Search - Righteous Brothers :: Retrospective 1963-1974

DO NOT BUY!

James M. Shertzer | Winston-Salem NC | 10/07/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"What a bummer! You can't argue with the material - it's classic - but this thing is one big disappointment. First, despite all the talk about this being DSD mastered and all that, and unlike Akbco reissues of the Stones' 60s material - this is NOT, REPEAT NOT, a dual-layer CD/SACD disc. It's just another CD package in the sea of RB reissues. Second, the remaster hasn't added much to the overall sound quality. I played this disc's "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" against the "Feelin'" track on the original "Greatest Hits" Verve CD from the 80s and the same track on Rhino RB anthology set. There's not much difference, though the Rhino version, just toward the end, gets a little noiser on the fadeout. Looks like the Verve set is out of print now and the masters have reverted to Spector and Klein. The Rhino set is still out there (as of Oct. 2005) and far preferable. It's got more songs, much better notes and the material is presented chronologically, not thrown down the the helter-skelter order you get here. BUMMER!"

Righteous Brothers Retrospective

Elsa | 10/20/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an outstanding CD. Unlike the Rhino and the Verve Greatest Hits releases, this CD presents the Phil Spector Phillies tracks in mono, making for an entirely different listening experience that magnifies the extraordinary orchestration and harmonies. Much has been written about "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" being the perfect representation of Spector's Wall of Sound, and this version does the impossible - it makes you feel that you are hearing it for the first time by giving actual presence to the room. The track sequencing is thoughtful and a relief from either the chronological approach or the grouping of the monster hits found in so many reissues. It is as though the people who put this Retrospective together intended it to be played straight through - and many times at that!

"

Very disappointed - Do not waste your money

Music Mosquito | Hong Kong | 06/07/2006

(1 out of 5 stars)

"I do agree with some other reviewers that this DSD compilation does let most "Righteous Brothers" fans down. On listening to both the classic hits "Unchained Melody" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", though it's found that the background noise was quite low and the "clicks" were removed, the feeling was not right. After comparing to the Verve compilation and the recent re-mastered one ("Gold") issued by Universal Music, I finally got to know what the problem was!



The sound of instruments originally placed on both channels is now crowded together at the center with the focus put on the vocals. Such "great" mixing not only destroys the original taste, but totally spoils the good elements and characteristics of the songs. Moreover, the info inside the leaflet is presented in an old-fashioned and a bit disorganized way.



In short, don't waste money on this one!"