“The Shirelles Sing To Trumpets And Strings” by The Shirelles - album review

features in: Album Chart of 1961Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s

TJR says

“The Shirelles Sing To Trumpets and Strings” arrived in March, although there weren’t too many trumpets and strings were kept to a minimum. Not that I’m complaining – the breezy “Mama Said” opens the set in fine style – it’s a tune penned by the producer Luther Dixon and it's clear that we have a trademark Scepter sound on our hands. Goffin & King chip-in with “What A Sweet Thing That Was” and it’s another soar-away killer production made in heaven. Right there and then, the Shirelles were on top of the world – this thrilling sound would propel a whole host of imitators all the way into the middle of the decade. “It’s Mine” provides the first blast of trumpet, as the classy R n B flavoured pop continues to flow. Shirley gets to sing one of her own with the magical “I Saw A Tear”, with an infectious round of doo-doo-wops which steadfastly refuse to believe that the 60s now exist. The album is heading for “classic” status after these 4 tracks but the pace is too hot to handle from thereon, occasionally taking some wrong turns towards the dreaded American songbook vibe – these are R n B girls at heart and should be nowhere near the likes of “The Willow Tree” or “What’s Mine Is Yours” (although they’re not bad). All in all, not quite to the standard of last years “Tonight’s The Night” – but it’s not far off…

The Jukebox Rebel
29–Oct–2008

Tracklist
A1 [02:10] 7.6.png The Shirelles - Mama Said (Luther Dixon, Willie Denson) Pop
A2 [02:30] 9.8.png The Shirelles - What A Sweet Thing That Was (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) Pop
A3 [02:31] 7.4.png The Shirelles - It’s Mine (Willie Denson) Pop
A4 [02:25] 9.2.png The Shirelles - I Saw A Tear (Shirley Owens, Stan Green) Rock n Roll Ballad
A5 [02:18] 7.1.png The Shirelles - I Don’t Want To Cry (Luther Dixon, Chuck Jackson) Pop
A6 [02:59] 6.6.png The Shirelles - Rainbow Valley (Luther Dixon) Pop
B1 [02:48] 6.0.png The Shirelles - My Willow Tree (Robert Elgin, Kay Rogers, Luther Dixon) Pop
B2 [02:20] 6.3.png The Shirelles - The First One (Dorian Burton, Rose Marie McCoy) Pop
B3 [02:18] 5.2.png The Shirelles - What’s Mine Is Yours (Barney Williams, Eddie Snyder) Pop Ballad
B4 [02:06] 6.2.png The Shirelles - Without A Word Of Complaint (Edward Ellington, George Weiss, Johnny Hodges) Blues / Rhythm n Blues
B5 [01:55] 5.7.png The Shirelles - I’ll Do The Same Thing Too (Dorian Burton, D. Irvin, Van McCoy) Pop
B6 [03:19] 6.8.png The Shirelles - Blue Holiday (Luther Dixon, Willie Denson) Rock n Roll Ballad

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