Disco de The Drifters: “Live At Harvard University, Dec. 2, 1972”

Basically, the group was trying to form a compromise between its core repertory and late-'60s/early-'70s soul, with Samaad's nimble guitar playing -- alternating rhythm and lead in front of a small backing band -- providing a solid base on which to build. The versions of "This Magic Moment," "True Love True Love," "Lonely Winds," "White Christmas," and "The Bells of St. Mary's" receive elegant performances that are faithful to the originals, while "Money Honey" more than does justice to the 1953 classic, with a brief blues break by Samaad that genuinely adds some new facets to the piece. "Under the Boardwalk" and "On Broadway" both get delightful, soaring performances, and "There Goes My Baby" isn't far behind, except that it does seem a little ragged (despite their best vocal efforts) as a finale -- though one can't imagine what other song (except perhaps "Money Honey") could possibly have been their finale. The tape itself is a pretty fair professional job that evidently was privately owned and licensed to New Rose; the sound is better than good, but the "notes" are rather pathetic in both depth and accuracy. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide