The Shirelles: Happy and in Love (1971)

The Shirelles were one of the first, and among the best, of the female vocal groups of the rock era. Smoothly blending pop, soul and rock influence, their sweet harmonies led to a great deal of chart success. They had plenty of hits during the first part of the '60s, including the classics 'Soldier Boy', 'Will You Love Me Tomorrow' and 'Mama Said' but, despite the admiration of British Invasion groups like the Beatles and Manfred Mann, the foreign fad had claimed the Shirelles' thunder by the end of the decade. The group scraped the lower reaches of the charts a few more times, making their last appearance, ironically, with 1967's 'Last Minute Miracle.' Doris Kenner left the following year to concentrate on raising her family, and the remaining Shirelles, Shirley Owens Alston Reeves, Addie "Micki" Harris McPherson, and Beverley Lee, continued as a trio, cutting singles for Bell, United Artists, and RCA through 1973. They released a couple of albums for the latter label, the first of which gives its title to this post. Happy and in Love, from 1971, is a rare LP, which features a decent, if not superlative, collection of songs with a warm Motown-esque feeling, including 'No Sugar Tonight', 'Take Me', 'Go Away and Find Yourself', the outstanding 'Strange, I Still Love You', a version of the Royalettes' 'It's Gonna Take a Miracle', plus a re-recording of their big hit 'Dedicated to The One I Love', among others. It has never been reissued on cd as far as I know, so I am sure you will appreciate it! ;-) For the classic days of the girls, go here.