Blues / Rhythm & Blues
Result of your query: 2221 products
| Lazy Lester - Rides Again - Expanded Edition I have been a huge fan of Lazy Lester’s brand of Louisiana swamp blues ever since that fateful day, many years ago now, when John Broven and Mike Leadbitter, of Blues Unlimited fame, introduced me to the Excello label and the production work of J.D. Miller, the label’s owner. I was hooked on Lester’s loping vocal and harmonica styling; the former owing a certain debt to one of the most influential bluesmen of that time, Jimmy Reed, while his harmonica work often appeared to emulate the phrasing and lilt of the accordion, an instrument much maligned, but which has been an all important part of Louisiana’s Cajun and Zydeco cultures. With the use of a pared-down rhythm section, utilising two guitars and assorted percussion to support his vocal and harmonica work, Lester created a sound that was truly unique – and almost irresistible. It had always been part of the master plan for the burgeoning Blue Horizon label – if indeed there had actually been a master plan – to record Lazy Lester, Lightnin’ Slim and Slim Harpo at some future date. It was not until 1987 that I finally succeeded in getting Lazy Lester into a recording studio. Many years of working in the studio in Crowley alongside J.D. Miller made Lester very singular of mind and perceptive as to what was required to get the best results. Those attributes stood him in good stead during these sessions. Musicians to be involved on the planned four-day sessions would be members of the Junkyard Angels, Blues’n’Trouble and special guests Bob Hall, Dave Bronze and John “Big Figure” Martin. The scene was set. I had requested that we should cut no more than three titles that Lester had recorded previously for Excello – and that’s exactly what we got. The others would be chosen from new song demos that had been especially written for the occasion, although only one of those actually made it to the studio and then was never completed – at least, not at that time. Lester had other material that he was anxious to commit to tape and we made the collective decision to also try and jam a couple of items and see what would happen. Now, you will have to take it from me that some US blues musicians can be tricky to work with. Not so with our man Leslie Johnson. He would prove to be open to almost any suggestion but also full of his own ideas – most of them pretty cool too. In an attempt to be as faithful to my good memories of those days back in May 1987, I got in touch with all the musicians that had participated to see if they might have had a different point of view. Everyone was of the same mind: Tim Elliott stating that his abiding memory was of “just how relaxed the sessions were and how everything just flowed – fabulous times”. On the 13 November 1988 “Rides Again” became the recipient of the W.C. Handy 1987-88 Blues Award For Contemporary Blues Album Of The Year (Foreign) presented by the Blues Foundation of Memphis. You could say, that although we might not have expected nor needed that, it was most welcome. By Mike Vernon (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2011 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Lazy Lester - You Better Listen recorded in Norway with local group. |
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Bluestown Records 2011 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| Lead Belly - Black Betty 2LP A Collection of Classic Songs from the Highly Influential Blues & Folk Legend on 2LP Gatefold 180g Vinyl. |
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Not Now Music 2011 | LP | 22.00 € |
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| Leroy Carr - When The Sun Goes Down 1934-1941 CD Box with Scrapper Blackwell |
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JSP Records 2011 | CD-Box | 28.00 € |
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| Little Miss Rock & Roll - Featuring The Fintones Little Miss Rock & Roll is very well known artist Janè Kitto from Australia who met some Finnish old school Rock & Roll fellows in a year 2010. They decided to make a record and now it`s ready. The record includes four original tracks and eleven cover songs which are picked up carefully from the best songs of the fifties style Rock&Roll. |
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Finnish All Music Media 2011 | CD | 15.00 € |
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| Louis Jordan - The King Of The Jukebox 2CD |
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Primo Collection 2011 | CD | 10.00 € |
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| Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint - Memphis Mojo "Memphis Mojo" is the follow up to the critically aclaimed "Back To the Black Bayou" release by Louisiana Red & Little Victor's Juke Joint. Recorded in Memphis, TN. after Red was awarded for his achievements as "acoustic artist of the year" at the Blues Music awards in May 2010. The "winnig team" presents itself in best form and spirit. A true blues legend at the peak of its creativity. Enjoy! "Back To The Black Bayou" in the Media: The Blues legend at his best! - Rainer Molz (Monsters& Critics 05/2009) His best recording in a band setting since the mid 60's - Mojo Kilian (bluesnews Germany 04/2009) One hell of an artist -Bob Gottlieb (Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange 04/2009) He is one of a few Real Deals - Ricky Bush (bushdogblues 04/2009) Absolutely indispensible for all lovers of the blues - Phil Jackson (Blues In The South 04/2009) |
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Ruf Records 2011 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| Magic Sam Blues Band - West Side Soul |
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Delmark Records 2011 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| Maisteri T. & Lihan Tie - Turpa Kii Ja Tanssi ! suomenkielistä bluesia ! paljon omia biisejä |
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Blues News 2011 | CD | 19.00 € |
