Customer Reviews

Best Of The Crystals

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This 19-track set is the only widely-available Crystals collection, which is, to me, a crime. A crime becuase the music is so good, but also a crime because it sounds so horrible (resulting in only a 4-star rating). "Digitally remastered by Phil Spector" seems promising, but in the end, just doesn't cut it.

First of all, I was very pleased by the track selection as presented here. All of the group's major hits ("Da Doo Ron Ron", "Then He Kissed Me", the gorgeous "Uptown", and "He's A Rebel") are present, along with standards such as "There's No Other Like My Baby". However, the disc might have been augmented by including The Crystals' contributions to Phil Spector's classic "A Christmas Gift For You" as well as their novelty records such as the long lost "Let's Dance (The Screw)" or "The Frankenstein Twist". Also, where are the smaller hits like "In The Morning" and "When The Right Boy Comes Along"? Considering the length of a compact disc, these extra tracks would have easily fit, and would have rendered this collection definitive.

I was disappointed, however, in the transfer of the music. I'm an admitted audiophile, and this is one of the most problematic discs I've heard (along with "The Best Of The Ronettes" and the "Back To Mono" box set; such low standards seem to be a common occurence on ABCKO collections). The company claims these tracks were digitally remastered by Phil Spector himself, so why does it sound like someone remastered them in a bathroom somewhere? The songs are muffled and much too quiet ("Girls Can Tell" sounds absolutely awful...nothing like it did on the original 45 in 1962), and, yes (sigh), presented in mono. This does affect the songs: they sounds weak and anemic, not lively. When Darlene Love sounds meek, you know you're in trouble. And, while mono purists may decry this, I would love to see a double disc set with the tracks presented in wide stereo. I am in possession of remastered stereo editions of many of these songs, and they sound more like the original hits than these do: the mono in this case is harsh and poorly mastered.

For anyone who is interested in a better Crystals collection, I would suggest "The Ultimate Collection", which was released on Marginal Records in Europe in 1997. It is a more expansive collection (at 28 tracks) and the digital remastering is much better than on this disc.

However, this collection is still easy to find and very well priced, so I would recommend a purchase at this time. Toss it, however, the moment they do a proper, Motown-quality digital remastering of the material. It certainly deserves it.

Even with its pink cover "The Best of the Crystals" is the best compilation of songs by the girl group from the 1960s (not to be confused with the doo-wop group from the 1950s). The cover refers to "The Original Phil Spector Hits" and the voices of Lala Brooks, Barbara Alston and Darlene Love. Each of those ladies was the lead vocalist for the Crystals at different times (as were others, such as Patricia Wright on "Oh, Yeah, Maybe, Baby"), and under decidedly different situations because Spectator was not only the group's producer, he owned the name. This explains why the group's biggest hit, "He's a Rebel," which spent 18 weeks on the chart and hit #1, was recorded by Darlene Love and the Blossoms in Los Angeles under the Crystals name while the Crystals themselves were sitting back in New York. But even with their strange history the Crystals remain one of the greatest of the girl groups and a key part of what the American music scene was like in the early 1960s before the British Invasion changed everything forever.

With 19 tracks laid out in chronological order this collection is able to cover all of the bases. In terms of songs that made it to the Billboard Top 100 Pop Singles you get "There's No Other (Like My Baby)" (#20), "Uptown" (#13), "Da Doo Ron (When He Walked Me Home)" (#3), "He's Sure the Boy I Love" (#11), "Then He Kissed Me" (#6), "All Grown Up" (#98) and "Little Boy" (#92). The last two songs were released as singles in 1964 so you can see what impact the Beatles were having on girl groups, even great R&B artists like the Crystals. But as you would expect there are some pretty good songs that never made it to the charts in this collection, such as "What a Nice Way to Turn 17," "Another Country - Another World," "Look in My Eyes," and "I Wonder."

One of the things that make the Crystals stand out is that not only is their music so great, but the stories behind some of these songs are so unforgettable. With "He's a Rebel," Spector was worried that somebody else would cut the song first, so he recorded it in L.A. with Darlene Love and the Blossoms but released it under the Crystals name (Steve Douglas does the sax solo). Love was the lead singer on "He's Sure the Boy I Love," the group's next hit, but the song also made Spector a name producer at the age of 21 and established his signature "wall of sound." Then there is the infamous "He Hit Me (And it Felt Like a Kiss)."

Spector was working out of the Brill Building in New York where one of the hottest songwriting teams was Gerry Goffin and Carole King, whose live-in babysitter was 19-year-old Eva Boyd (a.k.a. Little Eva). The story is that Eva returned from a weekend with her boyfriend covered in bruises, but insisted he only hit her because he loved her. Goffin and King turned the experience into a song with the major change that the girl had been "untrue," and therefore, apparently deserved to be hit. Barbara Alston sang poignantly and Spector gave the song a dark and ominous sound, but complaints started coming in big time to radio stations and the single was pulled just before it hit the charts. Geoffin and King tried again with the Crystals on "Please Hurt Me," but the big irony here is that the idea here is essentially the same as in the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical "Carousel." The result is a strange footnote to music in the 1960s and this album is one of only two (both put out by ABKCO) where you can get this infamous song.

