Good Times

Sonny & Cher were big stars in 1967. So they made a movie. The pictures on the CD booklet look kind of silly, but the music is quite nice. Sonny broadens his approach a little for the occasion. The record kicks off with a "Pet Sounds in an elevator" version of "I Got You Babe" and ends with a comic acoustic version of "I Got You Babe" wherein Cher hams up the vocals and Sonny tries some flamenco guitar stylings. "It's the Little Things" is three-and-a-half minutes of pure pop and Spector-ian girl-plus-boy harmonies. Sonny only steals from the best. Sonny. Underrated as a producer, overlooked as a songwriter, laughed at as a singer -- how wrong is that? Just listen to the music. The songs are hummable and funny. The record sounds great and it's jam-packed with hooks. All this and Cher, too. So give the man some respect, buy the record, ignore the less-than-pristine CD sound quality, and laugh and love with Sonny & Cher.