The Dells

The Dells - Anthology (1999) [2CD] {Hip-O Records}
XLD rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 952 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 341 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (png) -> 68 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1999 Hip-O Records / Universal | CD MP D3811a
Doo Wop / Chicago Soul / Early R&B / Northern Soul / Pop-Soul

The Dells were one of the few groups that rode the transition from doo wop to smooth soul without missing a beat and without falling off the charts. Just as remarkably, the group did so without declining much in quality, as Hip-O's definitive double-disc Anthology proves. Throughout these 36 tracks, the music changes, from street-corner R&B to string-drenched disco-soul, but in all their incarnations, The Dells always sound wonderful. There are a handful of minor hits missing, but all the big singles – including both the Vee-Jay and Cadet versions of "Oh, What a Nite" and "Stay in My Corner" – are here, assembled chronologically.

Other than their greatest-hits compilations, this by far is the Dells' finest LP release. Bobby Miller excelled in assembling this strong package. The six-minute-plus "Stay in My Corner" remains a live show staple and R&B classic. Written by Wade Flemons, Bobby Miller, and Barrett "Money" Strong, the epic ballad shattered the belief that pop songs had to be three minutes or less to get airplay; it was a remake of a shorter version by the Dells released on Vee Jay in 1965…

The Spinners' 2nd Time Around (1970) was actually their debut long-player for the short-lived V.I.P. subsidiary of Motown Records. The "Second Time" referred to in the title indicates the quintet's new direction, which was considerably funkier than the group's former R&B persona. The album likewise marked the final contributions of G.C. Cameron, who himself was the latest in a line of replacements that began when George W. Dixon made way for Edgar "Chico" Edwards in 1961. However, by the time the combo had become part of the Motown roster, Edwards' spot was filled by Cameron. The Stevie Wonder-penned "It's a Shame" became the Spinners' first Top 20 hit of the decade.