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| Mighty Four - Bangin' The Boogie great finnish jump blues group. 8 tracks. |
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Mighty Records 2011 | CD | 10.00 € |
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| Nina Simone - Forbidden Fruit LP + CD When Nina Simone signed to Colpix in 1959 she was granted complete creative control over her music. This new freedom gave her the ability to explore new subject areas, particularly themes dealing with Civil Rights. Songs like "Work Song" on 1961's Forbidden Fruit gave an inkling of the maelstrom that was to come, when she would become a veritable force to be reckoned with, making white audiences squirm in their seats with her harsh condemnation of American apartheid. 180 gram vinyl + bonus CD of the same album. |
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Doxy Music 2011 | LP | 20.00 € |
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| Noland Strong & The Diablos - For Old Times Sake - The Complete Early Sides |
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El Toro Records 2011 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| NOW DIG THIS NO. 334 - January 2011 The Fifties & Fats Domino Billy Riley - Rock n Roll Chameleon Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock Volume 2 Rhythm Riot Review CDs Reviewed In NDT During 2010 - A Complete List Wildest Cats In Town Review I Shall Be Released - January 1961 |
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Now Dig This 2011 | Lehdet | 8.00 € |
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| NOW DIG THIS NO. 335 - February 2011 Joys To Share Part 1 - The Story of John Beecher & Rollercoaster Records Bill Haley Day-by-Day - 1953 Rick Nelson Furious Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Fats & Dave Tribute I Shall Be Released - February 1961 |
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Now Dig This 2011 | Lehdet | 8.00 € |
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| NOW DIG THIS NO. 337 - April 2011 You Don't Know Me - They Started Out As Rock n Rollers! Si Cranstoun Interview - He's A Dynamo! Confessions - Expressions From Records Part 2 I Shall Be Released - April 1961 Country Comment CD, DVD & Vinyl Reviews |
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Now Dig This 2011 | Lehdet | 8.00 € |
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| NOW DIG THIS NO. 339 - June 2011 Bill Haley: My Dad - Gina Haley Interview Duane Eddy - When The Twang Came Back To Town The Killer In Vegas You Don't Know Me Part 3 Juke Boxes, Rock n Roll, Milk Bars & Teenage Delinquents I Shall be Released - June 1961 |
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Now Dig This 2011 | Lehdet | 8.00 € |
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| Now Dig This NO. 340 - July 2011 Bullseye! - Griff Fender of Darts talks to NDT Hemsby Report 'n' Pix That's Different! - Alternative Versions, Re-Cuts, Overdubs & Edits Carl Bunch Interview Cajuns, Creoles, Crawfish & Gators I Shall Be Released - July 1961 |
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Now Dig This 2011 | Lehdet | 8.00 € |
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| NOW DIG THIS NO. 342 - September 2011 The Colour Photography Of Tommy Edwards - Rare and Unseen images of The Big Bopper, Eddie Cochran, Chuck Berry, Dale Hawkins etc. One Foot In The Groove Reminiscing - Buddy Holly & The Crickets in the UK Ronnie Bennett - Swam Pop Alive And Rockin' Americana & Wildest Cats In Town - Reviews & Pix I Shall Be Released - September 1961 |
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Now Dig This 2011 | Lehdet | 8.00 € |
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| NOW DIG THIS NO. 345 - December 2011 The Clyde Stacy Story Hit Or Miss? - Juke Box Jury Part 3 Rockin' & Doo-Woppin' In Rhode Island Ponderosa Stomp - Report & Pix Country Comment The Return of The Great NDT Christmas Quiz! I Shall Be Released - December 1961 |
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Now Dig This 2011 | Lehdet | 8.00 € |
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| Popa Chubby - Back To New York City (Limited Edition - Deluxe Version) |
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Mascot Label Group 2011 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| Robert Johnson - The Complete Collection 2LP 2LP = 29 tracks |
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Not Now Music 2011 | LP | 25.00 € |
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| Ronnie Hawkins - The Ballads Of Ronnie Hawkins |
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Bear Family 2011 | CD | 19.00 € |
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| Roomful Of Blues - Hook, Line & Sinker Phil Pemberton: Vocals Chris Vachon: Guitar Rich Lataille: Tenor and Alto Sax Mark Earley: Tenor and Baritone Sax Doug Woolverton: Trumpet Travis Colby: Piano and Hammond B3 John Turner: Upright Bass Ephraim Lowell: Drums Produced and Mixed by Chris Vachon for Easy-Vee Productions. Engineered by John Duva at Sonalysts Studios, Waterford, CT. Mastered by Collin Jordan and Bruce Iglauer at The Boiler Room, Chicago, IL. |
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Alligator Records 2011 | CD | 20.00 € |
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| Ruth Brown - Taking Care Of The Business 2CD Taking Care of Business - Singles As & Bs 1953-1960 + Bonus Hits From 1950-1952 Ruth Brown was one of the greatest and most influential American female blues singers of the 20th century. This package features her A and B sides of every single released between 1953 and 1960 and includes: 'Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean', '5-10-15 Hours' and 'Lucky Lips', plus her biggest pre 1953 hits. The 59 tracks across this 2CD set feature hard rock and roll, sublime blues ballads, jazzy slow grooves and are all the introduction you'll need to the legend that is Ruth Brown. |
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Jasmine Records 2011 | CD | 15.00 € |
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| Sam Cooke - Night Beat / One Night Stand -Live At The Harlem Square 2CD two classic albums |
