The Shirelles Albums (8)
'Give a Twist Party'
Release Date 10/19/1993
Tracks 11
Label Sundazed
See Album Tracklist and Review
'It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, World'
Release Date 1/1/1963
Tracks 11
Label Scepter
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The best songs on here -- the title track, "Big John," "A Thing of the Past, " "Make the Night a Little Longer, " "Soldier Boy, " and "Putty in Your Hands" -- are available on the Rhino best-of double album. Still, it's a pretty solid effort for its day, featuring state-of-the-art orchestral early-'60s New York girl group production and decent songwriting. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The Shirelles' first album was, in common with many debuts by hitmakers of the early 1960s, utterly dominated by the hit singles included on the LP. On Tonight's the Night, these included not only the title track, but also "Will You Love Me Tomorrow," "Dedicated to the One I Love," and an honorary hit in "Boys," the B-side of "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (and made into a standard in its own right via a cover by the Beatles). These tracks are excellent, and appear on virtually any comprehensive Shirelles best-of. The other cuts are filler by comparison, though still pleasant for the period pop-soul-early girl group production if nothing else. Of those other songs, Luther Dixon's smoldering "Fever"-like "You Don't Want My Love" stands out, while "Unlucky" is notable for later appearing on Dionne Warwick's debut album. For the most part, even more so than some other Shirelles' long-players, the LP evokes a bygone era when innocuous young love and its accompanying hurts were the centers of many teenagers' universes, fretted over with the detailed seriousness of international diplomacy. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
'The Shirelles Sing to Trumpets and Strings'
Release Date 1/1/1961
Tracks 12
Label Scepter
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Other than the smash "Mama Said" and its medium-sized follow-up, "What a Sweet Thing That Was," the Shirelles' second album had none of their more celebrated tracks. Nor was it geared toward ornate arrangements or standards, as the title The Shirelles Sing to Trumpets and Strings might lead you to suspect. Instead, it was typical of the Shirelles' early girl group sound, though the songs surrounding the two hits weren't as strong as the two songs that served as the LP's opening cuts. Its impact is diluted, too, by the use on three numbers of backing tracks that had previously been employed on recordings of the same tunes by fellow Scepter Records artists Tommy Hunt and Chuck Jackson. Still, the Shirelles do sing those items well and bring some of their own personality to them, particularly the dignified chin-up ballad "My Willow Tree." ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide
