Abel Album DiscographyAfter Dion left the Laurie label in late 1962, he had a number of huge hits for his new label, Columbia. These included "Ruby Baby" (1/63, #2), "This Little Girl" (4/63, #21), "Be Careful Of Stones That You Throw" (7/63, #31), "Donna The Prima Donna" (9/63, #6), and "Drip Drop" (11/63, #6). Although Laurie didn't own the masters to the Columbia singles, Abel Records (whoever they really were; we suspect Laurie Records by another name) designed a way to benefit from a "Greatest Hits" album anyway, by having "The Glen Stuart Chorus" do the Columbia singles and packaging them along with the Laurie-owned older hits in a budget-priced compilation.
Who were the
Glen Stuart Chorus, you ask? Apparently, Glen Stuart was an arranger and conductor used by Laurie
for other records (he is listed on Cathy Carr Laurie records, for example) who hired studio singers and
musicians specifically for the job of imitating Dion's Columbia hits. How good were their knock-offs?
About as good as the usual knock-off versions heard on budget labels, that is, not very good unless you
aren't listening too closely, in which case they might be considered "passable." Although the musicians
sound competent, the singers are straining and the recordings aren't mixed well. Were they a known
backup group like the Del Satins or the Belmonts? Almost certainly not. Unless the Del Satins were
being tortured in the studio at the time, the Del Satins were much too smooth for these renditions. Abel
even released "Ruby Baby"/"Drip Drop" by the Glen Stuart Chorus on a single as Abel 235, probably
going immediately to the 39-cent bin in the local grocery stores.
The Abel label was gold with black print, with just printing and no graphics. The label name, printed in block letters at the top of the label, was the only identifying information on the label other than the matrix number. There is no indication of ownership on the label, or on the jacket for that matter. Why do we think it was associated with Laurie, then? Because of the Laurie masters contained on the album, the link with Glen Stuart, and the professional pressing done at the same place Laurie got their albums pressed. (And just to be facetious, the gold label blanks could have been some left over label blanks from the old gold Laurie label.) But mainly, the Laurie masters.
We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association with Abel or Laurie Records, which is currently owned by EMI-Capitol Special Markets. Should you want to contact EMI-Capitol Special markets, or should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and Follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 1997, 2009 by Mike Callahan.
