Includes FREE MP3
version
of this album.
or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
Sell Us Your Item
For up to a $1.30 Gift Card
Trade in
More Buying Choices
Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

Be My Baby: The Very Best of The Ronettes

RonettesAudio CD
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)

Price: $7.99 & FREE Shipping on orders over $25. Details
  Special Offers Available
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o
 : Includes FREE MP3 version of this album.
   Provided by Amazon Digital Services, Inc. Terms and Conditions. Does not apply to gift orders.
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.
Want it Tuesday, May 21? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
Complete your purchase to save the MP3 version to Cloud Player.

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
MP3 Music, 18 Songs, 2011 $9.99  
Audio CD, 2011 $7.99  

Amazon's Ronettes Store

Visit Amazon's Ronettes Store
for all the music, discussions, and more.

Special Offers and Product Promotions

  • Buy a CD or a vinyl record, get a $1 Amazon MP3 Credit. Limit one promotional credit per customer. Here's how (restrictions apply)
  • Includes FREE MP3 version of this album Here's how (restrictions apply)

Frequently Bought Together

Be My Baby: The Very Best of The Ronettes + Da Doo Ron Ron: The Very Best of The Crystals + The Shirelles - 25 All-Time Greatest Hits
Price for all three: $30.97

Buy the selected items together


Product Details

  • Audio CD (February 22, 2011)
  • Original Release Date: 2011
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Sony Legacy
  • ASIN: B004GHBQEM
  • In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,738 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

1. Why Don't They Let Us Fall In Love
2. Be My Baby
3. Baby, I Love You
4. (The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up
5. So Young
6. Do I Love You?
7. Walking In The Rain
8. I Wonder
9. When I Saw You
10. You Baby
11. Born To Be Together
12. Is This What I Get For Loving You?
13. Paradise
14. Here I Sit
15. I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine
16. Everything Under The Sun
17. I Can Hear Music
18. You Came, You Saw, You Conquered

Editorial Reviews

With their sweet, polished harmonies, cat-eye makeup and beehive hairdos, The Ronettes added a tough, New York street flavor to the girl group model of the early 60s. Spector originally employed them as backup singers for other Philles artists, but when their first single Be My Baby became an international sensation in late 63, they quickly became Philles leading group.

Fifty years ago, legendary producer Phil Spectorestablished his own record label Philles, and a new sound began to ring out of radio speakers across America. The sound Spector created lush, resonant, and dramatic, blending the sentimental swoon of string sections with the excitement of rock and roll was so different, so instantly recognizable, it earned its own name: The Wall of Sound. Through the 1960s, with songs like Be My Baby, Then He Kissed Me, Walking in the Rain, and Da Doo Ron Ron, he ruled the pop charts and made artists like Darlene Love, The Crystals and The Ronettes household names. For twenty years, no new collections of these artists, Philles s most successful, have been released, and only a limited amount of the tracks have been available digitally. The newly remastered greatest hits collections contain the best and most iconic recordings by these artists, and their familiarity will be sure to strike a chord with fans both young and old.

For twenty years, no new collections of these artists, Philles s mostsuccessful, have been released, and only a limited amount of the tracks have been available digitally. The newly remastered greatest hits collections contain the best and most iconic recordings by these artists, and their familiarity will be sure to strike a chord with fans both young and old.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
36 of 37 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Spector Spectacularly Remastered. March 3, 2011
By Rick
Format:Audio CD
Vic Anesisni has done a brilliant job with this set of remasters. Finally somebody has restored The Wall Of Sound digitally to all it's glory. These masters are superb: they're big and dense, and can be cranked up to the rafters with no sonic loss. The louder they are, the better they sound.

As for one reviewer's claim that the shrieking "Retrospective" remasters by Bob Ludwig are superior..well, that's a joke. He's shaved and NR'd them to death, and then added ear-bleeding highs in excess.

From the very first crunch of the saxes and thwack of the drum, listeners know they're in for a treat with Sony's new Ronettes disc. All discs in the series come mighty close to the essence of all those beloved Philles 45s which captured not only a generation's imagination, but taught an industry how good records were made. All these tracks were recorded in analog, and it's amazing how the analog warmth is retained. The Ronettes have never sounded better.

In an era of loud, too-bright and essentially unlistenable CDs, it's to Legacy's - and Vic Anesini's - credit that they've actually understood the music, and knocked themselves out to present it the way it was meant to be heard.

Legacy/Sony has already treated us to the magnificent Dylan mono remasters, and they've done it again with the Spector / Philles catalog. They're listening to what customers want, rather than the loud minority who still believe digital remasters should not sound warm, or remotely like the original recordings.
Was this review helpful to you?
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Can't Stop *Playing* This CD! May 25, 2011
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Although I only bought BE MY BABY: THE VERY BEST OF THE RONETTES CD as an afterthought while buying the re-issues of The Sound of Love: The Very Best of Darlene Love and Da Doo Ron Ron: The Very Best of The Crystals for Darlene Love, I have to say that this CD has really grown on me.

I was only familiar with the song "Be My Baby," so I'm by no means a Ronettes expert or die hard fan, but their unique sound consisting of lead singer Veronica (Ronnie) Bennett (soon-to-be Spector), her sister Estelle and their cousin Nedra Talley singing backup, has won me over. That Ronette sound is so different than say the Supremes that you can't help but take notice.

