Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Light Sweet New York Soul, 9 Feb 2008
This is light sweet New York soul from Atlantic. Unlike some of their artists, they never sent Barbara down south to record, in order to get an earthier feel.
Barbara Lewis never had any British chart action, but in the US, seven discs made the R&B top 40 between '63 and '66, with a couple of B-sides picking up some chart action too. They are all on this disc. Her biggest hit was 'Hello Stranger', which made No 1 R&B and number 3 pop in the Summer of '63. Yvonne Elliman had a moderate UK hit with it in the 70s. 'Baby I'm Yours' was covered by Cher on the 'Mermaids' soundtrack.
Barbara's voice is pleasant with a seductive catch, a bit like Mary Wells, but different. She is very musical and wrote much of her own material, and can also pick up just about any musical instrument and get a half decent tune out of it.
Somehow, I wouldn't recommend this as the first 60s soul CD you buy, but if you already have loads of them and you need a little light smooth contrast for all those hot Detroit beats and the Southern grit, then get yourself this one.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
"...I'll Be Yours Until The Stars Fall From The Sky...", 19 April 2009
As part of the legendary label's 60th Anniversary celebrations, Atlantic issued a slew of budget-priced compilations under the title "The Platinum Collection" (see below for the full list). This Barbara Lewis set is a straightforward reissue of the "Hello Stranger: The Best Of" compilation issued by Rhino way back in 1994; it's minus the detailed liner notes, but still has that great remastered/restored sound.
Its superb 20 tracks cover her 5 Atlantic albums and some of her non-album single sides. The original 12-page booklet is reduced to a 4-page inlay that doesn't provide much info, so here's a breakdown of what track came from what (51:22 minutes):
"Hello Stranger"
July 1963, USA Stereo LP on Atlantic SD 8086 (CD Tracks 1 to 5)
"Snap Your Fingers"
January 1964, USA Stereo LP on Atlantic SD 8090 (CD Track 7)
"Baby, I'm Yours"
August 1965, USA Stereo LP on Atlantic SD 8110 (CD Tracks 6, 8 and 12)
"It's Magic"
April 1966, USA Stereo LP on Atlantic SD 8118 (CD Tracks 10, 13, 14 and 17)
"Workin' On A Groovy Thing"
June 1968, USA Stereo LP on Atlantic SD 8173 (CD Tracks 15, 16, 18, 19 and 20)
Track 9 is "Spend A Little Time", a 7" single issued April 1964 on US Atlantic 2227
Track 11 is "Pushin' A Good Thing Too Far", a 7" single issued in October 1964 on US Atlantic 2255
Lewis is like so many of the fabulous Soul Ladies of the Sixties (Maxine Brown on Wand, Barbara Acklin on Brunswick, Clydie King on Stateside, Mabel John on Tamla Motown, Mitty Collier on Chess jump to mind) - beloved by soul fans everywhere for their sheer class and the strength of the material they issued. The fact that Lewis penned six of these tunes is even more impressive. Doo Wop fans should also note that the wonderful Chess group 'The Dells' provided backing vocals on seven tracks (3, 4, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 11) while the strings were arranged and conducted on Track 17 by ace producer Arif Mardin.
A great compilation then for peanuts amount of money - and a top way of introducing yourself to the extraordinary richness of the Atlantic label - big-time recommended.
PS: the other Atlantic artists in "The Platinum Collection" series are: - LaVern Baker (see REVIEW), Archie Bell & The Drells (see REVIEW), Brook Benton (see REVIEW), Booker T & The M.G.'s, Ruth Brown, Solomon Burke, Clarence Carter (see REVIEW), The Clovers, Arthur Conley (see REVIEW), Don Covay, The Detroit Spinners, Eddie Floyd, King Curtis, The Mar-Keys, The Persuasions, Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge (see REVIEW), Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, (Big) Joe Turner and Betty Wright
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