| Booker T. & The MG's - The Memphis Soul Sound Of |
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Vinyl Passion 2013 | LP | 13.00 € |
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| George Jackson - The Fame Sessions Ah, the joy of vinyl – especially the new Ace Records high quality releases. The 180 gram test pressing landed on my desk with a thump and, once placed on the deck, the needle was placed on the first groove with a satisfying thrum. So you can only imagine how much better the experience got as the sound of Fame’s classic house band of David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, Barry Beckett and Roger Hawkins emerged from the speakers. They were behind George Jackson as he demonstrated the power of a new song he had written. Any fan of Southern Soul will know that ‘I’m Just A Prisoner’ became a classic for Candi Staton but, as we have proved time and again over the last few years, George Jackson was more than capable of delivering his own songs. Mississippi-born, George had his first break in music working alongside Dan Greer at Goldwax Records in Memphis, writing songs and releasing a single in a duet with Dan. In 1967 he auditioned at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, where proprietor Rick Hall was looking to replace his top writer Dan Penn, who had moved to Memphis the previous year. In George, Rick found someone who not only wrote prolifically but could sing as well. As an artist, George released two singles on the Fame label and one more Fame-recorded side on Verve. However, it is quite likely that no-one wanted him to be too successful in that role, because his songs were far too important for Fame’s star artists and others who passed through the studio looking for some Muscle Shoals magic. In short order, he wrote hits for Candi Staton, Wilson Pickett, Clarence Carter and then turned out a #1 for the Osmonds. However, George wrote more songs than he could place with other artists and he also recorded non-stop. Over two CD volumes we have showcased his Fame recordings and we are now proud to present you with his first ever vinyl album from these sessions. In the style of a classic late 60s or early 70s soul album, it features 12 stunning tracks, two of which are (for now) exclusive to this release. It’s difficult to pick out favourites but I have a lot of time for ‘I Bit Off More Than I Can Chew’ (which we’ve discovered was written with James Govan in mind) and ‘Get It When I Want It’, another track written for Candi Staton. Of the new tracks, ‘Add A Little Sunshine’ and ‘That From The Heart’ are more than worthy additions to the George Jackson canon. By Dean Rudland (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2013 | LP | 23.00 € |
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| Johnny Copeland - It's Me - Classic Texas Soul 1965-72 2CD At the time of his death 15 years ago, Johnny Copeland was regarded as one of the world’s premier blues artists, a Grammy-winner with a strong body of work behind him. Success had come late, preceded by almost 30 years of working hard to make a living. In those years he recorded extensively, building a catalogue of 45s that did little to advance his career, despite their unbridled excellence. Many of those 45s fell into the hands of appreciative soul and blues collectors around the world, establishing Johnny as a cult hero whose work was always worth a listen. Johnny had been working for a decade when he entered into a professional relationship with producer Huey Meaux in 1964, but it wasn’t until he came under Huey’s wing that his records found their way beyond Texas and onto bigger labels. Huey recognised Johnny’s talent and recorded him extensively. The records they made together form the basis of this important new 2CD set. “It’s Me” is the most comprehensive collection of Johnny’s mid-60s to early 70s recordings ever assembled. Here you’ll find Huey Meaux-produced Wand, Suave, Jet Stream, Boogaloo and Wet Soul singles, material Johnny either sold to or cut directly for Kent-Modern in the early 1970s, two rare duets he recorded with South Texas R&B heroine Miss La Vell White as Johnny & Lilly, sides submitted to Wand for a proposed album that never happened, previously undocumented songs, and some fabulous vocal/guitar demos, some of which have never been issued before. None have ever sounded better than they do here, thanks to extensive vault research undertaken by me and my colleague Alec Palao in 2012. (Due to the disappearance or deterioration of a few tapes, fresh dubs were made and remastered from scratch.) I first heard Johnny Copeland when my old pal Tony Cummings sat me down and played me ‘Dedicated To The Greatest’ almost 45 years ago. The power and soul in his voice made me an immediate fan. It’s been a true honour to work on a project that at last puts this classic material into the context it’s always deserved. By Tony Rounce (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2013 | CD | 25.00 € |
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| Solomon Burke - Soul Arrives! 1955-1961 |
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Jasmine Records 2013 | CD | 12.00 € |
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| Ty Karim - Wear Your Natural, Baby With the resurgence of vinyl, Kent has returned to its extensive back catalogue and conjured up a sultry soul stomper of an LP from Ty Karim. It features all her famed dancefloor favourites from the exciting and super-rare 60s single ‘You Just Don’t Know’ and smooth 70s soul floater ‘Lightin’ Up’ to the hipper-than-hip call to ‘Wear Your Natural, Baby’, which from the fabulous cover photo we can see Ty did with style. There are a couple of slower, soulful moments in the shape of the haunting big beat ballad ‘All At Once’ and the unlikely, yet successful, cover of James Taylor’s ‘Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight’. It’s the first time on vinyl for the bluesy ‘Don’t Make Me Do Wrong’ and Ty’s solo version of ‘If I Can’t Stop You (I Can Slow You Down)’, which is going to please DJs. Those guys will already have the universally acclaimed ‘Wear Your Natural, Baby’ on Romark or Kent but will they be able to resist this perfect package? By Ady Croasdell (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2013 | LP | 25.00 € |
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| VA: - Finders Keepers - Motown Girls 1961-67 It was Ace Records’ good fortune in 2009 to become the first independent record company in the world to acquire the rights to release previously unissued Motown material from the 1960s. Our tenth and latest Motown project is “Finders Keeper”, a compilation titled for the Marvelettes’ 1964 recording that first surfaced on the British Tamla Motown logo in 1980. Women were a fundamental part of Motown’s early success: Raynoma Gordy was contributing harmonies and arranging skills before the company even got going; Janie Bradford co-wrote what became Motown’s most covered song, ‘Money (That’s What I Want)’; Mable John was Berry Gordy’s chauffeur as well as the first female artist he signed; Mary Wells was the first to take a Motown label record into the charts ... and the list goes on. In this, Ace’s first various artists Motown CD, we focus on the company’s female acts – the well-known ones, the not-so-famous but much loved and a couple about whom we know next to nothing at all. It’s a half-and-half mixture of previously issued and unreleased titles. In the case of the reissued titles, we’ve taken the road less travelled and selected tracks which we feel haven’t had the attention they deserve down the years, amongst them very rare 45s from the Andantes and Saundra Mallett. Collectors will particularly relish the dozen unissued tunes, which include superb offerings from Motown heroines Brenda Holloway, Martha and the Vandellas, Gladys Knight and Kim Weston and gems by the lesser-known Carolyn Crawford, Hattie Littles, LaBrenda Ben, Liz Lands and Linda Griner. We’ve even managed to dig up tracks by a couple of girls who’ve never had a track out before: Thelma Brown and Anita Knorl. To spotlight just one track of special interest, ‘When Somebody Loves You (You’re Never Alone)’ by Gladys Knight and the Pips is so well-known to Motown fans that it’s hard to believe it’s never been released before. One of the first songs completed by the group after they signed to Motown in early 1966, it sat on the shelf for over a year before they returned to it and re-recorded their vocals in the summer of ’67. Then it was put back on the shelf where it’s been ever since – apart from numerous outings on collectors’ cassettes and CDs, sourced from an acetate that found its way into the public domain. We are delighted to be able to offer a legitimate issue of this classic mid-60s Motown track for the very first time, fully re-mastered from the original tape and sounding better than ever. Elsewhere, the set includes some prime Motown stompers (‘Let Love Live’), torchy ballads (‘It’s Too Soon To Know’), R&B (‘My Black Belt’) and jazz (‘I Gotta Right To Sing The Blues’) – something for everyone, we hope. By Keith Hughes and Mick Patrick (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2013 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Jim Jam Gems Vol. 2 |
