Customer Reviews

Righteous Brothers Anthology 1962-1974 (2 CDs)

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If you're going to own only one Righteous Brothers CD, this is the one to have. Unlike many other collections available, this one also gives you a generous sampling of their work on the Moonglow label. While "There She Goes" by the Paramours (with Bill Medley) is of historical value, it's the duet material that shines beginning in 1963 with the Bill Medley-penned "Little Latin Lupe Lu." While Mitch Ryder would record the definitive version three years later, the Righteous Brothers own version can at least boil water. At No. 49, it was the closest they would come to a hit while at Moonglow and "My Babe" and "Bring Your Love To Me" would stall in the bottom half of the Hot 100. [Moonglow would release "Georgia on My Mind" in 1966 to cash in on the duo's success, but it peaked at No. 62.]

In 1964, they became Phil Spector's first white act on the Philles label and recorded the ultimate "Wall of Sound" single: "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling." If they never recorded again, the Righteous Brothers would have been immortalized for that one song alone.

But in little over a year's time they would also chart with "Just Once In My Life," "Unchained Melody," "Ebb Tide" and "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration." A couple more minor hits would follow and by 1968 they split up. They re-formed briefly in 1974 and scored big with "Rock and Roll Heaven," a tribute to dead rock stars.

What they left behind is a terrific collection of blue-eyed soul classics. As always, Rhino has provided amazing sound quality along with an informative booklet. The music on this disc will leave you in rock and roll heaven. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

There are so many Greatest Hits/Best of collections for the Righteous Brothers that you could wallpaper your den with them and never use the same album cover twice. Problem is, they all feature the same selection of "Golden Oldies" retreads that have typecast this dynamic duo as sickening sweet balladeers.

The Righteous Brothers didn't earn the title "The Kings of Blue-Eyed Soul" lightly. Yes, they can be as sweet, sultry and soulful as anyone when the occasion calls, as amply proven by Soul and Inspiration, You've Lost that Lovin' Feeling and Unchained Melody. However, they can get rowdy and downright raunchy if they need to, something that the compilers of this collection didn't overlook.

To hear the Brothers at their foot stompin' best, just run up the volume on Little Latin Lupe Lu, guaranteed to get any dance party rocking. There's also Bill Medley's salute to the heros and legends of the rock era, Rock & Roll Heaven.

Hidden treasures include a wonderful cover of Georgia on My Mind and the grossly underrated but incredibly beautiful See That Girl.

As with any Rhino compilation, the mastering on these discs is just that, masterful. The power of the Hatfield/Medley harmonies comes pouring through, with the orchestration mixed in to provide warmth, depth and support without ever interfering or overwhelming the vocals.

If you love the sound of Blue-Eyed Soul, this set will become a treasured addition to your collection. It's far and away the best Righteous Brothers compilation available.

There are numerous less comprehensive collections out there (they all include Soul and Inspiration, You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin' and Ebb Tide, which ARE fabulous songs, but somewhat overexposed), but I heartily suggest you skip them, and put out a few extra bucks for this comprehensive overview of their career(s); otherwise you will miss some of their best stuff (indeed, some undiscovered gems that are every bit as great as their big hits and that represent some of the highlights of that era), such as Melancholy Music Man (my favorite RB song) and On this Side of Goodbye. This is one of my favorite 'best of' collections of all.

Back in The Day, the Brothers were mandatory for those parties in the basement when it was time to quit jumping around and do some serious grinding! This Anthology has every great and near great song they did.

I think that someone determined recently that "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" was the most frequently played song in rock music over the past twenty years. If not, it should have been. Bill Medley's bass is about a dozen octaves below anything ever heard before or since. What a masterpiece! Legend has it that Phil Spector (who produced it) put the time stamp on the '45 versions at 2:55 because radio stations would not have played it if they knew it was 3:47. What a sneaky genius.

