Customer Reviews

Spanish Harlem / Don't Play That Song

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

 

 

THIS ALBUM IS A MUST HAVE FOR PEOPLE WHO DELIGHT IN THE SOUND OF BEN E KING. HOWEVER, I MUST ADMIT THAT I WAS DISAPPOINTED IN THE FIRST ALBUM - "SPANISH HARLEM" EXCEPT FOR THE TITLE SONG ITSELF, WHICH IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES.

THE FIRST 11 TRACKS DO NOT APPEAL TO ME AT ALL, I CONSIDER THEM DUDS, HOWEVER, OTHER PEOPLE MAY FIND THEM APPEALING. I FEEL AS THOUGH THE RECORD COMPANY WAS TRYING TO CAPITALIZE ON THE TITLE SONG BY PRODUCING AN ENTIRE ALBUM WITH A SPANISH THEME AND SOMEHOW IT JUST DOESN'T WORK. SO IN MY CASE I FORWARD THE CD TO THE TWELVTH TRACK WHICH IS "SPANISH HARLEM" AND FROM THERE ITS SHEER MUSIC TO MY EARS.

I HAVE SEVERAL BEN E KING CD'S AND MANY OF THE SONGS THAT ARE ON THIS CD ARE NOT ON THE OTHERS. THE SECOND ALBUM "DON'T PLAY THAT SONG", TRULY MAKES UP FOR WHERE THE FIRST ALBUM FELL SHORT. IT JUST HELD ME CAPTIVE BY THE SOUND OF BEN E KING'S VOICE, THE LYRICS TO THE SONGS AND THE ORCHESTRATION OF THEM.

THESE ARE SONGS OF MY YOUTH MANY OF WHICH I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT UNTIL I LISTENED TO THIS CD. TRACKS 12 - 24 ON THIS CD ARE IN MY OPINION SOLID GOLD. MY PERSONAL FAVORITES ARE "HERMIT ON MISTY MOUNTAIN", "I PROMISE LOVE", "SHOW ME THE WAY" AND "YES".

RECOMMENDATION: BUY IT! BUY IT! BUY IT! I DON'T THINK YOU WILL BE DISAPPOINTED. I HAVE NOTHING TO GAIN BY PROMOTING THIS CD, BUT YOU HAVE MUCH TO LOSE BY NOT HAVING AS A PART OF YOUR COLLECTION.

This CD is wonderful, Ben's voice sparkles all the way through from track 1-24. The first 12 tracks all have a latin feel, which makes it a perfect listen on a summers night. His lush voice breathes a new life into Sway, Besame Mucho and the old favourite Quizas (Perhaps,perhaps,perhaps. He brings the latin sides to a close with Spainish Harlem and let's face it nobody sings Spainish Harlem like Ben. Tracks 13-24 are all strong too
opening up with Don't play that song and follows through with a
string of his first singles and their b sides. It's amazing to think that Stand by me, was backed with First taste of love (I have the original 45) What fantastic value for money! The CD winds up with Brace yourself, which is very fitting as you will be....for another listen.
Finally I would like to say that these are the originals, not some re-recorded effort from the 70's or 80's. Enjoy!

The first album contains Latin American songs, all of which Ben sings well, backed By Stan Applebaum's orchestra, which is superb. I think that one of the best tracks is Love Me, Love Me which Ben wrote.Ben does a really good job on Granada and on Frenesi. The second album contains a lot of Ben's singles. Ben has a sweet, soulful voice and over the years has shown himself to be a good composer. His recent CD, Shades of Blue, show him to be still in good form. I think he is the best male pop/soul singer around. I think that only Vikki Carr sings with more emotion.

This CD set is a wonderful nod to the legacy of Ben E. King, whose solo career must have been a bitter pill for Drifters owner/manager George Treadwell to swallow. Instead of fading to also-ran status, King recorded a string of hits for several years on Atlantic's sister label, ATCO, and rivaled the great Sam Cooke as one of R&B's top soul singers. The "Spanish Harlem" portion is a Latin-influenced session that perhaps was meant to tie thoses songs in with King's elegant Top 10 hit. "Don't Play That Song" is pure ear candy, with the B sides of King's hits being as enjoyable as the chart toppers. Especially nice to hear is "On the Horizon", which could have been a hit on its own, and "The Hermit of Misty Mountain". A great CD for fans of R&B music of the 1960s.