During their most popular years, the team of Pat Best, Jimmy Gordon, Jimmie Nabbie and Danny Owen were part of the do-wop team The Four Tunes. Other members came and went during the years of this 3 disc, 75 song collection of their singles, and their sound evolved from facile Ink Spots and Mills Brothers to more R&B sounds and harmonies.
The earliest pieces here have the band almost becoming a Barbershop Quartet as on “(I Wonder Where Is My Love)” and “Wrapped in a Dream”. Hints of the Nat King Cole trio are heard on one of their big hits “I Want To Cry” while they give some p ops sounds on “The Prisoner’s Song”. The harmonies are rich on the fun “I’m Just A Fool In Love” and they swing easy on “I Married an Angel”. Their big hits, such as “Marie” and “I Understand How You Feel” mix swing with a churchy mood of vocal support, while the team even delves into C&W on “Cool Water” and “The Last Round Up”, both a real hoot.
As the years progressed, they were supported by big bands as on “Let Me Go Lover” and caught the teenage craze on “Rock and Roll Call” before delivering some dramatic material on “The Ballad of James Dean” and “The Japanese Farewell Song”. These gents rode the waves of fads and styles like a timeless pin stripe suit, adapting yet still keeping classic in tone and tones.