America’s Little Darlins Cuts Review Covering 4 complete albums plus 17 bonus tracks, this 2 Disc collection is the most ambitious release to date. Distributed by Jasmine Records in the UK, this reasonably priced album can be purchased through Amazon.   Personnel: Lead-David Somerville. Tenor-Ted Kowalski - Evan Fisher. Baritone-Phil Levitt - Mike Douglas.  Bass- Bill Reed - John Felten. (JASMINE JASCD 177) Disc 1 “America's No.1 Singing Stylists “(1957)  1. TIL MY BABY COMES HOME 2. SHOO YA BLUES 3. OH, HOW I WISH 4. ONE AND ONLY 5. HONEY 6. GIRL OF MINE  7. HONEY BIRD  8. FOR YOU ALONE 9. MY DOG LIKES YOUR DOG 10. ZIP ZIP  11. COOL, COOL BABY 12. YOU ARE THE LIMIT  “America's Famous Song Stylists” (1958)  13. THE STROLL  14. YOU BABY YOU 15. EV'RY NIGHT ABOUT THIS TIME  16. KA-DING-DONG  17. A THOUSAND MILES AWAY 18. EV'RY MINUTE OF THE DAY  19. LITTLE DARLIN'  20. FAITHFUL AND TRUE  21. STRAIGHT SKIRT  22. SILHOUETTES  23. PASSION FLOWER 24. DADDY COOL  “Bonus tracks” 25. BLACK DENIM TROUSERS AND MOTORCYCLE BOOTS 26. WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE 27. CHURCH BELLS MAY RING  28. LOVE, LOVE, LOVE 29. SOFT SUMMER BREEZE  30. MY JUDGE AND MY JURY 31. WORDS OF LOVE 32. DON'T SAY GOODBYE 33. HIGH SIGN  34. CHICK-LETS (Don't Let Me Down)  Disc 2 “The Diamonds Meet Pete Rugolo“(1959)  1. WRAP YOUR TROUBLES IN DREAMS  2. BABY WON'T YOU PLEASE COME HOME 3. THE BEST THINGS IN LIFE ARE FREE  4. AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'  5. UNTIL THE REAL THING COMES ALONG  6. I'LL ALWAYS BE IN LOVE WITH YOU 7. WILL YOU STILL BE MINE  8. TENDERLY 9. FOR ALL WE KNOW 10. ONE FOR MY BABY 11. LULU'S BACK IN TOWN 12. YOU'LL NEVER WALK ALONE “Songs From The Old West” (1960)  13. COOL WATER 14. SAN ANTONIO ROSE  15. BEAUTIFUL BROWN EYES 16. HIGH NOON  17. WAGON WHEELS 18. THERE'S A GOLD MINE IN THE SKY  19. MY LITTLE BUCKAROO  20. CATTLE CALL  21. EMPTY SADDLES 22. THE STREETS OF LAREDO  23. THE TRAIL OF THE LONESOME PINE  24. HOME ON THE RANGE  “Bonus tracks” 25. DANCE WITH ME 26. KATHY-O 27. THE HAPPY YEARS 28. WALKING ALONG 29. SHE SAY (Oom Dooby Doom) 30. SNEAKY ALLIGATOR 31. BATMAN, WOLFMAN, FRANKENSTEIN, OR DRACULA Most of the songs above can heard in 30 second clips on the “Singles” page of this site. “The Diamonds Meet Pete Rugolo” clips can be heard here.  This new Diamonds 2 CD set from Jasmine UK is an interesting, if eclectic, collection of their recordings from 1955  through to 1960.   It encompasses a variety of singing styles which the group performed during their years with  Mercury Records.  Fittingly, the group’s first ever recording  - ‘Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots’ for Coral  Records - also is included in the contents. Overall, the sound quality on these 2 CDs is very good.  Some noise reduction has been used, but not overused,  unlike some of Jasmine’s early CD releases from 3 or 4 years ago.  The front cover picture of the group, which  features the final configuration of The Diamonds on Mercury, with new addition Jim Malone (that’s him on the right),  is a first for a Diamonds collection.  However, realistically, the picture is totally out of place as a front cover for the  simple reason that Malone wasn’t a member of the group during the recording of any of these Diamonds’ songs. The liner notes are interesting, although not always accurate  –  e.g, ‘Black Denim Trousers’ was recorded in 1955,  not 1956 as the author states.  Also, in common with other music historians, the word ‘cover record’ is misused on a  number of occasions – ‘Words Of Love’ was not a cover record as Buddy Holly’s version for Coral hadn’t even been  heard or released when The Diamond’s Mercury version came out..... Is it any wonder the two versions were so  different!  Similarly, The Diamonds’ ‘Walking Along’ was a 1958 release by the group, long after The Solitaires failed  1956 original Old Town recording had disappeared from radio play lists. It’s nice to see the group’s first two Mercury albums finally make it to CD as they both include some songs new to  disc, which featured on singles, either as A or B sides.  At the same time, it’s a pity the compiler hasn’t ventured into  including lesser known single sides which have never appeared on any Diamonds compilation, vinyl or CD.  Sadly  also, the producer has ignored their Pop Hits album  which appeared on Mercury’s Wing subsidiary.  The versions of  ‘I’ll Always Be In Love With You’ and ‘Streets Of Laredo’ on that album were far superior performances to the  versions on the ‘Old West’  album included here, particularly the latter song where Dave gave one of his most  powerful and dramatic vocals on record. If there is one major criticism to be directed at this comp, it’s the sequencing of the songs by the producers of this  set.  Specifically it’s the second disc where the problem lies.  Whereas CD 1 spotlights the group performing their  familiar rock & roll recordings which made them a household name, CD 2 kicks off with their 1959 ‘Meets Pete  Rugolo’ album, a complete change of material to jazz-style arrangements, which was something of a shock for  Diamonds diehards at the time of its release. This one is followed by 1960’s ‘Songs From The Old West’, which veers off in yet another completely different  direction of singing and song material. While the harmonies are pleasant  listening, (although quite subdued compared to their single releases), the change of sound is so great, that the group could be mistaken for any number of other white groups, including The Four Lads.  The CD finishes with a full circle  return to their earlier rock & roll recordings for the last 7 songs on that disc.  There is just far too much change to  make for good sequential listening on this disc.....‘Disjointed’ is the word that springs to mind for CD 2.  IMHO, the  producers should have opened this second disc with those final 7 songs in order to maintain the ‘sound’ from CD 1,  then closed with the contents from the 1959 and 60 albums to demonstrate the group’s versatility in their singing. All in all, this is a must-have package for any Diamonds fan.  I never thought I’d live to see a 2 CD set of The  Diamonds.  Could we now dare to dream of a box set from some enterprising company! - Tony Watson