Year Single Chart Peak
1968 "(I'm Into Lookin' For) Someone to Love Me" US Billboard Hot 100[4] 98
US Cash Box[5] 92
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] 84

References

  1. ^ a b Reynolds, Robert (2016-04-19). The Music of Bobby Vee. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-365-05412-9.
  2. ^ Dunbavan, Peter (2017-02-28). An Avid's Guide to Sixties Songwriters. AuthorHouse. ISBN 978-1-5246-3345-5.
  3. ^ "Gates, Grills and Railings/Nothin' Like a Sunny Day". allmusic.com. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2002). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles: 1955-2002. Menomonee Falls, Wis.: Record Research. p. 742. ISBN 0898-2-0155-1.
  5. ^ a b Downey, Pat (1994). Cash box pop singles charts, 1950-1993. Englewood, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited. pp. 362–363. ISBN 1-56308-316-7.
  6. ^ a b c "Top Singles - Volume 10, No. 21 January 20, 1969". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013.
  7. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. p. 1446. ISBN 9781846098567. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Billboard Pop Special Merit Pick: Gates, Grills And Railings" (PDF). Billboard. March 22, 1969. p. 62.
  9. ^ Cash Box. Cash Box Pub. Co. 1969-03-22. p. 46.
  10. ^ "The Honolulu Advertiser from Honolulu, Hawaii". Newspapers.com. 1969-03-07. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  11. ^ "The Missoulian from Missoula, Montana". Newspapers.com. 1969-03-06. Retrieved 2024-05-03.
  12. ^ Bobby Vee Charting Singles. Retrieved April 22, 2023.