Little Anthony & the Imperials were one of the rare groups to bridge the doo wop and soul eras, having smashes in both. Little Anthony had an amazing voice that was able to easily switch between an assured, tough voice on the up-tempo doo wop tracks, like "Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Pop," and a soaring, vulnerable wail on the dramatic tracks, like the amazing "Hurt So Bad." He was truly an original. Varese collects 14 of the group's best here, from the early doo wop beginnings of 1958's "Tears on My Pillow" to 1964's ...
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Little Anthony & the Imperials were one of the rare groups to bridge the doo wop and soul eras, having smashes in both. Little Anthony had an amazing voice that was able to easily switch between an assured, tough voice on the up-tempo doo wop tracks, like "Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko Pop," and a soaring, vulnerable wail on the dramatic tracks, like the amazing "Hurt So Bad." He was truly an original. Varese collects 14 of the group's best here, from the early doo wop beginnings of 1958's "Tears on My Pillow" to 1964's heartbreakingly beautiful smash hit "Goin' out of My Head" on through to 1969's lush supper-club soul remake of "The Ten Commandments of Love," which features Little Anthony going wild over the fade. Since there is already a very good domestic, single-disc Little Anthony best-of collection on the market, it is a good idea to compare them. The Rhino release has 18 tracks; this disc has 14, including two that the Rhino disc left off, "The Ten Commandments of Love" and 1968's "I'm Hypnotized." These cuts were released during the band's tenure with Vee records; Rhino didn't have the rights to these recordings at the time. They are decent songs, but pale in comparison to the End recordings that Rhino focuses on. Another difference is that the songs are not arranged chronologically on Absolutely the Best. Some may prefer this approach, but most collectors appreciate a chronological track list so they can follow the progression of a band -- follow their career as it rises and falls. The Varese approach sounds like it was thrown together haphazardly. And all the best songs are right at the beginning, which makes it hard to make it through to the end. So, pick the Rhino disc, or if you can find it there is an import called 25 Greatest Hits that covers Little Anthony & the Imperials' work all through the '60s, chronologically and completely. ~ Tim Sendra, Rovi
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Add this copy of Absolutely the Best to cart. $89.99, very good condition, Sold by HPB Inc. rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2003 by Varese Sarabande.
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