Condition: Used
The Shirelles - 16 Greatest Hits
Trip Records
TOP-16-32
Vinyl LP
Record: VG++
Cover: VG++ in shrink but opened, slight cornerwear
Canada Issue
Released: 1977
Tracklisting:
Side A:
1. Dedicated To The One I Love
2. Will You Love Me Tomorrow
3. I Met Him On A Sunday
4. Mama Said
5. Foolish Little Girl
6. Boys
7. Tonight's The Night
8. Soldier Boy
Side B:
1. Everybody Loves A Lover
2. What A Sweet Thing That Was
3. Baby It's You
4. A Thing of the Past
5. Don't Say Goodnight and Mean Goodbye
6. What Is Love
7. Thank You Baby
8. Big John
The Shirelles were an American girl group in the early 1960s, and the first to have a number one single on the Billboard Hot 100. The members of the quartet were Shirley Owens (the main lead singer; later known as Shirley Alston, then Shirley Alston Reeves), Doris Coley (later known as Doris Kenner, then Doris Jackson; who sang lead on "Dedicated to the One I Love", "Welcome Home Baby", "Blue Holiday" and a number of B-sides and album cuts), Beverly Lee, and Addie 'Micki' Harris McPherson. The quartet formed in New Jersey in 1958, and went on to release a string of hits including "Baby It's You" (written by Burt Bacharach/Mack David/Barney Williams), "Mama Said", "Foolish Little Girl", and the US #1 Pop hits "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (Gerry Goffin/Carole King) and "Soldier Boy" (Florence Greenberg/Luther Dixon). Their "Sha La La" became an international hit when covered by the British group Manfred Mann, giving them a Top 5 hit in 1965, and the song "Boys" was covered by The Beatles. The Beatles also covered "Baby It's You" on their album Please, Please Me in 1963. A year later, this same Burt Bacharach/Mack David song was also a Top 30 hit in the UK for Sheffield-born singer Dave Berry.
The Shirelles were the first major female vocal group of the rock and roll era, preceding Motown as a crossover phenomenon with white audiences. Unlike The Chantels, who had had their first hit in 1957, they were successful in Britain, first and foremost with "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (1960). In addition, they provided some of the earliest hits for important Brill Building songwriters like Gerry Goffin & Carole King, Burt Bacharach & Hal David, and Van McCoy.
The Shirelles were originally formed in 1958 in Passaic, New Jersey, by four friends: Shirley Owens Alston Reeves, Doris Coley Kenner Jackson, Addie "Micki" Harris McPherson, and Beverly Lee. Students at Passaic High School, they christened themselves 'the Poquellos', wrote a song called "I Met Him on a Sunday", and entered their school talent show with it, singing it a cappella. A school friend had them audition for her mother, Florence Greenberg, who ran a small record label; she was impressed enough to become the group's manager, and changed their name to The Shirelles by combining frequent lead singer Shirley's first name with doo-woppers the Chantels. The Shirelles' recording of "I Met Him on a Sunday" was licensed by Decca and climbed into the national Top 50 in 1958. Two more singles flopped, however, and Decca passed on further releases. Greenberg instead signed them to her new label, Scepter Records, and brought in producer Luther Dixon, whose imaginative, sometimes string-heavy arrangements helped shape the group's signature sound.
"Dedicated to the One I Love" (1959), a song they learned by heart after seeing The "5" Royales perform in a show they did together, and "Tonight's the Night" (1960) both failed to make much of an impact on the pop charts, although the latter was a Top 20 R&B hit and Top 40 Pop hit. However, they broke big time with the Goffin-King composition "Will You Love Me Tomorrow?"; released in late 1960, it went all the way to number one on the pop chart, making them the first all-female group of the rock era to accomplish this feat; it also peaked at number two in the R&B chart. In the UK, it reached number 2 in 1961. Its success helped send a re-release of "Dedicated to the One I Love" into the Top 5 on both the pop and R&B charts in 1961 [US]; and "Mama Said" did the same. A more R&B-flavored outing, "Big John," also went to #2 that year. 1962 continued their run of success, most notably with "Soldier Boy," a Luther Dixon/Florence Greenberg tune that became their second pop #1; they also had a Top 10 pop and R&B hit with "Baby It's You". Dixon subsequently left the label; The Shirelles managed to score one more pop/R&B Top Ten with 1963's "Foolish Little Girl", which reached #4 on the pop chart and #9 R&B, but found it difficult to maintain their previous level of success. "Soldier Boy" also reached the Top 30 in the UK in 1962.
The Shirelles assured their place in history with their original version of the Goffin-King song, Will you still love me tomorrow, a classic song that has been covered many times in several different styles of music. From an examination of their other music, it is clear that the Shirelles were hugely influential and deserve to be remembered for more than one song.
Apart from Will you love me tomorrow, their best known song is Dedicated to the one I love. Originally written by a member of the Five Royales and first recorded by that group, it was only a minor hit for them. The Shirelles popularised the song, taking it high up the American pop charts, though it failed to chart in Britain. The Mamas and Papas covered the song in the late sixties, when it became a huge UK hit. So Brits finally realized what a great song this is.
Two other Shirelles songs (Boys, Baby it's you) appeared on the debut album by the Beatles. Other great songs include Tonight's the night, Mama said, Soldier boy and Foolish little girl.
Of all the girl groups of the early sixties, the Shirelles were among the best and most important. This compilation shows just how brilliant they were, including all the essentials and many other wonderful songs.
The Shirelles - Will You Love Me Tomorrow (Live, 1964)
The Shirelles - Baby it's you (original 1961)
They put their heart and soul into the songs they sang, their music is timeless, listening and viewing their performance now is like listening and watching them back then. One will forever stay young while you can watch and listen to such magic performances by a truly class act.
The Shirelles - Everybody Loves A Lover
performed Live 1964
The Shirelles. One of the preeminent female vocal groups of the 1950's and 1960's. The group originally consisted of Micki Harris, Beverly Lee, Doris Kenner, and Shirley Alston. The group had several Top Ten hits, and inspired future artists such as: The Supremes, The Marvelettes, and the Ronettes. (Dionne Warwick was a temporary fill-in as a Shirelle while one of the girls was on maternity leave.) Please enjoy this rare clip with Micki encouraging the girls with gentle quips and hoots
The Shirelles - Soldier Boy (Newer live version)
|
Shopping Cart
