Search - McGuire Sisters :: Sincerely

One Of The Very Best Of The Early "Girl Groups"

03/02/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Christine (born July 30, 1929), Dorothy (born February 13, 1930), and Phyllis (born February 14, 1931) McGuire, from Middletown, Ohio, got their start in 1953 on The Arthur Godfrey Show, the same year they got a recording contract from Decca's Coral subsidiary and, through to 1962, they released in the area of 50 singles, along with several EPs/LPs. Not all the singles became hits, of course, but following their first in 1954 (Pine Tree, Pine Over Me - a # 26 in April billed to Johnny Desmond, Eileen Barton & The McGuire Sisters b/w Cling To Me, they would go on to register 35 more with Coral and add one more in a 1966 reunion with ABC-Paramount. Phyllis also had one hit as a solo artist while with Reprise.



Before the label decided to kick-start their career by linking them with established stars Desmond and Barton, they had two failed singles in 1953 with Hey Mr. Cotton Picker/Tell Us Where The Good Times Are, and Are You Looking For A Sweetheart?/You'll Never Know Till Monday. So, after that one modest hit, Coral went a different route by having them cover the smash # 5 R&B/# 23 Pop hit by The Spaniels, Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight, and in the summer of 1954 this entered the Top 10 at # 7 b/w Heavenly Feeling.



However, the next two 1954 releases - Uno, Duo Tre b/w Lonesome Polecat (from Seven Brides For Seven Brothers) and Muskrat Ramble (a Louis Armstrong hit from 1926) b/w Not As A Stranger, failed to chart. But since two sides did show promise, later that year they re-released Muskrat Ramble b/w Lonesome Polecat, and this time the A-side made it to # 10 while the flip scored at # 28. They then closed out 1954 with Christmas Alphabet which topped out at # 25 b/w Give Me Your Heart For Christmas.



Since, by far, their best hit to date had been that R&B cover, Coral again went down that road with Sincerely, a # 1 R&B for The Moonglows, and in January 1955 it began it's climb to # 1 on the Billboard Pop Top 100 - where it would remain for 10 solid weeks - b/w No More, itself a cover of a DeJohn Sisters hit which they had released as (My Baby Don't Love Me) No More. At this stage Coral released an E.P. containing Open Up Your Heart (And Let The Sunshine In), Melody Of Love, Hearts Of Stone, and The Naughty Lady Of Shady Lane and, simultaneously, released them as singles, one pairing the first two and the other the last two. Neither charted, but their next release did, a cover of the Ivory Joe Hunter R&B hit It May Sound Silly, which peaked at # 11 Top 100 in April 1955 b/w Doesn't Anybody Love Me? (regarded as a "follow-along" hit by Billboard).



They and Sammy Davis, Jr. then went head to head on Something's Gotta Give, from Daddy Long Legs, and in the end The McGuire Sisters won out as their version hit # 5 to Sammy's # 9. The flip, Rhythm And Blues (Mama's Got The Rhythm, Papa's Got The Blues) also became a "follow along" hit. They weren't as lucky with the cover of Heart, from Damn Yankees, as their version, b/w Young And Foolish (not included here), did not chart, but that fall their cover of the # 4 Al Hibbler hit, He, made it to # 10 b/w If You Believe. However, in late 1955, Give Me Love struggled to a # 95 b/w Sweet Song Of India while the Christmas release, The Littlest Angel b/w I'd Like To Trim The Tree With You, failed to chart.



1956 began slowly for the sisters as My Baby's Got Such Lovin' Ways and its flipside (Baby Baby) Be Good To Me (not included here) could only register # 32 and 34 on the "Coming Up Fast" charts - a brief forerunner of the later Hot 100 "Bubbling Under" listings, while Missing failed to make the Top 40 that spring, settling for a # 44 b/w Tell Me Now. Early that summer their version of Picnic did well at # 13, but finished back of the renditions by the Morris Stoloff and George Cates orchestral versions, done as a medley with Moonglow. The B-side, Delilah Jones, got as high as # 37 in competition with Richard Maltby (# 14), Elmer Bernstein (# 16), Dick Jacobs (# 22) - who, ironically, was also the backing orchestra on the McGuire version - Billy May (# 49), Les Elgart (# 56), and Buddy Morrow (# 82). Their versions were released under the titles Main Title - Theme From the Man With The Golden Arm or Molly-O.



