The Shape I'm In

Body builder-turned-teen idol Johnny Restivo had only one minor hit, "The Shape I'm In," in 1959, but cut a full-length album for RCA Victor (Oh, Johnny) and has been anthologized in both the vinyl and digital eras. Teen Sound's The Shape I'm In contains all 16 tracks from Bear Family's 1985 vinyl anthology of the same name plus nine other cuts. Subtitled "The Ultimate Collection," The Shape I'm In truly is the most comprehensive compendium of Restivo's music one could hope to find. Many of the songs, including "I Like Girls" and "Girl Scout," play up Restivo's girl-craziness and irresistibility to women. On "Come Closer," he whips the ladies into a frenzy in an exciting production that features a crowd of screaming girls drawn, according to the liner notes, from the ranks of Restivo's fan club. Many of the tracks from Oh, Johnny have this live-in-the-studio energy reminiscent of Cliff Richard's first album, Cliff. In Restivo's case, however, the girls scream only on cue, which makes their enthusiastic outbursts part of the arrangements rather than an overlay of white noise, as is often the case on Richard's album. "Dear Someone" is one of the most hilariously manipulative appeals ever waxed, inflaming the fantasies of every girl who ever sent Restivo a piece of fan mail. Restivo is an adequate singer capable of carrying the ballads, but comparisons to Fabian are not out of order (and Restivo even quotes Fabian's "Turn Me Loose" on "Come Closer"). To paraphrase Joanie Sommers: it may be bubblegum, but it's good bubblegum. ~ Greg Adams