[2025-08-15] Doc Pomus "You Can't Hip A Square: The Doc Pomus Songwriting Demos" 6CD box set (Omnivore)

Linda · **Posted:** Thu Jun 05, 2025 11:30 am

Amazon USA
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9VXNPLN/?tag=imwan-20

Amazon Canada
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0F9VXNPLN/?tag=imwanca-20

Amazon UK
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0F9VXNPLN/?tag=imwan-21

Description
Over 160 tracks on 6 CDs (with over 120 previously unissued and others making their CD debut) with 48-page book.

Doc Pomus was a songwriter’s songwriter, crafting lyrics that have stood the test of time. You Can’t Hip A Square: The Doc Pomus Songwriting Demos is a masterclass in songwriting through the lens of Doc Pomus’ career and via previously unheard demos largely sung by his writing partner, Mort Shuman. You Can’t Hip A Square traces Doc and his songwriting partners’ careers across the beloved rock, pop and R&B hits that became 20th century standards. Songs like, “A Teenager In Love,” “Viva Las Vegas,” “Lonely Avenue,” “Save The Last Dance For Me,” “This Magic Moment,” recorded by artists like Elvis Presley, Lou Reed, The Drifters, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Beach Boys, Ray Charles, The Coasters, Dionne Warwick, Dion, The Everly Brothers, Linda Ronstadt, and more! The lists of songs and artists who recorded them goes on and on.

Now, for the first time, the demo acetates kept by Doc and cared for by his daughter Sharyn Felder, have been carefully transferred, restored, mastered, and assembled into a 6-CD boxed set that includes some of the biggest hits of Doc’s career in demo form as well as a treasure trove of previously unheard, unknown songs that were left behind and never cut by any artist. It’s a remarkable collection of ‘what ifs’ of late ’50s and ’60s popular music. Is it possible one of the songs left behind could have hit #1 had it been cut by a popular artist like Elvis?

Co-produced by Sharyn Felder, publisher Will Bratton, and Omnivore’s multiple Grammy Award-winning producer Cheryl Pawelski, the collection also features a main liner note essay by Geoffrey Himes with additional side notes by Sharyn Felder, Peter Guralnick, Eddie Gorodetsky, Will Bratton, and Cheryl Pawelski. Restoration and mastering were handled by multiple Grammy Award-winning engineer Michael Graves and Jordan McLeod at Osiris Studio. The packaging includes ephemera from the estate, photos from throughout Doc’s life and pictures of choice acetates and sheet music all in a 48-page hardbound book.

Don’t be a square, get hip to the songs and enduring legacy of Doc Pomus!

Tracklist
[CD1]
1. It’s Great To Be Young And In Love
2. A Teenager In Love (Recorded 1961 Doc Pomus’ house Lynbrook, Long Island)
3. Love Roller Coaster
4. See That Girl
5. I Ain’t Sharin’ Sharon
6. Kiss And Make Up (Mort Shuman Demo)
7. Kiss And Make Up (R&B Records Single) – The Crowns
8. Hushabye (Recorded 1961 Doc Pomus’ house Lynbrook, Long Island) – Vocalist Neil Sedaka
9. Foxy Little Mama
10. A Young Boy’s Heart
11. Whatcha Really Thinkin’
12. This Magic Moment (Recorded 1961 Doc Pomus’ house Lynbrook, Long Island)
13. Lovers Gotta Cry (Once In A While)
14. Miss In-Between – Demo vocalist unknown
15. Forty-Seven Dollars
16. It Tears Me To Pieces
17. Deep Inside – Demo vocalist unknown
18. Could Somebody Take My Place Tonight
19. Troubled Mind
20. Always Is A Long, Long Time
21. Suddenly We’re Strangers
22. It’s Been Nice (Goodnight)
23. Be Everything To Anyone You Love – Demo vocalist Kenny Rankin
24. Lonely Winds
25. Enough Of This Stuff
26. What Am I To Do? – Demo vocalist unknown
27. (We Got Love) Money Can’t Buy
28. Be A Man – Demo vocalist Ellie Greenwich
29. Dream Song – Demo vocalist unknown

