TURN-ONS AND TURN-OFFS IN CURRENT HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASES : Excellent Good Fair Poor : COMPACT DISCS

“Anthology: 1961-1968.” Gene Pitney. Rhino (AAD). Like Bobby Darin’s, Pitney’s recordings in the ‘60s showed him to be a talented singer and songwriter whose ambition and fondness for various pop styles led him through all sorts of career shifts. But Pitney didn’t exhibit the frequent excellence of Darin. Indeed, the appeal here--often more than the music--is simply the documentation of the strangeness of some of the musical twists and turns, from movie themes (“Town Without Pity” and “Liberty Valance”) to songs written by teams as varied as Bacharach / David and Jagger / Richards. Sound quality: good.