Customer Reviews

Sounds Like the Flirtations

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the most highly anticipated releases of great sixties music for me! I've had this on my list since about a decade after it was released, when I started to look for mint copies of the album and 45 rpm singles. Naturally I was reeling when I heard this was available on CD!

The previous reviewer does a fine job of describing the sheer enjoyment of the music found on this album. In that area, for the music itself, it does not disappoint, and I want to emphasize that most people who purchase this album for what it is will enjoy it.

The let-down for me comes from the production choices that were made.

On the good side, it is a pleasure that this includes extra tracks that were not on the original album. Also, the compilation team did an excellent job with the included notebook that comes inside the CD case... kudos to them for this!

On the other hand, and perhaps most notable, the album is entirely in mono / monaural . There are NO stereo tracks on this album, even though they are readily available, and might I say GORGEOUS to behold on the headphones. It looks like I will still have to enjoy those on my vinyl copies for now though, unless someone out there chooses to try this again in stereo for CD.

It also sounds like either the pressing of the CD is not optimal, or perhaps the source material is not, as there are very noticeable scratch-sounds on at least one track.

The third matter of disappointment is that the multi-track mixes are also not exactly as they appeared on the original album and singles (at least in the U.S.) This is a common mistake made in CD re-mixing... changing balance and emphasis on some tracks, changing the experience from the original. Admittedly, this will also probably not be a big issue to those who are enjoying this for the first time.

In summary, only the first and second complaints (inconsistent quality and lack of stereo) will probably matter to buyers, while the third complaint may be of note to music purists/collectors.

For me, I will probably put this away and not listen to it again. I will enjoy the extensive and well-done liner notes, but for the music, it's back to the vinyl for me, for now.

If you like Girl Group music, Motown, Northern Soul, Beach Music, Martha & the Vandellas, or '60s female vocalists, this is THEE album for you! I purchased this (entitled "Nothing But a Heartache" here in the States) in July of 1969, and have listened to it with enthusiasm ever since! I am thrilled that it makes its official debut on CD at last (though I have relished an MAR near-pirate for ten years).

The Flirtations had it all... exciting and bold vocals that are as powerful as Martha Reeves, great harmonies, and wonderful songs and arrangements supplied by Bickerton/Watterton. Each and every cut on this album is a '60s delight, topped by the brilliance of "Nothing But a Heartache" (a song every '60s soul offionado knows) and "What's Good About Good Bye". The additonal tracks from 1971 are just as good.

It is truly a shame that the original album didn't catch on more, or that the Flirtations didn't develop more of a career here in the U.S. But if you like this style of music, you will cherish this album as much as your CD remasters of the Supremes "Where Did Our Love Go", the Vandellas "Dance Party", or anything else by the Marvelettes, the Chiffons, Mary Wells, Lesley Gore, or Darlene Love! And that, as anyone knows, is high praise!

Disclaimer: This is not my original review, but it's so helpful and well-written, I thought it would be a service to include it. Steve Leggett wrote this review.

Although they never recorded for Motown Records, the Flirtations should have, because they sounded like nothing so much as a more energetic version of the Supremes, and by all rights, this exciting vocal trio should have been continually at the top of the pop charts during the late 1960s and early 1970s. They did have a big hit with 1969's "Nothing But a Heartache," a record that has had an enduring shelf life and actually might be better known now in the 21st century than it was 40-some years ago. An American singing trio who relocated to the U.K. in 1967, the Flirtations recorded an album, Sounds Like the Flirtations, and several singles for the Decca imprint Deram Records before leaving for Polydor Records in 1972. This set collects the Deram album and adds in four additional tracks from the same time period to make an ideal introduction to this fun group. Among the gems here are the undeniably classic "Nothing But a Heartache," the bursting-with-energy "Need Your Loving," the autobiographical "South Carolina" and the why-wasn't-this-a-hit "What's Good About Goodbye My Love," but everything here falls into the same groove, with upbeat arrangements, spirited singing and insistent, racing and almost unhinged horn arrangements. It's fun stuff, and fans of Motown and Northern Soul are going to love this reissue release. ~ Steve Leggett

Record Collector (magazine) (p.81) - 5 stars out of 5 -- "Almost every number is ridiculously catchy, whether it's the beat ballad 'Can't Stop Loving You,' the Motownish 'End Of The Line' or the gentle hip-jiggler 'Stay.'"

The Flirtations' lone US hit, "Nothing But a Heartache" is the best song The Supremes never recorded - in fact, it's better than anything The Supremes or other "girl groups" recorded! I have long wanted to get a copy of the song on CD, and was excited to see that their long out-of-print "Sounds Like" album was available on disc. Though it was worth buying for "Heartache", the rest of the tunes I found to be poorly written and poorly recorded take-offs of the Motown sound. If these ladies had found better songwriters, they might have had a few more hits. They also could have used better album-cover designers! Nonetheless, they had one great moment in music history and this CD, for better or worse, is the best place to find that moment.