Sugar & Spice: A Collection

Cryan' Shames | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 14, 1992)
• Original Release Date: July 14, 1992
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000027S2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,946 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

This compilation includes all their hard-to-find Columbia singles (many remixed in stereo for the first time) and the best of their three albums: the title track; I Wanna Meet You; We Could Be So Happy; Mr. Unreliable; Rainmaker , and more 18 cuts in all. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good selection of songs w/ outstanding history of the band., September 3, 1999

By 

Roland ([e-mail]) (Chicago, Il) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sugar & Spice: A Collection (Audio CD)

I followed the Shames around and saw them at several of the teen clubs in Chicago that sprang up back in the 60's. Their music was not well appreciated outside the immediate area of the City after a couple of years. They don't get anywhere near the airtime on the current "oldies" stations in the Chicago are like the Buckinghams or New Colony 6 do, but they had their own unique style and appearance in the days of the "Mod" look. Many suburban teens identified with them and local musicians enjoyed their success.

The historical write up that is included with this CD is very well done, and perhaps is better done than the recordings themselves. It's too bad that more CD's today don't have this much great information included with the disk. One thing that seems strange to me though is that songs that followed each other on the original album are in a different order on this collection. It would be a better musical experience to hear them in the original order. This disk has a great representation of the variety of styles that the group played. "Up on the Roof" for example is so different from the original version of the song that they are complementary rather than competing versions of the same song.

Just wish this disk had "Hey Joe" on it.

I thank Columbia for making this collection available to those of us who remain fans of those guys from Hinsdale, Il.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Vocal harmony that can't be beat., July 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Sugar & Spice: A Collection (Audio CD)

This is another example of a great band that didn't receive the proper backing from their label, decent management, nor the credit they deserved.

The Cryan' Shames' hook (claim to fame) was indeed a real hook. Yep, they had a tambourine player that didn't sing (much) and had a hook instead of a left hand. That may have been the gimmick that got them noticed, but their musical qualities were undeniable.

I saw the Shames in Cleveland in '67 during a ten-band extraviganza. At that time, and for their first album, they did a lot of Beatles and Byrds covers but with (dare I say it) better harmony, great lead guitar playing on both 12- and 6-string, a stronger drummer and a great show.

Their second LP (easily their best in performance and production) is well represented in this compilation and contains more of their own compositions. Their final album had the vocals I expected, but the band was often buried in the often-overproduced orchestration. It's good stuff, I'd just assume hear the band and not the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (or whomever they hired).

This collection carries the same title as the Shames' first LP, but isn't the same album. Instead, it has many of their best cuts from each LP, and a few of which do not appear on any of their three Columbia releases.

I am a doctor of music now and still listen to and appreciate this album. It's decently remixed except for a loss of strength and warmth in the bass, common in most CD's.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good sampling of music that defined the Cryan Shames., June 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Sugar & Spice: A Collection (Audio CD)

The Cryan Shames were a group of guys from Chicago that had the sound, but never had the promtion to share it with the masses. This album captures samplings of some of their music that many of us knew well, in addition to a few previously unreleased songs, never heard by most. To me, the essence of the Cryan Shames is expressed in their version of Carol King's "Up on the Roof", followed by the upbeat "Cobblestone Road" and "Dennis Dupree From Danville." These songs were taken from the "Scratch in the Sky" album that probably was their best production ever, note for note. They present beautiful harmonies in all of their music, and as shown in "Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles, David Smith & Jones", amazing timing. Sometimes they sound a little like the "Association", sometimes a little Monkees, but mostly they sound like the "Cryan Shames." While they do perform a few cover tunes such as "Rainmaker", written by Harry Nilsson, most of their music is original and written by Jim Fairs and various members of the group. You'll like this album, if you like good, well written 60's & 70's music.