Pop duos were all the rage in 1963, with Paul & Paula, Dick & Dee Dee, Steve & Eydie and Dale & Grace all registering big hits. Coolest of them all was the Nino & April twosome – Nino Tempo and his sexy-voiced sister April Stevens. Over the next couple of years they gave a string of other oldies the distinctive Nino & April treatment, all cut for Atlantic Records. Among them was an eyebrow-raising interpretation of the Paris Sisters’ ‘I Love How You Love Me’ complete with bagpipes, something of a cult favourite these days. In 1966 they switched to the hip White Whale label out of Los Angeles, home to the Turtles et al. There they updated their sound with lush singles such as ’All Strung Out’ and ‘The Habit Of Loving You Baby’, on which they came to beating their pal Phil Spector at his own “Wall of Sound” game. Are April’s solo kitsch classic ‘Teach Me Tiger’ and Northern Soul guilty pleasure ‘Wanting You’ included? Of course they are. Same goes for Nino’s solo ‘Pet Sounds’-alike ‘Boys Town’ and 1970s sax instro ‘Sister James’.
1. DEEP PURPLE
2. ALL STRUNG OUT
3. SWEET AND LOVELY
4. WANTING YOU *
5. YOU'LL BE NEEDING ME BABY
6. HONEYSUCKLE ROSE
7. I LOVE HOW YOU LOVE ME
8. FOLLOW ME
9. WHISPERING
10. HEY BABY
11. LOVE KITTEN *
12. THE HABIT OF LOVIN' YOU BABY
13. THE COLDEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR
14. ALONE ALONE
15. LOVIN’ VALENTINE *
16. OUT OF NOWHERE
17. WINGS OF LOVE
18. TEACH ME TIGER *
19. BOYS TOWN (WHERE MY BROKEN HEARTED BUDDIES GO) – Nino Tempo
20. I CAN'T GO ON LIVIN' BABY WITHOUT YOU
21. SISTER JAMES - Nino Tempo & 5th Avenue Sax
22. AMAZON RIVER
23. SOFT WARM LIPS *
24. AMERICA’S WEATHER GIRL * (SPOKEN WORD)
* By April Stevens