Search - Swan Silvertones :: Singer Silvertone Singers / Gospel Soul

Better than nothing!

Thomas Mathew | Dublin, Ireland | 12/28/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Swan Silvertones hit it big with the VeeJay Record label in the late 50s and early 60s. Before that, they recorded for Specialty, and thankfully, Fantasy (who now owns the rights to these tunes) has released the bulk of the Specialty Silvertones' work on CD over the past few years. But the group's recording career began with King Records in the mid- to late-40s, and this chintzy 8-track collection is the only available CD from this period. The Silvertones recorded close to 50 tunes during their stint with King, so there was plenty of material to choose from. Sadly, we're left with a CD that runs less than 30 minutes. The Silvertones recordings on King mark the group's transition from an older jubilee-style sound to the hard gospel shouting that became all the craze in the 50s. In fact, along with the Soul Stirrers and a handful of other terrific groups, the Silvertones lead the way in the evolution of the gospel quartet sound. Don't get me wrong -- these eight tunes are great, and the sound quality is fine. But only eight songs, outdated photos, and NO liner notes is ... pathetic."