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Stag-O-Lee Records 2013 | 10" LP | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - New Breed Blues With Black Popcorn Make way for a brand new selection of collectables, curios and rug-cutters for R&B fans who feel the beat and need new sounds to scratch their itch. Tracks such as Marva Josie’s ‘You Lied’, Sinner Strong’s ‘Don’t Knock It’ and the Idols’ ‘Just A Little Bit More’ seem to have been around for an eternity without being properly comped, whereas ‘Why Oh Why’ by Austin Taylor, ‘Well I Done Got Over It’ from Bobby Mitchell and Dolores Johnson’s ‘What Kind Of Man Are You’ are currently raising eyebrows and overdrafts. J.J. Jackson’s ‘Oo-Ma-Liddy’, Little Johnny Taylor’s ‘Somewhere Down The Line’ and Etta James’ ‘Nobody Loves You Like Me’ are perfect for this CD. Kent’s forte is the previously unissued humdinger and here we have a handful of the best to tempt even the most OVO (original vinyl only) of collectors to shell out for this piquant package. Two gems from earlier Ace CDs can be found in Art Wheeler’s Downey side ‘Baby We’re Through’ and Carl Edmondson & the Charmaines’ Fraternity number ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’, while the more recently issued 45 of ‘I Ain’t Talkin’’ comes from last year’s CD of Kent Harris’ R&B productions. Inevitably it’s the debutantes that will steal the show and attract the more traditional R&B fan. There is a pounding blues by Freddie North from Bob Holmes’ tapes, when he was working with Freddie along with Slim Harpo in Nashville in the late 60s. From Los Angeles there is Adolph Jacobs’ unreleased Class recording ‘Cannibal Stew’ that sounds like the Coasters and might even have them singing behind him (he was their guitarist at the time). Then we have a taster for the forthcoming Ace CD of Richard Stamz’s Chicago blues productions, with a fine mover from Tony Gideon called ‘So Strange’. Finally, there is a track that put me into a state of frenzy, ‘When You See Me Hurt’ by Carl Lester & the Showstoppers – 2 minutes 30 of unadulterated hip-shaking heartbreak. I must have one now! By Ady Croasdell (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2013 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - South Texas Rhythm 'n' Soul Revue Huey Meaux recorded more soul music in the 60s and 70s than any other producer in Texas, leasing some of it to nationally distributed labels such as Jamie and Scepter and issuing even more of it on the dozens of labels he ran in conjunction with various business partners. He wasn’t the only producer in South Texas but the number of singles that bear the legend Produced by Huey P Meaux could fool anyone into thinking he was. Many of soul’s greatest names got their break with the Crazy Cajun. Some worked with him for only a short time, others such as Barbara Lynn stayed with him for virtually all of their active careers. If Don Robey’s Duke and Peacock labels shaped the template for 50s R&B in Houston, then hundreds of 45s that Huey put out between 1960 and 1980 provided the same service for those decades. For the last couple of years, my colleague Alec Palao and I have been working our way through the beautifully-filed tape vault in Houston’s Sugar Hill studios, transferring the many masters that comprise Huey’s recorded legacy. It’s been a rewarding experience and a learning curve for both of us. This volume of “South Texas Rhythm ‘n’ Soul Revue” is a welcome by-product of our trips. Some names here will be familiar to serious soul fans: Johnny Copeland, Johnny Adams, Jean Knight, Jackie Paine and Joe Medwick, for example. Others will surely become much better-known as a result of this compilation. To represent all facets of 60s Texas soul we’ve also included great sides by swamp pop greats such as Warren Storm, whose take on ‘Tennessee Waltz’ is a highlight of the set, and Chicano octet Sunny and the Sunliners who do Earl King’s ‘Trick Bag’ a similarly splendid service. We’ve even got young Johnny and Edgar Winter tearing through ‘Out Of Sight’ in a manner that would make James Brown himself proud. The highlights for many will be the recently unearthed original demos of soul classics ‘Neighbor Neighbor’ and ‘You’ll Lose A Good Thing’ by their authors, Alton Valier and Barbara Lynn respectively, which offer a priceless opportunity to hear how these songs sounded before they became hits. All in all, a window on what the music scene in and around Houston was like almost 50 years ago. By Tony Rounce (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2013 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Swampbilly Shindig 2CD Swampabilly Shindig leaps deep into the bayous and plantations of the Deep South. Here, although racial segregation remained law, black and white music mixed with country and rockabilly taking beautiful shape as the hillbilly cats learnt from their blues playing and gospel singing neighbours. Gathered here are 50 tunes with Southern roots from artists as legendary (and as different) as The Staple Singers, Elmore James and Jerry Lee Lewis. |
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Union Square Music 2013 | 2-CD | 10.00 € |
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| Alvin Cash - Windy City Workout - The Essential Dance Craze Hits 2CD Chicago soul music is one of the many regional variations that proved nationally popular during the 1960s and this unique collection celebrates one of the city’s many stars Alvin Cash. An often overlooked sub-genre is the almost never-ending stream of dance craze records which caught the national imagination, and Alvin Cash was among the leading exponents. Windy City Workout is the first ever legitimate CD release devoted entirely to Cash’s recordings. Disc 1 opens with his sole album release Twine Time, named after his biggest hit, and continues into Disc 2 with all of his single releases in chronological order. This deluxe memorabilia-laden package features notes from the eminent Chicago blues and soul expert Robert Pruter, and the track listing denotes all the chart placings he secured on America’s pop and R&B charts. Cash’s recordings for Mar-V-Lus, Toddlin’ Town, Seventy-Seven and Sound Stage Seven are all included. Also featured are three tracks which only ever appeared on the now ultra-rare Toddlin’ Town LP, Wilson Pickett’s ‘Funky Broadway’ and two Arthur Conley hits, ‘Funky Street’ and ‘People Sure Act Funny’. Dances with instructions include The Twine, The Boo Ga Loo, The Bump, The Barracuda, The Boston Monkey, The Penguin, The Freeze, The Charge, The Popcorn and, second only to The Twine, The Ali Shuffle, a dance which Alvin dedicated to Mohammed Ali. Alvin Cash passed away in 1999 but his music still resonates on today’s soul scene, as a quick visit to YouTube will attest. This carefully compiled 2CD set is the first comprehensive retrospective of his work and is testimony to the power of dance music; get up and get down is all you can really do to this collection. |
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Charly Records 2012 | 2-CD | 18.00 € |
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| Aretha Franklin - All Time Best |
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Sony Music 2012 | CD | 12.00 € |
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| Barbara Lynn - Here Is Barbara Lynn originally released 1968. |
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Warner Music Japan 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Bill Doggett - Honky Tonk Popcorn James Brown has never really been portrayed as a sympathetic man, but for a short period in the late 60s he was suddenly taken by a sense of duty to artists who had been fixtures at King Records when he was first signed there over a decade earlier. First up was his tribute album “Thinking About Little Willie John And A Few Nice Things”, which mixed originals with versions of songs John had first sung. Next he began working with Hank Ballard, who had been signed to King since 1953; the collaboration produced the LP “You Can’t Keep A Good Man Down”. He then produced a couple of sides with organist Bill Doggett, who’d reached #1 R&B/#2 Pop with his 1956 instrumental ‘Honky Tonk’. A hit of that size meant that Doggett was never short of gigs, and in its aftermath he reached the R&B Top 20 five more times. In 1960 he left King, signing to Warner Brothers, then with Columbia in 1962 and Sue Records in 1964. In the meantime, King kept up a steady release schedule of Doggett records and he re-signed with them in 1965, staying for two years. 1969 saw him back again at King for another couple of years. Doggett’s recordings from this period took two distinct paths: some were almost cheesy easy listening sides, while others suggested he was keeping up with modern trends. The most obvious manifestation of this was his collaboration with James Brown and his JBs, who were incredibly tight on the top-side of the super-rhythmic ‘Honky Tonk Popcorn’. The popcorn was Brown’s dance rhythm of the year: he had made #1 R&B with ‘Mother Popcorn’, #2 with ‘Let A Man Come In And Do The Popcorn’. The B-side of the single was Doggett’s funk update of ‘Honky Tonk’, which worked even better than Brown’s own 1972 remake. King then gathered up a bunch of recent Doggett recordings to make the “Honky Tonk Popcorn” album. It was marketed as a James Brown production but, other than the two single sides, it contained no cuts produced by Brown. Instead it featured a fascinating mix of grooves that evoke smoky clubs and juke joints. ‘Mad’ and a scorching version of Edwin Starr’s ‘Twenty Five Miles’ were released as singles. For this reissue we’ve turned up five bonus tracks. Of these, ‘Before Lunch’, ‘Short Stack’ and ‘Some Kind Of Head’ were lined up for inclusion on an album to be called “Take Your Shot”, but we’re pretty sure this did not make it past the planning stage and was replaced by “Honky Tonk Popcorn”, with these three dropped to make room for the two James Brown-produced cuts and ‘Twenty Five Miles’. ‘Before Lunch’ sounds like the finest record Booker T & the MGs forgot to make, while ‘Short Stack’ ups the pace to frantic. Best of all is the brilliant ‘Some Kind Of Head’, which takes the feel of a Stax instrumental. The other bonus tracks, ‘Sassy B’ and ‘Wet And Satisfied’, offer a fascinating insight into the history of Funkadelic. In the time between recording Funkadelic’s first two albums guitarist Eddie Hazel and bass-player Billy Nelson left the group. Nelson joined Doggett’s band for a short time. Until now Eddie Hazel’s participation on a Doggett session was unknown. However, the songwriting credits and the guitar style suggest that he too was working alongside Nelson and Doggett. The ‘Honky Tonk Popcorn’ single and album did not return Doggett to the charts, but he remained active. He kept recording and toured until the year he died. He tended to revert to the style which made him famous: the 50s boogie shuffle that had been the basis of his defining hit. When he died on 13 November 1996 his short sojourn into funk was largely forgotten except by a few clubbers around the world who coveted this in-demand LP. By Dean Rudland (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Brook Benton - A Rockin' Good Way Vol. 1 - The Singer |
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El Toro Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Brook Benton - A Rockin' Good Way Vol. 2 -The Songwriter |
