Crystals, The

Of all the brilliant, groundbreaking vinyl released by Phil Spector in the early 1960s, the four LPs by his three major artists--Presenting The Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica by the Ronettes; Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah by Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans; and a pair by the Crystals, Twist Uptown and He's A Rebel--are the signposts that chart the big picture of Spector's daring "Wall of Sound" recordings.

The 21-year-old CEO of Philles Records, Spector, one of very few non-musicians whose name is indelibly attached to the body of work he produced, first hit the national pop charts as a producer with the Crystals' "There's No Other (Like My Baby)" in early 1962. He followed it up with a second Crystals smash, "Uptown," both using Barbara Alston on lead vocals.Sporting an unforgettable cover photo of the Crystals, all dolled up in their prom dresses and pushing a stalled car up the highway, Twist Uptown also highlights Barbara Alston on lead vocals in early girl group classics "Uptown" and "There's No Other (Like My Baby)." "What A Nice Way To Turn Seventeen" and forgotten stomper "Frankenstein Twist" should add plenty of carbonation to any future twist party.He's A Rebel adds three mighty tracks to the Twist Uptown longplayer with Darlene Love handling lead vocals on "He's A Rebel." What may be Love's all-time masterpiece, "He's Sure The Boy I Love," is also included, a track whose spoken intro ("I always knew the boy I loved would come along") lights the fuse for an explosive vocal performance, urged on by Hal Blaine's epic drumming where he seems to be using redwood tree stumps for drumsticks.