Some of the lyrics are very teenage-oriented with phrases like "too young to go steady" and "too young, can't marry no one" -- of course the Ronettes were just teenagers themselves when they recorded these songs -- but that doesn't interfere with listening pleasure. There's an edge to Ronnie Spector's voice that belies the youthful sound and innocent lyrics, so you don't get bubble-gum pop overload.

The songs collected here were recorded from 1963-1969 and I can't find a weak one in the bunch. Even though they were recorded at different times and have different themes like longing for love, being in love, and then breaking up, and appeared on different albums, the entire CD has consistency so none of the tracks seem out of place.

A CD booklet is included and contains color and black & white pictures, liner notes by Lenny Kaye written in 2007, and information on each track (chart position, record date, album title, etc.).

Each song has been remastered and sounds great! I have to admit that it took me a little while to get used to the Phil Spector "Wall Of Sound" technique of recording because at first it sounds like each track was recorded in a cavern with lots of spatial echoing and sounds muffled. But on repeated listening, I've discovered that the echo is more on the music and the vocals are centered and quite clear. The music sort of envelops the vocals, more so than the Motown sound, and so I guess it takes a while for the brain to recognize that there is separation.

Again I've have no experience with the vinyl or other editions of the Ronettes releases with the exception of The Phil Spector Collection, so I can't really say if the sound on this CD is at its best, I know that one reviewer doesn't seem to think so, but it sounds OK to me.

Anyway, I highly recommend picking up the Ronettes' BE MY BABY: THE VERY BEST OF THE RONETTES if you like 60s music. And check out their performances on youtube.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Fresh mono transfer and remaster of Ronettes' best February 23, 2011
Format:Audio CD
With the Philles catalog now in the licensing hands of Sony Legacy and EMI, the fiftieth anniversary of the label's 1961 founding is being celebrated with a new round of reissues. First out of the gate are remastered best-of collections for the Ronettes, Crystals, Darlene Love and Phil Spector. This 18-track Ronettes set includes all eight of the group's Philles singles (all of which charted, but amazingly flew under the Top 10 except "Be My Baby"), Veronica's "Why Don't They Let Us Fall in Love" and "So Young," the album tracks "I Wonder" and "You Baby," the B-side "When I Saw You," the 1969 A&M single "You Came, You Saw, You Conquered," and a few tracks that went unreleased at the time of their recording. The latter includes a terrific pair ("Paradise" and "Here I Sit") co-written by a young Harry Nilsson, and previously released on The Phil Spector Masters. This collection duplicates the track line-up of ABKCO's out-of-print Best of the Ronettes with one exception: the 1964 B-side "How Does it Feel" is replaced here by the group's last charting single, 1966's "I Can Hear Music." The track ordering is mostly chronological to the songs' recording dates, and Lenny Kaye offers touchingly personal liner notes alongside detailed recording data. This isn't the vault discovery that fans are waiting for, and many will complain about the all-mono line-up, but with ABKCO's set itself a collector's item, this is a welcome overview of the group's biggest hits. Now, where are the rarities and stereo mixes? [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars May be sound quality issues on some tracks
In the reviews here there is disagreement on the sound quality. I am still working it out.
The ones with less of the Wall of Sound seem clear enough. Read more
Published 3 days ago by rastaman
5.0 out of 5 stars BE MY BABY: THE VERY BEST OF THE RONETTES
I LOVE THE RONETTES. GREAT MUSIC. SO MANY GREAT HITS. I WILL ALWAYS SAY TO FRIENDS YOU JUST CAN'T BEAT THIS MUSIC OF OUR TIMES! I RECOMMEND TO ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Published 26 days ago by JUNE PINKOS-RIVERIN
5.0 out of 5 stars Love the Ronettes
I was a 15-year old teenage boy when I first heard the Ronettes music on the radio in 1963. Since that time I have searched high and low for a Greatest Hits CD. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Richard A.Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars I Can Hear Music!
I have an original pressing of *I Can Hear Music* on vinyl. It's so rare and so pristine, I ration myself to playing it once a year. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Kayla Rigney
5.0 out of 5 stars The Ronettes
Another Phil Spector marvel! I think Darlene Love switched around filling in occasionally with this group and vice versa! I love this style of girl group sound!
Published 2 months ago by Gregory P. Plutshack
5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT
Everything expected, all their best songs and very few, if any, "fillers". Listen to it for hours, never "tireing" of the music. Read more
Published 2 months ago by mompoptoo
5.0 out of 5 stars Ronettes Rule!
love it! their hits are great, not so well known tunes also surprisingly good. re-mastered sound makes this special, Ronnie's voice awesome!
Published 2 months ago by Terri Loten
5.0 out of 5 stars The Ronettes
Loved this CD as I loved this era of music. I grew up in the 50's -60's and this brought back such wonderful memories. Read more
Published 2 months ago by C. Bessire
5.0 out of 5 stars Good cd, an Oldie favorite.
I saw Ronnie Spector on an Oldie Special on PBS and thought I'd try to find a collection of the Ronettes. Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. Jones
4.0 out of 5 stars Underrated Group
Be My Baby is the hit song of this cd, but this group had many other enjoyable recordings on this album.
Published 3 months ago by Christina Medica
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

Forums

Topic From this Discussion
Are the new Phil Spector collections still in mono??
I agree with you. I have the "Back to Mono" box set released a few years back, along with other stuff. The re-issues are so pointless if they're in mono....
Feb 13, 2011 by Daryl K. Silvia |  See all 6 posts
Have something you'd like to share about this product?
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions


So You'd Like to...


Create a guide

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?



Look for Similar Items by Category