The Platters

Listen/Download – The Platters – Shing-a-Ling-a-Loo

Greetings all.

The weekend is almost here, and I don’t know about you, but I am in a groovy place (geographic and spiritual).

I should remind you that the Funky16Corners Radio Show takes to the airwaves of the interwebs this (and every) Friday night at 9PM on Viva Radio. You can also pick it up as an MP3 right here at the blog over the weekend.

Like soulful records by blues cats, I’ve always had a special place in my heart for classic-era soul by R&B performers that you would normally file in an earlier era.

I’ve posted sides before by groups like the Rivingtons, Flamingos, and Little Anthony and the Imperials, and a few times previous, by today’s performers, the Platters.

One of the great hitmaking vocal groups of the doowop era, the Platters had their last big hit in 1960.

Their producer/songwriter Buck Ram carried the group on into the mid-60s, where, reconstituted (Herb Reed being the only original Platter) they recorded a couple of (excellent) albums and some 45s for the Musicor label between 1965 and 1971.

It was during this period that they waxed some brilliant Northern Soul floor fillers like ‘With This Ring’, ‘Sweet Sweet Loving’, ‘Washed Ashore (On a Lonely Island In the Sea)’ and ‘Get a Hold of Yourself’.

Today’s selection ‘Shing-a-Ling-a-Loo’’ was included on the group’s 1967 LP ‘Going Back to Detroit’. It is by no means a dense arrangement, basically a rhythm section augmented by saxophone, with the group’s vocals providing most of the rhythmic punch.

I always find it surprising that a group with this much name recognition, and material this strong was unable to make much of a dent on the charts (‘With This Ring’ was their only Top 40 hit during this time), but then I remember that it was 1966 and 1967, the charts were densely packed with quality, and lots of performers found themselves making brilliant (and unjustly ignored) records.

That said, this stuff isn’t very expensive or hard to find, so get yourself some and whip it on your pals at your next soiree.

I hope you dig it and I’ll be back on Monday.

 

Peace

Larry

 

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2 Responses to “The Platters – Shing-a-Ling-a-Loo”

1. hthor says:

   September 25, 2011 at 5:34 pm

   have Dutch CBS 7″ issue somewhere, of ‘Shing-a-ling..’/ ‘Top of my world’. ‘Shing’ got quite a few spins in Oslo’er klubs 99-01

2. Gail says:

   October 4, 2011 at 6:51 am

   Nice post Larry – and what about this one, one of my Platters faves – Don’t Hear, Speak, See No Evil