Search - Royalettes :: Elegant Sound of the Royalettes

Symphonic Soul!

Larry Jones | San Francisco ,Ca | 11/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Royalettes 2nd LP was possibly the first album produced as a single effort, rather than a throw together of random tracks for a whole LP. This, their 2nd effort released in 1966 feels like all the Tracks (with exception to "When Summer's Gone") were recorded within the same time frame and were meant for this LP ( even top flight groups of the Era like The Supremes did not, with the execption of their Rodgers & Hart LP, have albums based on one set of sessions. Their "I Hear A Symphony" LP includes tracks recorded in New York and Detroit, and a number of it's selections were intended for a standards LP). In This sense "Elegant Sounds of the Royalettes" is similar to "Dusty In Memphis" because you can tell producer Teddy Randazzo was working to make a complete album statement not just a few hit singles ( which after 1965, unfortunately, The Royalettes did not have)and "Filler."



The arrangements are more advanced than what the Royalettes previously employed by this album. "Baby, Are you Putting me on?" seems to outBurtBacharach ( new word?) with all the time signature changes , and as a whole the LP keeps up the uptown soul feel ( then by 1966 a dying breed of music) continues through the Lp/Cd. The settings are lush , sometimes overly dramatic ( 'Don't Throw Me Away" is equally every bit as Dramatic as The Supremes "Love is Here and Now You're Gone"...but better with a more imaginative arrangement) and the strutting "It's a Big Mistake are big highlights. "It's Better not to Know" and "I don't want to be the One" were more typical Randazzo productions (like Going Out of My Head, It's Gonna Take a Miracle) but are no less thrilling ( Like listening to Holland Dozier Holland variations for various artists around this same time frame) and The Royalettes sound was the most accurate framework for what 1970's soul music especially the worrk of Gamble& Huff, and Philadelphia International as a whole drew from. Historic and criminally underrated music."

Buy it - you'll be glad you did!

Quentin | NorthWest | 09/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I finally bought both Import CDs of the Royalettes MGM LPs from 1965-66 - "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" and "The Elegant Sound of the Royalettes". Expensive, but I'm very glad I did! Both CDs were made in Japan so the booklets are in Japanese but fortunately the lyrics are included in English. More importantly, the CD transfer is excellent - I doubt anyone has heard these gems sounding better!



Both CDs easily deserve 5 stars. They just are incredible with few weak tracks. Sheila Ross has a powerful and distinctive voice while the backing vocals are perfect. Teddy Randazzo's arrangements are as good as it gets and almost every song is topnotch. I have no idea why The Royalettes didn't have commercial success that rivaled The Supremes and Dionne Warwick. In his review, Larry Jones nailed it with his quote "Historic and criminally underrated music." I wish more people had been like me - I bought all of their singles and the first LP. (Went into the Army in 1966 and unfortunately missed this second LP.)



I've copied all 30 tracks to an 80 minute CD-R (they fit with 29 seconds to spare!) and now I can listen to my treasured "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" and new friend "The Elegant Sound of the Royalettes" any time I want. Of course they're on my MP3 player, too. Life is good...



Now on to "The Elegant Sound of the Royalettes" - what a pleasant surprise! I would have been satisfied if it had just had a few good songs but I never expected that it would rival "It's Gonna Take a Miracle". I'm really sorry that I didn't pick this LP up back in 1966 as it would have been a treasured part of my youth. It's just amazing that these songs were ignored; it had to be terribly disappointing to all involved at the time. "I Don't Want To Be The One" easily could have been a #1 single if it had been pushed. Many more tracks like "It's Better Not To Know" could have been hits and the album should have been huge. It's all about airplay and The Royalettes did not get enough. Record sales aside, they are as good as anyone from that era.



All tracks are lush and stereo except for the mono bonus track, "When Summer's Gone" (which came from a 1966 single).



Highly recommended. And if you like the girl groups, this CD is a must-have for your collection."

The Royalettes: A beautiful 1960's girl group to have.

3000 | Milwaukee, WI USA | 02/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just love listening to the Royalettes. I know it's a beautiful 1960's girl group and I wasn't even born then. The songs are so beautiful and I just don't get enough of them. It's OK for a young guy born in the late 1970's to listen to the Royalettes. This CD is worth having. You can't find groups like this anymore. The only decent girl group of today would have to be Cherish (Do It To It and Unappreciated). I'll listen to them too. Yes, the girls of Cherish are cute too. Overall, the Royalettes are beautiful and I hope to get the other CD "It's Gonna Take a Miracle" too. That's a song you don't hear very often. You'll never go wrong having the Royalettes in your personal archives."