The Whispers: Greatest Hits

Album Review

These songs encompass the Whispers' Janus recordings that chronicle the second phase of their recording career; they cut their teeth with Dore Records. A larger recording budget and better songs make this a sweeter package then the primitive sounding Dore tracks. Unlike the Dore tracks, these recordings got played outside of California and established the group as more than just regional phenoms. "I Only Meant to Wet My Feet" has to be their first recording to air East of the Mississippi River. The cleverly conceived ballad, featuring the twin leads of Wallace and Scott had Midwesterners wondering, "who are these Whispers?" "Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong" had some insightful lyrics that bordered on reverse psychology, seems this lad had to do wrong for people to notice him; he wanted to be noticed, so he did wrong. As exciting and as relevant as "Planets of Life" was, it dealt with astrological signs, it didn't achieve the same success as the previous two songs. Solid choices from the underrated Bingo LP are included, including the excellent title track and the poignant "A Mother for My Children."