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Reviews (3)

Beautiful music - but this CD is now superfluous
I bought this before the Yes indeed! boxed set was released. Every song on this wonderful twofer can be found in that set, although I haven't checked to see if they are all the same versions. A previous reviewer suggests two of these tracks are missing from the box, so unless he has made a mistake, they must be different versions of the same songs.

Of the songs included here, romantic love songs make up most of this collection although there are a couple of western songs (Red river valley and Tumbling tumbleweeds) recorded with lush orchestral backings like the rest of this CD. All are sung superbly by Jo - but I can't ever remember hearing Jo do anything less. Smoke gets in your eyes and Some enchanted evening are just two of the famous songs here.

This is a magnificent collection, but if you buy Yes indeed! (at only a slightly higher price), you won't need it.

Buy the boxed set instead!
The *music* contained on this dual-album CD unquestionably deserves 5 stars. However, anyone reading this far would probably like to know that ALL BUT TWO TRACKS of this CD are included on the *Proper Box* 4-CD set -- "Yes Indeed" -- which costs about the same price as this single CD. So unless you're a "completist" or want the original album covers (which are reproduced in tiny size), there is currently no reason to buy this CD. Get more Jo for your dough -- buy the boxed set instead!

Reviews (2)

Great two-album set, great vocals
While this album continues to live in the long shadow of June Christy's stunning 'Something Cool', the combination of two albums ('The Song is June' and 'Off Beat') provides a generous number of songs performed in the dusky, blues-y style that sets June apart from many of her contemporaries.

The vocals are superb, the songs generally well-chosen, and a close listen bears out the liner note's claim that June and arranger Pete Rugolo focused on artistic rather than commercial success. The result? A varied course of songs that showcase the singer's remarkable agility to traverse tempo and key changes adroitly ('Out of this World'), while delivering a brooding, reflective 'Saturday's Children' that will have you reaching for the REPEAT button on the remote.

Though there are faster tracks -- 'My Shining Hour' is almost rushed -- the predominant tempo is deliberate without being ponderous, providing ample opportunity for June to weave her distinctive, deep voice around Rugolo's arrangements. 'Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most' is a good example. There is none of the forced naivete that has rendered more than a few 1950s female vocals dated. These recordings showcase a voice tinged with real blues and imbued with real skill.

Based solely on the material, this is a merger of two 'four star' albums. However, the vocals are very engaging, and the volume of material on one disc is a credit to Capitol, as is the greatly expanded 'Something Cool' album. While the present set is probably not the first June Christy solo album to buy, it is part of the classic Christy-Rugolo series that remains rewarding nearly a half century later. As with Sinatra in the male vocalist category, it would be hard to conceive of more superb songs on one disc than appear on these late 1950s albums from Capitol.

Two Classic Albums on One CD
This great CD is actually two classic albums in one, both masterfully arranged by Pete Rugolo. The first album, The Song is June (1958), is actually a song-cycle. The songs are "of love and youth and spring," but of nights dreaming of lost love, wishing on the moon, of one's love "belonging to someone else." The storyteller here is Christy, with her beautiful voice and knowing interpretations. The songs' poignant imagery is not the only connecting factor in this album, but Rugolo leads us from song to song harmonically and motivically as well. Listen how Saturday's Children, the last song of this album, loops effortlessly back to Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most, the first song, in harmony and mood. Night Time is My Mother is a haunting, gorgeous song, and leads into the more upbeat song of the night, I Wished On the Moon.

In their last album together, Offbeat (1960), Christy and Rugolo pull out all the stops. As she sings in the title song, "I'm swinging above the storm," Christy weathers the meter shifts and syncopations with ease. Out of This World changes tempo at least four or five times, but seems the natural and musical thing to do. Rugolo is also not afraid to change the instrumentation phrase by phrase to serve the lyrics. Rugolo's orchestrations have the effect of a chamber ensemble, where each instrument can be heard, often soloing. The key connecting factor of this album is Rugolo's play with motives. Solo instruments, sometimes a couple of clarinets, flutes, or a harp, introduce each chorus with a descending arabesque taken from the motives of the song (Remind Me, You Wear Love So Well, Who Cares About April). The Bad and the Beautiful and Somewhere share the same opening motive, only inverted. These ballads show us "the misty Miss Christy" side of June, while the delightful Sleepin' Bee shows us her playful side.

