The 40 Essential Albums of 1967

Dionne Warwick Golden Hits/Part One Scepter [Listen]

By 1967, "Alfie" and the like had Warwick on the road to divahood, but that didn't mean this best-of, marked circa 1962-1964 in gold on the cover, was perceived as an oldies record. Girl groups weren't considered quaint yet, and Warwick has never been more tuneful or charming than when she and Bacharach-David had them to contend with. The selling points here are Warwick standards like "Walk On By" and "Don't Make Me Over." But obscurities long vanished from her canon are only a shade less compelling: the delicate "Any Old Time of Day" or her proud, quiet cover of the Shirelles' "It's Love That Really Counts."