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RCA Records 2011 | 2-CD | 20.00 € |
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| Samantha Fish / Cassie Taylor / Dani Wild - Girls With Guitars The name says it all. "Girls with Guitars" - the 2011 Ruf Records Blues Caravan Tour - presents three of the scene's hottest young female guitar slingers on a single stage. Over the past six years, the Blues Caravan has toured successfully in the UK, USA and throughout continental Europe. This unique triple bill revue has helped introduce bright new stars such as Ana Popovic and Joanne Shaw Taylor to an international audience. Following in their footsteps on the 2011 tour is a trio of dynamic, up-and-coming blues talents: Dani Wilde, Cassie Taylor and Samantha Fish. Hailing from Brighton, England, Dani Wilde sings the blues with the old-school fervor of Aretha Franklin, but also takes a cue from contemporaries like Duffy and Joss Stone. The singer/songwriter/guitarist has just released her second album, Shine, a collaboration with renowned producer Mike Vernon (Eric Clapton, Fleetwood Mac). She has shared stages with luminaries like Robben Ford, Candye Kane and Koko Taylor. Says Paul Jones of BBC Radio 2: "Dani Wilde's voice is astounding, with a unique raw passion and energy. She sings with more conviction and passion than old legends from the Mississippi Delta." At the tender age of 21, Samantha Fish is already a hot property on the live music scene in and around her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. She discovered the blues almost by accident as a teenager, but it has since become her singular mission in life. Her high-heeled, rock-edged performances have won her a loyal local following and carried her to venues like Rosa's Lounge in Chicago, where she opened eyes during the 2010 Chicago Blues Festival. 2011 seems destined to be her breakout year. Proud to call herself the "Daughter of a Bluesman," multi-instrumentalist Cassie Taylor has appeared on eight critically-acclaimed albums by her father, Otis Taylor, and accompanied him on tours all over the world. She was also a featured vocalist on Gary Moore's 2008 release Bad For You Baby. Still just in her early 20s, Cassie has been hailed for her commanding stage presence and "heavenly" voice (Boston Globe). Her music ranges from heart-wrenching ballads to hard-driving blues. Like her father, Taylor doesn't shy from topical subject matter, nor shrink from breaching musical boundaries. This trio of young, passionate performers is backed by a top-flight band of road-tested professionals for more than two hours of live blues excellence. As a foretaste for their upcomining shows around the world, the three guitarists recorded a common album in November 2010 in Berlin at the Studio Erde, which will be released to the blast-off to their tour. None other than Mike Zito produced the album. Multiple Blues Award Winner in Memphis 2010. On the album are ten own songs, like the earthshaking Get Back ("a real Killer" - Daniel Böhm, ROCKS Magazine 01/2011) or the laid-back Wait A Minute, and two covers of two really great songs. Bitch from the Rolling Stones ( therefore, the girls produced also a video - see www.bluescaravan.com ) and Jet Airliner, well-known by the Steve Miller Band. |
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Ruf Records 2011 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| Slim Sandy - New Way Rockin' rockin' hillbilly from Canada |
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Hog Maw Records 2011 | LP | 13.00 € |
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| Solitaires - Walking Along - The Best Of The Solitaires 2CD Walking Along - The Best of the Solitaires: The Solitaires were one of the greatest New York based vocal groups and considering they never had anything like a national or international hit it is remarkable to consider their fame! This set features the A and B sides of all their singles through to 1960. Best known for their hit 'Walking Along', this superb set also includes the lushly atmospheric, 'Wonder Why', 'Blue Valentine' and 'I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance' plus the hits, 'The Wedding' and 'The Angels Sang'. Fully detailed liner notes covering the groups entire career. |
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Jasmine Records 2011 | CD | 13.00 € |
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| Terry Hanck - Look Out Greasy soul rockin' blues |
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Delta Groove Music 2011 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA. - Postcards From Los Angeles 1958-1964 - The Dore Story A one-man operation run at street level for more than two decades, Hollywood’s Dore label launched the careers of Phil Spector and Jan & Dean in the late 1950s and built upon these early triumphs with an extensive catalogue of pop, rock and soul 45s during the 60s before branching successfully into comedy in the early 1970s. The story of Doré records is inextricably linked with that of its owner, Lew Bedell, who entered the music business in 1955 having worked as a minor professional entertainer in the preceding years. Pop music was different back then and never more so than in California, where Hollywood’s dominance of the entertainment scene meant that Los Angeles was scarcely aware of its music industry until hotshot producers such as Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Snuff Garrett and Lou Adler finally put the town on the recording map in the mid-1960s. Individualists such as Bedell were usually referred to as “characters” or as being “larger than life”, suggesting they were caricatures of some sort, but Bedell, for all his eccentricities, was somehow too pragmatic a man to fit that description. Doré began as a subsidiary of Era, a Hollywood label best known for mainstream pop hits such as ‘Chanson D’Amour’ and ‘The Wayward Wind’. Bedell had founded Era with his cousin Herb Newman before breaking away to run Doré alone. In 1958, it got off to a flying start with ‘To Know Him Is