The Cruisers - If I Knew - Miss Fine

Like lots of old good records when you find them out in the wild they are usually pretty beat up. This is because they were played over and over again. I can see this gem being played at some house party in Philly (where i found this and where the cruisers were from) and picked up and played again and again while drinks were drank, drugs were drugged and dancin' and carrying on ensued, hence they wear and tear. I notice this same pattern on lots of old Rolling Stones records compared to Beatles records of the same time. This is because Stones fans of the day were a rowdier brand of hooligan while Beatles fans were mostly young girls.... Anyway, If i Knew is the A side here but the $$$ is Miss Fine IMHO....

The Cruisers from Philadelphia, PA never had a significant record. Patterning themselves after the Harptones, group leader Gene Williams, Randy Hamilton, Paul Long, and McKinley Anthony began recording on V-Tone Records. The deal resulted in two single releases in 1960: "Miss Fine" b/w "If I Knew," and "Don't Tease Me" b/w "Crying Over You;" the latter got pegged for mass distribution two years later by Guyden Records only to die a second time. Five years passed before their next deal in 1967 with Gamble Records, who were charting with the Intruders' records. "I Need You So" b/w "Take A Chance," reeked with sentiment but despite its charm didn't sell, and the Cruisers languished for nearly three years before their final release. Bunny Sigler brought the Cruisers' doo-wop skills out the closet with "Picture Us" b/w "Mink and Sable Mable," but Gamble Records only seem able to get hits on Sonny & the Intruders; while others including Ruth McFadden, the Jaggerz, the Futures, the Butlers, and the Epsilons always came up empty. Sigler later cut a solo version of "Picture Us" on Philadelphia International Records, and the Cruisers went on with their lives.

The Cruisers - If I Knew

The Cruisers - Miss Fine