The Shirelles - Happy And In Love / Shirelles (2014)

One of the pioneering girl groups of the 60s, The Shirelles (originally Shirley Alston nee Owens, Doris Coley, Micki Harris and Beverly Lee) were the mainstay act at New York-based Scepter Records for a number of years, scoring hits with such classic songs as "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" (considered the first No. 1 single by a girl group), "Dedicated to the One I Love," "Baby It s You," and "Soldier Boy" (another No. 1 single). In 1966, Coley left, and two years later, the group s tenure with Scepter ended with duelling lawsuits. But the group soldiered on; working with producer Randy Irwin and arranger George Andrews, the trio of Alston, Harris and Lee recorded for Blue Rock, Bell and United Artists over a three-year period before signing with RCA Records in 1971. Their initial release for RCA was the album Happy And In Love, which included a few tracks (e.g.a version of The Royalettes hit "It's Gonna Take a Miracle") previously released during the group's short stays at Bell and United Artists. The balance of the LP included a version of the Guess Who's "No Sugar Tonight" and a medley of Jr. Walker's "Gotta Hold On to This Feeling" and Eddie Floyd s re-gendered "I've Never Found a Girl" (as "I've Never Found a Boy"). In 1972, RCA issued a self-titled follow-up LP which consisted almost entirely of contemporaneous covers of songs like Bill Withers "Ain't No Sunshine," a Marvin Gaye medley ("Mercy Mercy Me," "Inner City Blues," and "What s Going On," arranged by Motown s David Van De Pitte, who had worked on the original versions with Gaye), Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" and three Carole King compositions, "Brother Brother," "Walk On In," and "It's Going To Take Some Time." Both Happy and in Love and Shirelles are making their worldwide CD debut with this release, which also includes three non-album RCA singles as bonus tracks and liner notes by renowned UK writer David Cole with interview quotes from Shirley Alston. Remastered at Battery Studios in New York--another soulful collaboration between Real Gone Music and SoulMusic Records!