But the chief attraction here remains the hits of the Crystals. "Then He Kissed Me" is my favorite, due in no small part to its role in the movie "Adventures in Babysitting." Unfortunately the group was constantly at odds with Spector, who turned his attention to the Ronettes and their lead singer Veronica Bennett (Spector's future bride). The result is that the Crystals are clearly the second most successful girl group of all time, after Diana Ross and the Supremes, but if Spector had given the Crystals the songs he was giving the Ronettes (e.g., "Walking in the Rain"), those final standings might be different. But instead, Spector gave the Crystals the totally bizarre "(Let's Dance) The Screw," where he recited lyrics while the Crystals sang background. The song was basically a sick joke, having to do with Spector fulfilling his contract, and becomes another infamous footnote to the history of one of the greatest Girl Groups.

In a perfect world the three albums the Crystals made for Phil Spector and the four extra A-sides would all be available on CD. They would probably all fit onto one disc, as the second album, He's A Rebel, was a disguised re-issue of the first, Uptown Twist, but with three new tracks replacing two; while the third, The Crystals Sing Their Greatest Hits (Vol. 1), recycled yet again some of their older hits, as you would expect, but added five previously unreleased covers of recent dance hits including the Chantels' Look In My Eyes.

Instead we have the next best thing, The Best Of The Crystals, compiled by Phil Spector in 1992, which collects the A-sides and B-sides they recorded for Philles Records, beginning with the dreamy There's No Other Like My Baby and the socially conscious second single Uptown, and adds 3 album tracks and 2 tracks unreleased at the time. It includes the original version of I Wonder (later recorded by the Ronettes), which was a single only in the UK, coupled with Little Boy, but unfortunately excludes the withdrawn two-part single (Let's Dance) The Screw.

It was through the Crystals, initially led by Barbara Alston, that Spector made his mark and created the famous Wall Of Sound, when He's A Rebel hit number 1 in America. Ironically, none of the Crystals sang on their first big hit, as the Gene Pitney song was recorded in haste in Hollywood to beat a rival version by Vikki Carr, and none of the Crystals was able to fly from New York for the sessions. Instead a session group led by the unknown Darlene Love (then Darlene Wright) and called the Blossoms were hired to be the Crystals for a day, and they soon became Spector regulars. Indeed Darlene Love also sang lead on the Crystals' follow-up, He's Sure The Boy I Love, and at the same time was enlisted into Bob B Soxx and the Blue Jeans. She also led on the next single, Da Doo Ron Ron, although on that one Spector had La La Brooks from the Crystals overdub the lead vocal before it came out, and watched it became a Top Three hit. 

La La sang lead instead of Barbara or Darlene from then on, including the next released singles Then He Kissed Me and Little Boy, but by this time Phil Spector was already losing interest in the Crystals and was developing his unique sound further with the Ronettes featuring Veronica, who was even drafted in to sing lead on some of the third Crystals album.
 
These recordings show not only their own and Phil Spector's development, but also that of the Brill Building writers that Spector drew from: Barry Mann, Cynthia Weil, Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich, and not forgetting Gerry Goffin and Carole King whose He Hit Me (It Felt Like A Kiss) and Please Hurt Me might suggest some turbulence in their personal lives at the time. He Hit Me was a controversial song, allegedly inspired by the experiences of their baby-sitter, Little Eva, for whom they wrote The Loco-Motion. It was revived more recently by Hole.

Their last single for Philles was All Grown Up, basically a Spectorized rewrite of Chuck Berry's Almost Grown. It was one of their best but barely scraped the Top 100 in America. The Crystals left the label shortly thereafter for United Artists and all but disappeared from history, leaving behind these wonderful and essential classic recordings from a key period in pop history

This has got to be one of the best recordings of the Crystals' original best sellers. One of added benefits is the CD liner which tells the story of the group and the three lead vocalists: La La Brooks, Barbara Alston , and of course, Darlene Love. Each song features the year recorded, the writers, the producers, and who of the three leading ladies sang the lead. My favorites include: "Uptown" a long forgotten greatest hit no longer on the Oldies stations play list, "He's A Rebel", "He's Sure the Boy I Love", "Da Doo Ron Ron", and "Then He Kissed Me" This is a definate "buy 2" CD.

Here it is, a collection of all the big hits the Crystals had. All the hits are here including "Da Doo Ron Ron", He's A Rebel", "He Hit Me" and "Then He Kissed Me". Also notable are the 1961 "There's No Other Like My Baby" and "He's Sure the Boy I Love". This is a great album with wonderful vocals from all the lead singers. This is also a good album to buy if you like or are just discovering the Crystals, girl groups or the "wall of sound". If you like this one be sure to purchase the Best of the Ronettes.

