The Legendary Group at Their Best [Box set, Limited Edition]

Harptones | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 13, 2001)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Box set, Limited Edition
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Collectables
• ASIN: B000056V08
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #521,086 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. On Sunday Afternoon

2. That's the Way It Goes

3. Oo Wee Baby

4. Three Wishes

5. The Masquerade Is Over

6. Until the Real Thing Comes Along [Alternate Take][#]

7. The Shrine of St. Cecilia

8. Cry Like I Cried

9. What Is Your Secret [#]

10. Is This Really the End

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Life Is But a Dream [Take 1 & 2][#]

2. Life Is But a Dream [Master][Take]

3. On Sunday Afternoon [Take 1][#]

4. On Sunday Afternoon [Take 2 - Old Town Master]

5. Loving a Girl Like You [Take 1][#]

6. Loving a Girl Like You [Take 2 - Old Town Master]

7. You're Going to Need Me Some Day [Master]

8. I've Got a Notion [Take 1][#]

9. I've Got a Notion [Master][Take]

10. It All Depends on You [Take 1][#]

See all 18 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Eleven Years In Existence - One Minor Hit, September 3, 2007

By 

AvidOldiesCollector (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Legendary Group at Their Best (Audio CD)

Counting this box set, Collectables has, as far as I can determine, four different compilations on the market covering The Harptones [others I know of are Golden Recordings, Very Best Of The Harptones: Life Is But A Dream, and Crows & The Harptones], while Preserved Recordings offers Complete Recordings (Original Recordings Remastered).

That's a whole lot of music from a group that had one charted hit. And you know what? That one hit is NOT included in this or ANY of the others mentioned!!! How asinine is that?

Highly regarded among Doo Wop enthusiasts, they began recording in 1953 for the tiny Bruce label in New York, and among the 14 tracks cut there were the memorable Sunday Kind Of Love, and the wonderful Memories Of You, written by their arranger/pianist Raoul Cita [the others were lead tenor Willie Winfield, second tenors Nicky Clark and Bill Dempsey, baritone Bill Galloway, and bass Bill Brown].

One of the most amazing facts about The Harptones is that not one of their singles ever made the R&B charts. Not ONE. You might think that that would be most discouraging for a R&B group, but no, in spite of their lack of chart success, they continued recording right up to 1964 for a number of different labels, albeit with some personnel changes, including Curtis Cherebin, Bobby Spencer, Jimmy Beckum, and William James.

In that span they put out several more discs which, today, are rightly considered classics of the genre. Such as Life Is But A Dream for the Paradise label, The Masquerade Is Over for Rama, and their sole charter, the old standard What Will I Tell My Heart? which, in 1961, barely made the Billboard Pop Hot 100 when it peaked at # 96 in May b/w Foolish Me for the Companion label. So far, the ONLY CD to contain both the A- and B-sides is the multi-artist Co-Ed Records Story, also available through Amazon [I'm assuming Companion was a subsidiary of Co-Ed].

They also cut discs for Andrea, Gee, Warwick, Tip Top, Cub, and K.T., so I guess there's still a lot out there we haven't heard on CD. If you're not a completist hit collector like me, this is clearly the best available.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars < Harptones Best of them All >, October 13, 2002

By 

Eston (New York City) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Legendary Group at Their Best (Audio CD)

The Untited in Group Harmony Associarion has voted. The number one song: "Golden Teardrops" - the Flamingos. The nmber one group: the Harptones. Simply listen to any of the ballads and you'll see (or hear) why.