The Best of the Crystals

by

The Crystals

Edit

This 19-track set is the only widely-available Crystals collection, which is, to me, a crime. A crime becuase the music is so good, but also a crime because it sounds so horrible (resulting in only a 4-star rating). "Digitally remastered by Phil Spector" seems promising, but in the end, just doesn't cut it.

First of all, I was very pleased by the track selection as presented here. All of the group's major hits ("Da Doo Ron Ron", "Then He Kissed Me", the gorgeous "Uptown", and "He's A Rebel") are present, along with standards such as "There's No Other Like My Baby". However, the disc might have been augmented by including The Crystals' contributions to Phil Spector's classic "A Christmas Gift For You" as well as their novelty records such as the long lost "Let's Dance (The Screw)" or "The Frankenstein Twist". Also, where are the smaller hits like "In The Morning" and "When The Right Boy Comes Along"? Considering the length of a compact disc, these extra tracks would have easily fit, and would have rendered this collection definitive.

I was disappointed, however, in the transfer of the music. I'm an admitted audiophile, and this is one of the most problematic discs I've heard (along with "The Best Of The Ronettes" and the "Back To Mono" box set; such low standards seem to be a common occurence on ABCKO collections). The company claims these tracks were digitally remastered by Phil Spector himself, so why does it sound like someone remastered them in a bathroom somewhere? The songs are muffled and much too quiet ("Girls Can Tell" sounds absolutely awful...nothing like it did on the original 45 in 1962), and, yes (sigh), presented in mono. This does affect the songs: they sounds weak and anemic, not lively. When Darlene Love sounds meek, you know you're in trouble. And, while mono purists may decry this, I would love to see a double disc set with the tracks presented in wide stereo. I am in possession of remastered stereo editions of many of these songs, and they sound more like the original hits than these do: the mono in this case is harsh and poorly mastered.

For anyone who is interested in a better Crystals collection, I would suggest "The Ultimate Collection", which was released on Marginal Records in Europe in 1997. It is a more expansive collection (at 28 tracks) and the digital remastering is much better than on this disc.

However, this collection is still easy to find and very well priced, so I would recommend a purchase at this time. Toss it, however, the moment they do a proper, Motown-quality digital remastering of the material. It certainly deserves it.