Various Artists - Oldies But Goodies 3 Golden Anniversery (14 tracks) +Album Reviews

The original is not still the greatest.

David Kenner | Fort Worth, Texas United States | 06/16/2003

(1 out of 5 stars)

"When the Original Sound label began packaging their "Oldies But Goodies" LPs in the late 50s, it was a new concept to have original hits by the artists who made them famous gathered together on one album. It was a good idea and a groundbreaking one. But man, before the advent of the compact disc, people who wanted oldies were usually better off collecting 45s. A lot of times those old LP collections were hampered by poor sound and, now and then, an alternate recording of a song included instead of the hit version. I'd have to say though, that previous to the CD era, Original Sound probably did it better than most. When Rhino got into the game a few decades later, they didn't want to settle for inferior versions. They made sure that they used the hit versions of the songs and mastered them from the best available sources. Rhino was an inspiration and now there are lots of great reissue labels out there producing quality compilations for the oldies fan. Original Sound isn't one of them. Their CD series leaves a lot to be desired. The sound quality is lacking in every volume I've heard. On this particular volume, the non-hit Candix version of The Beach Boys' "Surfin' Safari" is used instead of the hit Capitol version. Also the compilations themselves seem to have been thrown together without a whole lot of thought or planning. Most of the songs on a particular volume will span the period from the late 50s to the mid-60s and then a song from the 70s like "Tie a Yellow Ribbon..." or "Feelings" or "Mr. Big Stuff" will be thrown into the mix. Couldn't they at least focus on a particular decade for each disc?
My advice to anyone who wants to build a library of quality reissues of classic pop singles: avoid Original Sound releases. There are too many other high quality collections available these days."

As Usual, Very Good (mostly)

Alf Kremer | Denver CO | 11/02/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The Oldies But Goodies collection on Original Sound are generally good buys, and this one is no exception. Many of the selections are unarguable classics - Lesley Gore's "It's My Party", "Come Go With Me" by the Del(l?) Vikings, Frankie Ford's "Sea Cruise". Other items are perhaps not classics in everyone's mind, but still great - Bettie Everett's "Shoop Shoop Song", Preston Epps' "Bongo Rock" and especially "Don't You Just Know It" by Huey "Piano" Smith. But, as is usual for this series, there are a few what-th'-heck-is-THIS-doin'-here selections, and as usual, most of them are from the 70's. There are three 70's tracks here, and noting that Tony Orlando & Dawn's "Tie a Yellow Ribbon" is the best of the three says volumes. Well, your CD player has a track skip button for a reason. In general, a great collection."

Awesome tunes that make me wanna DANCE !!!

Matthew G. Sherwin | last seen screaming at Amazon customer service | 05/24/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Oldies but Goodies, Vol. 3 is a rather good installment in this fifteen CD series; and although it isn't perfect it's really quite good. The sound quality is excellent and the artwork is about par for this CD series. This is great music for people who love the "oldies!"

The Monkees start it all off with their great hit entitled "I'm A Believer." "I'm A Believer" features The Monkees at their very best; the sing and harmonize perfectly. The guitar work is awesome and the percussion works well as it helps to mark the best. Great! Leslie Gore sings `It's My Party" with a lot of feeling and whenever I hear Leslie Gore sing this I always smile even though the lyrics aren't the happiest; Leslie just does such a wonderful job on this recording. The Turtles also weigh in with their smash hit called "She'd Rather Be With Me;" "She'd Rather Be With Me" really rocks although by today's standards it would be considered a softer type of rock ballad. The Turtles were always one of my favorite groups during the golden era of rock and roll and just one listen will tell you why!

The Beach Boys also do great on "Surfin' Safari;" "Surfin' Safari" was a great number for this group who often sang about the enjoyment we all can have when visiting a beach in California. The Beach Boys enjoyed so much success--and they earned every bit of it, too! Ray Stevens also comes in with his "Everything Is Beautiful;" this number always moves me and Ray Stevens sings this with panache; I'm so impressed! This one song is well worth the price of admission alone. Tony Orlando and Dawn also do their timeless hit, "Tie A Yellow Ribbon 'Round The Old Oak Tree." This touching number also moves me every time I hear it; it's got that funky `70s beat and it works very well. Huey Smith and The Clowns also perform a really fun number, "Don't You Just Know It;" this tune has a melody that is rather catchy and pretty both at the same time.

The Platters also perform their hit entitled "My Prayer;" this passionate love song is stunning because of its beauty and their very sensitive treatment of this ballad. "For Your Precious Love" shines just as brightly when I hear it; and the CD ends well with Morris Albert performing "Feelings." "Feelings" is a more recent tune but it still qualifies as an "oldie." This tune is very pretty and therefore it makes a fine ending for this CD.

Overall, if you love the oldies, you can't afford to go without this CD! The music is terrific and there's lots to enjoy on this disc.

"

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