Search - Righteous Brothers :: Gold

Classic Blue-Eyed Soul

Steve Vrana | Aurora, NE | 01/20/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For years, the definitive Righteous Brothers collection was Rhino's 1989 2-disc ANTHOLOGY. With that release long out of print, Polydor's 48-track GOLD fills the void nicely. (And at $14.99, makes Polydor's 1990 12-track ANTHOLOGY obsolete.)



The term "blue-eyed soul" may not have originated specifically to describe the Righteous Brothers, but they were the epitome of the genre. If Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield had never recorded anything other than the classic "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," they still would have earned a special place in rock 'n' roll history. It is the perfect example of Phil Spector's Wall of Sound recording technique.



The songs are presented chronologically (according to their original recording dates), beginning with their 1962-63 Moonglow recordings (tracks 1-15). Their highest charting single during this period was the Bill Medley original "Little Latin Lupe Lu" (#49, 1963). [Note: It would become a top 20 hit three years later for Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels.]



The Righteous Brothers hit their stride after teaming up with producer Phil Spector on the Philles label (tracks 16-24), including such classics as "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" (which was a No. 1 hit in both the U.S. and the U.K.), "Just Once in My Life," "Unchained Melody" and "Ebb Tide."



In early 1966, MGM bought out their contract and released their debut single for the label on the subsidiary Verve (disc two, tracks 1-9). "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration" was produced by Medley and went straight to No. 1 and sold more than a million copies. Unfortunately, it would be their last top 10 single until the reunion single "Rock and Roll Heaven" went to No. 3 in 1974.



From 1968 to mid-1974, Medley and Hatfield pursued solo careers. All three of Medley's charting singles are included ["I Can't Make It Alone" (#95), "Brown Eyed Woman" (#43) and "Peace Brother Peace" (#48)], but Hatfield's lone charting single "Nothing Is Too Good for You" (#84) is not. However, there are several non-charting singles from both, including Hatfield's "Hang Ups" and "My Prayer."



GOLD finishes with their final two reunion singles, "Give it to the People" (#20) and "Dream On" (#32), both from 1974. With the recent death of Bobby Hatfield, GOLD stands as a testimony of the lasting impact of their music. ESSENTIAL"

Only 4 stars?!? How can that be????

Zub | Forks Twp., PA | 01/15/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Anyone familiar with the music of the Righteous Brothers would be hard-pressed not to acknowledge their contributions. Their voices, individually and in tandem, the songs of Mann and Weil and Goffin and King, the productions of Spector and even their recycling of others' tunes, added an indelible dimension to the popular music of the era. No other voice of the classic rock era save maybe Gene Pitney can break you down as does Bobby Hatfield's rendition of "Unchained Melody". The sweeping power of "He", the pathos of "Soul and Inspiration", the impassioned realization of the beginning of the end of a love in "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' - call it soul, call it emotion - it is powerful stuff. So how can it be that this set garners only a 4-star rating? As good as it is, it actually could have been even better. This is not a reflection of the performances but of the compilers. Credit where credit is due however, to the folks at Universal Music for loading up the set with 48 tracks gleaned from virtually all phases of the Righteous Brothers' career including some of their individual recordings besides their work as a duo. And therein lies the "fault", if one can be found. While the solo sides of Hatfield on Verve and Medley on MGM are welcome indeed, only those that fall under the Universal ownership umbrella are here. Medley's later 80's recordings on Liberty and Planet are absent - a decision on Universal's part to avoid licensing issues. This is a very minor omission given the quality and quanity of what is offered in the package. Putting this minor quibble in perspective, maybe a truer rating would be 4 and 9/10 stars. If not "perfect", this piece does outdo all its predecessors including the Rhino anthology of the late 80's both in quantity and scope. There are innumerable Righteous Brothers compilation discs available but to get any depth to their contributions, go for this piece. While some may take issue with certain aspects of the sonic presentation here, it is not enough to demote the set overall. Most of the tracks appear in stereo and "Soul and Inspiration" is represented by its slightly longer version. Minor reservations aside, no CD collection of the music of the era can be without the Righteous Brothers and this piece is the best to come along so far."