Reviews (4)

Romantic music at it's most intimate
Jeri is the best torch singer there has ever been - and there have been many excellent ones down the years. Of Jeri's contemporaries, Polly Bergen, Julie London, Gogi Grant and Peggy Lee are the ones that spring immediately to mind. I love them all and I have most of their music. They were generally more versatile than Jeri. Peggy, in particular, could pick up the tempo to great effect when she chose to. Jeri could never do that - her style was altogether too intimate and understated. And that's exactly why she was the best torch singer of them all - and still is, even though she has long since left us.

Jeri didn't try to do the upbeat stuff. There were, and are, plenty of others for that. When rock'n'roll took over the charts, Jeri simply carried on as if nothing had happened. When record companies put pressure on her to change, she resisted - and eventually quit the business. Jeri knew what she could do, and stuck to it. This twofer is an excellent example of Jeri's music.

Many of these songs have become classics, though it is usually other singers who are identified with these songs. When I fall in love was originally a hit for Doris Day, and later a much bigger hit for Nat King Cole. I love both those singers and I enjoy their versions. I've also heard many other excellent versions, but none of them can match Jeri. Smoke gets in your eyes dates from the 1930's although most people remember the rock'n'roll cover by the Platters. I love that version and (even better) I love Margaret Whiting's lovely romantic version on her Jerome Kern tribute album. I call her Magic Maggie, and for very good reason. Yet, even she could not match Jeri's version of the song, although she came very close.

I remember you, another often recorded song, can be sung many different ways, and I've heard some great uptempo versions. Jeri's interpretation is very slow and intimate (of course) and is among the most distinctive - she sounded as if she meant it (as she did in every song).

Other highlights include You better go now, Dancing on the ceiling, That ole devil called love and Someone to watch over me - but it's all brilliant, intimate and romantic. Jeri did pick up the tempo slightly on You make me feel so young, but not much, just enough to provide a little variation.

If you want to boogie on down, leave Jeri alone (may I suggest that you try the Andrews sisters instead?), but if you want soft, romantic music for a candle-lit dinner, Jeri's music beats anything I've ever heard, although the previously mentioned Polly, Julie, Gogi and Peggy would also be good choices, if you select the right album.

I seriously disagree with Aaron
Saying that Jeri Southern is inferior to Peggy Lee is an insult. Jeri is at her top form in this cd. She is such a marvelous vocalist because it sounds like she sincerely means what she is singing. This is definite especially in "Something I Dreamed Last Night." Her version of "When I Fall in Love" brings shame to Nat King Cole's.

Reviews (4)

Memory Songs
"Among My Souvenirs" is a charming, nostalgic album perfect for Joni James' sweet style. Really lovely, and a classic in it's own way.

This CD contains two of Joni James' best albums.
"Among My Souvenirs" has simple arrangements, and Ms. James' voice sounds clear and beautiful in this setting. Her rendition of "Always" is the best version I have ever heard of what is one of my favorite songs. This and "Alice Blue Gown" and "When I Grow Too Old to Dream" are the three songs I like best on "Among My Souvenirs." "Joni Sings Irish Favorites" has lusher orchestrations than the other album. These are totally orginal takes on Irish favorites. I especially like "Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral," "How Are Things in Glocca Morra," "Molly Malone," "Danny Boy," "Believe Me if All Those Endearing Young Charms," and "Mother Machree." For those just discovering Ms. James' music, this CD would be a perfect introduction. For those who are already fans of Ms. James, this CD is a must.

