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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Complete Shirelles 45's Box Set !, September 22, 2007
This review is from: The Shirelles For Collectors Only (Audio CD)
This 3 CD offers the complete 45's of The Shirelles that were released on the Scepter label, 1959- 1968. This set offers all the classic singles that The Shirelles made rock history with , except for their 1st 45 " I Met Him On A Sunday ", which was on Decca. The big bonus is that you get all the latter day singles, which offer up a variety of styles, strong songs & melodies, plus the vocal blend that made the group the first big girl group in rock. I love the hits, and the many rarities contain some truly great songs that should have been hits just as the 1959-1963 songs were. A lot of great songwriters wrote & produced for the group, including King & Goffin, Bacharach & David, Ashford & Simpson, Luther Dixon, and many other top songwriters of the 60's through today. And the vocals by Shirley, Doris, Beverley & Micki are all distinctive . Shirley of course was the main lead singer, but all 3 members get some leads or are featured on the many tracks here. Whether it is pop, doo wop, r&b, rock 'n' roll, ballads ,even a touch of blues - the material here is amazing & it captures The Shirelles' contributions to the history of rock. Packaging is so-so , but that's how the Collectables label is - okay liner notes, & just one photo of the group. Sound quality is good for the most part throughout the majority of these songs. What is important is the music. One rare single alone could cost you , and the MANY RARE A and B SIDES here are enough reason to buy this set. If a group like The Shirelles influenced The Beatles, The Mamas & The Papas, and others to cut their own versions of some of their songs, THAT says a lot about The Shirelles.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THIS CD IS A TRIBUTE TO SHIRELLES LATE DORIS KENNER, January 4, 2001
This review is from: The Shirelles For Collectors Only (Audio CD)
THE FABULOUS SHIRELLES WERE TRULY THE GREATEST OF THE GIRL GROUP GENRE.THE "GIRLS" WERE UNIQUE FOR MANY REASONS BUT ONE BEING THE 4 WOMEN, SHIRLEY ALSTON (NOW REEVES ) THE LATE DORIS KENNER JACKSON ,WHO THE WORLD LOST 2/4/00, BEVERLY LEE AND THE LATE ADDIE MICKI HARRIS ALL RECORDED LEAD AND BACKGROUND ON THEIR MANY RECORDS...THE GOSPEL INFLUENCED DORIS WAS MANY TIMES THE NARRATER ON THEIR B SIDE . IF YOU LOVED DORIS VOICE THIS IS THE CD FOR YOU, HEAR HER ON BLUE HOLIDAY,DEDICATED,WELCOME HOME BABY, DANCE IS OVER,PRETTY WORDS,BOYFRIEND,NOT FOR ALL THE $,WHEN THE BOYS TALK BOUT THE GIRLS,O NO NOT MY BABY,GOIN MAD,TEARDROP AND LOLLIPOP, and more .every single the shirelles did on scepter records both A And B sides are included in this must have cd. It is not only for collectors, but for anyone who loves great girl group music ..from beginning to end....e n j o y the S H I R E L L E S !!! CAUSE WE WILL STILL LOVE THEM TOMORROW*****
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6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
4 stars for content, otherwise 3 stars, May 23, 2003
This review is from: The Shirelles For Collectors Only (Audio CD)
There are dozens of Shirelles CD collections available. This effort from Collectables is about the most complete, track-wise. With three well-populated discs, all of their Scepter hits are here along with many other tracks including non-charting singles and album cuts. However, as it was their only hit not on Scepter Records, their "I Met Him On A Sunday" is conspicuously absent except in the form of a mediocre, warmed-over version done in 1966. The Shirelles pretty much defined the girl-group sound during their heyday and here the listener is treated to such instantly recognizable hits such as "Mama Said", "Soldier Boy" and the quintessential "Will You Love Me Tomorrow". But with changing musical tastes and a decline in suitable material, the hits gradually evaded the Shirelles and by the mid-60's, about halfway through disc 2, little is recognized here and it becomes challenging at times to listen to this number of mediocre tunes. Not to say there are not some unappreciated gems mixed in - '64's minor hit "Tonight You're Gonna Fall In Love With Me" and the chart-challenged "Don't Go Home" deserved much greater recognition. Musically, production-wise it is OK but is nothing outstanding and while sound quality is acceptable, there are no sonic revelations. More of the later tracks are in mono (tracks 7,9-16,19,20,22,23 on disc one, tracks 1,2,4,5,18 on disc two and tracks 5,10,11,14,19-21 on disc three are stereo), displaying a somewhat convoluted situation, possibly due to declining sales and consequently less incentive to invest in stereo mixes in the later years. While there is a decent history of the group in the liner notes there are no track details whatsoever and unfortunately somewhat commonplace with the quality of Collectables releases, there are errors in the track listing that have been corrected by way of an errata sticker on the outside box cover. The titles for tracks 5,10,11 on disc three are adjusted to reflect the songs actually included on the disc, those being "Oh No, Not My Baby", "Church Bells May Ring" and "Can't We Be Sweethearts" respectively. As the title unequivocally states, this piece is geared to the die-hard fan or completist collector and suits that purpose adequately. For the casual fan interested in the cream of the Shirelles musical crop, seek out one of the several excellent single-disc collections of this groups' best efforts from the likes of Rhino, Ace or Varese Vintage.
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