"Unchained Melody" was revived by the movie Ghost. Even better than that (to me)is "For Once in My Life". Classic begging, as Bobby and Bill vocally vie back and forth for the affection of the unidentified woman they both obviously covet. Also included as a pleasant surprise is Bill Medley's interesting and passionate social commentary,"Brown Eyed Woman", written for his not so secret passion, Darlene Love.

These songs are a set of timeless classics. Put these on before you propose, and it will improve your odds of success.

Wow, what can you say about the Righteous Brothers? They were the third most succesful duo in rock and roll history (after the Everly Brothers and Simon & Garfunkel). They were the founding fathers of "blue-eyed soul". And they recorded a lot of great songs. This 2 CD set contains 32 of their best songs, from their first single together (recorded as members of The Paramours), to their last hit song, "Dream On". In Between, you get classics like "Little Latin Lupe Lu", "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", "Unchained Melody" and "Soul and Inspiration". Plus, underappreciated gems like "Try To Find Another Man", "Justine" and "A Man Without a Dream". This is the best Righteous Brothers collection available.

I heard the sad news this morning that Bobby Hatfield, half of the Righteous Brothers, died earlier this week at 63. So, lots of people are checking them out and wondering which of their collections to purchase. The answer is pretty simple: this one. When I looked at the reviews today I saw one that sounded familiar--it was mine! From several years ago. Now here it is under my name, not just some fan from NH, and not a word changed:
There are numerous less comprehensive collections out there (they all include Soul and Inspiration, You've Lost that Lovin' Feelin' and Ebb Tide, which ARE fabulous songs, but somewhat overexposed), but I heartily suggest you skip them, and put out a few extra bucks for this comprehensive overview of their career(s); otherwise you will miss some of their best stuff (indeed, some undiscovered gems that are every bit as great as their big hits and that represent some of the highlights of that era), such as Melancholy Music Man (my favorite RB song) and On this Side of Goodbye. This is one of my favorite 'best of' collections of all.

I am a fan of some of the vocal groups of the past such as The Everly Brothers, many of the motown acts, more modern acts like Hall & Oates even. BUT noone does it like the Righteous Brothers!

While i cant stand hearing Unchained melody (although as a DJ i can't stand hearing many songs... YMCA, Macarena, Celebration, I Will Always Love You, Amazed & You're Still the one are many examples) I do realize it's a classic.

The best and then some is on this collection. Ebb Tide, Little Latin Lupe Lu, You've Lost that Lovin Feeling & my personal fave: You're my soul & Inspiration. This collection also covers the later period (mid 70's) of their hitmaking career. The most relevant hit from that period is their cover of the Climax (hitmakers with Precious & Few) song Rock & Roll Heaven. Yup, it was not their song but they do a decent rendition of the Climax song.

It is definitive, ESPECIALLY in the aspect that it does NOT include the re-makes of Unchained Melody. You know, the ones made when "Ghost" came out.

Even if all you want is the usual two (Unchained & Lovin feeling) BUY THIS COLLECTION! it is worth it!

Please read and rate all my reviews!

This is a superb collection. I wanted to write this to thank reviewer Dave Hutton listed previously. Being an old top forty dj I always had my personal favorites regardless of how the tunes were doing on the Billboard Hot 100 and would occasionaly sneak them onto the playlist. One of my all time favorites was "melancholy music man" when the group was on the verve label. It's still my favorite. I didn't find out about Bobby's death until this week and had to pull these discs out and play them one more time. Thanks Bobby! Hope I see and hear you in "rock and roll heaven" and thanks Dave of NH for being on the same page.

This is a superb collection. I wanted to write this to thank reviewer Dave Hatton listed previously. Being an old top forty dj I always had my personal favorites regardless of how the tunes were doing on the Billboard Hot 100 and would occasionaly sneak them onto the playlist. One of my all time favorites was "melancholy music man" when the group was on the verve label. It's still my favorite. I didn't find out about Bobby's death until this week and had to pull these discs out and play them one more time. Thanks Bobby! Hope I see and hear you in "rock and roll heaven" and thanks Dave of NH for being on the same page.

i love the song if there is a way you can e-nail me the words to this song iw ould so greatly appreciate it thank you aaagain