Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A nostalgic glimpse into the past, 18 Jun 2001
By A Customer
A showcase album featuring fine harmonies, that became the Bevs hallmark. Whilst this album features many oif the groups best known songs, there is an absence of some of the more risque numbers the sisters sang throughout their career. However the album sails along without so much as a glance sideways at what was happening in the world of pop at the time. An innocence that in its own way is quite enchanting. Beautiful, it has to be said, musical arrangements, and flawless vocals make the album worth owning.
|
|
|
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great fun from Britain's biggest sister act, 6 Jun 2005
America had the Andrews Sisters in the Thirties and Forties; a little later Britain followed suit with our very own sister act of Joy, Teddy and Babs Beverley. The advantage the Bevs had was the musical advancements that had taken place by their rise to fame, so that to these ears their music sounds rather more exciting than the older sounds of the Andrews Sisters.The girls specialised in catchy numbers that showed off their great harmonies. These were often somewhat risque, or themed around the fact they were sisters, or both. For me, this is what has made the CD worth buying. 'Sisters', 'Long Black Nylons', 'It's Illegal, It's Immoral Or It Makes You Fat', 'The Naughty Lady of Shady Lane', 'Somebody Bad Stole De Wedding Bell', 'We Like To Do Things Like That' and 'Triplets'. Are brilliant songs, which at their best were specially written for the girls (the sister-themed lyrics are somewhat unique!) and very humorous. 'Triplets' is undoubtably my favourite. An underrated classic with great Gilbert and Sullivan-style quirkiness. The rest certainly has a few highlights - covers of 'Willie Can' and in particular 'I Dreamed' are well worth a listen. Of the ballads, 'Strawberry Fair' and 'The Mama Doll Song' are good in my opinion, though I've found the girls aren't so good on several other covers which work far better in the hands of the original artists in my opinion. So I would have liked less of these and more of the upbeat songs. All the 50s hits are here, including the elusive Christmas hits! All very good but why 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' is in a completely different place (apart from it being an earlier hit) I don't know. Oh, and they're all wonderfully remastered. Packaging is what one expects from Spectrum - a nice picture - in colour, thankfully, and a rather interesting but brief biography. My one complaint is that several of the years of recording are completely wrong - they were NOT recorded in the early 70s!!! If you want a laugh, and something that will stick around in your head, you'll love those naughtier numbers the Bevs did.
|
|
|
19 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful sister harmony trio, 18 Mar 2005
Teddie and Babs (twins) and their elder sister Joy (who eventually married football legend Billy Wright) were extremely popular live performers in the fifties. On record, their success was modest being limited to six UK hits on three different record labels. This compilation covers their recordings with Philips and Decca.The sisters had two UK top ten hits (I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus, Little drummer boy) and a UK top twenty hit (Little donkey). They came close to the UK top twenty with two other hits (Willie can, I dreamed). All those hits are here although Green fields (which just made the UK top thirty) is missing - it was recorded for Columbia. Their live act was slightly risqué and very entertaining - a clue to this may be seen from some of the other songs here (It's illegal it's immoral or it makes you fat, Somebody stole de wedding bell, We like to do things like that, Long black nylons). Their beautiful harmonies can also be heard to great effect on traditional songs (Strawberry fair, Morning has broken, Greensleeves) as well as contemporary classics (Mr Wonderful, Have you ever been lonely, Little things mean a lot). The Beverley sisters were often described as Britain's answer to the various sister harmony groups that America produced. For the most part, that's accurate. They don't sound much like the Andrews sisters but if you enjoy listening to the McGuire sisters, the Dinning sisters, the King sisters or the Lennon sisters, you will almost certainly enjoy the music of the Beverley sisters.
|
|
|
|
~ The Andrews Sisters
~ The Beverley Sisters
~ Anne Shelton
~ Beverley Sisters
~ Russ Conway
See all 22 tracks on this disc
