Universally credited as the originators of the popular “girl
group” sound, the Shirelles paved the way for acts like Martha Reeves and the
Vandellas, as well as the Supremes. Others may have ultimately done it to more
acclaim, but no one did it quite like the Shirelles, as this solid little concert
disc proves.

Fronted by Doris Jackson, the Shirelles got their start in 1958
as schoolgirls in Passaic, New
Jersey. In keeping with their youth, their sound was
clean, smooth and vibrant, characterized by a reliance on melody and harmonious
interplay over complex runs. Removed from Motown and the flashier production sound
that entailed, the Shirelles were known for possessing a sort of clarion quasi-spirituality,
and on their way to becoming the first female super group they became not only inspirations
for a legion of female groups that followed, but also the supplier of quite a
few standards. Throughout the years their long string of hits have been
recorded by dozens of artists, including the Beatles, Eric Clapton, Dionne
Warwick, Smokey Robinson, the Mamas & the Papas, Aretha Franklin and
countless others.

I don’t know where the question mark in its title went, but this
performance of pointedly pitched nostalgia was recorded live at the Rock ’n
Roll Palace in Orlando, Florida, sometime in 1988, and it comes at a point
where the Shirelles have peaked, certainly, but not diminished nearly as
greatly as one might guess. Putting “Soldier Boy,” “Foolish Little Girl,” “Dedicated
to the One I Love,” two versions of “Baby It’s You,” “Mama Said” and the soaring
title track through the paces, the Shirelles deliver a solid if too-short set
brimming with unadulterated joie de vivre.
Bonus tracks on this DVD include two performances apiece by the Angels (“My
Boyfriend’s Back” and “Til”) and the Dixie Cups (New Orleans jazz standard “Iko
Iko” and Top 10 smash “Chapel of Love”).

Housed in a regular Amray case and presented on a
region-free disc in two-channel Dolby digital, this DVD features an attractive staging
and arrangement of its main course, but no supplemental garnish. Additionally,
the aforementioned “bonus track” inclusions — while quite welcome and certainly
of a piece in terms of genre classification — feel a bit haphazard. Brief
biographical notes or even talking head sketches on the Shirelles would shade
things nicely; certainly there’s room on a disc that barely runs over an hour
as is. B (Concert) C- (Disc)