That summer they were paired with Lawrence Welk & His Champagne Music on Weary Blues, which peaked at # 32 b/w In The Alps (# 63), and in the fall, Ev'ry Day Of My Life topped out at # 37 b/w Endless (# 52). In December, a cover of the Jesse Belvin R&B hit, Goodnight My Love, Pleasant Dreams, finished at # 32 b/w Mommy (not here). And that ends the hits as represented in this volume, although they would go on to post several more, including the # 1 Sugartime early in 1958, and the # 11 May You Always in January 1959. With the exceptions of tracks 14 on Disc 1, and 27 on Disc 1 and 2, which had the backing of Neal Hefti & His Orchestra, all the hits included here were backed by the Dick Jacobs orchestra.



The sound quality is excellent, and with the insert are three pages of liner notes written by British music historian Robert Nickora in June 2006, but there is no discography of the contents other than a re-listing showing the orchestras involved."

An outstanding compilation

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 05/22/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sincerely by The McGuire Sisters is an excellent two CD set that no fan of theirs should overlook. The McGuire Sisters never sounded better; and they deliver some pretty fine tunes here. In fact, we get fifty-nine wonderful songs all performed with style and grace! The quality of the sound is excellent and I really like that artwork, too.



The first CD starts with "Something's Gotta Give;" this has The McGuire Sisters harmonizing beautifully and I love every minute of it--they sound terrific and that brass works wonders for the musical arrangement. "One, Two, Three, Four" features The McGuire Sisters squarely front and center; this tune is easy on the ear and I always like to hear these ladies perform this to perfection--and beyond! "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" gets the royal treatment from these women; and it's another stand-out number on this two CD set. "Cuddle Up A Little Closer, Lovey Mine" sounds faultless in their capable hands; The McGuire Sisters sing this passionately and you can just tell they mean every word they sing! The music makes good use of the strings and percussion; this also works wonders for "Cuddle Up A Little Closer, Lovey Mine."



"Blue Skies" sports a very spirited arrangement that showcases their fine talent; and these songbirds never miss a beat, either! "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" has great horn work to accompany The McGuire Sisters who do a splendid job on this. Listen for "Tell Us Where The Good Times Are;" this has Art Lund teaming up with the sisters and it makes for a great effect! "Melody Of Love" charms me with its beauty; they deliver this without ever letting go of a single superfluous note! "Open Up Your Heart (And Let The Sun Shine In)" is a sweet and catchy tune that you may well recognize when you hear them sing it--I love it! In addition, "Give Me Your Heart For Christmas" shines brighter than gold when The McGuire Sisters perform it flawlessly; they sound heavenly and songs like this make me fall in love with The McGuire Sisters!



The second CD continues the hits. "Heart" never sounded better; these women do this one up right with lots of positive energy and enthusiasm! "Endless" is a beautiful love song with a very lush musical arrangement; and "'S Wonderful" would make the Gershwins proud! "Rhythm 'N' Blues" has a great sound that's very peppy and catchy, too; and I really like "Cling To Me" that The McGuire Sisters perform with Johnny Desmond and Eileen Barton. "Cling To Me" is clearly a major highlight of this two CD set; and you're bound to like it, too. "Ev'ry Day Of My Life" has fantastic key modulations to make this number a big one; The McGuire Sisters never miss a beat on this tune! "Cactus Christmas Tree" is one of the Christmas tunes on this two CD set; and it works very well. "You Never Know Till Monday" is poignant and brilliantly executed, too. "My Baby's Got Such Lovin' Ways" has quite a strong arrangement that features The McGuire Sisters again at their very best; and the second CD ends with the title track "Sincerely." "Sincerely" is particularly bright when these ladies perform it; and it just may leave you wanting more.



The McGuire Sisters always did a superb job of performing; and this two CD set proves just how sophisticated their artistry really was. This is a must-have for their fans; and I am surprised that it's currently out of print--but maybe that will change soon.



Thanks for everything, ladies!

"