The Righteous Brothers

Bill Medley's emotive baritone and Bobby Hatfield's elastic tenor combined to make the Righteous Brothers the very definition of blue-eyed soul. This 38-track, two-disc collection has their biggest and most innovative hits, including "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration," "Unchained Melody," and the phenomenal "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'." Released in 1964 and written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil and produced by Phil Spector in his trademark Wall of Sound style, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" sets an ominous and emotionally ravished tone from its opening line ("You never close your eyes...") and then builds even more powerfully from there. Far from being another of Spector's brilliantly crafted teen symphonies, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" is instead a thoroughly adult one, and the desperation that builds in Medley's lead vocal (and is echoed by Hatfield's impassioned call-and-response interjections) comes from a man who is facing the darkest night of his very soul. It is a phenomenal record, and the centerpiece of any collection it is on, including this one, which collects the Righteous Brothers' key '60s recordings. There might be more here than the casual fan will need, but in addition to the aforementioned classics you get essentials like "Little Latin Lupe Lu" and "The White Cliffs of Dover," along with a nice version of Hoagy Carmichael's "Georgia on My Mind." ~ Steve Leggett, All Music Guide