Search - Platters :: The Magic Touch: An Anthology (2CD)

For Seven Years They Indeed Had The Magic Touch

Todd Clingan | 08/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I vividly remember, as a 17-year-old in 1955, hearing the music begin to change in an exciting manner, starting with Elvis and his Sun recordings, Fats Domino's Ain't It A Shame, Chuck Berry's Maybelline, Rock Love by The Fontane Sisters, Boyd Bennett and His Rocket's Seventeen and, of course [We're Gonna] Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets [actually done first in 1954 but never a hit until the release of the film Blackboard Jungle].



But in the midst of the change to this fast-paced music, which would soon begin to make its presence felt in spite of some determined efforts to kill it at birth, came the melodic sound late that year of The Platters and Only You [And You Alone]. Their unique way with a ballad - some of their material dating back to the 1930s - would help define R&R as something more than just jump tunes as they went on to put a total of 35 songs into the Billboard Pop Hot 100 to 1961, 17 of which also scored on the R&B charts, all for the Mercury label.



Only You, written by their manager Buck Ram, had actually been recorded by the group when with the Federal label, and at a time when it included lead Tony Williams, tenor David Lynch, baritone Alex Hodge, and bass Herb Reed. After securing a contract with Mercury in 1955, Paul Robi replaced Hodge and female vocalist Zola Taylor was added in time for the re-recording of Only You which had, as its flipside, the up-tempo Bark, Battle And Ball, sort of an "answer" song to Joe Turner's Shake, Rattle & Roll.



That B-side did not chart, but on their next seven hits, to 1957, they had only double-sided winners. All of these are contained in order on disc one. In fact, all of their Mercury hit singles are here, with the only B-side missing, up to and including their first in 1960, being Out Of My Mind, which backed Twilight Time in 1958.



From Ebb Tide [# 56 in June 1960] to their last Mercury hit, It's Magic [# 91 in February 1962], none of the seven B-sides are included. In 1961 Williams left to go solo, with Sonny Turner taking over as lead, while Taylor was replaced by Sandra Dawn, but there would be no more hits until 1966 and a new contract with Musicor.



That year Robi was replaced by former Flamingos member Nate Nelson, and their first hit was I Love You 1000 Times [# 6 R&B/# 31 Hot 100]. Four more Musicor hits would follow, their last being Sweet, Sweet Lovin' in late 1967 [# 32 R&B/# 70 Hot 100]. In 1976 Turner was replaced by Monroe Powell, but by then the hits had long since dried up.



The liner notes contain a complete discography of the contents, numerous photographs of the original group in action, as well as nine pages of informative background information written by Harry Weinger in August 1991. I do, however, question his contention that they were "the first black group ever to have a Number One pop record." The Ink Spots had two # 1 pop hits in 1944 and two more in 1946, while The Mills Brothers had one in each of 1943 and 1944, and one more in 1952.



That aside, this is truly one of the essential purchases for any fan of The Platters."