[CD2]
1. Ginny In The Mirror
2. Shall I Tell Him You’re Not Here
3. Showdown – Demo vocalist John McFarland
4. Run Fool Run
5. Give Her Lots Of Love
6. You Never Talked About Me
7. Save A Dream – Demo vocalist Peter Anders
8. Made For Each Other – Demo vocalist Unknown
9. Fever And Headaches
10. Don’t School A Fool
11. The Sweet Pain Of Love – Demo vocalist Ellie Greenwich
12. My Baby Wants To Be A Singer – Demo vocalist unknown
13. Come Down To Earth
14. Hello World
15. The Ups And Downs Of Love
16. If Ellie Doesn’t Change – Demo vocalist Ellie Greenwich
17. Shack On The Beach
18. Why Does The Dance Have To End? – Demo vocalist Peter Anders
19. He’s Got Something – Demo vocalist unknown
20. Who Stole My Dream – Demo vocalist unknown
21. That’s Me
22. Book Of Time – Demo vocalist unknown
23. How Can I Make Him Love Me? – Demo vocalist unknown
24. It Only Takes A Minute
25. Low Down Blues
26. Brother, You Deserve Each Other – Demo vocalist Ellie Greenwich
27. Half A Love Is Better Than None At All – Demo vocalist Bobby Andriani
28. Baby How Long Will It Be? – Demo vocalist Bobby Andriani
29. Shindig – Demo vocalist unknown
30. Lucy (When Ya Comin’ Home?) aka Lucy! (You Sure Did It This Time)

[CD3]
1. I’m Playing For Keeps
2. Have Yourself A Good Cry
3. Infatuation – Demo vocalist unknown
4. It’s A Man’s World – Demo vocalist unknown
5. Silly Boy
6. I’ve Been There Before
7. Bad Luck Blues
8. The Other Kind
9. Don’t You Pass Me By
10. King Lonely The Blue – Demo vocalist Scott Fagan
11. Love Is The Answer
12. I’m Gonna Cry Till My Tears Run Dry
13. Leave It To Me
14. I Lose Again
15. Petticoat White (Summer Sky Blue)
16. (I’ve Been A) Bad Girl – Demo vocalist Toni Wine
17. The Many Faces Of Love
18. Out On Your Own – Demo vocalist Scott Fagan
19. You Own My Heart – Demo vocalist unknown
20. I’m Not Good Enough For You
21. Monday Morning – Demo vocalist unknown
22. No Escape
23. Love At First Sight – Demo vocalist unknown
24. Here Comes The Night
25. Icy Teardrops
26. Diamonds And Gold – Demo vocalist Kenny Rankin
27. Jazz Joint

[CD4]
1. Helplessly
2. I’m With You – Demo vocalist Bobby Andriani
3. Believe In Me – Demo vocalist unknown
4. He’s Got Everything
5. She’s Got Soul – Demo vocalist unknown
6. Your Conception Of Love – Demo vocalist Toni Wine
7. I’m Gonna Make A Comeback
8. Night Life – Demo vocalist unknown
9. My Baby’s Quit Me – Demo vocalist Titus Turner
10. The Green-Eyed Monster – Demo vocalist unknown
11. I’m Teasin’ A Broken Heart
12. If I Were Only Free
13. The Grass Looked Greener Over There – Demo vocalist unknown
14. Nothing Lasts Forever – Demo vocalist Joe Levine
15. Johnny Midnight – Demo vocalist unknown
16. One Little Teardrop (Can Lead To Two Broken Hearts) – Demo vocalist Joe Levine
17. Destination Heartbreak – Demo vocalist unknown
18. Our Love Will Overcome Everything – Demo vocalist Joe Levine
19. Give A Great Big Hand (To The Man Who Stole Her) – Demo vocalist Peter Anders
20. If I Knew Then What I Know Now
21. About Me – Demo vocalist Scott Fagan
22. It’s A Nothing World – Demo vocalist unknown
23. It’s Time To Make A Change
24. All For The Sake Of Love – Demo vocalist Scott Fagan
25. It Ain’t Gonna Happen To Me No More – Demo vocalist Bobby Andriani

