The Platters

小簡介
世界首席流行樂隊(duì)THE PLATTERS(派特斯)于六十年代在美國羅省組成，THE PLATTERS是流行音樂史上第一支在熱門流行榜上擁有冠軍歌曲的黑人合唱團(tuán)體，他們的歌曲流傳廣遠(yuǎn)，幾乎已經(jīng)到了無人不知無人不曉的地步，時(shí)至今日，當(dāng)他們登臺(tái)時(shí)，仍舊驕傲地自我介紹，這是美國獻(xiàn)給世人的珍貴禮物。
　　THE PLATTERS發(fā)行的第一首ONLY YOU，原本是一首布魯斯風(fēng)格的歌曲，經(jīng)過他們以流
行樂的方式演唱，從而成為黑人歌星的第一首全球暢銷金曲，THE PLATTERS也因此一舉成名。之后，唱片公司便希望乘勝追擊，要求他們再灌一首作品，而THE GREAT PRETENDER就成為他們的第二首招牌曲。
　　至此，許多作曲者都主動(dòng)要求PLATTERS演唱他們的作品，其中MY PRAYER，是他們首次以序曲的方式完成的歌曲，沒有想到大受歡迎，多年來一直高踞熱門排行榜榜首。
　　THE PLATTERS的歌曲除了寫下唱片界歷史性的一頁外，也發(fā)明了用MTV音樂錄影帶來促銷唱片的宣傳方法，他們是最早開始懂得將自己演唱的新作品制作成三分鐘的影片，分送給電視節(jié)目中播放，就這樣，音樂錄影帶從而誕生了，但是卻很少有人知道，MTV原本始于THE PLATTERS。
　　THE PLATTERS可謂裴聲國際，其作品也是家喻戶曉，無數(shù)電影電視都曾套用THE PLATTERS所演唱的名曲，在各大卡拉OK也是熱門歌曲；經(jīng)典作品包括"ONLY YOU"，"SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES"，"THE MAGIC TOUCH"，"THE GREAT PRESENDER"，"MY PRAYER"，"UNCHAINED MELODY"等，數(shù)之不盡。尤其是他們演繹的一曲《人鬼情未了》主題曲更是使無數(shù)歌迷和電影迷們?yōu)橹畠A倒，頗有余音繞梁，三日不絕之感。
　　唱片方面，自六十年代至今，THE PLATTERS唱片的世界總銷量數(shù)以億計(jì)，被喻為美國國寶級(jí)組合。從六十年代至今，他們的唱片銷售數(shù)量超越了八千萬張，其中白金唱片就有十六張之多。他們在巴黎灌制的SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES，是作曲家杰洛肯恩在1933年為了一部音樂劇《羅艮塔》(ROBERTA)所寫的曲子，經(jīng)過他們的激情演繹之后風(fēng)行全球，直至今日。THE PLATTERS曾在1990年被美國權(quán)威音樂雜志BILL BOARD MAGAZING歸納入選為ROCK & ROLL OF FAME樂壇殿堂人物榜的最佳樂隊(duì)。
　　紅極一時(shí)的THE PLATTERS的演唱會(huì)足跡遍及全球，在世界各地都獲得空前的成功，不但在歐洲的巡回演唱贏得贊譽(yù)，在巴黎和雅典這樣的文化古都更是受人激賞。無論是從紐約的國際級(jí)舞臺(tái)卡內(nèi)基大廳到安大略的巨型賭場CASINO RAMA，還是從美國的拉斯維加斯到日本大阪，所有THE PLATTERS踏足的城市，其門票都被當(dāng)?shù)氐臒崆楦杳該屬徱豢?。THE PLATTERS曾數(shù)次在香港演出，每次均全場爆滿，座無虛席。此外，THE PLATTERS更曾被香港電臺(tái)主辦的唱片界盛事"全港十大金曲選舉"作特別嘉賓演出。
　　2001年11月，THE PLATTERS的主唱CURTIS MICHAEL曾接受雪碧流行榜的邀請(qǐng)，自美國紐約飛來北京參加盛會(huì)，作為頒獎(jiǎng)嘉賓并即興演唱了ONLY YOU(只有你)及SMOKE GETS IN YOUR EYES(煙霧彌漫你的眼睛)兩首人們耳熟能詳?shù)慕?jīng)典歌曲，受到首都娛樂界的廣泛贊譽(yù)。2002年12月31日晚，THE PLATTERS將首次在保利劇院舉辦演唱會(huì)，屆時(shí)，首都的音樂迷們將有幸領(lǐng)略這一世界流行樂壇頂級(jí)勁旅的深厚演唱功力。
by Cub Koda
The Platters started out as a Los Angeles-based doo wop group with little identity of their own to make them stand out from the pack. They started out making their first records for Federal, a subsidiary of Cincinnatis King Records. These early sides dont sound anything like the better-known sides that would eventually emerge from this group, instead merely aping the current R&B trends and styles of the day. What changed their fortunes can be reduced down to one very important name: their mentor, manager, producer, songwriter, and vocal coach, Buck Ram. Ram took what many would say were a run-of-the-mill R&B doo wop vocal group and turned them into stars and one of the most enduring and lucrative groups of all time. By 1954, Ram was already running a talent agency in Los Angeles, writing and arranging for publisher Mills Music, managing the Three Suns — a pop group with some success — and working with his protégés, the Penguins. The Platters seemed like a good addition to his stable.
After getting them out of their Federal contract, Ram placed them with the burgeoning national independent label Mercury Records (at the same time he brought over the Penguins following their success with Earth Angel), automatically getting them into pop markets through the labels distribution contacts alone. Then Ram started honing in on the groups strengths and weaknesses. The first thing he did was put the lead vocal status squarely on the shoulders of lead tenor Tony Williams. Williams emoting power was turned up full blast with the group (now augmented with Zola Taylor from Shirley Gunter & the Queens) working as very well-structured vocal support framing his every note. With Rams pop songwriting classics as their musical palette, the group quickly became a pop and R&B success, eventually earning the distinction of being the first black act of the era to top the pop charts. Considered the most romantic of all the doo wop groups (that is, the ultimate in make out music), hit after hit came tumbling forth in a seemingly effortless manner: Only You, The Great Pretender, My Prayer, Twilight Time, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, Harbor Lights, all of them establishing the Platters as the classiest of all.
Williams struck out on his own in 1961 and, by the decades end, the group had disbanded with various members starting up their own version of the Platters. This bit of franchising now extends into the present day, with an estimated 125 sanctioned versions of the original Platters out on the oldies show circuit.