Editorial Review

Reviews (11)

BIG NEWS FOR EYDIE FANS..........
It has been almost one year since I initially reviwed this CD.....and at that time I was actually making inquiries about other Eydie Gorme material. Since then several fellow fans have communicated with me, and I think I have some exciting news for all of you. Once I discovered that my two all-time favorite Gorme albums from Columbia ('Don't Go To Strangers' and 'Softly As I Leave You')hadn't been released as CD's yet, I also learned that Steve & Eydie have purchased all rights to their Columbia recordings and are in the process of converting them to CD. They sell their own material at eydiegorme@aol.com ....... so I hope all of you will email them and urge the release of these two Columbia classics as a single CD "twofer," which I know would be an immediate success. You also want to be on their mailing list! (And yes, the 'Eydie Swings the Blues' CD is a must-have. Especially great recordings of 'When The Sun Comes Out,' 'After You've Gone,' 'The Man I Love,' and 'Stormy Weather.')

Eydie proves she has the right to sing anything!
Maybe she does have the right to sing anything, however I don't want to hear her sing just anything, I like to hear her singing jazz standards like "After You've Gone", which is just what she does here. These tunes on this "Swings The Blues" reissue are all timeless atandards, she has a way with a standard. This may be her finest session, and the closest thing she ever did to recording a jazz oriented session,(she was very influenced by jazz and jazz singers like Sarah Vaughan) though her singing won't make you forget talented jazz legends like Billie Holiday, she came along at the right to be an alternative to talentless hacks like Barbara Streisand and Vikki Carr. Gorme sang ballads, standards, and swing era tunes in a time when everyone was listening to talentless wastes like Elvis and The Beattles, thank God that there were singers like Eydie Gorme, Louis Armstrong, Tony Bennett, and Mel Torme to sing the good stuff while everyone else was singing muzak. This CD was originally an LP, and is recommended to traditional pop vocal collectors.

Reviews (9)

MARILYN AT HER BEST
I love the cd. Sound is good, and it was a treat to hear Down in the meadow and her rendition of WHEN I FALL IN LOVE, shows Marilyn had a great range. Recomended.

Marilyn did NOT sing "When I Fall in Love" on this CD!
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I'm finding it rather disturbing to see the number of Marilyn Monroe CD's that contain a song called "When I Fall in Love", because this song was NOT sung by Marilyn Monroe!

Whoever sang this song doesn't sound anything like Marilyn Monroe. I don't know why this song keeps finding it's way onto so many Marilyn Monroe collections. It's NOT her voice! She NEVER sang this song!

Where did this song come from? Why do so many producers keep putting it on Marilyn Monroe CD's? Is it a joke?

Reviews (4)

Simply Elegant
It is impossible to describe Mabel Mercer. She is as unique as Blossom Dearie, Tammy Grimes, Elaine Stritch, Bea Lilly, or Edith Piaf, but not nearly as unusual as any of them. Fred Astaire's style might be closest to hers, although Mercer had a better voice with a greater range. Both were songwriter's singers - interpreters who put the song before the personality, who presented the work paying complete attention to the nuances of the music and the exposition of the lyrics. The song spoke for itself. Among current mainstream performers, perhaps most reminiscent of Mabel Mercer is Rosemary Clooney, although Clooney's direction - and she is superb - is not to distill the songs to quite so pure an essence as did Astaire and Mercer.

If elegance is restraint of ornament allied with purity of form and richness of substance, then Mabel Mercer is simply elegant.

Among this rich substance there are some evergreens like "I'm Glad I'm Not Young Anymore," '"Loverly," "Young and Foolish," and, perhaps, "Blame It On My Youth". But most of these songs were obscure even when the albums were recorded in 1956 and 1958, and the passing of more than 40 years has not shed any more light on them. Some are minor works of major composers and lyricists: Romberg, Hammerstein, Kern, Rodgers, Hart, Lerner, Lowe, Coward, the Gershwins, Arlen, Mercer, Bernstein, Comden and Green. Others are works of a group of less known talent: Howard, Wilder, Levant, Coleman, and Grant. But all tell simple stories or present poignant images, and after a night at the theater Mercer's 11:30 PM audience was ready for gentle songs of quiet reflection made, perhaps, even more evocative by their very unfamiliarity.

