The Very Best of the Platters

by

The Platters

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The Platters (represented by 12 of their greatest hits of the 1950s) stood a middle ground between traditional vocal groups such as the Ames Brothers and the doo-wop sounds to follow. Happily (for us, anyway), they were accepted by the new teenage culture and many of their parents.

The reason is in the quality of songs presented here. Hard to believe Jerome Kern's estate bristled over their rendition of "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes"; distinctive lead singer Tony Williams captures the lyric perfectly, walking through a fog of strings and piano with perfect pitch and diction until a glass-shattering finale. The originals, many co-written by their manager, Buck Ram, have themselves become standards: "Twilight Time," "My Prayer," "Only You" (later covered by Travis Tritt and Ringo Starr), "The Great Pretender" (later satirized by rock n' roll grump Stan Freberg). Overall, regardless of which 50s musical style you prefer, anyone loving traditional group harmony will enjoy this set.