To Love Him’ by the Teddy Bears, a worldwide hit, followed a few months later by Jan & Dean’s ‘Baby Talk’. The major labels had lost touch with the street and it was largely left to LA’s scattering of independents to set teenagers’ turntables spinning on the West Coast. It was the age of the walk-in deal on LA’s so-called record row, an area of Hollywood populated by small labels wheeling and dealing from storefronts or backrooms. Some went in the blink of an eye but Doré stayed, moving seamlessly from rock and pop into soul music in the mid-60s. In this climate of spontaneous deal-making and low recording costs, Bedell was regularly approached by would-be’s and wanna-be’s, some of whom may have had something on the ball. Herb Alpert, Shel Talmy and Mike Curb were just a few who brought their first productions to Doré and there are some interesting connections: aside from Spector and Jan & Dean, the Walker Brothers and Vince Taylor all come into the story. 25 of the 28 tunes on this first volume of “The Doré Story” appear on legitimate CD for the first time, all taken from the original masters, including previously unissued rockabilly from cult figure Joel Scott Hill, two ultra-rare rock instrumentals by Bobby Fry, the guitarist Vince Taylor brought over with him from America in 1958. There’s exquisite doo wop, some featuring that cherished East LA “Barrio” sound, early teen rock from John Maus of the Walker Brothers and a rare instro featuring Scott Walker himself. Doré is becoming a collected label. Many of the original Doré 45s are now beginning to fetch quite big money, helped by the aura of mystique that surrounds the label and its distinctive logo. The generously proportioned, specially designed package includes a 18,000-word newly researched profile of Doré and Lew Bedell, artist biographies and many never-before seen photographs and illustrations. “The Doré Story” is an engaging snapshot of that moment in time before lawyers and accounts took over the music biz and things were simpler and probably more fun. By Rob Finnis (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2011 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Ace Story Vol. 3 Even though we knew people wanted them, from the amount of letters and e-mails we got asking us to restore it them catalogue, we’re still pleased with the continuing sales and acclaim we’ve received for the expanded CD reissues of our “Ace Story” vinyl LPs. The appreciation for the two volumes that appeared in 2010 has showed us that there’s still a significant market for the kind of package upon which we built our reputation some 30 years ago. Here on the third volume, the tracks that appeared on the original vinyl LP are joined by eight more goodies from the vault of Ace Records of Jackson, Mississippi, each selected to complement those originally chosen by Ted Carroll, Roger Armstrong and Ray Topping back in the early 1980s. Although nearly all of the featured tracks have been issued on CD at some point, most have been out of circulation for at least a decade and we’re mighty glad to restore them all to catalogue. Johnny Vincent’s little label might have been based one state over, and a few hundred miles away, but there is no more consistent provider of the great New Orleans sound of the 1950s than Ace. The sheer exuberance of Huey Smith’s ‘Little Liza Jane’ and ‘Everybody’s Whalin’’ and the crackling excitement of Bobby Marchan’s ‘Loberta’ (finally heard here in mastertape quality for the first time in 52 years) sound as fresh today as they did when committed to tape. The sessions Vincent cut elsewhere on blues acts such as Mercy Baby and Frankie Lee Sims are just as vital now as they ever were. And even the tracks Johnny bought or leased in, represented by Jerry McCain and Sonny Boy Williamson II, have a quality that immediately identifies them as Ace. John Vincent Imbragulio was one of the most astute A&R men of his time, with a vision matched only by the quality of his catalogue and the timeless hits that came out of it. For dancing or listening, there’s really no better way to have a good time than by slipping this compact disc into your player and, to coin a phrase from Earl King’s ‘Darling Honey Angel Child’, let the good times roll! Tony Rounce (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2011 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Blues Line Finland ”Blues Line Finland” -kokoelmalla (Blue North BNCD 010) FBS esittelee kolme kotimaan blues- ja roots-eliittiin hiljattain noussutta yhtyettä, joita kaikkia yhdistää paitsi se ettei yksikään kokoonpanoista ole julkaissut levyjä aiemmin, myös bändien voimakas halu poiketa kaikkein tavanomaisimmista kaavamaisuuksista ja ylläpitää siten omaleimaisella mutta perinteitä kunnioittavalla tavallaan juurimusiikin harrastusta 2010-luvun Suomessa. |
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Blue North Records 2011 | CD | 20.00 € |
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| VA: - Come Together - Black America Sings Lennon & McCartney The unanimous acclaim for and success of Ace’s recent ‘How Many Roads: Black America Sings Bob Dylan” project pretty much guaranteed a follow-up at some point. Its release immediately instigated a high level of consumer interest in whether or not we were planning any further volumes in the series. Truth to tell, it wasn’t meant to be a series originally, but the suggestion of Black America singing other notable rock icons of the 60s was too good to ignore. So it is that we now present a selection of interpretations by leading black American artists of the compositions of John Lennon and Paul McCartney. John and Paul’s songs perhaps did not carry the same degree of social significance for black Americans as those of Mr Zimmerman, but their superlative knack for words and music inevitably made each new Beatles album a potential source of future hits for others. It’s therefore no surprise to find enough superb examples to fill a few volumes. Here we present two dozen of their best-known songs sung by many of the leading names in soul from the 60s and 70s. As with the Dylan set, you’ll