Almost all of the songs are about love at some stage: anticipation ("Wait Til You See Her"), yearning ("Lonely Little Boy"), despair ("Blue Moon," "If Love Were All'), fulfillment ("Some Other Time"), loss ("He Was Too Good To Me," "Guess I'll Go Back Home"), lost youth ("Isn't It a Pity," "Young and Foolish"), and gained wisdom ("Once Around the Clock," "Sail Away").

Most of the lyrics are of the Seine/champagne variety, although of course there is Noel Coward with this rhyming full-house ("though I never really grumble life's a jumble indeed, and in my efforts to succeed I've had to formulate a creed"), and Ira Gershwin shows his usual virtuosity in "Isn't it a Pity":
Think of all the lonely nights we've wasted: I with the neighbors, you at silly labors,
What joys untasted: I reading Heine, you somewhere in China
. . .
Think of all the lonely years we've wasted: fishing for salmon, loosing at backgammon,
What joys untasted: my nights were sour spent with Schopenhauer

Mercer adds only the most subtle trace of distaste to the word "Schopenhauer." In "Guess I'll go Back Home" she adds just the slightest emphasis to the first "he": "I'll walk by the house where he used to live, I hope he married well." It's the verbal equivalent of a slightly raised eyebrow or an up-turned palm.

On "Midnight at Mabel Mercer's" the accompaniment is provided by two pianos. The pianos are particularly well arranged on "Sonnet," " Wait Til you See Her," and especially "Young and Foolish." On "Once in a Blue Moon" strings are added. Even at this point in her career, Mercer had the ability to overpower the accompaniment. She chose not to, and the strings are distracting.

Two discs of Mercer magic
There's an abundance of Mercer riches to be savored on this generous two disc set. "Once in a Blue Moon," on which Mercer is accompanied by piano and a small string section, is a sentimental favorite of many, and for good reason: Mercer has rarely been more affecting than in the title track and her famous version of "My Shining Hour," and the string arrangements are admirably restrained, accentuating Mercer's message rather than imposing false sentiment on top of her interpretations. But it's "Midnight at Mabel Mercer's" that is the real gem here: it offers an opportunity to hear Mercer much as she must have sounded in her legendary New York appearances in the 40's and 50's, accompanied only by piano (two in this recording) and singing uninhibitedly full-out, going for the climaxes of the songs whether the notes are in her voice or not (and quite often they aren't). A word must be said about "the voice" to those unfamiliar with Mercer--there isn't, by the fifties, when these recordings were made, much of it left, though it sounds as though it must have been a perfectly good mezzo in its prime. Just the same it's hard to think of a more eloquent singer of popular song. As skilled at tossing off a frothy number like "Wouldn't it be Loverly" with just the right light touch as she is in revealing all the genuine sadness and regret in potentially maudlin ballads like "Poor Pierrot" or "Young and Foolish," Mercer has that ability to communicate that no amount of stunning vocal chops can compensate for. Sure, there's a lot of creakiness here and there, flubbed top notes and odd rolled r's, but give her a chance and you'll find the tattered velvet of Mercer's voice enormously appealing.

At last!
Mabel Mercer's recordings on CD are hard to find, and, indeed, some exquisite sets have never been released on CD, to my knowledge. ("The Art of Mabel Mercer" is particularly to-be-hoped-for.) This 2-CD set includes perhaps the sweetest of Mercer's collections, "Once in a Blue Moon". I was unfamiliar with "Midnight at Mabel Mercer's", but its bill of fare is so varied and so velvetly sung that I was immediately captivated.

Asin: B0000085M6
Sales Rank: 197171

Reviews (2)

Quality music doesn't always generate hits
It appears that the previous reviewer only awarded three stars because Bonnie didn't have many hits and this collection only covers the beginning of her career. One reason why she wasn't more successful is that she was well into her thirties when she recorded Dark moon. Dot records obviously lacked faith in her, otherwise why did they want Gale Storm to record it? Having to compete with Gale's version didn't help. Although Gale's version did chart slightly higher, most of the promotional effort went into that version so it's remarkable that Bonnie's version charted at all. I'll say at this stage that I like both versions but prefer Bonnie's original to Gale's cover, but not by much.

