840 Various Artists - The Best of Girl Groups Volumes 1 and 2 (1990)

Compilation (double) - Girl Group (Soul/Bobby Soxer/Do-Wop)

About the Album:

This is a highly acclaimed compilation in 2CDs by Rhino Records. It's the sort of thing that in this country you might expect to see at 3.99 in a Garden Centre.

My History with this Album:

None

Review:

There are not many multi-artist compilations in this series for reviewing. There is not information about it on Wikipedia, but the reception seems to have been positive. It is choc-full of hits with a smattering of lesser-known songs, and it's hard not to imagine Grease or similar situations - girls with cardigans and white socks, listening to the juke box while sipping milkshakes in the drug store. On one level it's a fun collection of songs that you could use to feel nostalgic, or as the music for a themed party. On another level it's kind of like a cultural artefact.

I feel honour-bound to describe it, even though if I drop some track-names, most of you will get the idea instantly (Sweet Talkin' Guy, The Locomotion, The Boy from New York City, The Chapel of Love, and the classic, cheesefest that is Leader of the Pack).  It's Motown, or Motown-inspired vocal group music with bouncy rhythms, singable tunes and lots of claps or tambourines. And backing vocals. Everything is drenched in them.

Vocally, of course, mostly female, and a great variety of that of course. There's even Cher on here, and Carole King, but mostly it's girl groups with names like The somethings (Shirelles; Shangri-La's Chiffons and so on). 

There is one very dominant theme to the lyrics - teen romance, from the girl's perspective. Oh boy, amongst the romantic, vaguely positive and occasionally empowering stuff, there is some fairly dire advice to be had here. Much as I love the Shoop Shoop Song, "It's in his kiss" is not a great message, and as for "Johnny Get Angry" - a girl who is espousing the virtues of having a boyfriend who will be all masterful and caveman-like and dominate her.... yuk. 

Despite these reservations, which to be honest are really a product of the times (and if we think we have the moral high ground in messages these days, look at lyrics in the charts, and if you dare, in Gangsta Rap, I have enjoyed listening to this collection. I don't know if they can be bought separately, but they work well as a collection of two CDs, the first having more hits and the second more of the lesser-known stuff. As other people have said, they are a nicely balanced gamut of this sort of song, and while they are simple and simplistic, and undeniably shallow in the main, they are fun. There's sunshine and TV dance-athons, and a more naïve time, and bucketloads of nostalgia to be had here. And some of these songs are solid gold classics.

7.8/10 

Spotify:   https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5mDv4LnDplTkdV6G1Nctuj

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3uJKqVJ82e3ICNx1KFpn2I

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBFhcj1GUOOlokoOf9eqZsqyGRNYOedJm

The first video in the YouTube playlist is a performance of The Leader of the Pack which is hilarious!! Check it out, especially the facial expressions of the "bad boy" on the Motorbike.

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Best_of_the_Girl_Groups