Ciao Bella! Italian Girl Singers Of The 60s

The 1960s girl-pop compilations on our occasional Ace International and Big Beat International imprints rank among our most popular releases of recent years. Having hit upon a winning formula by hopping over the Channel to France for 'C'est Chic!' and 'Tres Chic!', and by venturing further afield to Japan for two volumes of 'Nippon Girls', Ace now turn the spotlight on Italy.

The collection opens with Brunetta's prized dancefloor-filler 'Baluba Shake' and closes with 'Cuore', a dramatic beat ballad by petite dynamo Rita Pavone. Star of the show is the prolific Mina - queen bee of Italy's female singers - with three tracks: 'No' (a wailing folk rock nugget), 'Piu Di Te' (a cover of the Tracy Dey / Bob Crewe classic 'I Won't Tell') and 'Se Telefonando' (a sophisto-pop epic courtesy of maestro Ennio Morricone).

Other highlights include the sitar-embellished 'Il Mio Posto Qual'e' by Ornella Vanoni, a convincing cover of 'Baby Please Don't Go' by beat girl Caterina Caselli, Gigliola Cinquetti's superbly orchestrated Eurovision-winner 'Non Ho L'Eta (Per Amarti)' and breathy-voiced actress Catherine Spaak's bossa-imbued 'La Notte E Fatta Per Rubare'.