Customer Reviews

Rockin & Driftin: Drifters Box

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
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This pricey 3 CD set contains all the charted Drifters tunes from 1953 through 1976 as well as selected single records by Clyde McPhatter and Ben E. King. During those 23 years, the Drifters music evolved from R&B doo-wop to main stream rock and roll and then to soul, matching the evolution of popular music.The 79 cuts on these 3 CD's reflect those 3 styles of music. For collecters, this is a great way to acquire a myriad of memorable hit songs. For fans of a particular style of music, this package may be too broad to consider. Overall, this is an outstanding collection of 50's and 60's pop music.The only unwarranted cut among the 79 is a live version of "On Broadway". All 78 others are legitmate original singles by the Drifters or one of their former lead singers.The liner notes are well written and full of interesting details on the Drifters history, especially the succession of lead singers. The included discography is complete except that it omits the songs by the former lead singers that are included on the CD's.I was annoyed by the packaging of this box set which does not include jewel cases for the individual CD's. They are fixed into the "box' so you can't stack them with your other CD's.

Rockin' & Driftin': The Drifters Box is an excellent overview of the Drifters long recording history. The quality of the recordings is first rate (as usual with Rhino). The first 2 discs are fantastic but the third disc falters as it documents the rather sad tail end of the career of the Drifters after the death of the great Rudy Lewis. The booklet that accompanies this set is very good and does a marvelous job tracking down the many artists who recorded under the Drifters name over the years.

I agree with the other review in that having the CDs fixed into the box is a mistake - otherwise very nice packaging. AND, I disagree that ALL of their hits are here. According to Cashbox, their very 1st & very last hits "Moonlight Bay" and "Baby What I Mean" repectively are not included!? Otherwise, the perfect Drifters collection of original hits & very comprehensive & complete booklet with it. Perfect sound quality make this a doo-wop listeners must-have.

The 48-page illustrated and oversized book that comes with ROCKIN' & DRIFTIN' * THE DRIFTERS BOX is stapled to the spine of this durable heavy plastic fold-open album. Chockful of photos, bios and song details, it's very well written and layed out.

The three CDs of music here are pure delight-- all these great sounding transfers are original tracks that cover the best years of this seminal vocal group's career-- well before they were relegated to the rock & roll revival circuit, and to cranking out album after album of inferior re-recordings. This is the motherlode, folks-- the great ATCO and ATLANTIC sides that all fans of this group want. Buy with confidence!

TOTAL RUNNING TIMES--
DISC ONE -- 68:02
DISC TWO -- 68:33
DISC THREE -- 76:23

This is the CD I have been looking for for a while. With Clyde delivering Money Honey, Bobby drilling out Drip Drop, Johnny Moore riveting out Ruby Baby, Ben melodically phrasing There Goes My Baby, Johnny Williams pleading (If You Cry) True Love, True Love, Rudy On Broadway, and many other hits, you get in my opinion the best of all the Drifters, and some of Ben's and Clyde's solo hits. This CD captures it all. You must have this collection as part of your music library.

if you like the drifters and you haven't yet purchased this box set then do so now. the sound quality is spot on and the tracklisting is superb <though i would have liked to have seen a few more rarities on it>. these are not pale imitations like a lot of drifters records appear to be nowadays- these are the bonafide originals. the cd spans through their entire lifespan from the original df#riftrs with the inimitable clyde mcphatter right through to the seventies recordings on bell records. it's a shame that there's not a few more songs on here- four disks could easily have held 100+ songs, but this is still an excellent and worthwhile addition to any cd collection. buy it now and dance, sing and swing along or just cozy up to it on one of those cold winters nighty- a must.

Being a collector of old do-wop 45's; I appreciate the original sounds. These are not remakes of Drifters that followed the orginial singers. I like the pamphlet that came with the CD's, a nice little history background. It's worth the money.

This package of Drifters tunes may seem a little pricey but it covers the hits from the Clyde McPhatter days when fellow lead singer (and soundalike) Johnny Moore was first with the group. (He was to leave and return later). Their "Ruby Baby" and "Drip Drop" were later covered well by Dion in his solo career. "Such a Night" was covered well by Elvis Presley but this is the original. Even an unheralded B side from 1961, "Lonely Winds", is included. You have the original "This Magic Moment" later covered by Jay and the Americans. Bobby Hendricks before a solo career contributes too. And later lead singer Rudy Lewis who became an early casualty of drugs stands out on "On Broadway". This package covers all of the group's American hits, although they extended their career in England into the 70s. If you're a true collector, this is the one you'll likely want.

This box is a MUST for anyone with a collection of 50s and 60s music. Some of the greatest voices in early R&B and Rock & Roll are showcased here... Clyde McPhatter, Johnnie Moore, Ben E. King.....and along with their well known hits like Under the Boardwalk and Save the Last Dance For Me. you'll find some terrific gems you may have never heard before......He's Just a Playboy, Memories are Made of This. Absolutely fabulous!!

The seven volumes on the Sequel Label (UK) are more complete during the classic years, and have superb essays. Unfortunately, they are out of print and hard to track down.