CoronaVinyl Day 159 ('50s Soul): Encore of Golden Hits by The Platters

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Today's CoronaVinyl category is '50s soul, and The Platters were one of the groups that epitomized the sound of '50s soul.  I have a greatest hits album released in 1960 called Encore of Golden Hits, featuring 12 songs released between 1955 and 1959 by the "classic" lineup of David Lynch (not the famed director), Herb Reed, Paul Robi, Zola Taylor, and Tony Williams.

Now that we are more than 60 years past The Platters' heyday, it's easy to forget how much of a force they were, both in the U.S. and abroad.  With Williams on lead vocals, and the rest of the group lending silky smooth backing vocals, The Platters became one of the biggest groups (of any genre) in the late '50s.  Between 1955 and the end of the decade, the group had 15 Top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (or its predecessor), including 6 Top 10s and 4 #1s. On the Billboard R&B singles chart, in that same time span, they had 12 Top 10 songs, including 4 #1s.  They were also successful in the UK, where they had 9 Top 40 hits on the UK pop chart, including five Top 5 hits and one #1.  And to top it off, they had three #1 songs on the Australian pop chart.  The group also appeared in the legendary 1956 rock and roll movie, Rock Around the Clock, performing "Only You" and "The Great Pretender."

The album I have features all four of the group's #1 songs -- "The Great Pretender," "My Prayer," "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes," and "Twilight Time" -- and the other eight songs were also hits, with songs that charted between #4 and #41 on the Billboard Hot 100 (or its predecessor).

After 1959, Williams was ousted, and the group went through various lineup changes over the next decade.  While their popularity waned in the '60s, they still had some success, with 7 additional Top 40 hits, including one Top 10 song (1960's "Harbor Lights," which reached #8).  And then, like so many other groups, there have been competing versions of The Platters (often touring concurrently), each with one or more former members of the group and using someone's name in the title, like "The Platters featuring Tony Williams."

And finally, for my fellow Bulls fans, I had always been under the impression that former Bulls player Scott Williams was Platters' lead singer Tony Williams's son -- and there is even a 1993 Sports Illustrated article suggesting that -- but that isn't the case.

Favorite song from Side 1:  "The Great Pretender"

Their second single from the classic lineup became their first #1 hit on the Billboard pop chart and their second #1 on the Billboard R&B chart.  It's a classic '50s soul song, describing a guy who's pretending to be happy, when really he's lonely and miserable because his steady gal is no longer around.  Whether that's because she broke up with him, moved away, or was brutally murdered is unclear.

Favorite song from Side 2:  "Heaven on Earth"
While this wasn't one of their bigger hits -- only reaching #39 on the Billboard pop chart and #13 on the Billboard R&B chart -- it's a great, soulful song, with Williams belting it out in a few spots.