The Righteous Brothers Album: “Retrospective 1963-1974”

With all of the hoopla surrounding Abkco's recent and long overdue releases from the Cameo-Parkway catalog I had not heard a blessed thing about the new Righteous Brothers "Retrospective: 1963-1974". What a pleasant surprise! Included on this super disc are a number of lesser known Righteous Brothers singles that you simply never hear and just cannot find anywhere. The duo's 1965 release "Justine" is a prime example. This tune, originally recorded by Don & Dewey, was featured in the 1965 beach movie "A Swingin' Summer". It is a real departure from their standard fare and Bill and Bobby pull it off without a hitch. Great job! "Retrospective" also includes several hard-to-find Righteous Brothers singles from their stint at Verve records including one of my personal favorites "Go Ahead and Cry". What makes this haunting Bill Medley tune from the summer of '66 so unique is that it was recorded with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Just in case you're wondering you will also find all 6 of the Righteous Brothers Top Ten hits including the only #1 hit "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration", "Rock And Roll Heaven" from 1974, and the best loved Righteous Brothers tune of all-time "Unchained Melody" which was a huge hit in 1965 and resurfaced once again in 1990 when the tune was featured in the popular motion picture "Ghost". And while you're at it make it a point to check out a couple of other terrific remakes included in this collection. Like "Unchained Melody" the song "He" was a major hit for the great vocalist Al Hibbler back in 1955. I think you will agree that the boys do themselves proud on this one. It is one of my very favorite Righteous Brothers recordings. Likewise, "The White Cliffs of Dover" was a major hit for a number of artists during the height of World War II. And although Bill and Bobby did a great job with it the single failed to crack Billboard's Top 100. That was really a shame but I was very pleased to see that Abkco chose to include it here.

"Retrospective 1963-1974" comes with an informative 12 page booklet that you are sure to enjoy. I noted with some surprise that a couple of reviewers thought that the sound quality on this disc was poor. I did not find that to be the case at all. Not being an audiophile I guess I am just not all that fussy.

But the other reviewers opinions should probably be taken into consideration particularly if you own high-end audio equipment. But for me The Righteous Brothers "Retrospective: 1963-1974" fills a void and is a welcome addition to my CD collection. Recommended.

This is an outstanding CD. Unlike the Rhino and the Verve Greatest Hits releases, this CD presents the Phil Spector Phillies tracks in mono, making for an entirely different listening experience that magnifies the extraordinary orchestration and harmonies. Much has been written about "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" being the perfect representation of Spector's Wall of Sound, and this version does the impossible - it makes you feel that you are hearing it for the first time by giving actual presence to the room. The track sequencing is thoughtful and a relief from either the chronological approach or the grouping of the monster hits found in so many reissues. It is as though the people who put this Retrospective together intended it to be played straight through - and many times at that!

I do agree with some other reviewers that this DSD compilation does let most "Righteous Brothers" fans down. On listening to both the classic hits "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", though it's found that the background noise was quite low and the "clicks" were removed, the feeling was not right. After comparing to the Verve compilation and the recent re-mastered one ("Gold") issued by Universal Music, I finally got to know what the problem was!

The sound of instruments originally placed on both channels is now crowded together at the center with the focus put on the vocals. Such "great" mixing not only destroys the original taste, but totally spoils the good elements and characteristics of the songs. Moreover, the info inside the leaflet is presented in an old-fashioned and a bit disorganized way.

In short, don't waste money on this one!

What a bummer! You can't argue with the material - it's classic - but this thing is one big disappointment. First, despite all the talk about this being DSD mastered and all that, and unlike Akbco reissues of the Stones' 60s material - this is NOT, REPEAT NOT, a dual-layer CD/SACD disc. It's just another CD package in the sea of RB reissues. Second, the remaster hasn't added much to the overall sound quality. I played this disc's "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" against the "Feelin'" track on the original "Greatest Hits" Verve CD from the 80s and the same track on Rhino RB anthology set. There's not much difference, though the Rhino version, just toward the end, gets a little noiser on the fadeout. Looks like the Verve set is out of print now and the masters have reverted to Spector and Klein. The Rhino set is still out there (as of Oct. 2005) and far preferable. It's got more songs, much better notes and the material is presented chronologically, not thrown down the the helter-skelter order you get here. BUMMER!

I loved them as a young woman and I love them still, these songs speak to my soul and bring back some wonderful memories.