[CD5: Viva Doc Pomus – Songs For Elvis (The Demos)]
1. Turn Me Loose
2. A Mess Of Blues
3. (Marie’s The Name) His Latest Flame
4. Kiss Me Quick
5. She’s Not You – Demo vocalist unknown
6. Gonna Get Back Home Somehow
7. Suspicion
8. Pot Luck (Pomus/Shuman Version)
9. Viva Las Vegas
10. Lady Luck
11. (It’s A) Long Lonely Highway
12. Kissin’ Cousins
13. I Need Somebody To Lean On
14. Girl Happy
15. One Way Ticket To The Blues
16. Pot Luck (Pomus/Spector Version) – Demo vocalist unknown
17. Kissin’ Fool
18. I Walk The Muddy Road To Love – Demo vocalist Peter Anders
19. What Every Woman Lives For
20. I Wish I Were In His Shoes
21. I’m A Man
22. Clambake (Version 1)
23. Double Trouble (Version 1)
24. Pot Luck (Pomus/Jeffreys Version) – Demo vocalist unknown
25. Havin’ A Ball
26. Double Trouble (Version 2)
27. Clambake (Version 2)
28. Bring My Poor Heart Back To Me – Demo vocalist unknown
29. Headin’ For A Heartache
30. Easy Come, Easy Go
31. “…Presley Liked Them”

[CD6: You Better Believe It!]
1. Doc’s Boogie*
2. My Good Pott*
3. My New Chick*
4. Fruity Woman Blues*
5. When I First Met Lucille
6. Here Comes The Blues (The Musicale Club, Harlem, NY)*
7. Fool All The Time*
8. Moving Day Blues
9. Big Joe’s Blues
10. Still In Love
11. Lonely Avenue
12. Boogie Woogie Country Girl
13. When Main Street Becomes Park Avenue
14. “…I Sing In My Sleep”
15. (Wake Up) Miss Rip Van Winkle
16. You Better Believe It
17. “…There’s Always Ideas Deep Inside”
18. I’ll Treat You Like A Woman*
19. If I Should Fail
20. Just Another Memory
21. No One
22. “…I’m Only Doc Pomus When It’s A Hit”
23. Bye Baby Bye (The Musicale Club, Harlem, NY)*

Discs 1–5: Vocals by Mort Shuman on all tracks except where noted. Disc 6: Vocalist Doc Pomus on all tracks except Track 16 vocalists Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman. All tracks previously unissued excpet * and all of Disc 5.

All songs written by Doc Pomus with Mort Shuman and the following other writers: Joe Turner, Phil Spector, Ellie Greenwich, Alan Jeffreys, John McFarland, Vini Poncia/Peter Andreoli, Joe Kookoolis, Bob Andriani, Norman Meade (aka Jerry Ragovoy), Scott Fagan, Toni Wine, Lenore Rosenblat/Vic Millrose, Wes Farrell, Helen Miller, Scott Turner, Joe Levine, George Fischoff, Andrew La Terra, Jerry Lieber/Mike Stoller, and Reginald Ashby.

Linda · **Posted:** Tue Aug 12, 2025 11:46 pm

In anticipation of Friday's release, the USA pre-order price has been reduced by $9, down to $116.99:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9VXNPLN/?tag=imwan-20

Linda · **Posted:** Fri Aug 15, 2025 1:36 am

A playlist of audio samples:

[2025-08-15] Doc Pomus "You Can't Hip A Square: The Doc Pomus Songwriting Demos" 6CD box set (Omnivore)

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