"Marvelous musical memories by the McGuire Sisters, what more could you ask for? These ladies could really sing and swing! Phyllis, Dorothy & Christine McGuire are still going strong today and are top drawer in both Vegas & Atlantic City, if you can see them in concert you're in for a treat. Highly recommended!"
Best Retrospective
Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 11/07/2001
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This two-disc collection gathers up the bigger hits along with many album sides from this talented and versatile "girl group" of the 50s. Most of the tracks are from their long association with Coral with a few tracks added from their mid-60s work at ABC records. Like many of the other mainstream recording artists of the 50s, many of the McGuire's hits were cover versions of r'n'b artists' work. "Sincerely", their hugely successful cover of the Moonglows tune sat at the top of the pop charts for 10 weeks in early 1955. Along with cover version songs, the McGuires also had considerable chart presence with movie music represented here by "Something's Gotta Give", "Picnic" "Around The World..." and others. In late '57, the McGuires hit the airwaves with what would become their signature song, the (appropriately) sugary pop classic "Sugar Time". By the early 60s, the hits dried up but only after the McGuire sisters had racked up well over two dozen charted singles and provided a wealth of smoothly executed pop that still has an audience today. While this collection contains within its 50 total tracks all of their major hits, it is heavy on the album cuts and has left off a number of singles that made the charts during their career. The production is excellent with the best sound quality so far for any McGuires CD with all tracks having been taken from original masters. All of CD1 and tracks 1-4 on CD2 are mono while the remainder of CD2 is in stereo. A 20-page booklet accompanies the set with 12 pages of musical backround on the McGuires, pics and detailed track listings and production credits. An excellent set overall, the best done for this deserving trio."
Our history in music
S. Guy | Charlottesville, VA USA | 07/14/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As a generation Xer, music that came before my time is very important to me. There is a whole world of it out there written for decades upon decades, performed and recorded for our listening pleasure. It is actual history. This is what people listened to and loved in the mid-20th century. And it is now on CD for us to enjoy forever. The McGuire Sisters were just one of several "sisters" groups that were around back then, and they were some of the best. Even today, many of their tunes are recognizable; not just for the music itself, but their rendition of it. If you like the McGuire Sisters, this is your ticket."
SIMPLY FABULOUS!!
NYC Music Lover | New York, NY United States | 08/16/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"All the other reviewers have done a pretty good job of summing
up the McGuires' appeal, but I would like to add one comment--
these 3 women created the most beautiful harmonic blend of any
vocal group I've ever heard. Yes, some groups may be more
sophisticated, or more swinging, but no one has come close to
that vibrant, shimmering sound produced by Phyllis, Dottie and
Chris. The production is first-rate too. Just gorgeous!!"
Three brilliant, versatile sisters
Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 08/01/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Comparisons with other sister groups of the forties are often made, but are meaningless. They may have been influenced by the Andrews, the Boswells, the Dinnings or the Kings, or any number of other sister acts, but their style was very much their own.
The McGuires tackled a diverse range of material, from upbeat swinging song to tender love songs, and from jazz to country songs, yet all done in their trademark style, which was in some ways typical easy listening fifties pop, yet they didn't sound too much like anybody else. Despite the diverse sources of their songs, they all blend together very well.
Their two big #1 hits, Sincerely and Sugar time, are of course included, along with all the other hits that matter. Other reviewers bemoan the lack of minor hits, but all the songs included are brilliant. Perhaps Bear Family should do a boxed set, as they have done for other stars (and obscure singers) from the fifties. I would certainly be interested, though there are plenty of other equally deserving candidates for Bear Family to choose from.
This is a highly entertaining collection of music by three sisters who continued to have hits even after Elvis changed the face of popular music, and gives far more variety than any hits collection."