THE MADISONS - LOOKING FOR TRUE LOVE

What a great record, and completely overlooked in the history of music. The first mistake was putting this little slice of heaven on the B side of the 45. This wasn't the only time this mistake happened to this group, either.... what a shame, because their sound is just spectacular. Bob Crewe knew it, Larry Santos wrote Candy Girl for the Four Seasons. Here he is one year later with his group the Madisons, with another tune that could've been a contendor for the Four Seasons to record. The Four Seasons even backed up Larry on two 45s he cut for Atlantic, one as a solo artist and one as Larry And The Legends, in 1964.

Now, most people do know and like the top side of this 45, Cheryl Anne, and it's a decent track, but the flip side here just blows it away. I just wish I knew more information on this group. They had a few more singles in 1964 and 1965, then Larry Santos broke out on his own and had some solo success a decade later (he had one top 40 solo record and even appeared on American Bandstand on the same episode that had Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart on it, however i've been unable to find any current information on him either. Larry doesn't seem to have recorded anything since 1982. Larry, where are you? Who were the Madisons? Inquiring minds want to know...

SON'S OF THE KEYSTONE KOPS - I LAUGHED YOU CRIED

Dig this record.... it was released in January 1969, based on the Monarch pressing plant matrix numbers, and was the B side of the record! If this had been issued 2 years earlier on a major record label as the A side, i have no doubt it could've seen some chart action. I know absolutely nothing about this group/record/label at all, but based on the release number (#1003), i'll assume this is not the first record issued on PUBLIC! Records.

Some internet searching tells me that this song was written by John L. Colonna, Stanley Clements, Robert Lee Smith, and Laurie Ruth Cazden. Robert Lee Smith has several songs listed at ASCAP, and although he wrote the "A" side of this single (Chain Gang Man) with Bob Durfee, it is not listed on ASCAP. This record was also produced by John Colonna and Stanley Clements, which may also be why the songs were published by Jay-Stan Music. I would love to have more information on the group members, this record label, etc if anyone out there can help supply me with any. Until then, sit back and enjoy the music!