Perhaps the reason for her later material not being available is due to licensing disagreements, or perhaps Bear Family feel that her country material is not worth releasing. I can't answer that. I'd like to hear her country music as I'm a big country fan as well as a big pop fan, but its probably best left to a separate release. A lot of people might only be interested in her pop music, although anybody who can't stand country should avoid this - although it is pop music, it has a definite country flavor as you would expect based on Dark moon.

So this CD doesn't contain much in the way of her own hits, but it is far superior to many hits collection. Some records miss the charts because they are not good enough. Some miss because they are badly marketed. Some miss because the radio stations refuse to play them. Some miss because they don't fit the fashion of the day. There are, indeed, any number of reasons why records miss the charts. Never mind, this music is pure magic and highly entertaining. Given it a listen.

A Nice Album - But Missing Too Many Hits
One of the trivia questions dealing with Fifties music is, which label had two hits at the same time with the same song, but by different artists? The answer: Dot which had both Gale Storm AND Bonnie Guitar competing in the early summer of 1957 with Dark Moon. Storm won out - barely - taking the # 4 pop position to Bonnie's # 6, although Bonnie did also gain the # 14 position on the Country charts.

For Bonnie however, who would later go on to a enjoy some success as a Country artist, the pop charts eluded her for the most part. The problem with this compilation is that it only offers one more charted hit: Mister Fire Eyes which reach # 71 pop and # 15 Country in October 1957. So, unless you're willing to pay $25 for what is otherwise a nice but largely "hitless" collection, you're far better off searching out her other hits on multi-artist compilations.

Born Bonnie Buckingham on March 25, 1923, in Seattle, the early part of her career was spent playing session guitar at the studios of Fabor, Abbott, and Radio Records - all owned by Fabor Robison - often appearing on records by people like Jim Reeves and Ferlin Husky. It was there that, at the suggestion of Robison, she adopted the name Bonnie Guitar, as she was nicknamed by studio technicians.

Following the major success of Dark Moon {Dot had first dibs on all Fabor cuts), and the modest chart performance of Mister Fire Eyes, her next charter didn't come until December 1959 when Candy Apple Red (missing from this collection) struggled to make the Top 100 pop, settling for a # 97 [although her guitar was heard on Come Softly To Me by The Fleetwoods in 1959).

After returning to her hometown at the beginning of the Sixties, and cutting no records (other than as a session guitarist for Dolton) she re-signed with Dot in 1965 and, from 1966 to 1969, had eight Top 40 Country hits: I'm Living In Two Worlds (# 9 and # 99 pop), Get Your Lie The Way You Want It (# 14), and The Tallest Tree (# 24) - all in 1966; You Can Steal Me (# 33) and A Woman In Love (# 4) - both in 1967; Stop The Sun (# 13) and I Believe In Love (# 10) in 1968; and in 1969 That See Me Later Look (# 36).

Editorial Review

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Asin: B00000I3R0
Sales Rank: 227969

Editorial Review

Reviews (2)

The Davis Sisters: Historical Powerhouse
Thanks to Bear Family Records, The Davis Sisters are finally getting their due! Betty Jack Davis and Mary Frances Pinick, (better known as Skeeter Davis) are finally exposed for what they really were... gifted! Within this package you'll hear the one-of-a-kind harmony that inspired the likes of The Everly Brothers and the Beatles. You'll hear the outstanding vocals of Betty Jack (B.J.) on solos that not only thrill but at the same time sadden, because of her early death in an automobile accident. Truly, hers is a talent lost on more than one generation. This glimps of what she could have been is worth the price of the package.

These gals were highly influential during an era when the mighty male ruled the music industry. One listen and you'll know that the current music scene owes a big debt to The Davis Sisters.

Reviews (9)

Collectables Scores Here
In some of my recent CD reviews I have been kind of hard on Collectables for putting out "best of" or greatest hits of" for an artist which included far too many selections that were NOT hits by any stretch of the imagination. But here they are to be congratulated.

Ella Mae Morse had 10 singles hits on her own for Capitol from 1944 to 1953 and they are ALL here, including her first two which were double-sided hits: Shoo Shoo Baby [# 4] b/w No Love, No Nothin' [# 4] and Tess' Torch Song (If I Had A Man) [# 11] b/w Milkman, Keep Those Bottles Quiet [# 7] - all from 1944.

