The Drifters can do no wrong. In the early '60s, they had their pick of the best Brill Building tunesmiths — Lieber-Stoller and Pomus-Shuman and Goffin-King and Mann-Weil — and their supremely expressive lead singers, including a poignant Rudy Lewis (who tragically passed away in 1964), gave their appellation a life of its own. For those unable to follow the labyrinthine twists and turns of the Drifters 'personnel incarnations over their many ensuing decades, one thing remains: the music. Whether the original Clyde McPhatter-led group or a re-badged Five Crowns fronted by Ben E. King or the various permutations helmed by Bill Pinckney and Johnny Moore and others, their trademark (and manager George Treadwell saw to that literally, owning the copyright to the name, hiring and firing at will) sense of smooth, urbane vocalizing provides a continuity throughout all the comings and goings, the lawsuits, the hydra-headed Drifters that seem to populate oldies shows like a road company of an "On Broadway" play. As with any good branding, what matters is that the product(ion) tastes and feels and emotes the same, no matter who is stepping into the cast, understudy or revived original.

This album, originally released in 1982 in an… read more »