A by-the-numbers, chronological collection that hits all the commercial highlights of the Drifters' Golden Era (1959-64)--after the frequently dazzling early records with Clyde McPhatter, but featuring the consummate vocal stylings of Ben E. King, Rudy Lewis, Johnny Moore, and more on 16 memorable hits. Among the pinnacles: "There Goes My Baby", the record whose unsettling, soaring strings launched the soul era; the romantic perfection of "Save the Last Dance for Me", "This Magic Moment" and the catchy, Latin-bouncing "Sweets for My Sweet"; and the eternally evocative cityscapes of "Up on the Roof", "Under the Boardwalk" and the stark, gritty "On Broadway". Sleepers include the heartrending Bacharach ballad "Please Stay", "I Count the Tears" (ripped off later on the Grass Roots hit "Let's Live for Today") and "When My Little Girl Is Smiling", on which strings foreshadow the folk-rock movement. This is an ideal starter kit on these seminal uptown soul pioneers; those seeking further revelations (and there are plenty of them) are referred to Rockin' & Driftin': The Drifters Box. --Ken Barnes