One of the most distinctive female voices of her era Ella sang briefly with Jimmy Dorsey in 1939 before hooking up with Freddie Slack & His Orchestra for two of the biggest hits of 1942 - Cow-Cow Boogie [# 9 from the Abbott & Costello film Ride'em Cowboy] and Mr. Five By Five [# 10 from the Ritz Brothers film Behind The Eight Ball]. She followed that up with Slack in 1943 with Get On Board, Little Chillun [# 19], the melody of which Trini Lopez would use 23 years later for his 1966 hit I'm Comin' Home, Cindy.

In 1946 she had her last hit with Slack on The House Of Blue Lights [# 8] with jabbering by Don Raye, one of the classics of the era. Her best as a solo artist was, of course, 1952's The Blacksmith Blues [# 3] with Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra backing, something they did again with Oakie Boogie, a # 23 in 1952. Also give a listen to 40 Cups Of Coffee [# 26 in 1953] with the backing of Dave Cavanaugh's Music - later recorded by Bill Haley & His COmets.

Her big, jazz-flavoured vocals were instantly recognizable on the radio back then and it's a shame she dropped out of the scene when she did because I think she could have carried on right through the start of the R&R era. Just like Peggy Lee, Dinah Shore, and Doris Day. Highly recommended.

As a 6th grade boy she was my main boogie-woogie mama
I want to let all know this one thing: no one sang boogie woogie better than Ella Mae Morse. White nor black. Period. She was the swingingest singer around back in my schoolboy days, and if she were still alive today (she died in 1999) she would be declared a national treasure. It is a shame that someone so purely talented as this great woman was overlooked in her later years. I was thrilled to see that her grandson gave us a review on this website. If all you ever hear is Freddie Slack's fabulous "Cow Cow Boogie" you will be hooked. I place her in the same firmament with Anita O'Day.

By the way, to date myself, in 1952 I was in the 6th grade and one of the top hits in LA was "Blacksmith Blues" by Ella Mae Morse. This woman was also considered one of the first "rockabilly" stars. She could sing it all from country to rock to boogie and jazz. This is a definite buy.

Reviews (3)

LENNON SISTERS' HARMONY AND MUSIC CHOICE ARE EXQUISITE
The finished product of the lennons' cd YESTERDAY AND TODAY delivers to those with a fine-tuned ear an extremely pleasing musical performance. The carefully chosen songs lend themselves to the beautifully blended voices of this well-trained quartet of sisters. The finest musical harmony is achieved with an easy precision that draws immediate attention and admiration. To this beloved group of top musicians, I say THANK YOU and keep producing my favorite music!

Beautiful harmonies, superb covers
These four sisters achieved their greatest fame on American television. Their recordings seem to consist exclusively of cover versions, but that's fine by me because they are so brilliantly performed.

These songs are from widely different sources, including traditional folk (Scarborough fair, Greensleeves) and French songs translated into English (Fascination, Autumn leaves). Among the other covers here are Sentimental journey, Scarlet ribbons, When I fall in love, There I've said it again (an American number one for Vaughn Monroe in 1945 and for Bobby Vinton in 1964), Now is the hour, This is my song and You'll never walk alone.

You don't have to remember their TV appearances to enjoy their music - being British, I never knew about them until a couple of years ago - but if you do remember them, this collection may well give you even greater pleasure than it brings me.

The Lennon Sisters - Winners!
Life ain't fair, how can so much talent go to people from the same family!

Since I first came across this all-girl group through the haunting English air 'Greensleeves' 30 years ago, I've been a fan. Now with their Yesterday And Today album, I'll go to the end of the world for them!

What a terrific group of singers these Lennon sisters are (and they are gorgeous too!). They are wonderful to listen to especially when they do those old 1950 and 1960 standards. When they beckon me to take a trip to my old hometown (Sentimental Journey), how can I resist and say no? When they tell me that simple miracles really do happen (Scarlet Ribbons), I can't see a reason not to believe.