Outstanding compilation

Peter Durward Harris | Leicester England | 06/08/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"They weren't related at all, but Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield made a great combination with their contrasting voices. This compilation offers a comprehensive study of their career from 1963 to 1974 including their classic recordings with Phil Spector as producer. While their career may seem quite long, the songs they are remembered for all came from a very short part of that period.



The Righteous Brothers made their earliest recordings for Moonglow. The best of those early efforts occupy the first fifteen tracks of the first CD here. They are particularly interesting in that they showcase the duo's ability to sing both up-tempo songs and ballads. Nevertheless, the soulful ballads seemed to suit them best. Another characteristic is that most of their recordings are almost like solo recordings for one singer or the other. It is rare to find individual tracks on which the singing is shared equally between the two of them. Although the Moonglow recordings didn't yield any huge hits, the Righteous Brothers (whether through their recordings or their live performances) aroused the interest of Phil Spector. As a consequence, they signed to his Philles label. These recordings occupy tracks 16 to 24 of the first CD.



You've lost that loving feeling (with Bill Medley as the main singer) went to number one in both Britain and America. The achievement was particularly creditable in Britain, where Cilla Black's cover version was first to chart and had climbed to number two before the original version overtook it. It is clearly very popular as it made the UK top ten when re-issued in 1969 - and that wasn't the end of its UK chart success.



Unchained melody (with Bobby Hatfield as the main singer) was a cover of a movie theme that had been a hit for several artists in the fifties. It was somewhat less successful for the Righteous Brothers in the sixties. Even without a rival cover, it stalled at 14 in the UK charts - however, its use in Ghost (a 1990 movie) prompted its re-issue as a UK single and this time it made number one. As a follow-up, You've lost that loving feeling was re-issued for the second time, this time making the top three,



Of the other Phil Spector tracks, Just once in my life missed the UK charts but made the American top ten, while Ebb tide was a sizeable American hit but only a minor UK hit.



The professional relationship between the Righteous Brothers and Phil Spector was difficult so they didn't stay with Phil Spector very long. As things turned out, they provided Phil with his last major success in America, although he had one more big hit in Britain when River deep mountain high in 1966, performed by Ike and Tina Turner, made the UK top three. After the split, the Righteous Brothers switched to Verve; these recordings occupy the first twenty tracks of the second CD. Note that the following track is listed as being on the MGM label, but MGM owned Verve at the time.



With Verve, the Righteous Brothers started well, scoring an American number one hit (it also made the UK top twenty) with You're my soul and inspiration, but soon ran out of hits. During their time with Verve, the Righteous Brothers disbanded but continued to both record solo tracks and these are also included. Since many of the songs they officially recorded together were dominated by one or other singer, the solo recordings sit comfortably among the duo recordings.



The duo re-united in 1974, signed for the Haven label and scored an American top three hit with Rock and roll heaven. That hit and two other Haven tracks, both of which became American top forty hits, complete this compilation.



Some people are disappointed by the omission of various tracks, especially Bill Medley's music from the eighties including his big hit with Jennifer Warnes (I've had the time of my life) although that hit is available easily elsewhere and there would in any case be licensing issues. One track that I'd like to have been included is Subsitute. It was released on an album on the Haven label in 1975 (Sons of Mrs Righteous) but, as far as I know, wasn't a hit and probably wasn't released as a single. However, Gloria Gaynor later covered the song and it started to climb the American charts before the single was flipped over to reveal I will survive. Subsequently, the South African all-female group Clout covered the hit and had a huge hit with it in Britain and some other European countries, but it was only a minor hit for them in America. So the version by the Righhteous Brothers is not essential but it would have been nice to see it included.



Overall, this is a brilliant, as well as comprehensive, collection of Righteous Brothers music from 1963 to 1974. There are other collections that only contain the big hits if that's all you want, but if you're interested in more than just the obvious tracks, this remains the best available Righteous Brothers compilation."