photo #954454

From 1966, The Critters with their Kapp LP, "Younger Girl". The Critters had several hits, including most notibly, "Mr. Dieingly Sad" Reaching #17 on the Billboard chart, and yet you never hear it on Oldies stations or oldies shows. Well, except on The Vinyl Grotto Radio Show... And that may change after enough people read this... The group had formed in New Jersey in 1964 when singer and guitarist Don Ciccone (Feb 28, 1946 - Oct 8, 2016, died in Ketchum, Idaho of a heat attack), and saxophonist Bob Podstawski had joined a local group called The Vibratones. Jimmy Radcliffe had originally signed The Critters to Musicor Records, and had produced their first release "Georgianna" b/w "I'm Gonna Give" in 1964. They had eventually signed with Kapp Records, and in 1965 had recorded a song written by John Sebastian (and performed by The Lovin' Spoonful), "Younger Girl" for their first release. The song was selected for the band by producer Artie Ripp. However, because Ciccone, Ryan, and Podstawski were all accepted at Villanova University, the record was not completed until late 1965. "Younger Girl" became a minor pop hit in early 1966, and reached the #38 position on the UK Singles Chart. It was followed by Ciccone's song "Mr. Dieingly Sad" also produced by Ripp, which had reached #17 later in the year, and "Bad Misunderstanding" which reached #55. The group had their final chart hit with "Let the Rain Fall Down on Me" in 1967, reaching #39. After recording several singles and this LP, the original band had split up when Bob Podstawski, Don Ciccone, and Jack Decker joined the armed services, and Chris Darway left for art college. Jim Ryan and Ken Gorka had then attempted to maintain the group with new members for some time, releasing two more albums. As I understand it, Ryan had recorded and toured with Carly Simon before working as a studio guitarist; Don Ciccone had later joined Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons from 1973 through 1981 before becoming the musical director and bassist for Tommy James and the Shondells. Ken Gorka became co-owner of The Bitter End in Greenwich Village; he had died on March 20, 2015 at the age of 68. Chris Darway went on to form Johnny's Dance Band, a popular group in the Philadelphia area in the late 1970s, followed by the Chet Bolins Band. Kurt Shanaman of Mountainside, New Jersey filled in on drums on tour, and in the studio in 1967. In 2007, The Critters had re-formed when Don Ciccone was asked to join the band Skeezix, which included Albert Miller, Lenny Rocco, and Milt Koster. Their repertoire included classic hits from all the bands Ciccone had been involved with, including a slightly re-titled "Mr. Dyingly Sad", as well as original and cover material. The band had performed mostly on the Treasure Coast of Florida. The Critters had recorded a new album entitled, "Time Pieces", which includes the updated "Mr. Dyingly Sad" and a new version of "Younger Girl". The band had announced their breakup in the summer of 2013.