The Best of the Girl Groups, Vol. 2 (CD - 1990)

Photographer: Michael Ochs.

Unknown Contributor Roles: Ellie Greenwich; Joanie Sommers; Little Eva; The Murmaids; Robin Ward; The Angels; The Caravelles; The Chiffons; The Cookies ; The Essex; The Exciters; The Honeys; The Paris Sisters; The Raindrops; The Shirelles; The Toys; Carole King.

Picking up where the first volume left off, The Best of the Girl Groups, Vol. 2 contains 18 classics from the golden age of girl groups. These are hardly leftovers; if anything, it feels like a greatest-hits collection, thanks to songs such as "My Boyfriend's Back," "Sweet Talkin' Guy," "The Loco-Motion," "A Lover's Concerto," "Chains," "Popsicles and Icicles," "Tell Him," "Don't Say Nothin' Bad (About My Baby)," "Easier Said Than Done," and "Johnny Get Angry." A few of these tunes may sound a little dated, but the startling thing about The Best of the Girl Groups, Vol. 2 is that the majority of the music sounds as fresh and exuberant as it did when it was originally released. Which only reiterates the fact that this isn't just some of the best girl group pop ever made -- it's some of the best pop of any era. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine minimize