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.