The Crystals' musical lifetime was relatively short but, alongwith another female group, the Ronettes, they were a major influence on the best of all the girl groups, the Supremes.

The Crystals had only three major hits. "Da Doo Ron Ron" and "Then He Kissed Me" are very hard to find and their biggest, "He's a Rebel", is nearly impossible to locate. For that reason alone, this album is worth having. Happily, all three cuts are originals and nicely remastered.

There is very little in the way of secondary material on this disc but, with the three big hits already mentioned, who needs any? The Best of the Crystals is an excellent addition to any rock'n'roll collection.

Other reviewers will tell you how wonderful the Crystals' records were. But what you really need to know, if you're in the USA, is that this CD provides your first chance to get 'I Wonder', which was a Crystals single that was only ever issued in the UK (with 'Little Boy' on the B-side). In America, Spector issued 'Little Boy' as the A-side with another of his nondescript instrumental pieces on the flip side. Why this matters is that The Crystals' version of 'I Wonder' (not to be confused with the relatively ordinary Ronettes' version) is one of the most under-valued tracks ever made - probably because it was unknown in its country of origin - and is, in my opinion, just about the definitive 'wall of sound' record. I strongly suspect that it influenced the Beach Boys, and it certainly influenced Roy Wood (of The Move, Wizzard and E.L.O. When you've heard 'I Wonder', listen to Roy Wood's 'Forever'!) Do buy this CD if you value really amazingly original popular music.

The Crystals are among the American girl groups that made it big during the early 1960's, the golden age of girl groups and Brill Building songsters. They had some big hits, "He's A Rebel," "He's Sure The Boy I Love," "Then He Kissed Me," and "Da Doo Ron Ron," all penned by those famous tenants in Broadway's Brill Building: Barry Mann and Cynthia Weill, Gerry Goffin and Carole King, Doc Pomus, Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, even Neil Sedaka. And, for sure, the legendarily bizarre composer/producer/impresario himself, Phil Spector. The man who invented the "wall of sound;" who created "little symphonies for the kids," as he loved to call them. The man who's now hitting the front pages of your newpaper, for reasons that have nothing to do with music.

The Crystals were, in fact, one of Spector's groups, signed to him at his celebrated Hollywood Gold Star Studios, where a lot of awesome music got made. His studio musicians included Leon Russell on piano/keyboard, Sonny Bono on percussion, and Glen Campbell and Billy Strange on guitar. The Crystals, however, were Spector's secondary girl group, of less interest to him than were the Ronettes: well, he was going to marry Ronnie. (And if you read your newspaper, and you've read Ronnie's book, "Be My Baby," or any of the numerous interviews she's given over the years, you'll know that marriage wasn't too successful.)

Anyway, the Crystals had their big hits. Unfortunately, it's not so easy to know who the Crystals are, or maybe were. If the actual original Crystals, lead singer Barbara Alston were on the road, and Spector was anxious to record something, he just did, with whoever was on hand, and just attributed the record to the group. In her book, "My Name is Love: The Darlene Love Story," Love, possessor of a big, rich, dynamic voice says she sang lead on "He's A Rebel," "He's Sure the Boy I Love," and "Da Doo Ron Ron." She adds that, among others, Sonny and Cher, then also under contract to Spector, sang back-up on these songs, and that, way back at the outset of her career, Cher's voice was so big, Spector had to keep her in the back of the room, away from the microphones. A few years ago, before I'd looked into all of this confusion, I saw "the Crystals" in person, and didn't understand why some of my favorite songs sounded nothing like the records. So now we know.

Personnel problems aside, these are intense, emotionally satisfying, pulsing songs as Love did them, and these are the versions you get on this album. The actual Crystals also did good work on the socially-conscious "Uptown," "There's No Other Like My Baby," and "Oh Yeah, Maybe Baby:" those girls could rock. These songs and their other smaller hits are collected here. This album's sound isn't the best: Phil Spector famously preferred mono. But it's hard to find the Crystals now --whoever they were-- and this album is available. If you love girl groups, it belongs on the shelf.

It plainly states on MY copy of this CD that Phil Spector chose to master this in analog, NO digital remastering. That is why the sound quality is so VERY poor for the beauty and power of these songs and this artist group, and Phil's own powerful production! His choice, not ABCKO.
Walt Schultz

The Crystals influenced so many singers and bands that they cannot possibly be counted. This CD compiles all their classic symphonic rock hits, most notably "Then He Kissed Me." I first fell in love with the song and the group when it was played at the very beginning of a cheesy 80's movie (Adventures in Babysitting). Since then I've come to admire EVERY Crystals song! All I can say is that Phil Spector was a genius -- he certainly knew what he was doing when he created his Wall of Sound." The Europeanesque symphonic arrangements combined with the sheer raw soul and luster of black vocal power was the simple formula behind his hits! Pay homage to the Crystals and buy their CD!