'Sea Of Love' - Phil Phillips and the Twilights

Sea of love

I think that it is the all time best romantic soul love song that is ever been made.
Sea of love with Phil Phillips and the Twilights.

Now which cd should I buy to get this timeless masterpiece with the best sound?

Has he/they done other great songs? It seems to be quite difficult to find something to buy.
Hope there is someone who is specialist of his music …

Phil Phillips Biography

b. John Phillip Baptiste, 14 March 1931, Lake Charles, Louisiana, USA. Phillips wrote his one hit, "Sea Of Love", to impress a would-be girlfriend in 1958. He was introduced to producer George Khoury, who recorded the song at the Goldband Recording Studio and released it on his own label, credited to Phil Phillips And The Twilights. Although the song never had the intended effect upon the girl, the single sold well locally, resulting in the larger Mercury Records picking up distribution and the ballad reached number 2 in the US national chart and number 1 in the R&B chart. The song was typical of the "swamp-rock' sound that Cajun community of the bayou of southern Louisiana was producing by such artists as Rod Bernard, Tommy McLain, and Johnnie Allan. Phillips recorded several other songs during the next few years, but never again managed to chart. His song later resurfaced recorded by Marty Wilde (UK number 3, 1959), Del Shannon and the Honeydrippers (a rock supergroup with Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, and Nile Rodgers), the latter nearly matching the original's performance by reaching the US number 3 position in 1985. In 1989, Phillips" original recording made news again as the title song for Al Pacino's film of the same name. Phillips was working as a Louisiana disc jockey in the late 80s.
Encyclopedia of Popular Music

Stay cool, calm and collected!
/JJ

 

Hi JJ,

Sea of Love has been discussed before. Here is the thread from the archives.

 

Thanks chip-hp! But I am still waiting an answer which cd to buy …
Could not imagine, that his music was sooo rare, even in States!

 

Well, Mr. PMU, I started that other thread many moons ago and never really got an answer. There are a couple of comps available, but with obscure groups like this you just never know what you're going to get--demo's, songs with one or two original members, etc. Should you take the plunge, let us know what you found. I got a little gun shy and ended up buying nothing. I've got a sneaking feeling that "Sea of Love" is the only thing they did with that incredible groove.

 

TTBOMK, there is no legitimate Phil Phillips CD ... so, if you are asking which CD to buy for "Sea of Love"? ... I would suggest these in order of preference ...

1. "Remember When All Original Recordings" Garland GRZ012 (1987) - Mastered by your host ... Steve Hoffman ... long OOP ... extremely hard to find.

2. "45's On CD Volume 1 ('56 - '59)" Polygram 832041-2 (1987) - Mastered by Dennis Drake ... also long OOP ... hard to find but available used on eBay from time to time.

3. "Teenage Crush" Ace CDCHD 640 (1997) ... probably mastered by Duncan Cowell (I don't have a copy) ... in print and available from the UK or better CD stores in Europe ... I suspect.

 

Chip,

The Duncan Cowell mastered version has the echo of the original '45' if I understand my history correctly. The SH mastered version is dry. The CD you referenced is, I believe, in stock at my favorite CD store or they can get it quickly as they have a great source for obtaining Ace releases. The sound of the Steve mastered version is the best, in my opinion, although the version mastered by Duncan Cowell sounds very nice. Duncan added a bit of low-end to the track in order to present it with more impact. The SH-mastered version is slightly more dynamic.

Bob

 

There were a few copies of "Remember When" listed at Half.com.

 

Right you are ... get them while you can ... Hoffman fans.

 

Thanks a lot chip-hp!
I’ll try to get some of these.

/JJ