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MAURICE WILLIAMS And THE ZODIACS

This R&B vocal group from Lancaster, South Carolina, USA, was led by Maurice Williams (b. 26 April 1938, Lancaster, South Carolina, USA; pianist/songwriter). The hit record ‘Stay’, which went to number 3 R&B and number 1 pop in 1960, immortalized the Zodiacs as a one-hit-wonder group. (In the UK ‘Stay’ went to number 14 in 1961.) Williams, however, had a long history before and after the hit, forming his first group, the Gladiolas, in 1955. In 1960 Williams formed the Zodiacs, comprising Wiley Bennett (tenor), Henry Gaston (tenor), Charles Thomas (baritone), Albert Hill (double bass), and Little Willie Morrow (drums). After the unforgettable ‘Stay’ the group honoured themselves with many outstanding compositions, most notably ‘I Remember’ (number 86 pop in 1961), ‘Come Along’ (number 83 pop in 1961), and ‘May I’ (1966), but nothing close to a hit resulted. The latter song was re-recorded in 1969 by Bill Deal And The Rhondels who had a Top 40 national hit with it. The most frequently remade Williams song was ‘Stay’, which the Hollies in the UK (1963), the Four Seasons (1964), and Jackson Browne (1978) all placed on the charts. Its timeless lyric of teenage lust and angst has been passed through the decades.

"STAY"

Produced by: Briarwood Enterprises

1961      LP     HERALD RECORDS      HLP 1014    MONO   

PRINTED IN U.S.A.   ORIGINAL PRESSING

SINGLE SLEEVE

THICK CARDBOARD COVER (American Style)

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Barcode: none

Price Code (on spine): 0598

LABEL: HERALD -  YELLOW LABEL w/LOGO on TOP - BLACK TEXT

Catalog on cover: HLP 1014     

Catalog on labels: HLP 1014 (H-1100-A) / HLP 1014 (H-1100-B)

Matrix / Runout (Side A, Stamped): H 1100-A2  Bell Sound    (Etched): LW

Matrix / Runout (Side B, Stamped): H 1100-B  Bell Sound    (Etched): LW

On labels: 33 1/3 RPM  LONG PLAY

On Back Cover: Tracklist + Notes by Hal Percher

Produced by: Briarwood Enterprises

Herald Records, 150 West 55th St., New York, N.Y.

Printed and fabricated by Globe Albums, Inc., New York 59, N.Y.

tracklisting

Side A: STAY - NEARESS OF YOU - I REMEMBER

RUNNING AROUND - WE'RE LOVERS - BUT NOT FOR ME - SO FINE

Side B: ALWAYS - THE WINDS - LITTLE MAMMA - DO YOU BELIEVE

CPME ALONG - I LOVE YOU BABY - I GOT A WOMAN

  grading

RECORD from VG to VG+ but (please, read above description)

SLEEVE from VG to NEAR EX but (please, see pictures and read above description)

Stay by Maurice Williams & the Zodiacs is as essential and urgent as great doo wop gets, sounding both dreamy and insistently sexy as Williams begs for one more dance, and it's admirably efficient: at one-minute-and-thirty-seven seconds, it doesn't give itself a chance to wear out its welcome. When "Stay" hit, Herald Records matched it up with 13 more tunes and the result was the Zodiacs' first album, imaginatively titled Stay, which is like most albums from the days before the Beatles gave everyone the idea that LP's didn't need to have filler: there isn't another song on board as memorable as the big hit, yet "Come Along" sounds suspiciously like "Stay" all over again; a few old standards are included to pad out the running time (though Williams sounds surprisingly passionate and committed on "The Nearness of You," and "But Not for Me" is jazzed up nicely), and the playing time doesn't break 25 minutes. All that said, this is still a solid set of latter-day doo wop, with Williams delivering a great set of lead vocals and writing a few top-notch songs as well as "Stay"; "I Remember" is sweet and rollicking at once, "Always" gives the group a chance to show off their Latin grooves, "We're Lovers" will please submarine race watchers, and "Little Mama" suggests these guys still listened to their Hank Ballard records on a regular basis. Short, sweet, and plenty of fun for folks who dig vintage vocal group sounds, Stay falls well short of being a classic, but it does capture one of the better R&B groups of their day at the top of their game, which is no small thing...(AllMusic)