find the obvious (Otis Redding’s reconstruction of ‘Day Tripper’ and Aretha’s from-the-heart essay on ‘Let It Be’) rubbing shoulders with the blindingly obscure (West Coast blues giant Lowell Fulson wondering ‘Why Don’t We Do It In The Road’ and sweet soul quartet the Moments’ totally unexpected take on ‘Rocky Raccoon’). Unlike many pop songwriters, Lennon and McCartney reached out to a broad spectrum of black artists; you won’t find too many compilations where New Orleans’ rockin’ R&B man Fats Domino and his 60s near-namesake Chubby Checker feature alongside Motown’s first lady Mary Wells and king of 70s soul Al Green, and do so in such a seamless way. The common factor among all these covers is that they are never less than interesting. John and Paul are not on record as having expressed an opinion on too many versions of their songs, but we’d be willing to bet that the ones included here would have entertained them more than most. As always, the CD comes to you with a booklet featuring a huge amount of illustrative material and generous song-by-song annotations covering who wrote what (or most of what). We had originally thought that we might include versions of some Harrisongs as well, but in the end there was more than enough Lennon and McCartney material to fill this disc and more besides, so George will have to wait until another day and another CD. By Tony Rounce (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2011 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - DJ Andy Smith's Jam Up Twist Wind your way down the stairs at The Book Club in Hoxton and the first thing you see is a pool table and the queue to the cloakroom. Beyond that a crowd has formed and the party is off and going. You have entered the world of Andy Smith’s Jam Up Twist. Instead of the area’s blend of the latest dance music trends, Andy is expertly weaving a mix of great music from the distant past. A blend of rockabilly, jump blues, 60s soul and ska is pulling a crowd, and from the moment I heard it I knew that Andy was once more creating a club night that we at BGP would like to celebrate on CD. Andy came to prominence working as a DJ with Portishead when they hit the big time in the mid-90s. His inquisitive style of DJing has seen him pull music from all sorts of genres, creating an eclectic fusion that was celebrated in his seminal mix CD “The Document”. Since then he has hooked up with the BGP team for two compilations, including “Andy Smith’s Northern Soul”, which was based around his club night that attempted to introduce great 60s soul to a whole new crowd, and succeeded. We hope to repeat this success with “Andy Smith’s Jam Up Twist”. Once again Andy creates a seamless mix of tracks from the 50s through to the 70s, but it is his skill as a selector that really catches the ear. In each of the genres covered by the compilation he pulls out gems that are not only great tracks but relevant to a modern dancefloor. The rockabilly and the jump blues are just the sort of sounds that provide the influence for modern acts such as Imelda May and Kitty, Daisy & Lewis, and in cuts such as ‘Let’s Go Bopping Tonight’ by Al Ferrier, Jimmy Carroll’s ‘Big Green Car’, Mickey Champion’s ‘Bam-A-Lam’ or the Sonny Bono-penned ‘Touch And Go’ from Wynona Carr, Andy has chosen the very best. He is equally at home in the worlds of ska and Northern Soul. From the Northern pile he’s picked longstanding classics from Mel Williams and Toni & the Showmen and joined them up with some more recent finds such as the San Francisco TKOs and Luther Ingram, whose version of ‘Oh Baby Don’t You Weep’ has been one of the great discoveries of the past few years. To hear the Skatalites on a BGP comp is a real pleasure (and apt, as on ‘Malcolm X’ they are in fact covering Lee Morgan’s jazz dance classic ‘Sidewinder’), as it is to hear the voice of the great Alton Ellis. So let’s hope Andy is as successful in pushing the boundaries here as he has been in the past, because this is as great a blend as we could hope to hear. By Dean Rudland (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2011 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Downey Story - Landlocked 24 of the best Downey records, including some unissued treasures, that present a snapshot of this important Californian independent label’s catalogue. Which record label brought us one of the two biggest surf instrumental hits of the early 60s? The same label that issued a couple of future Northern Soul collector’s items. Not to mention a clutch of the best garage rockers, and some New Orleans R&B by the cream of the Crescent City’s ex-pat musicians living in Southern California in the mid-60s. Together with, of course, a plethora of instrumental rock and a fair smattering of Sunshine Pop. All this before I even mention the early work of Barry White and one of his first solo efforts. The huge surf hit was ‘Pipeline’ by the Chantays. The label, Downey. Previous compilations in the five year-old Downey series have concentrated on instrumentals, early 60s pop, R&B, garage rockers and surf. This time out I have gathered tracks that proved hard to pin down to any of those genres, together with some previously unreleased gems and alternate takes, while revisiting a few important sides essential for a label overview such as this. Following ‘Pipeline’ comes that great garage rocker ‘I Don’t Need You No More’, the flipside of ‘Boss’, the first Downey single by the Rumblers. Other, later, garage goodies include Bud & Kathy’s ‘Hang It Out To Dry’ (once the title of a collector’s LP), ‘Edge Of Nowhere’ by the Sunday Group and our old friends the Last Word, of ‘Sleepy Hollow’ fame, with ‘Freeway’, an unreleased 1966 recording. A smattering of doo wop comes in the shape of the Invictas and the Debonaires, while the Invictas’ original lead singer, Sonny Patterson, delivers a bluesy ‘Troubles’ in an alternate take from his single. The great Little Johnny Taylor makes a welcome return, as does New Orleans veteran Jessie Hill with an alternate take of ‘TV Guide’. The Sunshine Pop element is present in Craig & Michael (another Chantays-related side), the Slipped Discs and the enigmatic E.S.P Limited. The Northern Soul sides are ‘Do It’ by Pat Powdrill and ‘Jerk Baby Jerk’ by Carl Burnett. A future contender in that area might be Margaret Williams, whose ‘My Love’ makes its Ace CD debut here. The song was arranged by Barry White, who also appears as Lee Barry with ‘I Don’t Need It’, a solo 45 issued on Downey in 1966. Rockin’ instrumentals are represented by the Rivaires doing ‘The Bug’, a previously unissued version of surf hit ‘Penetration’ by Ed Burkey and the great Revels’ ‘Comanche’. Interestingly, this compilation coincides with the issue on DVD of The Exiles, the Los Angeles cult film of 1961 for which ‘Comanche’ was written. By Brian Nevill (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2011 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - From The Ghetto 29wild rock&roll and R&B movers |