The Lennon Sisters can make a simple goodbye (Vaya Con Dios) sound so poignant, turn the celebration of love into such aching tenderness (When I Fall In Love, Melody Of Love, This Is My Song, Fascination, Can't Help Falling In Love) and separation into a heart-breaking experience (Autumn Leaves).

Another thing that makes this album so great is its laid-back and simple instrumental background which allows full spotlight to focus on the perfect harmony and beautiful blending of voices of the Lennon Sisters.

Reviews (4)

100% CLASSIC RTHYM AND BLUES/TOP-NOTCH HARMONIZATION
THE CHANTELS WERE THEE GIRLS! THEY HELPED START IT ALL.THEY PAVED THE WAY FOR HIGH PITCH HARMONIZING GIRL GROUP SOUNDS LIKE THE SHERILLES("DEDICATED TO THE ONE I LOVE"),THE ANGELS ("TIL"), THE CRYSTALS ("THERE'S NO OTHER LIKE MY BABY"),DIANA ROSS("SO CLOSE")AND THEN THE THREE DEGREES ("STARDUST").THOUGH IMITATED BUT NEVER FULLY DUPLICATED THEY REMAIN CLASSIC RTHYM AND BLUES FOUNDERS.I WAS TURNED ON BY THEM WHEN I HEARD "LOOK IN MY EYES" AND THEN WHEN I HEARD THEIR EARLIER STUFF, I LIKED THEM EVEN MORE!DON'T MISS OUT ON THIS C.D. AND ALL THEIR OTHER C.D.'S. YOU CAN'T GO WRONG!!WOW! WHAT VOICES!

A Truly Exceptional CD
Particularly for those of us who enjoy the early days of Rock, this CD is a must have.The vocal performance of Arlene Smith in "Maybe" is of Top Twenty Of All Time stature.In other words.. "now *that's* what I call music!"

The Model For All Groups That Followed
The Chantels were, quite simply, the premier girl group of their era. Led by Arlene Smith (born 1941), they included Rene Minus (1943), Lois Harris (1940), Sonia Goring (1940) and Jackie Landry (1940) - barely teenagers all when their first big hit on George Goldner's End label, Maybe, launched them into national prominence.

Going to # 2 R&B and # 15 pop, b/w Come My Little Baby, it spent a combined 25 weeks on those charts in 1958. Their next release that year, Ev'ry Night (I Pray) b/w Whoever You Are didn't fare nearly as well, topping out at # 16 R&B and # 39 pop in late April, but that was still quite respectable considering the hefty competition from the likes of Elvis, Little Richard, Berry, Domino, Boone, Vincent, The Everlys, Holly, Francis, Lewis, et el.

Their third hit in 1958, I Love You So (b/w How Could You Call It Off) did marginally better on the R&B chats, going to # 14, but just failed to make the pop Top 40 at # 42. In 1959 the man who produced all their hits to date, Richard Barrett, joined them in the billing (Richard Barrett With The Chantels) for Summer's Love, a # 29 R&B charter that September, but only able to make # 93 pop.

Further chart success on End eluded them but in the fall of 1961, after signing with Carlton, they were back with Look In My Eyes (b/w the appropos Glad To Be Back), a # 6 R&B smash and a decent # 14 pop showing. Their next hit, borrowing from a Country specialty, was an "answer" to the Ray Charles' huge hit, Hit The Road Jack. Called, Well, I Told You it made # 29 pop but for some strange reason failed to dent the R&B Top 100. Go figure.

Again there was a two-year hiatus from the charts before they had a minor - their final - hit with Eternally on the Ludix label. Not the same song as either the Sarah Vaughan (1960) OR the Thomas Wayne (1959) hit of the same name, it only managed to reach # 77 pop in 1963.

With Barrett now concentrating on a new female group, The Three Degrees, The Chantels drifted from Ludix to Verve, and finally to RCA without luck. Arlene then took her powerful voice to Spectorious and Big Top, but again met with no chart success as a single artist. Sadly, any reunion performances will have to be without Jackie Landry, who succumbed to cancer two days before Christmas in 1997.