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El Toro Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Etta James - Queen Of Soul That Etta James stands as one of the greatest female singers of the post-World War 2 era is unarguable, yet she only ever enjoyed one UK hit record and did not trouble the US singles charts after 1978. This meant the accolades that followed her recent death dealt with something more than a string of hits or showbiz earning power. Instead, commentators talked of her in terms of her artistry, the majesty of her voice and the visceral emotions she conjured up no matter what she sang. When I was asked to write the notes for this reissue of her “Queen Of Soul” album, I was more than thrilled. Here was an LP I had never owned and it came with 13 bonus tracks, many of which I’d not heard. Talk about work being a pleasure. I’ve always listened to a lot of Etta James, but concentrating on a favourite artist’s life story encourages intensive listening. I played the hell out of all the records I could get my hands on, yet I kept returning to her classic Chess sides where she found her many voices and how to employ them across material that ranged from big band standards to the greasiest soul. I’ve never been able to track down all of Etta’s albums, so I was grateful for Ace’s recent “Who’s Blue?”, “Losers Weepers” and “Call My Name” releases. Across these magnificent discs one gets a sense of just how versatile a vocalist she was, and just how much fabulous material got left as B-sides or album tracks or even went unissued. Chess must have had much to be confident about with “Queen Of Soul” – its very title implying that the company’s bestselling artist brooked no pretenders. Released in November 1964, its cover portrait suggests an emotional engagement that looks painful. Etta is in fine voice throughout and the album’s tracks – which stem from sessions recorded between late 1962 and late 1964 – represent extremely compelling soul music. Opening tune ‘Bobby Is His Name’ is gorgeous, while her take on Irma Thomas’ ‘I Wish Someone Would Care’ fits her perfectly. Yet “Queen Of Soul” failed to ignite upon release and appears largely forgotten today. Strange for an album that offers up such a potent claim to be the new ruler of the hippest black music form taking shape across the USA, and strange that one packed with so much good music has been overlooked for so long. Her next album, 1967’s “Call My Name”, also passed unnoticed. By then an old friend of hers – whose career on Columbia had seen her underachieve while Etta reigned – had signed to Atlantic and cut a startling 45 in Muscle Shoals. From then on Aretha Franklin would be acknowledged as the Queen Of Soul and Etta would forever trail in her wake, but she would be back time and again to record great material and wow listeners. But, for now, we have her album “Queen Of Soul” from the time when she was, undoubtedly, the monarch. By Garth Cartwright (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| George Jackson - Let The Best Man Win - The Fame Recordings Vol. 2 |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| George Jackson - Let The Best Man Win - The Fame Recordings Vol. 2 |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| Huey Piano Smith - It Do Me Good 2CD The Banashak & Sansu Sessions 1966-1978. When it comes to good time rollicking rock’n’roll or rhythm’n’blues, there are few exponents to match Huey ‘Piano’ Smith. One of the greatest of New Orleans’ many pianists, Smith began his career with blues men like Guitar Slim and Earl King and enjoyed a string of classic hits in the late 1950s. During that time he wrote and recorded three of rock and roll’s most enduring classics, ‘Rockin’ Pneumonia And The Boogie Woogie Flu’, ‘High Blood Pressure’ and ‘Sea Cruise’, the latter featuring the vocals of Frankie Ford. His career continued well into the 1970s. This deluxe package is an upgraded version of a Charly CD released in the late 1980s, Pitta Pattin’. This collection - featuring the recordings he made for the Instant label in the late 1960s - has now been expanded to include several tracks not featured on the original including the ultra rare ‘Two Way Pock-A-Way’, ‘Epitaph To A Black Man’ and ‘The Whatcha Call ‘Em’ plus several newly discovered, previously unissued recordings. His powerful piano can be heard to good effect on the previously unissued, ‘I’m Boss Pt 2’ with its almost Northern Soul sound. Many of Smith’s early Instant 45s were big local hits in New Orleans and Louisiana without ever denting any national charts and have long been sought after by collectors, with some, like ‘Two Way Pock-A-Way’, proving almost impossible to find today. Also featured are versions of ‘Rockin’ Pneumonia’, ‘High Blood Pressure’ and ‘Don’t You Just Know It’ recorded for an Atlantic LP that was never released. By way of a bonus, Huey’s last known recordings made for Allen Toussaint’s Sansu company in 1978 make their CD debut here, more than thirty years after their first release on Charly vinyl. These are the last recordings of Huey Smith who retired from music to concentrate on his religious beliefs in the early 80s. He now lives in retirement in Baton Rouge but still happily acknowledges his huge contribution to New Orleans R&B and to rock’n’roll in general. |
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Charly Records 2012 | 2-CD | 18.00 € |
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| Ike & Tina Turner - The Soul Of Ike & Tina Turner Well-known for her trademark legs, throaty voice, and boundless stage energy, Tina Turner was one of the sexiest and most popular international performers of the 20th century. Ike Turner, a well established seminal figure in the early years of rock & roll as both a performer and talent scout, met her one night in St. Louis while he was performing with his “Kings Of Rhythm”: she just grabbed the microphone and sang a B.B. King song, impressing Ike so immediately and overwhelmingly that he asked her to perform regularly with them. The rest is history: Ike’s slick managing skills and songwriting, along with Tina’s intensely energetic lead voice, three back-up 'Ikettes’ and a technically airtight eight-piece band produced a combination of country blues, rock and roll, ghetto rhythm and gospel passion that created a legend lasting 50 years. “It’s Gonna Work Out Fine, “ “I Pity the Fool, “ “I Idolize You, and “Tra La La La La.” are just some of the R&B gems included in their 1960 astonishing debut album. |
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Rumble Records 2012 | LP | 19.00 € |
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| Jackie Ross - Jerk & Twine - The Complete Chess Recordings 1964 was a pivotal year for American popular music. The Stateside breakthrough of the Beatles and the ensuing British invaders changed the face of the nation’s charts, triggering a decline in sales for many domestic hit-makers who, overnight, became seen as outmoded. An exception to the rule was Motown, whose stable of stars not merely hung in there but went from strength to strength. The company’s golden girl, Mary Wells, topped the charts that year with ‘My Guy’, but her ill-advised departure at the height of her success signalled the cancellation of a projected follow-up, effectively opening a gap in the market. Meanwhile in Chicago, Leonard Chess, founder of the venerable company that bore his name, was ever mindful of happenings at Berry Gordy’s nearby Detroit empire. As did Motown, Chess had its own family of musicians, writers and producers who were turning out a stream of fine product for the hungry soul market, but rarely scoring with a solid crossover smash. Enter former Sam Cooke protégée Jackie Ross, a pretty teenager with a voice not dissimilar in tone to Mary Wells. Newly signed to Chess, her label debut unintentionally filled the ‘My Guy’ follow-up gap perfectly. Just as the intro to Mary’s smash had subtly incorporated strains of ‘Canadian Sunset’, so ‘Selfish One’ employed Nat King Cole’s ‘Tenderly’ to equally cool effect. Jackie slid easily from the soul to the pop charts with one of the most memorable hits of the year. Jackie was soon ensconced in Chess Records’ Ter-Mar Studios with in-house arrangers Phil Wright and Riley Hampton and producer Billy Davis cutting material for future singles and her “Full Bloom” album. ‘I’ve Got The Skill’ and ‘Jerk And Twine’ both made the charts, but the equally fine ‘Haste Makes Waste’, ‘You Really Know How To Hurt A Girl’, ‘Take Me For A Little While’ and ‘We Can Do It’ all failed to catch on. A few ill-chosen words with Leonard Chess later, after just over a year with the company, Jackie’s tenure as a Chess artist came to an abrupt end. As a result, a number of excellent 1965 recordings were consigned to the shelf, of which ‘It’s Going All The Way’, ‘I Dig His Style’ and ‘Trust In Me’ first surfaced on a 1998 CD release. The previously unissued ‘Stick To One’ and ‘My Square’ debut here, making this collection Jackie’s complete Chess Records output. Together with our recent Etta James, Sugar Pie DeSanto and Mitty Collier releases, it shows how great the company’s roster of female talent was. By Malcolm Baumgart (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| Jeanne And The Darlings / The Charmels - We're The Soul Girls ! - The Complete Volt Recordings This Stax distaff double-header anthologises two underrated teams of ladies whose voices were utilised behind the scenes at McLemore Avenue as well as in their own right. Both were with the company for a number of years and neither ever had a long-playing vinyl release, which makes this new CD extremely welcome. “We’re The Soul Girls” features everything released on Volt by Jeanne and the Darlings and the Charmels, as well as eleven tracks that were not issued at the time. Their original 45s are admired by girl group fans, and both the Darlings’ ‘Soul Girl’ and the Charmels’ ‘As Long As I Have You’ are also cherished by collectors of original breakbeats. The Charmels were at Stax throughout the Atlantic-distributed years. As the Tonettes, theirs were the first voices to be heard on the Volt label when ‘No Tears’ became Volt 101 in early 1962 (#100 was an instrumental by the Triumphs). The Tonettes had a second single a few months later, and recorded enough material to fill four more 45s, but they caught an unexpected break when Nashville label Sound Stage 7 needed a black female group to go out as the Dixiebelles to promote a studio-created Hot 100 hit called ‘Down At Papa Joe’s’. The Tonettes masqueraded as the Dixiebelles until that concept had run its course, and returned to the Volt roster in late 1966 as the Charmels (and, on their final Volt 45, the Charmells). Working with Isaac Hayes and David Porter they rolled out four exemplary 45s over an 18 month period that extended into the early days of the post-Atlantic era. They also backed up a number of Stax’ solo artists during part of that period, a role they shared with a trio of equally estimable ladies led by Arkansan Jeanne Dolphus – or Jeanne Darling as she was known professionally. Jeanne and her fellow Darlings would quickly become Stax’ equivalent of Motown’s Andantes, lending their vocal backups to an increasing number of sessions featuring solo Stax acts. Unlike the Andantes, who managed just one single in their own name during the years they were with Motown, Jeanne and the Darlings saw six singles issued over a three-year period with Volt. They too started their own career under the supervision of Hayes and Porter, before moving on to work with other great Stax writer-producers, including Don Davis and the celebrated ‘We Three’ trio of Bettye Crutcher, Homer Banks and Raymond Jackson. None of the unissued tracks by either group is inferior, and just about all of them could have been considered for singles. You might think that there can’t be much left to do with Stax, given how many great CDs have preceded these two on the Ace catalogue. That’s not the case and, even as these two are finding their way into your collections, I’m mining the tape vaults for yet more exciting projects by both familiar and fairly obscure Stax acts. The ‘clicks’ just keep on coming…. By Tony Rounce (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 23.00 € |