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Vee-Tone Records 2011 | CD | 15.00 € |
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| VA: - Further Mellow Cats 'N' KIttens - Hot R&B and Cool Blues The “Mellow Cats’n’Kittens” series has been a pleasure for me to work on during the past few years. I’d always admired my late friend and colleague Ray Topping’s work on the Modern catalogue and I’ve tried to maintain and build on what he started. While I don’t pretend to have Ray’s dedicated appreciation of discographical minutiae, I’d like to think that, with this and a host of other projects, I’ve also done my bit to keep alive the wonderful productions of the Modern Music Company’s founder, Jules Bihari. For the fifth volume in the series, we’ve taken the opportunity to complete the digitisation of the Modern discographies of several artists who have appeared on previous volumes, such as the Three Bits Of Rhythm and Felix Gross. We’re also premiering tracks by mainstays of the Modern catalogue that were previously thought lost (Jimmy Witherspoon’s first solo Modern track, ‘Motel’) or were undiscovered until relatively recently (our Hadda Brooks track, located on the back of a Smokey Hogg acetate). There are quality cuts by past contributors such as Sylvester “Big Duke” Henderson, the equally “Big” Jim Wynn, Herb Fisher and Johnny Alston’s Orchestra – all fine purveyors of the kind of music that lit up Central Avenue in the decade immediately following the end of WWII. Our other points of call include Houston, Texas, where we take in selections from Gory (sic) Carter’s lone Modern session, before heading south west to New Orleans for a cut by the George Alexander band that was originally disguised as the work of Ramp Davis. Back on the west coast we feature the great boogie pianist Pete “P.K.” Johnson rollin’ ’em just as he did for so long with Big Joe Turner, and jazz guitar/vocal group legend Teddy Bunn jamming with a hot trio led by Kansas City piano king Jay McShann. For those who, like me, couldn’t experience the era personally, or the venues from which music like this poured seven nights a week, it’s the next best thing to being there. As ever, deeper research has allowed us to include a copious amount of previously unissued recordings to add further spice to what is already a potent mix – 9 in total. Although this is the fifth instalment of “Mellow Cat’n’Kittens”, the contents are as strong as on any previous volume – and there’s still plenty of quality vintage Modern repertoire slated for reissue in the next few years. Jump you some boogie? We certainly can, man! By Tony Rounce (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2011 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - House Rent Party Vol. 1 |
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Rent House Records 2011 | LP | 15.00 € |
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| VA: - How Good Girls Learn To Be Bad Part 1 25 tracks 50s and early 60s female rockers etc.. |
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2011 | CD | 15.00 € |
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| VA: - I Hate Cherries Vol. 2 serious 50's female jivers |
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Sleazy Records 2011 | CD | 15.00 € |
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| VA: - I Smell A Rat - Early Black Rock'n' Roll # 2 1949-1959 2LP |
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Trikont 2011 | LP | 28.00 € |
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| VA: - Leather Soul Vol. 1 - Where The Bop Meets The Buzz |
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Oosoul 2011 | CD | 10.00 € |
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| VA: - London American Label Year By Year 1958 1958 as documented by the releases of the UK’s most famous source for US rock’n’roll, pop and R&B. Our “London American Label Year By Year” series has been among the most popular we’ve come up with since we opened for business. A lot of work goes into producing three of these projects a year, but the acclaim we’ve had more than justifies the effort that goes into their creation. This year we’ve already presented a selection of true delights from London’s 1963 release schedule, and there are still many more years from the Swinging 60s that we have designs on anthologising. For the rest of this year, however, we’re in reverse. 