The Reflections - (Just Like) Romeo & Juliet Lana First US Release

[Sunnysoul]

Apparently Lana was the first release and then the record got picked up by Ed Wingate for Golden World ?

Composer credits also change from Popcorn Wylie & Williams to Bob Hamilton & Freddie Gorman ? !!!

[Frankie Crocker]

Not totally sure re this but Lana looks like a budget reissue label, maybe for the hits at the time. Curious to know as there are a variety of artists on the Lana label.

[Robbk]

Lana WAS a budget re-issue label, located in New York, running from 1964-1968 or so.  But the interesting point about them was that most of their releases were alternate takes of the original hits, and the few that were not original alternate takes, were re-recordings by the original artists, after their contracts with the original release label were over, and they no longer had any exclusive recording artist contract with any current record label.

Edited February 3, 2016 by RobbK

[Kris Holmes]

yeah Lana is a reissue label

[Sunnysoul]

4 hours ago, RobbK said:

Lana WAS a budget re-issue label, located in New York, running from 1964-1968 or so.  But the interesting point about them was that most of their releases were alternate takes of the original hits, and the few that were not original alternate takes, were re-recordings by the original artists, after their contracts with the original release label were over, and they no longer had any exclusive recording artist contract with any current record label.

Great Robb but what about the change in songwriters ?

[The Yank]

The Lana release is definitely a reissue. Someone must have made a mistake with the songwriter

credits. It wouldn't be the first time.

[Guest randy]

I've always wondered about this myself 

Regarding the change of writing credits they are just reversed from the A side to B side therefore  just a printing error so that's not that significant though Freddie Gorman was a Ric Tic / Golden World Artists

This is the groups first release on Golden World? 1964 GW!

They previously had a 1961 45 release on Crossroads label which is a  New York label as is the Lana label?

The LANA L140 release is a 1964 release as is LANA L139 and L141 so came out the same year as the Golden world GW8/9

Wikipedia Entry

The Reflections recorded the vocal for the track several weeks later at the RCA recording studio in Chicago. According to Micale, the group's members still regarded the song as somewhat of a joke. While running through the song prior to the recording session they ad-libbed a falsetto "doo-doo-doot" hook line as irreverent mimicry of Gorman's vocal style when he'd pitched them the song. The group was surprised when Gorman added that line to the song's vocal arrangement.^[2] The instrumental track for "(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet" had been recorded at United Sound Systems in Detroit.

First aired on CKLW in Windsor Ontario Canada in February 1964 (it was released on Canadian Quality label)

the single topped the hit parade of CKLW, as well as those of Detroit radio stations WJBK and WKNR in March 1964. "(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet" made its national chart debut on the Billboard Hot 100 dated April 11, 1964, ranked at #86 and rose to a Hot 100 peak of #6 on the chart dated May 30, 1964.

 

 

[Frankie Crocker]

31 minutes ago, the yank said:

The Lana release is definitely a reissue. Someone must have made a mistake with the songwriter

credits. It wouldn't be the first time.

Is it a mistake or an accurate update? Me, I'd rush out and buy anything with Popcorn Wylie's name on it.

[Guest randy]

The writing credits are just reversed from the A side title to the B side title on the LANA release Freddie Gorman actually wrote the song as per the Golden World release the Group confirm this above 

[The Yank]

You're right- they took the writing credits from the B side ("Can't You Tell By The Look In My Eyes") and used them

for "(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet". 

[The Yank]

The Reflections on Crossroads were a different group. 

The Reflections did have two prior releases prior to "...Romeo and Juliet"- "In The Still Of The Night" on Tigre

and "Helpless" on Kay-Ko.

[Guest randy]

Yes your correct the group on Crossroads label are a different group but also The Reflections on Tigre are an Indianapolis group not the Golden World group pictured below. 

 

 

[The Yank]

I guess the Reflections on Golden World being the same group as the one on Tigre is one of those urban legends-

whoever started it must not have checked their sources. I stand corrected.

[Robbk]

The Tony Micale Detroit Reflections' only release before Golden World was on Detroit's Kay-Ko Records.

[Robbk]

"Just Like Romeo And Juliet" was Sonny Sanders' first job as an arranger.  And what a fabulous debut!  What a great instrumental it is!  Right up there with many from Motown.