Search - The Shirelles :: The Best of the Shirelles

Top-notch collection of landmark girl group

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 03/22/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It's odd - if you'd asked me who performed any one of the many Shirelles' hit singles, I would've known, but if you'd asked me to name the many Shirelles' hit singles, I probably would have only come up with one or the other (or maybe both) of their #1 hits ("Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and "Soldier Boy"). Though I'd heard all their other hits, and even some of the non-hits, I'd never really put them together under one artist's umbrella.So, with an itch to have a clean version of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" to listen to, I picked up this import compilation of 32 tracks. There are lots of options when buying a Shirelles compilation - including a double disk set, and some skimpier single discs. This seemed like the most reasonable medium, and I generally trust Ace to find good masters and work the appropriate magic for CD transfer.And, in fact, Ace really comes through. The tracks sound great, with lots of true stereo. All the hits are here, including (besides the #1's), "Dedicated to the One I Love", "Mama Said", "Baby, It's You", "Everybody Loves a Lover" and "Foolish Little Girl." But the hits are only the icing on the cake. Also included are gems like "Boys" (which makes it *really* clear why the Beatles wanted to record a cover), "Putty in Your Hands" (covered to good effect on one of the "Girls in the Garage" comps), "Don't Say Goodnight and Mean Goodbye", "What Does a Girl Do?" and more.One of my favorite facets of the CD-revolution is the chance to stop and really appreciate an artist or group that had been turned into an "oldies" icon, with one or two songs from their catalog repeated ad nauseum on oldies stations. This compilation does just that, offering a wider, fuller, deeper view of the Shirelles' impressive catalog.The only minus for this release is the skimpy liner notes and lack of discographical information (just who *did* play that cool sax solo on "Boys"?). On the other hand, most of what you need to know is in the (now completely metaphorical) grooves."