The Platters - The Magic Touch: An Anthology (2CD)

The One and Only Platters

To my mind the Platters did not exist beyond 1961. When Tony Williams left
the group no replacement ever could fit in. The number of Combinations made
up to perform as the Platters were a sad reflection.
The Original group with Zola Taylor, Tony Williams, Herb Reed,Paul Robi and
David Lynch and the records they produced with Buck Ram could never be
copied.
From the first time I ever heard them in 1955 and then to see them in
the wonderful film "The Girl Can't Help It"; I was hooked. They are and were
One of a Kind. September 1, 2007

For Seven Years They Indeed Had The Magic Touch

I vividly remember, as a 17-year-old in 1955, hearing the music begin to change in an exciting manner, starting with Elvis and his Sun recordings, Fats Domino's Ain't It A Shame, Chuck Berry's Maybelline, Rock Love by The Fontane Sisters, Boyd Bennett and His Rocket's Seventeen and, of course [We're Gonna] Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets [actually done first in 1954 but never a hit until the release of the film Blackboard Jungle].

But in the midst of the change to this fast-paced music, which would soon begin to make its presence felt in spite of some determined efforts to kill it at birth, came the melodic sound late that year of The Platters and Only You [And You Alone]. Their unique way with a ballad - some of their material dating back to the 1930s - would help define R&R as something more than just jump tunes as they went on to put a total of 35 songs into the Billboard Pop Hot 100 to 1961, 17 of which also scored on the R&B charts, all for the Mercury label.

Only You, written by their manager Buck Ram, had actually been recorded by the group when with the Federal label, and at a time when it included lead Tony Williams, tenor David Lynch, baritone Alex Hodge, and bass Herb Reed. After securing a contract with Mercury in 1955, Paul Robi replaced Hodge and female vocalist Zola Taylor was added in time for the re-recording of Only You which had, as its flipside, the up-tempo Bark, Battle And Ball, sort of an "answer" song to Joe Turner's Shake, Rattle & Roll.

That B-side did not chart, but on their next seven hits, to 1957, they had only double-sided winners. All of these are contained in order on disc one. In fact, all of their Mercury hit singles are here, with the only B-side missing, up to and including their first in 1960, being Out Of My Mind, which backed Twilight Time in 1958.

From Ebb Tide [# 56 in June 1960] to their last Mercury hit, It's Magic [# 91 in February 1962], none of the seven B-sides are included. In 1961 Williams left to go solo, with Sonny Turner taking over as lead, while Taylor was replaced by Sandra Dawn, but there would be no more hits until 1966 and a new contract with Musicor.

That year Robi was replaced by former Flamingos member Nate Nelson, and their first hit was I Love You 1000 Times [# 6 R&B/# 31 Hot 100]. Four more Musicor hits would follow, their last being Sweet, Sweet Lovin' in late 1967 [# 32 R&B/# 70 Hot 100]. In 1976 Turner was replaced by Monroe Powell, but by then the hits had long since dried up.

The liner notes contain a complete discography of the contents, numerous photographs of the original group in action, as well as nine pages of informative background information written by Harry Weinger in August 1991. I do, however, question his contention that they were "the first black group ever to have a Number One pop record." The Ink Spots had two # 1 pop hits in 1944 and two more in 1946, while The Mills Brothers had one in each of 1943 and 1944, and one more in 1952.

That aside, this is truly one of the essential purchases for any fan of The Platters. August 23, 2007

Reminisce the 50s and 60s.

I love this album, it brings back wonderful memories. Plus a great sound from a special group! July 13, 2007

THE MAGIC PLATTERS

One of the greatest anthologies in the music world... from the classic ONLY YOU, the fabulous MY PRAYER, THE MAGIC TOUCH, MY DREAM, incredible melodies like TO EACH HIS OWN, EBB TIDE, RED SAILS IN THE SUNSET, and excelent B-sides like BARK BATTLE AND BALL, I'M JUST A DANCING PARTNER, SLEEPY LAGOON, all of this is an impressionant collection of the most romantic and magic songs of one of the first colour-groups to reach the top ten lists around the world in the 50's; The Platters made history with their powerful songs and if you buy this double cd, you'll have all of their legacy in your house!!!! May 5, 2007

The Magic Touch: an Anthololgy by the Platters

I was really impressed with this CD. I had bought a CD by the PLatters several years ago and it turns out that it might have been a conterfeit one. The qualilty of this CD far exceeds the earlier one and I love it. April 4, 2007

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