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| King Curtis - New Scene Of King Curtis |
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Doxy Music 2012 | LP | 18.00 € |
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| Marv Johnson - Marvelous Marv Johnson Detroit gifted singer, songwriter and pianist Marv Johnson was a seminal figure in the early history of Motown Records. Responsible for more than a handful of hits between 1959 and 1960, he enjoyed no less than nine records in the top 100 as well as two songs on the top ten chart, after being chosen by the record producer Berry Gordy as the first artist to be released on his fledging record label TAMLA, in which Marv kept recording and working on sales and promotion until the late 70s. Often overlooked compared to the other great R&B stars of those years, Johnson's rich legacy includes dozens of brilliant soulful songs, like the immortal chart-smasher "You Got What It Takes" and the classic "Come To Me". |
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Rumble Records 2012 | LP | 18.00 € |
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| Marvelettes - Please Mr. Postman |
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Hallmark Music 2012 | CD | 6.90 € |
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| Miracles - Hi We're the Miracles |
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Hallmark 2012 | CD | 7.00 € |
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| Paul Kelly - Hot Runnin' Soul Southern soul singer-songwriter Paul Kelly is a real hero of mine, and I’m sure that many Right Track readers and Kent customers feel the same way. He has been poorly served by the CD market, so it’s a real pleasure to make amends with this collection of his early solo 45s, a more than worthy representation of the first six years of his lengthy recording career. His catalogue has long cried out for reissue – particularly these early years, which have never been fully chronicled – and I’m very proud that the honour of bringing all this great music together fell to me. Paul recorded less frequently than many of his peers, but the upshot of that is that all of his solo recordings from 1965 to 1971 can fit onto one CD. The fact that most of his tracks were cut independently by one producer, the great Buddy Killen, and leased to a variety of imprints means that there were virtually no licensing difficulties to surmount – once we’d decided to do it, the project fell into place swiftly and easily. Our collection contains all of Paul’s singles for the Lloyd, Dial, Philips and Happy Tiger labels, exactly as they were issued – mostly mono, but in stereo when they were originally released that way. Most Kelly fans will tell you that Paul is never better than when he’s singing something slow, and cite tracks such as ‘If This Old House Could Talk’, ‘The Day After Forever’, the under-rated ‘Sailin’’ and the simply magnificent ‘Nine Out Of Ten Times’ as proof. While it’s hard to contest that, Paul was equally at home with up-tempo material, and you need look no further than the club classics ‘Chills And Fever’ and ‘Sweet Sweet Lovin’’ to confirm that: Paul’s career song, ‘Stealing In the Name Of The Lord’, is a dancer of sorts, while the brilliant ‘509’ demonstrates that the faster side of his repertoire is, at its best, more than a match for his slower numbers. With the exception of ‘Stealing’, none of these records were massive chart hits, although they deserved to be. They most likely failed to chart because they were competing with so many other great records, and there simply wasn’t room for every classic 45 to make a mark on the R&B charts back then. Happily for Paul, southern soul fans never put much stock in chart positions. Regardless of how many copies they sold on release, the best of the tracks on “Hot Runnin’ Soul” – and that’s almost all of them – will continued to be revered in soul circles for many years to come. By Tony Rounce (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| Phil Spector - Designing The Wall Of Sound 2CD Designing The Wall of Sound - "I Love How You Love Me" and 47 Other Bricks in the Wall Following on from the success of 'Building the Wall of Sound - JASCD 582' Jasmine are proud to continue charting the early career of rock's greatest producer, Phil Spector. 48 tracks across 2 CDs with early work by, Ben E. King, Johnny Nash, Gene Pitney and more! Don't miss the first releases on Phil Spector's own label by The Crystals and the first ever version of 'Twist & Shout'! Fully detailed liner notes continue to cover his entire history. |
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Jasmine Records 2012 | CD | 13.00 € |
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| Sam Cooke - My Kind of Blues originally released 1961. fine 180g vinyl |
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RCA Victor 2012 | LP | 20.00 € |
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| Sam Cooke - Twistin' The Night Away originally released 1962 on RCA Records 'Twistin' the Night Away' was one of Cooke's more successful LP's, only his second ever to chart, and from here on, all of his albums would sell in serious numbers. 'Twistin' the Night Away' remains one of Cooke's most accessible records, despite the fact that it was a "twist" album. Around them, the singer is at his most soulful, exciting, and passionate, on the bluesy "Somebody Have Mercy"; the romantic lament "Somebody's Gonna Miss Me"; the achingly beautiful, yearning "A Whole Lot of Woman"; and the soaring "Soothe Me" (with Lou Rawls). One of the great dance albums of its period, but a brilliant soul album as well, which is why it holds up 50 years later. This is the remastered version of a record that's been out of print for a (too) long time! |
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Music On Vinyl Records 2012 | LP | 20.00 € |
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| Spinners - Truly Yours: Their First Motown Album With Bonus Tracks Long before the Spinners amassed a stack of gold albums and singles with producer Thom Bell at Atlantic Records in the 70s, they spent eight years working hard at Motown. For the first four of those years, the period covered by this CD, the group recorded some very tasty tracks but had only four singles released. It was good luck that brought the Spinners together in the first place. “I was watching a local television show called Saturday Evening Dance Party with C.P. Spencer,” founder member Billy Henderson told Black Stars magazine back in 1975. “The amateur vocal groups always won. So I said if those guys can sing, so can I. I asked C.P. if he knew anybody that could sing bass and baritone because I could sing tenor. That’s how Henry Fambrough, Pervis Jackson and I got together. Pervis tried to give us a hard time, since he was one of the few baritones around and popular in school, but we pulled him anyhow.” “Bobby Smith had the car so we had to get him with us,” recalled Pervis. “Henry lived down the street from me and I would see him carrying a guitar back and forth to church, so I figured there goes our guitar player. We asked him to be in the group, figuring he could give us some backup music. We found out that he was carrying the guitar for his minister at church. Henry couldn’t play a note, but he could sing bass, so we kept him.” It was bad luck that kept them standing in the shadows at Motown. Billy: “We literally sat around and watched the other acts become superstars: the Supremes – we worked with them in the early days of their success; the Temptations; the Four Tops; Marvin Gaye – who played drums for us a couple of times; and Tammi Terrell – who we loved dearly.” The great UK Tamla Motown re-issue programme of the late 60s and early 70s, which ought to have made the Spinners household names, bypassed the group entirely. Good fortune teamed the Spinners with some of Motown’s finest writers and producers. Sterling work with Harvey Fuqua, Ivy Jo Hunter, Mickey Stevenson and Johnny Bristol make the tracks on this collection so special. Their 1967 album “The Original Spinners” – including the singles ‘Sweet Thing’, ‘I’ll Always Love You’, ‘Truly Yours’ and ‘For All We Know’ – appears here on CD for the first time. Other gems from the LP include Smokey Robinson’s ‘Like A Good Man Should’ and fan favourite ‘I Cross My Heart’, composed by Stevie Wonder with Ivy Jo Hunter. Of the 14 contemporaneous bonus titles here, 10 are previously unissued, all freshly transferred from the Motown master tapes. These include ballads such as ‘Darling’ and ’12 O’clock’, which display the group’s doo wop roots, and a handful of top-of-the-range stompers in the classic Motown style. Motown never sounded better than when in the hands of master stylists such as the Spinners. This set, featuring an essay by Motown expert Keith Hughes based on a new interview with lead singer Bobby Smith, means we have, at last, paid the Spinners their due. By Eric Charge (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Action ! The Songs Of Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart The latest in our popular songwriter series spotlights Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the duo whose instinctive marriage of folk-rock and pre-bubblegum teen pop created and defined the Monkees sound. Boyce and Hart each started out as teenage rock’n’rollers in late 1950s Los Angeles and first met in 1960. Their formative years are represented here with ‘Be My Guest’, written by Boyce for Fats Domino in 1959, ‘Beverly Jean’, one of the handful of Boyce compositions recorded by Curtis Lee and ‘Too Many Teardrops’, an early Bobby Hart solo single. By 1963 both had relocated toNew York, where they began writing as a team. They made their big breakthrough the following year with ‘Come A Little Bit Closer’, a Top 3 hit for Jay & the Americans, which helped land the twosome a contract with leading music publishers Screen Gems. They reached the peak of their success and creativity in 1966, writing for and producing the Monkees. Three of the group’s best recordings are here, and a further six songs popularised by them are featured in less-frequently heard, but equally good, mostly pre-Monkees versions, including ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone’ by UK fuzz-beat combo the Flies and ‘She', an almost hit for Del Shannon. By the end of 1966 the Monkees had recorded nearly 50 titles, 21 of them Boyce and Hart songs – quite an achievement considering they were in competition with Carole King, Gerry Goffin and the rest of the Screen Gems stable. Apart from the duo’s joint compositions, the collection also features examples of their work with other co-writers. ‘Never Again’ by the Royalettes and ‘Hurt So Bad’, as defined by Little Anthony & the Imperials, stem from Bobby Hart’s spell collaborating with Teddy Randazzo. ‘Action’ – the theme for TV’s Where The Action Is, here by Paul Revere & the Raiders – and ‘Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Another Day’ by Sir Raleigh & the Cupons represent Tommy Boyce’s brief partnership with Steve Venet. And Wes Farrell gets a look-in via three songs co-written with Boyce and Hart. Come 1969 Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart were stars in their own right, with four hit singles and three albums to their name. This CD kicks off with ‘I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight’, a power-pop precursor from 1967 and the pair’s biggest hit as performers. By Mick Patrick (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 20.00 € |
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| VA: - Behind The Closed Doors Where Country Meets Soul The line that separates the genres of country and soul music has never been a particularly thick one and over the decades there has been a healthy swapping of repertoire between the genres. Jimmie Rodgers, country music’s first superstar, established himself by putting a hillbilly spin on delta blues – and that was back in the late 1920s. Most 60s soul singers who grew up in the segregated American south in the 30s and 40s probably heard more country music on the radio than they did blues or jazz, as there was little to no radio programming devoted to music for black people. It’s therefore no surprise to find that there were so many classic adaptations of great country songs during the golden age of soul music. “Behind Closed Doors: Where Country Meets Soul” brings together 24 supreme spins on songs that were first recorded – usually successfully – by country artists. It’s not the first such compilation to do so but, if I say so myself, it’s the best one to date. As one who regards both genres to be of equal importance, and who collects both soul and country 45s, I can say with some certainly that nobody is going to be disappointed with the tracks in this top-notch compilation. (For those who might wish to check out the country originals after hearing them sung with soul, I have listed the first version of each song in the track-by-track annotations.) Where country meets soul can be a pessimistic and dark place. Songs such as ‘The Grand Tour’ or ‘Life Turned Her That Way’ are going to have a downbeat outlook whoever is singing them; they are as tailor-made for Aaron Neville and James Carr as they are for those who originally sang them for country audiences (George Jones and Little Jimmy Dickens), while Percy Sledge sings ‘Take Time To Know Her’ with the experience of someone who sounds like he lived every minute of its bleak narrative and provides this collection with an undisputed highlight. The place can also be optimistic and light, as Joe Simon’s wonderful version of the early Waylon Jennings hit ‘Yours, Love’ and Little Milton’s romping revamp of Charlie Rich’s ‘Behind Closed Doors’ show. Somewhere in the middle there’s Moses & Joshua Dillard’s tear ’em up take on ‘My Elusive Dreams’, a song usually sung in country circles in the maudlin manner of the original version by its writer Claude “Curly” Putnam. There are still a few people out there who have not yet come to regard soul and country as musical equals. Hopefully “Behind Closed Doors: Where Country Meets Soul” will help to right that wrong and lead to further understanding of why so many country songs have been turned into soul classics down the years. By Tony Rounce (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Fender - The Golden Age 1950-1970 Leo Fender’s contribution to the sound of modern music is immeasurable. The pop music explosion of the 1950s and 60s would not have happened without the electric guitar and, perhaps more importantly, the electric bass.” So begins Martin Kelly’s notes for the CD of his book about Fender guitars. A book about music of course lacks the medium that it describes, so Martin came to Ace with a proposal to produce an accompanying CD that would make his pages even more vibrant. We were more than happy to celebrate the great sounds that Leo Fender helped conceive through his inspirational instruments. As overseer of this CD, I was out of my depth in guitar minutiae, but was able to assist on the technical end and enjoyed a sharp learning curve in great guitar sounds. I thoroughly dug those ringing twangs of Bob Wills and Tennessee Ernie Ford. With Ike Turner and Otis Rush I was in more familiar music territory. The more poppy Crickets’ track ‘I’m Looking For Someone To Love’ was an inspired choice by Martin. It was the flip to the original ‘That’ll Be The Day’ which I’d managed to miss hearing for 55 years. ‘Suzie Q’ and the original ‘Folsom Prison Blues’ are better known numbers; listening to them in this guitar-based context gives them new relevance. Guitar-led instrumentals were a must for the compilation and it is wonderful to relive the splendour of the Ventures’ signature tune and to hear the mighty Shadows at their most melodic. Breakaway Shadow Jet Harris then moves the spotlight to the renowned Fender bass on ‘Besame Mucho’. Booker T’s ‘Green Onions’ and Dick Dale’s ‘Miserlou’ are at the pinnacle of their genres and Jack Nitzche’s ‘Lonely Surfer’ shows how an inspired producer can use the guitar within a bigger production. It is then back to basics with the Kingsmen’s ‘Louie Louie’, followed by Ronnie Hawkins’ ice-cold take on ‘Who Do You Love’. The Beach Boys and Bobby Fuller Four then demonstrate how to play straight down the middle pop: no frills but pure class. Then representing the awakening of British youth to the American dream, we have the Yardbirds’ take on Billy Boy Arnold’s ‘I Ain’t Got You’, a song that failed to score for its creator but became a belated blues classic once Eric Clapton had stamped his seal of approval on it. Speaking of the blues, ‘Rock Me Baby’ by Otis Redding reminds us all that the world lost a brilliant blues singer, as well as the ultimate soul man, when his plane crashed in December 1967. By the time of this recording, Lewis Steinberg had been replaced by Duck Dunn on Fender Precision Bass duties. As reflected by the Nashville-recorded Fender jingles, country music was always dominated by the guitar sounds of Fender. Buck Owens & the Buckaroos’ ‘Buckaroo’ features not only Fender electric and bass but acoustic too. The switch to the soul perfection of King Curtis’ ‘Memphis Soul Stew’ is surprisingly seamless and that city’s home-grown Willie Mitchell sound on ‘Soul Serenade’ shows how long-lived top flight R&B was down there. It is then just a year’s jump, but a small world away, to 1969 and the Velvet Underground’s 12-string Fenders. That is neatly followed by ex-Yardbird Jeff Beck on his Stratocaster and Stone-to-be Ron Wood playing a Telecaster bass; all in the admirable cause of helping Donovan’s ‘Goo Goo Barabajagal’ make musical if not literal sense. I still may not be able to pick a Fender out in a crowd, but I now know how much listening pleasure I have derived from them. Ady Croasdell (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Hall Of Fame Nearly two years after we began our initial excavation of the Rick Hall’s FAME Studios tape vault, our findings continue to enthral. So far we’ve brought you CDs of the complete FAME recordings of Spencer Wiggins, Candi Staton and Jimmy Hughes, the first of several volumes by George Jackson and a fantastic boxed set, as well as numerous vinyl treats. Now we’re reaching into the deepest corners of the FAME vaults for our first multi-artist scoop of rare and precious soul, part of an ongoing series we call “Hall Of Fame”. The series will focus primarily on unreleased gems from the studio’s vaults, but will also make room for unreissued sides along the way. Most recordings are finished masters, although we will also be including some demos to give the listener a glimpse behind the scenes at Avalon Avenue. Many will be early recordings of acknowledged classics, as is the case here with Clarence Carter’s demos of ‘Tell Daddy’ and ‘Too Weak To Fight’. The quality is never less than first-rate and is really quite staggering at times. Even allowing for the vast quantity of great Southern soul that was around at the time, it beggars belief that Rick Hall was unable to find takers for so many great performances – many of them proving to be more than a match for any of FAME’s readily acknowledged classics. Many of FAME’s major players get a look-in on our series debut. Numerous of the songs will be familiar to collectors in recordings by others who plied their trade at the studio, but the versions here are mostly previously unheard by anyone other than those who participated in the sessions. The