Customer Reviews

All Time Greatest Hits!!!

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2 star:		(1)
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Everyone knows the Tokens for The Lion Sleeps Tonight. However, there were other songs they recorded that I could not find unitl NOW. This CD was released in 1998 and included I Hear Trumpets Blow (which I could not find since its release in 1966 - my thanks to BMG and Taragon for finally putting this song out on CD!). It also includes a Beach Boys collaboration of Don't Worry Baby and She Lets Her Hair Down recorded by other artists and used on commericials. The quality of this CD is EXCELLENT. The engineering and production on this CD is one of the best I have heard out of hundreds of CD's -no tape hiss or other distortions.

The only thing I will add to the other comments is a stereo note. Most tracks are in true stereo, only track 1 and 9 are in mono. A stereo note on the back of the CD jewel box states the following:

"Tracks 1 & 9 are mono from full track master tapes, tracks 10, 13-14 from 2 track stereo sources, tracks 2-8 are stereo from 3 track session master tapes; tracks 11-12 are stereo from 8 track session master tapes."

The CD is produced by Taragon. They have established a well deserved reputation for obtaining the highest level master tapes in existence. This CD is no exception. However, "Tonight I Fell In Love" was recorded and released in true stereo and has been available in stereo in the past. So I'm not sure why it's mono here.

Though often incorrectly relegated to one-hit wonder status for their reworking of a Zulu chant that became the number one hit "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", the Tokens put nearly a dozen songs into the top-100 over a decade. The Tokens' unique harmonies punctuated by Jay Siegel's falsetto carried the self-penned, bouncy tunes "Tonight I Fell In Love" and "I Hear Trumpets Blow", as well as the plaintive Goffin-King composition "He's In Town", a bigger hit in the U.K. as by the Rockin' Berries, into the top 40.

Beyond their own recordings, the Tokens had their own production company, Bright Tunes that had major success with other artists' recordings such as the Chiffons' "He's So Fine". They also had their own label, B.T. Puppy, that had significant chart exposure with the Happenings' string of hits starting with the reworked "See You In September".

The multi-faceted skills of this group are evident in this collection that includes all of their charted singles plus a few non-charting ones garnered from the several labels for which they recorded. The small independent Taragon label has produced this superb compilation using original full-, 2-,3- and 8-track session masters. All tracks are in stereo except one and nine. An eight-page liner notes booklet provides a detailed history of the group along with detailed track information.

While the number of tracks is slightly on the meager side, this is the best, bar none, collection of recordings from this vastly underrecognized group of performers. For more Tokens, BMG offers an excellent compilation, but while delving deeper into those RCA recordings, it is limited to the work done there. While it does make a good complement to this collection, this Taragon piece heads the list for Tokens' collections CD's.

It was a CD I bought purely for a copy of 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight' which really is a classic, with no other song like it. The track did not disappoint, but there is also La Bamba on the same CD which is just as enjoyable. The other tracks are average, the best of them being the first two tracks, but the CD is nevertheless good to listen to. I would especially recommend this CD to anyone who loved the happy, summer, bubblegum music of teh Beachboys.

For years, I have tried to find a recording of the Tokens top hits from the various labels they recorded on. Previously, at a Tokens concert, I had purchased a tape of re-recordings Finally, this CD was recently released with all original recordings of their top hits . Songs I haven't heard in over 30 years are represented such as "Hear the Bells." Importantly, their greatest hits, including, "Tonight I Fell in Love, The Lion Sleeps Tonight," and "Portrait of my Love" are all included in one great collection.

This recording on Taragon Records (a division of BMG Records) is a compilation of all the greatest original hit recordings of The Tokens. From their early recordings of Tonight I Fell In Love and The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh), to later hits such as I Hear Trumpets Blow, Portrait of My Love, and It's a Happening World, this CD will delight true Tokens fans as well as anyone who appreciates 60's harmony groups. If you have been waiting for a CD with all the greatest hits of The Tokens, don't miss this one!

If you want the original Lion, remember one important thing about it: The actual title of the original Tokens version is titled The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh). If it doesn't have that "wimoweh" subtitle on the end (the versions on this album don't) you AREN'T getting the original version. The original version of Wimoweh is available in Amazon's MP3 downloads, but not on this album. If you are addicted to this song in general, these two versions would add to your collection of versions (you might also want to find the Weavers' version). But neither remotely resembles the original.

That said, it sounds like the other songs on this album may NOT be originals...but I can't tell. It's been a while since I heard "Portrait Of My Love" and this one sounds a little updated, but it's in stereo and so maybe it's pulling out sounds that were buried in the original mono release. For certain, the version of La Bamba on this Greatest Hits collection doesn't sound like the original version, which came out on the same album as Wimoweh. My guess is, these are all remakes.

If getting the original rendition of a song is your quest, these are the ones by The Tokens.

Unfortunately, these are posted at outrageous prices by resellers.

Let's hope whomever owns the rights to these pieces re-issues them at a reasonable cost.

The Tokens are remembered for the "the lion." While that is the song that made me a fan, it does not define the brillance of this group. They were equally brillant with rock, folk and even jazz ... no wonder the record companies never appreciated their collective genius. This CD captures a portion of the Tokens' brillance. Obviously the Lion and Tonight I Fell In Love are included. It also includes the harmonically excellent He's In Town. Why "Let's Go to The Drag Strip" didn't hit the top of charts can only be attributed to RCA's lack of promotion. The Tokens'remake of "Don't Worry Baby" makes the Beach Boys'deep harmonies almost sound hollow in compassion. While we still need a box set to really celebrate the Tokens, this is good start ... get it!!!