| features in: Album Chart of 1961 ● Album Chart of the Decade: 1960s |
“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]  The Shirelles - Mama Said (Luther Dixon, Willie Denson) Pop |
| A2 | [02:30]  The Shirelles - What A Sweet Thing That Was (Gerry Goffin, Carole King) Pop |
| A3 | [02:31]  The Shirelles - It’s Mine (Willie Denson) Pop |
| A4 | [02:25]  The Shirelles - I Saw A Tear (Shirley Owens, Stan Green) Rock n Roll Ballad |
| A5 | [02:18]  The Shirelles - I Don’t Want To Cry (Luther Dixon, Chuck Jackson) Pop |
| A6 | [02:59]  The Shirelles - Rainbow Valley (Luther Dixon) Pop |
| B1 | [02:48]  The Shirelles - My Willow Tree (Robert Elgin, Kay Rogers, Luther Dixon) Pop |
| B2 | [02:20]  The Shirelles - The First One (Dorian Burton, Rose Marie McCoy) Pop |
| B3 | [02:18]  The Shirelles - What’s Mine Is Yours (Barney Williams, Eddie Snyder) Pop Ballad |
| B4 | [02:06]  The Shirelles - Without A Word Of Complaint (Edward Ellington, George Weiss, Johnny Hodges) Blues / Rhythm n Blues |
| B5 | [01:55]  The Shirelles - I’ll Do The Same Thing Too (Dorian Burton, D. Irvin, Van McCoy) Pop |
| B6 | [03:19]  The Shirelles - Blue Holiday (Luther Dixon, Willie Denson) Rock n Roll Ballad |
