A man possessed of an instantly identifiable voice, GENE PITNEY was one of the most charismatic and powerful song stylists of the 1960s. He racked up a string of hits, at home and abroad, and in the longer term his biggest markets were overseas, notably the UK and Europe. However, although he became known as an interpreter of other writers’ songs, Pitney started out as a songwriter rather than a singer, and he wrote a number of his own early releases as well as hits for other artists. This compilation presents thirty of Gene’s early compositions (a couple are represented by two vastly different versions of each), several of which are sung by him, under his various guises. Includes his biggest writing successes, Ricky Nelson’s ‘Hello Mary Lou’, The Crystal’s ‘He’s A Rebel’, Bobby Vee’s ‘Rubber Ball’, Roy Orbison’s ‘Today’s Teardrops’, and many more.