The Sylvers - Greatest Hits

Sylvers | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 1, 2011)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Curb
• ASIN: B000000D94
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #179,413 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Shamefully Neglected Sylvers, May 24, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Williamstown, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sylvers - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

"Greatest Hits"? There are some groups whom you really can't appreciate if you know nothing but their hits--groups that, for all their unevenness, produce enough good music to earn a special place in the hearts of listeners avid for something more than catchy tunes. And while The Sylvers can't claim to deserve "retrospectives," and will never have afficianadoes raving about unreleased recordings, they deserve better than to have their early work completely ignored by this compilation. So if by some miracle you like the Sylvers' music, but weren't around back in the mid-70s (before the silliness of disco and the wretched "Boogie Fever"), then do yourself a favor: try to get recordings of the first three Sylvers' albums (entitled, respectively, The Sylvers, The Sylvers II, and The Sylvers III). The first sports a photograph of the original six Sylvers, and though time may have made the absolutely huge afros the Sylvers' men wear a little comical, you will have to agree that never in the history of music has there been a group whose members, male and female, were so incredibly beautiful! As for the music, the Sylvers may suffer in comparison to the Jackson 5 (as they were known then) because their music was not as infectious, but then, as far as musical sophistication goes, the Sylvers were infinitely more inventive. To hear this, you need only consider the fact that the Jackson 5 were mostly earthy energy, while the Sylvers could combine earthiness with the angelic: For earthiness, listen to "So Close" from The Sylvers, or their first hit, "Fools Paradise"--a bit of social commentary way beyond anything the Jackson 5 were groomed for. But what you really want to enjoy in the Sylvers are the vocal arrangements: the Sylvers really show what is possible when there is no lead singer, because whoever the main character of the song is, the voice is now masculine now feminine, now individual now choral--and at times the lead singer for the moment actually responds to the chorus, as in some of the popular songs from the 40s. The effect is brilliant, because the arrangement permits them to weave their voices in and out. The magical glissando of the simple cry "Oh!" in "How Love Hurts" (from their first album) always sends shivers down my spine; and then there is "I'll Never Be Ashamed Again," with its complex vocal lines and a musical collage that is glittering, sassy, and yearning--a truly incredible mix. From Sylvers II, there is their cover of "Yesterday," which they do a cappella, the sensuous, at times funkily stately "Through the Love in My Heart," the prayerful nostalgia of "I Remember," and the giddily spiritual climax of "Cry of A Dreamer." From Sylvers III, I recommend "Could Be You," with its wonderful shifts in musical mood and "Want You Be My Love." The only problem with the Sylvers is that it is sometimes just plain impossible to understand what they're saying--I defy anyone, for instance, to tell me what the chorus sings towards the close of "Cry of A Dreamer," (Sylvers II); at other times, some of the lines can be plain bad: "Through the Love in My Heart" sports the execrable line "and by then we will determine if we are truly meant for each other," which sings well, but it is not poetry. Despite these faults, along with what for me are indifferent songs, I think the Sylvers are really underappreciated--if for nothing else, they show how soul music can have the vocal complexity of Italian madrigals. Best of all, I first heard their music back in 1973 and 1974--and then left the albums at my mother's place until 1998; so I rediscovered this music after 25 years, and found it fresh, original, and full with a sheer loveliness that is present in both vocals and orchestrations. Don't let the market dictate what you can hear! Find the original Sylvers and let them show you their little corner of heaven.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars R. I. P. Edmund Sylvers..., March 27, 2004

By 

WILLIE A YOUNG II "willow" (Houston, TX.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Sylvers - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

I was recently watching my worn VHS copy of The Sylvers on "American Bandstand" from 1976 and was instantly transported back to my happy, hip childhood. For Nostalgia's sake, this LP works to fine effect. "Boogie Fever", "Hotline" and all the disco era hits here are bubblegum soul/pop at it's best (topped only by The Jacksons)and are still great fun to spin when you're in the mood for some old school that isn't the usual heartbreak balladry/repetitive funk junk. "Something Special" was the group's best studio LP and is worth searching out. Sadly, the fine voice of leader Edmund Sylvers was recently silenced after he succumbed to lung cancer at 47. I can't speak for anyone else, but I'll miss him. Funny thing, I suddenly don't feel like a kid anymore, But this great music helps me remember what it was like.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sylver's Greatest Hits - The other collection, October 3, 2005

By 

D. S. HARDEN "a movie fan" (L.A.,CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Sylvers - Greatest Hits (Audio CD)

For those of you looking for "Misdemeanor", it's on the Razor & Tie record label "Boogie Fever: The Best of the Sylvers" CD. I personally bought this CD for the song "Roulette Wheel of Love." I can listen to the Sylvers' women 24-7 (but then, I'm biased towards the ladies!!).

I must admit though, that "High School Dance" and "Freestyle" are good dance tunes. One song which I must assume came from their early days is "That's What Love Is Made Of." Their familial harmony works so well on that song. If you can get it at a good price, I say - buy it!