CD abounds with highlights. I’d like to give an especially big hand for Ralph “Soul” Jackson’s fantastic take on Jimmy Hughes’ ‘You Really Know How To Hurt A Guy’ and for Jimmy’s own riveting version of Etta James’ ‘I Worship The Ground You Walk On’. I’d also like to commend June Conquest’s Motown-style rendition of Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham’s ‘I Do’ and Prince Phillip Mitchell’s chunky remake of James Barnett’s ‘Keep On Talking’ – one of only three tracks on here to have been previously issued in any format. But really I can recommend literally everything on a CD for which the phrase “all killer, no filler” could have been coined. By Tony Rounce (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Handy Man - The Otis Blackwell Songbook Arguments over who the greatest rock’n’roll songwriter is will abound long after those reading this have gone to meet their maker. But surely near the top of everyone’s list of contenders would have to be Otis Blackwell, a one-man hit factory whose catalogue includes more classic rock’n’roll songs than any other single songwriter of his time. His compositions for Elvis Presley and Jerry Lee Lewis alone would guarantee his entry into every music Hall Of Fame. “Handy Man”, named after the song that brought worldwide chart fame to Jimmy Jones in 1959, is a worthy tribute to a man who, if he’d only written ‘Fever’, would still be regarded as one of the foremost composers of the rock’n’roll era. Compiled in the spirit of previous entries in our songwriter series, it’s much more than merely a collection of Otis’ 24 greatest hits, sung by those who recorded them first. We like to mix it up a bit, so the title track is heard in Del Shannon’s stomping 1964 version, while Jimmy Jones is represented with another fine Otis Blackwell song. Those interested enough to purchase will have more than a passing familiarity with Elvis’ version of ‘All Shook Up’, so rather than reissue that for the gazillionth time, we instead bring the song to you by David Hill, whose rare original makes its first legitimate CD appearance here. Likewise ‘Don’t Be Cruel’: rather than Elvis we bring you Jerry Lee Lewis’ uproarious take, in preference to any of the Otis Blackwell compositions generally associated with him. As for Elvis, being spoilt for choice made us opt for his first, and one of his very best, post-Army recordings; ‘Make Me Know It’ reignited his recording career and was deemed potent enough to kick off his “Elvis Is Back” album. The songs featured in “Handy Man” cover roughly from around 1953 to 1963. Later offerings by Solomon Burke and Sam Butera show that, unlike some of his peers, Otis easily adapted to the changes in music as the 1960s unfolded. How durable his compositions were are demonstrated by Derek Martin’s classic 1962 cut of ‘Daddy Rollin’ Stone’, which Otis had recorded as a menacing blues almost a decade earlier. Via Martin, the song became a boastful declaration of intent for a new generation of sharp boys, and of English mods in particular. Brace yourself for a masterclass in rock’n’roll songwriting by a man who was much more than merely handy with a pen and paper. By Tony Rounce (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Hard To Handle - Black America Sings Otis Redding His achievements as a singer may cast a giant shadow over everything else he achieved. Anyone with a passing interest in music should be able to tell you that Otis Redding wrote ‘Respect’ and ‘Dock Of The Bay’ – that’s a given. But the vast majority of his many other singles had an Otis composition or co-write on at least one side, while almost all of the albums released during his lifetime featured additional Otis Redding copyrights. A prolific tunesmith and savvy A&R man, Otis also found time to write songs specifically for Arthur Conley and others whose careers he hoped to boost. Otis wrote a staggering number of quality songs in a very short period of time. In fact the more Otis wrote, the more he wanted to write: in the few weeks leading up to his death, he went into Stax’s McLemore Avenue studio and cut around 30 new songs, leaving behind enough material for a trio of posthumously released albums which, for many fans, are better than many of those that came out while he was still alive. There’s no way of telling how Otis would have progressed as a songwriter had his plane not crashed in December 1967, but the unreleased songs he left behind give a pretty good indication that he was moving in interesting and special directions. The quality of many of those posthumously issued compositions was quickly recognised by his peers. Fine versions of several of them, by Buddy Miles, Etta James, Patti Drew, Percy Sledge and others, appear in “Hard To Handle”, the latest volume in Ace’s occasional “Black America Sings” series. As befits one of the greatest purveyors of a soul ballad, many of the best songs here allow their singers to tug at the heartstrings in the way Otis’ own versions still do. A significant number are performed here by women, who seemed to gravitate to Otis’ catalogue in the wake of Aretha’s blockbuster success with her revival of ‘Respect’. But as well as the ballads there are numerous great examples of Otis’ up-tempo work, exemplified by his protégé Arthur Conley’s romp through ‘Wholesale Love’ and an alternate take of Otis’ own Northern Soul floor-filler ‘Loving By the Pound’ (written for Bettye Lavette, apparently!). There are more previously unissued treats here from Mitty Collier and Arthur Conley, as well as several sides receiving their CD debut. Otis’ skills as a songwriter were patently second to none and it’s hoped that “Hard To Handle” will increase perception of just how important an all-rounder he was, and how long his career as a singer-songwriter might have sustained if the Grim Reaper hadn’t had other plans. By Tony Rounce (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Have Mercy! The Songs Of Don Covay This latest addition to our songwriter series focuses on the behind-the-scenes endeavours of Don Covay, provider of great material to some of the biggest stars of the 1960s. Don made his recording debut in 1956 as a member of the Rainbows vocal group. His idol at this time was Little Richard, whom he managed to meet in 1957. Richard took him on as his opening act, bestowing upon him the nickname Pretty Boy, as which Don released his first solo disc. When record sales proved meagre, he channelled his energy into writing songs with John Berry of the Rainbows. Off the bat their compositions were picked by name artists Gene Vincent, Dee Clark and Wanda Jackson. ‘Pony Time’, Don’s first record to bear an additional credit for his backing combo the Goodtimers, saw him enter the Hot 100 for the first time in 1961. The same week, a cover by Chubby Checker debuted on the charts on its way to #1, leaving Don stuck at the lower end. Convinced that financial security would come from writing rather than recording, he signed with song publishers Roosevelt Music in New York’s famous Brill Building, where he shared a cubicle with his cousin, ace arranger Horace Ott. Gladys Knight & the Pips delivered Don’s ‘Letter Full Of Tears’ into the Top 20 in 1962. His profile raised, Don was sought out by Atlantic Records’ Jerry Wexler on the hunt for material for Solomon Burke, thus beginning a long and fruitful relationship that would see the name Don Covay grace the record labels of many of the company’s major soul stars. In 1964 Goodtimers’ guitarist Ronnie Miller came up with a catchy lick that evolved into ‘Mercy Mercy’, which saw Don finally crack the Top 40. The number would be a cream cut on the Rolling Stones’ “Out Of Our Heads” album in 1965, swelling Don’s coffers further. Meanwhile, he was added to the roster of Atlantic, who dispatched him to Stax Records’ studio in Memphis to record. The trip did as intended, returning him to the charts with the blistering ‘See Saw’, co-written by guitar genius Steve Cropper. 1965 also saw Little Richard enjoy the biggest hit of his post-50s career with Don’s masterpiece ‘I Don’t Know What You’ve Got But It’s Got Me’. Don continued to record prolifically for Atlantic, but of his subsequent singles for the company, not one reached the Hot 100. Fortunately, the fallow period was offset by the massive success of Aretha Franklin’s version of Don’s ‘Chain Of Fools’ and her revival of ‘See Saw’. Don remains best remembered as a performer. Given that his catalogue runs to several hundred songs and his client list as a writer includes – in addition to those already mentioned – Connie Francis, Etta James, Wilson Pickett, Joe Tex, Ben E King, Jerry Butler and dozens more, the man deserves to be a household name, regardless of his great body of recorded work. By Malcolm Baumgart (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 20.00 € |
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| VA: - Here Comes The Hurt “Here Comes The Hurt” is a successor to the two volumes of “King’s Serious Soul” that John Ridley compiled for us about 10 years ago. This time, by not sticking strictly to southern soul origins or influences, we’ve been able to include many excellent tracks that weren’t eligible for those previous releases, although the south is still well represented. James Duncan, Thomas Bailey and Billy Soul have many followers; their tracks, like most on here, appear on CD for the first time. Charles Spurling’s ‘Don’t Let Him Hurt You Baby’ is a great ballad from a man who lived and worked well north of the Mason-Dixon line and usually wrote and sang uptempo numbers. His second offering, ‘Buddy Boy’, also displays his command of all styles within the soul genre. Ricky Lyons, June Sims and Lee Holland were one-shot artists but cut the mustard on their lone singles. Ricky Lyons’ 45 came out on both the Federal and King labels and has the authority of a soul standard, yet it seems to be his only recording. Toni Williams’ ‘Precious Minutes’ is a little-known southern masterpiece, as is Bobby Wade’s lushly produced ‘Blind Over You’. Bigger acts such as Earl Gaines, Marva Whitney and Pat Lundy sing lesser-known but terrific soul tracks. Vocal group collectors will enjoy the early soul of the Snapshots and the King Pins and dig the later harmony of Dee Dee, Joseph & David. Lee Holland’s ‘Give Me Back My Heart’ features fabulous backing vocals too. Tony & Carol ‘Let’s Not Wait’ is a harmonious duet that builds to quite a crescendo. Acts from an earlier era show how they could adapt to the brave new soul era; Hank Ballard and the Bobbettes give virtuoso demonstrations of how to deliver a soulful ballad. Lynn Davis is backed by a female chorus on ‘My New Love’ which, like the Bobbettes, will impress lovers of the girl group sound. A great deep soul Federal recording, ‘Fall In These Arms Of Mine’ by Johnny Soul is released here for the first time ever. For those with a gospel bent, Christine Kittrell’s ‘Ain’t Never Seen So Much Rain Before’ is a tour-de-force and T.C. Lee & the Bricklayers’ ‘Get Away From Here’ features a preaching lead with chorus straight out of the church. The sound quality is immaculate; all tracks are taken from the original master tapes. US soul enthusiast Bob Abrahamian provides informative and fascinating notes and there are some great new photos from the King archives. The recordings stretch from 1960 to 1971 and feature a wide range of soul styles on slow burning ballads. By Ady Croasdell (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Jerk Boom Bam Vol. 5 |