1957 will be our October offering, and most of its contents are already licensed and ready to sequence. This month it’s the turn of 1958 to show us just some of the many goodies that London brought us in order to further Great Britain’s musical education. London released 242 singles in ’58 – a staggering total that was difficult to reduce to just 28 representative examples. Fortunately, other Ace series have previously done London proud, and you can find many of the label’s classic releases on “Golden Age”, “Teen Beat” and suchlike. However, there many gems that you can’t yet find elsewhere on Ace, and 27 of our inclusions are making their catalogue premiere here. More than 20 are brought to you directly from the mono tapes used to manufacture the stampers for the original London 45s and 78s over 50 years ago. It’s hard to imagine how we could get any more authentic, really. As with all the other volumes, 1958 offers a splendid mix of proven classics and arcane obscurities. For every Eddie Cochran and Duane Eddy, there’s a Ganim’s Asia Minors or Frank DeRosa that have seemingly been reissued nowhere at all, until now. It would have been easy to just pull together London’s biggest hits to represent the label for the year, but that would have failed to show the full range of what could be bought by anyone with a spare 7/6 in their pocket, and an urge to connect with an America that was so far beyond the physical reach – and the affordability – of most UK teens of the time, that it might as well have been on Mars. As always, the booklet features a label shot for every track – not all of which were easy to locate, but you know us when it comes to completism! – and a 7000+ word essay featuring individual annotation for all 28. The 1958 foreword is written by John Broven, who won’t mind me saying that his appreciation of London was already bordering on an obsession even then. On a personal note, ’58 was the year in which I saved enough pocket money to buy my first London 45. Naturally, it’s included here, but you’ll have to buy a copy to find out what it was. By Tony Rounce (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2011 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - London American Label Year By Year 1963 The USA was the first country in which a London label appeared. It was the flagship of British Decca’s American operations as far back as 1934. In 1949 the first batch of these American records was made available in the UK on the new London American imprint. In 2009 Ace launched its “London American Label Year By Year” series, which with this volume devoted to 1963, stands at five volumes. 1963 was a very good year for Phil Spector, the releases on whose Philles label appeared on London American in the UK. Until very recently, Philles recordings were out of bounds for compilations such as this one, but with the record producer presently out of circulation, his catalogue has very recently become available for license. Every cloud, eh? Let’s face it, this particular edition would not have been an accurate representation of 1963 without the Ronettes, the Crystals, Darlene Love and Bob B Soxx & the Blue Jeans, all of whom are present and correct. Yay! The inclusion of Darlene Love’s ‘A Fine Fine Boy’ here marks the first time the original 45 version has been legally available on CD. (All other digital issues contain a re-edit that is the result of irreparable damage to the original master.) Spector owed a lot of his success to Ellie Greenwich and her husband Jeff Barry, with whom he collaborated almost exclusively throughout 1963. The threesome co-wrote ‘A Fine Fine Boy’, ‘Then He Kissed Me’, ‘Be My Baby’ that year, and many more besides. Greenwich and Barry also penned bathos specialist Ray Peterson’s death-disc ‘Give Us Your Blessing’ and the Raindrops’ ‘What A Guy’, included here too. (Ellie and Jeff were the Raindrops, but you knew that.) 1963 was also a prime year for girl groups and female singers in general, a fact reflected here via the Sherrys, Little Eva, Marcie Blane, Robin Ward, Shirley Ellis and Ruby & the Romantics, not forgetting 50s R&B star LaVern Baker and South African ex-pat Miriam Makeba. There’s a lot more to this CD than Phil Spector, girl groups and Brill Building songwriters, but hey, that’s me for you. In all, this collection contains the A-sides of 28 of the 178 singles released on the London American label in 1963. As the series is expanding in two directions, we’re unsure if the next volume will focus on 1964 or 1958, both of which were very good years for American music. Watch this space to find out. Either way, it’ll be a winner. By Mick Patrick (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2011 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Odd Couples - What Were They Thinking ? 48-page booklet, 20 tracks. Playing time approx. 58 minutes. -- The 'Velvet Lounge' is a remarkable series of re-releases dedicated to music that is always elegant and entertaining - and sometimes even exotic. The series is a comfortable and welcoming home for treasures from the fabulous Fifties and the strange Sixties. It is a mark of quality placed on music we've rediscovered from long ago and far away, from a time and place between Rock and Beat ecstasy and psychedelic populism. -- This newest addition to the Bear Family contains music that comes straight from the archives of both large and small record companies, and is re-mastered to Bear Family's excellent quality, normally as a direct digitalisation of a master-tape but always with the best possible sound. What you hear is what you get, and the listener is tempted in by this music, asked to relax and savour the music, while maybe putting up their feet and slowly stirring a long drink. -- And who you hear is important; the artists' names alone make for a formidable series. Eartha Kitt, 'the most exciting woman in the world' according to Orson Welles, does her purring 'thang' on the album 'St. Louis Blues', alongside legendary West-Coast-trumpeter Milton 'Shorty' Rogers and an extravagantly exciting and highly entertaining blues program. And then on the album 'Personalities' another trumpeter Al 'Jumbo' Hirt dedicates himself to a sort of 'symbolization in sound' of sex-bomb Ann Margret, some twenty years his junior, on songs like My Baby Just Cares For Me or Baby, It's Cold Outside. Despite numerical evidence to the contrary, 'jazz' was not a four letter word back then, and even 'entertainment' did not smell funny, yet. The motto was 'anything goes' rather than 'is that allowed ' This artistic free-for-all and high quality craftsmanship produced songs that had every right to be called 'standards'. Artist-arrangers like Marty Paich or Juan Esquivel, for instance, not only showcased the abilities of some of the best studio musicians of their time, but also the songwriters. -- The 'Velvet Lounge' engages more than the ears, though. You'll need your stomach muscles, at least those involved in extensive laughter. On 'What were they thinking ' an overdue compilation with all kinds of 'odd couples', pleasure becomes a principle and the absurd gets to be ordinary. Country stars meet Exotica heroes or Easy Listening troubadours. Pop crooners like Perry Como are coupled with the Sons Of The Pioneers, and even Lotte Lenya, Kurt Weill's wife, and Bertolt Brecht's favorite mime, gets to share some hilarious studio-time with the sensational Louis Armstrong. -- Because the 'Velvet Lounge' series comes under the Bear Family banner, it is a given that the graphic design is perfectly fitting and fittingly perfect, featuring rare original photographs, exact discographies, and extensive liner notes. Everything about this series has a touch of exuberance and luxury. Everyone from the collecting specialist to the cultural crusader can feel most welcome and at home in this 'Velvet Lounge'. |
