Compilations of
the Exciters have unsurprisingly focused on the recordings they made in the early to mid-'60s for
United Artists, a period that contained their most popular work (including the hit
"Tell Him" and the original version of
"Do Wah Diddy Diddy"). It's not too well known that they continued to record fairly often for other labels throughout the '60s. This 21-song compilation has much of that subsequent output, most of which hadn't appeared on CD prior to this anthology. In this era,
the Exciters found themselves in the dilemma of many talented acts of their time that first struck early in the decade: there weren't any songs with the instant hit appeal of
"Tell Him" or
"Do Wah Diddy Diddy," and the girl group style they'd done so well on those hits was becoming outmoded with the onset of soul. But approached with the knowledge that this isn't the group at its best (at least material-wise) or most definitive, this isn't a bad listen for serious girl group/'60s soul fans. Many of the earliest tracks, from their stint at
Bang, were written or co-written by the great soul producer/songwriter
Bert Berns, and while they weren't among his best compositions, they're OK (especially the ballad
"You Got Love," which sounds like something
Dusty Springfield might have considered covering). Much of the post-
Bang stuff here was co-written by
the Exciters'
Herb Rooney with
Larry Banks (famed as composer of
"Go Now," the
Bessie Banks single covered for an international hit by
the Moody Blues), and these tracks generally found the group drifting toward a less distinctive brand of mid to late-'60s soul, though
"Take One Step (I'll Take Two)" is a very good midtempo belter. Lead singer
Brenda Reid's vocals are consistently powerful and stirring, however, and the 20-page liner notes have what's likely to be the best history of
the Exciters ever published. ~ Richie Unterberger
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