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Jerk Boom Bam 2012 | LP | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Jerk Boom Bam Vol. 6 |
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Jerk Boom Bam 2012 | LP | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Kent 30 - Best Of Kent Norther 1982-2012 This CD is a look at the Kent label’s Northern Soul history, heritage and future. There’s more to Kent than just Northern Soul, but that’s how we started in 1982 when Mary Love’s ‘You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet’ kicked off the “For Dancers Only” vinyl album. We covered the ballad side recently on “Deep Shadows: The Best Of Kent Ballads” CDKEND 342. The “For Dancers Only” LP gets a nod with Gene & Gary’s duet of Danny Monday’s ‘Baby Without You’, here on CD for the first time. There is a host of exclusives, several not issued in any format before: Alexander Patton’s ‘True Love (Is In The Heart)’ will open traditional Northern fans’ eyes and ears the most, being from the same session and of a similar feel to his classic ‘A Lil Lovin’ Sometimes’, and Marva Holiday’s ‘Rising Higher’ is a fabulous Sherlie Matthews’ song that will be admired by progressive Northern fans. Modern soul has been a part of the Kent landscape since 1984’s “Moving On Up” album. We celebrate that branch of our music with Darrow Fletcher’s ‘No Limit’ and the Paramount Four’s anthemic ‘Sorry Ain’t The Word’, both debuting on CD. 70s soul fans may well buy the CD for these two alone. Our forthcoming Pied Piper spring range is launched with the original alternate take of Lorraine Chandler’s 60s Detroit opus ‘You Only Live Twice’; the song that gave birth to Yvonne Baker’s ‘You Didn’t Say A Word’. From the same stable comes the Pied Piper Players (aka Motown’s Funk Brothers) on ‘Ooh It Hurts Me’, a massive 60s newie of recent years as a stunning, unheard instrumental. Representing the Dave Hamilton chapter are O.C. Tolbert and Little Ann’s rare soul classics, both presented in mixes different from our previous releases. Ben E King with ‘Gettin’ To Me’ heads our legendary discoveries section. Melba Moore, Chuck Jackson and Maxine Brown’s unissued recordings that re-floated the grounded SS Northern Soul in the 80s are here, as are the Magicians, whose vocal to ‘Double Cookin’’ shook up the Northern nation. There are vinyl-finding tales of two of the biggest big beat ballads of them all and a story concerning picking up a handful of sleeveless singles in a producer’s house and seeing an undocumented Wand label for Walter Wilson’s 60s stomper which had been assumed to exist as tape only. Luther Ingram supplies the mother of all R&B/Northern crossover numbers, while Bobby Wisdom preens over his potential price tag of £4000; if you can find one. There are classy crowd-pleasers from Toni & the Showmen, Sugar & the Spices, the Fiestas and the Sweethearts that have been marooned on Kent label stories, neglected by all but the pure in heart. Advances in technology mean that the audio is vastly improved on tracks we first released 10 or 15 years ago. On some titles we were able to access superior quality multi-track masters and in Melba Moore’s case we even found an alternative vocal take. It is the first time the 45 mix of Johnny Maestro’s dramatic ‘I’m Stepping Out Of The Picture’ has been reissued. The quality of Chuck Jackson’s ‘Millionaire’ in particular is awesome, while the Magicians now has a potentially life-threatening dynamic. The booklet contains 9,000 words of wisdom, re-telling the Kent Northern saga for long-term inmates or explaining where it all came form for the more recent converts. That’s 30 stunning soul sounds; one for each glorious year. It is not only a celebration but a revelation too; we hope you enjoy the hyperbole. By Ady Croasdell (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - King New Breed Rhythm & Blues Vol. 2 In the ten years it’s taken for this second volume of “King New Breed R&B” to come to fruition the R&B collecting scene has gone from strength to strength. Many great sounds have been discovered languishing in shops and collections and the phenomenon has become truly international. A lot of these records have crossed over to the Northern soul, popcorn and mod music scenes. Mike Pedicin’s ‘Burnt Toast And Black Coffee’ and Little Willie John’s ‘I’m Shakin’’ from our first King volume have become mainstream retro music classics, outselling even the biggest Northern soul 45s we’ve issued in this period. I’m guessing that our opening track is going to be a rising star of the vintage black music world. Hal Hardy’s ‘Love Man’ is best known for its Northern soul flip ‘House Of Broken Hearts’. I found ‘Love Man’ on YouTube and immediately fell in love with it. It’s a record that defies the blues, soul or funk tags and powers this CD off with a blast. More familiar territory comes with the blues classics ‘I’m Tore Down’ by Freddy King, Little Willie John’s ‘All Around The World’ and Johnny Watson’s ‘Gangster Of Love’. They’ve all been comped before, but sound terrific strategically placed throughout this CD. 1955 is an early starting point to what is, in the main, an early 60s sound but Mel Williams’ ‘Send Me A Picture, Baby’ fits snugly next to the blues grooves of its later vintage companions. The 1957 offerings from Donnie Elbert and Dolph Prince have a ‘Fever’ groove that epitomises the Popcorn end of the scene’s sounds. The earliest-sounding numbers are the doo wop-inspired 1960 recordings from the Hi Tones and Lee Williams & the Moonrays. We were hoping to feature ‘Just A Little Bit Of Everything’ by Herb Hardesty but had tape problems that need a little more time to sort. (The track will definitely be on Herb’s solo CD out later this year.) In its place we opted for ‘Why Did We Have To Part’, featuring a full vocal from Herb’s co-writer Walter Nelson. The “5” Royales are here with their swaying ‘It Hurts Inside’ featuring the soulful vocals of Lowman Pauling, who also teams up with the band’s guitarist Royal Abbit on ‘I’m A Cool Teenager’, a blueprint for the well-groomed youth cults to come. Lowman Pauling also co-wrote the Hi Tones’ song. There is a Willie Wright track not previously issued on CD and a great Eddie Kirk side co-written with future Stax/Volt singer Oscar Mack. Eugene Church describes his girl Geneva’s charms so effectively that I was blushing at one point and the King Pins’ update of the Charms’ ‘Two Hearts’ simply rocks the joint. In researching this CD I was turned on to a wealth of good music and I’m sure the majority of these will be new to the ears of most black music aficionados. By Ady Croasdell (ACE Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - King Northern Soul Vol. 3 The King group of labels – Federal, DeLuxe, Hollywood etc – were hugely productive throughout the soul era, so there are hundreds of releases which have taken years to locate. Hence the 10-year gap since “King Northern Soul Vol 2” was released. Northern Soul collectors used to see the blue King label, immediately think “funky”, skip by it and continue the search for an “arranged by Mike Terry” denotation. There is no doubt that a drab grey label such as DeLuxe (as the Dave & Vee 45 from 1969) discourages the listener even before the needle drops. The mainly monochrome aspects of these labels could never compete with the colourful splashes of Groovesville, Giant, Tayster, Pzazz etc in building up the listener’s expectations; inevitably the music was undermined. We have mainly got over those prejudices now, but it is still a shock to hear how good some of those collected tracks sound on CD. The more obvious big Northern sounds were featured on the first two volumes of this series but there are some great numbers here that have become very collectible over the years. Charles Spurling’s ‘That’s My Zone’ and his song ‘Unwind Yourself’ for Marva Whitney both sound very cutting edge for today’s funk-edged fans, as do the Brownettes and Charles’ super-groove ‘Popcorn Charlie’. There are some terrific tracks from long-serving King acts, such as Hank Ballard’s Rudy Clark-penned ‘I’m Just A Fool’, Otis Williams’ ‘When We Get Together’ and Little Willie John’s Drifters-inspired ‘Until Again My Love’. The lesser-known Hollywood label is responsible for four excellent tracks from Robert Moore (who would go on to sing about ‘Party Freaks’ with Miami), L.H. & The Memphis Sounds (one of Packy Axton’s many bands) and Hal Hardy, who provides the superb ‘Name In Lights’; my hum in the head song of the month. There is an increasing movement to play southern soul tracks at Northern Soul dances nowadays; although King was based in Cincinatti, they licensed in southern productions; mainly fromNashvilleandMacon. The Toni Williams, Dan Brantley and James Duncan tracks are all evidence of that growing trend. And, although we have recently issued a New Breed R&B compilation drawn from the King group, there are still some of those influences contained in the songs from Mary Johnson, Mike Williams and Oscar Toney Jr. All but two of the 24 tracks are from King’s wonderfully preserved master tapes and sound alive again on CD. The booklet, with its amazing cover photo of the Presidents Band, is a darn sight prettier than an old DeLuxe label too. By Ady Croasdell (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 18.00 € |