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Bear Family 2011 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Profile Records Story |
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Floating World Records 2011 | CD | 9.00 € |
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| VA: - Rock Your Baby t’s an odd truism in music that the songs that last the longest aren’t the Grammy winners, or the Mull of Kintyres or the multi million-selling soundtracks, but the songs that are sung in the playground and passed down from generation to generation. Maybe things have changed since I was a loveable scamp, but certainly in the 70s I was gleefully singing songs about the various bells of London or mass death via the plague. Just as oddly, if I were somehow elevated a minimum of two inches higher than my classmates I would proudly declare them dirty rascals, despite the fact this hadn’t been an effective insult for over a century. Perhaps today a government department sponsored by an alcopop manufacturer gives credits according to which corporate-owned nastiness kids choose to jig about to, but I for one hanker after a more innocent time. Which is exactly where this album comes in. I love my kids, really I do. Even when I think I don’t, deep down I know I do. I love my kids and I love my car and I love my music, so this album was put together for those infuriating long journeys and those infuriating short journeys, when Clive and Natasha are creating in the backseat. We all fancy a singalong but I’m not in the mood for the tweenies, but I am in the mood for a long list of names that almost rhyme with food, or songs about idiot amphibians or dance tunes about monkeys. This will keep us all entertained for a couple of hours, till the little poppets have worn themselves out and I can rest easy, safe in the knowledge that I’m a great dad, and that my kids are entirely fictional. Which is a relief, as he doesn’t really look much like me and I’m not entirely sure if that’s how you spell her name. So here we go, a new musical curriculum for the young and the simple of mind. By Mark Lamarr (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2011 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Saints And Sinners Vol. 5 16 obscure Rockin' shots from occident that will cut your head off !! |
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Sheik Records 2011 | LP | 15.00 € |
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| VA: - Saints And Sinners Vol. 6 16 obscure Rockin' shots from occident that will cut your head off !! |
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Sheik Records 2011 | LP | 15.00 € |
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| VA: - Shattered Dreams - Funky Blues 1967-1978 As soul became the music of black America in the late 60s, blues performers had to adapt to survive. Playing to the white rock crowd was an attractive option, but in hundreds of sweaty, run-down clubs across the US an older urban black audience was still there to be entertained. Blues musicians made a few concessions to the age, added funk licks and a few soul screams and created some seriously good music, which has often been ignored by blues scholars. “Shattered Dreams” is BGP’s celebration of that period. In recent years funky blues has become a sought-after genre, especially with younger collectors. Numbers such as Finis Tasby’s ‘It Took A Long Time’, Slim Green’s ‘Shake It Up’ and Buddy Guy’s ‘I’m Not The Best’ can all fill a dancefloor with their wild energy. The blues guys could certainly hit a groove, but if this CD captures anything it is a sense of despair you can hear as Smokey Wilson sings ‘You Shattered My Dreams’ – despair for an age that was fading away. Drawn from the vaults of such influential players as Stax, Modern and legendary producer Johnny Otis, this is exciting music from major names such as Little Milton, Lowell Fulson and Albert King, all using the nous gathered through years on the chitlin’ circuit to keep themselves relevant to record-buying audiences of the day. Elsewhere we have some terminally obscure names and cult heroes. Finis Tasby and Smokey Wilson create music of great worth that was rarely heard at the time, never mind 40 years later. This is music that has been hidden away, sometimes ignored for being neither one thing nor the other. Put “Shattered Dreams” in the player and you will very quickly be brought into a world of older guys still making it in the world. There is a lot of tough talk, but despite being cool, they are still stuck in a world of trouble full of women that make it hard for them, or who are trying to use them. Listen to Albert King on ‘Playin’ On Me’ and you are listening to a man expounding themes that wouldn’t sound out of place on rap records recorded decades later. The same could be said of Smokey Wilson’s previously unreleased ‘High Time’ or Arthur K Adams’ ‘Gimme Some Of Your Lovin’’. These 21 tracks define an era when bluesmen were not the big stars they had been a decade or so earlier, struggling to keep it together in a world where their music was fast becoming a thing of the past. By Dean Rudland (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2011 | CD | 17.00 € |
