The Platters
The Very Best Of

There are a couple of reasons why I approached the Platters, broadening my knowledge beyond those usual two wonderful songs. First and foremost, the deep admiration I have for their historical period, which was probably the golden age of Pop melody; how many wonderful "tunes" have been recorded between the late '50s and early '60s, on both sides of the Atlantic? Eh, if only we knew... But it's not just a matter of quantity, consider the style, the attitude, the elegance, the charm, the sobriety understood as good taste and a sense of moderation. These were transversal characteristics, identifiable in the Platters as well as in, for example, Hildegard Knef and many, many others, regardless of cultural and musical background.

And then, there is this other curiosity: about the Platters, people essentially know nothing; they don’t know who they were, they don't know their names, their personal stories, their private lives aren't a topic of discussion, yet when "Only You" starts playing… I don’t think I need to add more. Isn't that how it should generally be for this kind of music? My deep aversion to exaggerated character portrayal, to the obsessive pursuit of media products, charisma for its own sake, leads me to appreciate even more the "disembodied" melodies, where the performer becomes nothing more than one of the instruments: a vehicle, not the ultimate goal, which is and remains the song itself.

Among the first African American artists to achieve large-scale global success, perhaps the last great successful vocal group, the Platters are a piece of history, traditionalists but in some ways also innovators, a bridge between ages, cultures, and musical styles. In the mid-’50s, they ideally picked up the legacy of the Ink Spots, their predecessors, bringing the style to a new level of modernity, freshness, and impact. The wonderful and unmistakable timbre of Tony Williams, the quintet's lead voice, was certainly their extra gear, besides the impeccable use of harmonies and backing vocals, the perfect balance between brilliant doo-woops and languid torch songs, never too stiff or saccharine in their hands. And they had the good fortune to debut with "Only You" followed closely by "The Great Pretender," thus securing their place in history in a swift manner.

But don’t think that the Platters stop there; each of the sixteen songs included in this collection, whether original or reinterpreted, is a testament to the absolute splendor and beauty of what was the "mainstream" of the era. Classy ballads like “My Prayer” and “Heaven On Earth” and the liveliness of “You’ll, Never, Never Know”, “The Magic Touch”, “I’m Sorry”, all with that slightly mischievous jazzy feeling, the stealthy stride of “Remember When”, the sleepy and picturesque tropical fantasy of “Sleepy Lagoon”. There is also extensive use of orchestrations, classic-like reminiscences that add a patina of sumptuousness and further retro charm to their music; “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes”, another timeless classic, “Harbor Lights”, melancholic and suspended in time, the lyricism of “Ebb Tide” and “My Dream”, but also “Twilight Time” with its lighter development, with idyllic, almost fairytale-like, contours.

And what a kind of voices… harmonies impeccably used and vowels masterfully extended; those count too, you know. Everything contributes to creating a perfect mix, and, mind you, of tremendous impact, theatrical just right. I can’t help but think of ABBA, and Freddie, of course, of what the Platters represented for them, the influence they had on so many other masterpieces that followed. Long live the Platters, long live the little songs, long live nostalgia, in these cases. Long live nostalgia, just like that, when it’s needed it's needed; imagine this, I finally found the inspiration to write about them by seeing (not certainly by my own will) jay-z and beyoncé on TG3. I said to myself: "You have to do something," and here I am. I suppose I should thank them for this.