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| VA: - Manhattan Soul Vol. 2 Scepter, Wand and Musicor have been a staple of the Kent connoisseur’s diet for nearly thirty years, since Jack Montgomery’s ‘Dearly Beloved’ opened the “Club Soul” Kent LP in 1984. Along with stunning solo compilations from Maxine Brown, Tommy Hunt, Chuck Jackson and the Shirelles there have been about a dozen LP and CD compilations of all the great artists who didn’t have enough tracks for solo albums. These varied from out-and-out Northern Soul, to big city ballads, to Southern Soul to Modern and funk. We don’t categorise quite as much nowadays and Kent has always been liberal in its mixing of the genres, so it is not surprising to see a typically diverse selection on our latest Manhattan Soul volume. One of the main reasons we’ve re-visited the series is the new access we have had to the multi-track tapes, which either contained previously unheard songs or offered great tape quality on seminal tracks that had been dubbed from disc n the past. The “new to our ears” recordings on this compilation include Jimmy Radcliffe’s original demo (or first stage recording) of his classic self-penned song ‘Deep In The Heart Of Harlem’, a Benny Gordon rousing vocal work-out to his fast and funky ‘Horsin’ Around’ groove, Lois Lane’s rhythm & soul with a touch of gospel ‘No Jealous Lover’ and the Catalinas’ blue eyed beach music of ‘Who Knows Better’. Greatly improved sound quality can be heard on the Soul Brothers beat ballad ‘The Parade Of Broken Hearts’, Ed Bruce’s sublime study in melancholy ‘I’m Gonna Have A Party’ and the most infectious dancer since ‘Dance To The Music’ in Lou Lawton’s ‘Knick Knack Patty Wack’; don’t let that title phase you. While we were recreating those sessions from the 60s we looked at the whole of the formidable catalogue and found some wonderful masters that hadn’t been available since the vinyl to CD switch. Tracks from soul legends such as Big Maybelle with ‘How Do You Feel Now’, Roscoe Robinson and his plaintive ‘Lonesome Guy’ and tommy Hunt's ‘New Neighbourhood’ which took me back to those rammed-out, steamy 100 Club all nighters of the mid 80s. Other gems like Willie Hatcher’s magnificent ‘Who Am I Without You Baby’, Joe Perkins’ atmospheric ‘Runaway Slave’ and the close soul harmony of the Premiers on ‘Lonely Weatherman’ had never graced a digital disc before. Researching the music was no less interesting than listening to it. We unearthed a current member of the US House Of Representatives; a lead singer who flew his plane into a mountain; and a one-single wonder who still plies his trade crooning in Las Vegas. Apart from the Big Apple, there’s a hunk of Philly, a splash of Chicago and some Memphis grits; all making for a soul food sandwich to savour. By Ady Croasdell (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Memphis Boys - The Story Of American Studios There can be few with an interest in the music of the American South who didn’t welcome the recent publication of Memphis Boys, Roben Jones’ essential history of American Studios. Established by songwriter-producer Chips Moman and his business partner Don Crews in 1964, it took a couple of years for American to find its true audio identity, but once the in-house group of key musicians – the Memphis Boys of Roben’s title – were all in place the steady trickle of hits and future classics quickly became a flood. Thanks to those players – Tommy Cogbill, Reggie Young, Bobby Emmons, Gene Chrisman, Dan Penn, Spooner Oldham and others – the American sound became as important a part of recording history as that which emanated from the studios of Motown, Cosimo’s, FAME and Memphis neighbours Sun, Stax and Hi. The first Hot 100 biggies to be recorded at American – James & Bobby Purify’s ‘Shake A Tail Feather’ and Oscar Toney Jr’s ‘For Your Precious Love’ – were taped at the same session in March 1967, around the same time as Dan Penn was putting the Box Tops through their paces on ‘The Letter’, one of the biggest hits of 1967 and American’s first worldwide chart-topper. Not a bad year by anyone’s standards. How quickly American’s stock rose in the eyes of others – particularly the companies that used the studio and the Memphis Boys on a regular basis – can be assessed by the fact that, by 1968, American was entertaining a client roster that included Neil Diamond, Petula Clark, B.J. Thomas, Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield and a local boy by the name of Elvis Presley who was looking to make his music as relevant as it had been 15 years earlier. Although this collection doesn’t contain every major hit that came out of the funky little studio on Thomas Street, Memphis (we’re saving some for a possible second volume), as a listening experience it’s hard to beat – particularly when enjoyed in conjunction with Roben’s brilliant book. By Tony Rounce (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Mod Jazz Forever The night is dark, and crisp enough to require a dark blue woollen overcoat over your midnight blue two-button narrow-lapelled, slim-fitting suit. Your loafers are oxblood and polished to a shine that reflects well on the rest of your outfit. You’re looking for the perfect soundtrack for a night on the town, not just any town, but a city, a bustling metropolis lit by neon and a full of a million souls – although you only want to be seen with a small percentage, the ones who can share your outlook and need the right sort of sounds. Fortunately for you the mod jazz crew are back in town and we have scoured the world to provide you with the perfect blend of jazz, with a touch of the blues, a shake of soul and a pinch of latin. Whether you are sipping a whisky sour in a wood-panelled bar, trying to created the perfect Mad Men moment, or working up a sweat, we have the number for you. As usual, we pay only lip service to genre divides, and bring you lots of great jazz vocals, often with an R&B twist. Check Troy Dodds’ ‘The Real Thing’ (the B-side of a super-expensive Northern soul hit) or Floyd White’s ‘Finders Keepers’, lifted from a previously unreleased Invader session. Mod jazz favourite Mark Murphy turns up with the amazing rare 45-only ‘It’s Like Love’ and Clint Stacy, Bobby Jenkins and Little Bob all help keep the mod jazz quality high. On the female side we have the phenomenal Tobi Lark, who is known for her soul numbers but was a consummate jazz performer, as was Byrdie Green, who gives us her take on Freddie Hubbard’s ‘Return Of The Prodigal Son’. A good mod jazz record needs plenty of roaring Hammond organ, which we give you by Brother Jack McDuff, Johnny “Hammond” Smith and the great Reuben Wilson with one of his earliest recordings. That other great Hammond exponent Billy Larkin sings like Georgie Fame and strokes some piano keys on ‘Looking’, which sounds rather like ‘Fever’, a song served up in a wonderful version by Buddy Guy. The Night Beats deliver a garage jazz take on ‘Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf Pt 2’ mod jazz regulars Hank Jacobs, Dave Hamilton and Johnny Lytle keep our toes tapping and our fingers clicking. As you leave the room to the previously unreleased British jazz cut ‘Sunshine Superman’ by Bocking, Robinson, Morais you will be feeling as sharp as ever. Another mod jazz miracle. By Dean Rudland (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Move With The Groove - Hardcore Chicago Soul 2CD |
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Charly Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
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| VA: - Nobody Wins - Stax Southern Soul 1968-1975 One of the projects that we feel proudest of is “Take Me To The River: A Southern Soul Story”. It was a labour of love and a lot of people were very appreciative of it, justifying our own confidence in the project. In the wake of its success we thought it would be good to do some single CD follow-up projects looking at specific areas of the Southern Soul world; unfortunately other things got in the way, including the rather wondrous opportunities we have had with the chaps at Fame, so we put the idea on the back burner until we could do it properly. With “Nobody Wins” I hope we have been able to do so. Focussing on the output of Stax Records may seem like shooting fish in a barrel, but by 1968 a lot had changed at the label that had effectively codified Southern Soul music with William Bell’s ‘You Don’t Miss Your Water’, and then took it to the world via Otis Redding. Otis had died in a plane crash in 1967 and then, at the termination of the label’s distribution deal with Atlantic, Stax had been left without its back catalogue. To combat these problems label head Al Bell had formulated a plan to make it a full-service record label, recording, manufacturing, distributing and marketing the recordings. To make this viable Stax had to compete with the biggest R&B label Motown and release far more material. With this is mind producer Don Davis was brought in to add some Detroit know-how, and music and ideas were imported from all over the USA. Stax may not have been exclusively releasing Southern music any more but it was still a Southern label. Most of the acts were came from the local area, and as the biggest label outside R&B’s traditional Northern strongholds, it was a magnet for anyone from the region who hoped to get a record deal. On top of that the Southern sound was so successful that even records that were recorded in other parts of the country tried to emulate the sound (noticeable on Calvin Scott’s Stax album for example). “Nobody Wins” gives an overview of the prevailing developments within Southern Soul, which show a move from a Stax-dominated landscape with our earliest productions, to something that ends up looking towards the styles being championed by Hi Records on the other side of Memphis. The music is uniformly excellent and sometimes, as on Johnny Daye’s ‘Stay Baby Stay’, William Bell’s ‘Loving On Borrowed Time’ or ‘Shouldn’t I Love Him’ by Mable John, transcendent. It is a great treat to be able to spotlight neglected cuts from Willie Singleton, Mack Rice or Freddie Waters, which have been hidden away as B-sides or on expensive box-sets. We’ve also discovered some previously unreleased gems from the previously unknown Sylvia and the Blue Jays, and from Bettye Crutcher and Chuck Brooks. It is also great to be able to focus on some better-known tracks by the Soul Children and Ollie & The Nightingales and bring them together with the other tracks featured here. From start to finish this is great, great soul music. By Dean Rudland (Ace Records) |
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Ace Records 2012 | CD | 17.00 € |
