AMG Review of Best of the Diamonds: The Mercury Years

Richie Unterberger
All Music Guide

Twenty-two tracks from 1956-61, including most of their hit singles (the 1958 Top 20 entry, "Kathy-O," is oddly missing). "Little Darlin'" and "The Stroll" are quite obviously the class of the bunch, and there's a higher quantity of inferior pop-inclined covers of R&B/rock numbers than you might remember ("Why Do Fools Fall in Love," "Words of Love," "Silhouettes," "The Church Bells May Ring"). It's certainly the collection of choice, though, including a 1959 Australian single that was previously unavailable in the U.S., and the previously unreleased 1961 track "Chimes in My Heart" (written by Bill Medley of the Righteous Brothers).