Search - Dells :: Ultimate Collection

Pure Soul! Pure Gold!

James A. Holland | Las Vegas, NV USA | 10/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have been an avid soul music fan all my life. I have just about all the soul greats in my CD collection and consider myself somewhat of an "Soul-Musicologist".

However, as deeply steeped in the genre as I am, I have to say that none of the soul legends of days gone by with the exception of the legendary Sam Cooke and Jackie Wilson can move me like the Dells.



Up until the release of the the 5 Heartbeats movie, I'd always thought of the Temptations as the ultimate group in classic R&B.

Then I saw the film and I was blown away by both the movie and the soundtrack.

This was my introduction to the Dells.

I bought the soundtrack and for years that was all I had of this amazing group until finally, I purchased this CD and I am so glad that I did.



This is one of the best CD's I own - bar none!

I get chills everytime the mighty Marvin Junior's stratospheric baritone roars into a song over Johnny Carters soft tenor...it get's me each and everytime.

There are so many great songs on this compilation but to hear the Dell's do " Standing Ovation", "My Pretending Days are Over" and "A Heart is a House for Love" is an experience.



It's redundant for me to praise this group because they are just that good and this compilation is a worthy representation of the best they have given us over the span of their 50 plus year career!



I give this CD as well as the group 5 stars and a heartfelt "Standing Ovation".





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Together since 1952...clearly the most enduring group in the

Paul Tognetti | Cranston, RI USA | 01/18/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"It all started at Thornton Township High School in Harvey, Il back in 1952 when five friends decided to form a vocal group they dubbed the El-Rays. Their initial release on Chicago's legendary Chess label "Darling I Know" was a pretty fair record but unfortunately it went nowhere. Shortly thereafter Chess dropped the El-Rays. Undaunted, the group changed its name to the Dells and in 1956 they began cutting some great sides for Chicago's Vee-Jay records. Over the next few years the group would record a number of terrific doo-wop tunes including the original versions of "Oh, What A Night" and "Stay In My Corner". Several of these records sold quite well in the Midwest but none of them ever managed to crack the Billboard Hot 100. For the next decade the group paid its dues and maintained a very busy schedule playing small clubs and serving as the opening act for a number of big name performers. The groups hard work and perserverance would finally pay off when in 1967 Phil Chess decided to give the group another shot. Having morphed into a terrific "soul" group, the Dells would justify the Chess brothers faith in them by producing some of the finest soul sounds of that era. "Ultimate Collection" highlights many of those fabulous recordings at Chess as well as some fine examples of the groups later work at other labels.

Now there are any number of excellent Dells collections available. Certainly, the best of the bunch has to be the 2 disc "Anthology" released on Hip-O back in 1999. That set includes a number of those early Vee-Jay dop-wop recordings. If you are primarily interested the 1960's and 1970's Chess recordings then "The Millenium Collection: The Best of the Dells" would suit you just fine. I chose "The Ultimate Collection" because I wanted to sample some of the groups later work on Mercury and other labels which I had actually never heard before. "Ultimate Collection" features more than a dozen of the Dells magnificent recordings at Chess. Among my favorites has to be the groups 1968 smash "There Is". This is 1960's soul at its absolute best, sort of Motown with a bit more bite. A great record! I also enjoyed hearing the digitally remastered versions of the 1969 version of "Oh, What A Nite" as well as the great medley "I Can Sign A Rainbow/Love Is Blue". And most will certainly remember the tune that qualifies as the Dells only bona fide gold record, 1973's "Give Your Baby A Standing Ovation". I grow fonder of that song each time I play it. As I indicated earlier, I chose "Ultimate Collection" because I really wanted to sample some of the groups later work which I actually not heard before. And while I did enjoy tunes like 1975's "We Got To Get Our Thing Together" and "Our Love" I found they did not quite measure up to those great Chess recordings. Having said that, I was very pleased that "Ultimate Collection" also includes the group's 1991 R&B hit "A Heart Is A House For Love". Now that's more like it! This tune was featured in the motion picture "The Five Heartbeats", a film loosely based on the life and times of the Dells. "A Heart Is A House For Love" would become the group's biggest hit in years and vault all the way to #13 on the Billboard R&B chart.

Incredibly, some 55 years after the group first got together, the Dells continue to perform and make records. You can catch up what's happening with the guys on their website. The Dells are the recipients of the Rhythm and Blues Foundation's "Pioneer Hall of Fame Award" and in 2004 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Dells really are a remarkable story. They are the only vocal group in the history of the Billboard charts to have hit records in five different decades! So whether you are a big fan or just want to sample some great soul sounds then "Ultimate Collection" is a pretty smart choice. Included is a nifty 16 page booklet that lists chart information on each tune as well as an informative biography of the group. Recommended.

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Old school love songs favorites

jaye l price | md | 08/09/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a nice cd to add to your old school collection. It does

contain just about all of their best hits. If anyone is browsing

through your music collection,they will ask you do you have any

old dells music? This cd does feature my favorite dells hits,they are: Open up my heart, The love we had stays on my mind, and Heart is a house for love. If for no other reason buy

it so you can have the extended version of Stay in my Corner. You will enjoy. Jayelprice

Beltsville,Md.



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