Posted on December 27, 2008 - by Mark Zonda

It’s lonely at the Plat

It was inevitable, I suppose. My personal growth into the world of music followed each step of the evolution of rock’n'roll, even though I wasn’t born somehwere in the 40’s during the second world war. Possibily inevitable, just like the chance to escape to the deflagration of some good ol’ classic of rock’n'roll music blasting their simple and immediate guitar riff through time and space. It was rock aronund the clock.

Commercials, hollywood movies, the radio, certaing happy days episode (letteraly) hit me to death. No metter how you try, some bullets just can’t be skipped, and you find yourself wounded at the heart by a handful full of rocks.

Billy Halley, Little Richard, Chubby Cheber, one of those lethal bands came to be the Platters.

The funny thing is that they weren’t even a real rock’n'roll band! Platters were the best doo wop vocal band in the World. 16 golden hits, 40 song in the charts and 3 albums that sold more than one million of copies. Platters were for sure THE vocal band who helped the new sound of music to get free from his roots.

The melanchonic voice of Tony Williams and their smooth ballads managed to conque the market of the white listeners. Early recording from 1954 Federal sessions were not so successful, just like for “Only you”, composed by their manager Buck Bam.

Things happened to change once the band left Federal for Mercury: “Only You” became a hit, and the song reached the 5th place of the pop charts.

Platters members started right with the official team: Tony Williams first tenor, David Lynch second tenor, Herb Reed bass, Paul Robi bariton and Zola Taylor female voice.

The soft songs of Platters can reach the audience for sure- One after one each melody became an hit: Ram’s “The great pretender” reaching 1st position; “The Magic Touch”, 4th in 1956; “My prayer”, a cover from the French “Boulanger” from ‘39 then 1st on 1056; the happy “You’ll never never know” leaded by Herb Reed vocal bass included on the movie “The Girl Can’t Help It”.

The last hit is from 1958: “Smoke gets in your eyes”, an old standard by Jerome Kern. What is left are tones of strings (“Twilight Time”),  “a little help from Ciaikòvskji” (“Where”), Buck Ram mocks (“Enchanted” from 1959, clearly Iovory Joe Hunter “Since I met you baby”.

Tony Williams quit in 1960. It’s the chance for Buck Ram to keep on triyng to fix band’s holes leading the new brand “The Five Platters Inc.” till will find him has the only original member of the original band.

Their official collection blends the glorious hits with these other unsuccesful commercial mediocrites. Why? Rhino only knows.

Let it ring on...

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