|
BARGAIN
BASEMENT
COMPACT
DISCS - Rhythm & Blues, Soul & Doo-Wop
The Kelly Brothers ->
Bobby Rush/ Lynn White
| THE KELLY BROTHERS |
Excello 3006 |
Sanctified Southern Soul |
● CD $14.98
$9.98 |
28 tracks, 75 min., recommended
This powerful
brother act first entered a studio in the mid-50's as a gospel act,
recording as such for Chance (unreleased), Brewer, Vee-Jay, and
Federal. Their first secular sides came for the King label, where
they were known as the King Pins. And between 1964 and 1967 they cut
the heavily gospel-influenced soul sides offered here for the
Sims/Excello labels. Featured numbers include Falling in Love
Again, My Love Grows Stronger, Time Has Made Me Change,
Love Time, You Put Your Touch on Me, I Just Walk On,
That's How I Am, Stop Those Tears, It Takes You,
and My Baby Loves Me. Notes, sound quality and photos are all
first rate here. (DH)
|
| JEAN KNIGHT |
AIM 5005 |
The Very Best Of Me |
● CD $15.98
$9.98 |
11 tracks, 39 min., recommended
Best known for her
killer single Mr. Big Stuff, Knight had two other chart
monsters during her career: You've Got The Papers (I've Got The
Man, an answer to Betty Wright's I've Got Papers On The Man;
and a cover of Rockin' Sydney's My Toot Toot. And the good
news is that all three songs are on this release, but the catch is
that most of the tracks on this AIM CD were cut in 1994, presumably
in New Orleans. That said, The version of My Toot Toot here
is the original. The remainder of the album features soul chestnuts
made famous by others and performed frequently by Knight in live
shows. Tracks include Cleanup Woman/ Precious Precious/ I'd
Rather Go Blind/ Rocking Chair, and others. The other good news
is that these post-heyday recordings prove that, in 1994 at least,
Knight's voice didn't lack power or soulfulness. Pleasing enough if
a bit brief, and not likely to remain in print forever. (JC)
|
| FRANKIE LEE |
Blind Pig 5013 |
Going Back Home |
● CD $15.98
$7.98 |
48 minutes, 12 tracks, very good
There's been a lot
of good new soul coming out of the South, with my only quibble being
that there are more keyboard programmers listed than musicians.
Frankie Lee Jones does it right done up here in Berkeley with 2
different 14 piece bands led by guitarist Bobby Murray, with full
horn, background & percusion sections, giving it a great feel.
There's a nice mixture of originals by Jones & Murray along with
such covers as Joe Tex's The Love You Save Today, Sam Cooke's
Let The Good Times Roll & Marvin Gaye's Ain't That
Peculiar. (GM)
|
| BARBARA LEWIS |
Rhino 71619 |
Hello Stranger - The Best Of Barbara
Lewis |
● CD $15.98
$10.98 |
20 tracks, 51 min., recommended
Capable of being
soulful, sultry, and sweet, often at the same time, Barbara Lewis
has long deserved a retrospective of this breadth and overall
quality. Among the many highlights here, recorded between 1962 and
1968, are her major hits like Hello Stranger/ Baby I'm Yours/
Make Me Your Baby/ and Make Me Belong to You plus lesser known
tracks like How Can I Say Goodbye/ I Remember the Feeling and
Thankful for What I Got. Though she was never a powerhouse
soul star like her contemporary and label-mate Aretha Franklin,
Lewis recorded lots of gentle music well worth revisiting, offered
here in solid stereo sound, with worthwhile notes by David Nathan,
and journeyman graphics. (DH)
|
| GLORIA LYNNE |
Acrobat 5004 |
Love Songs |
● CD $18.98
$10.98 |
2 discs, 43 tracks, highly recommended
Gloria was
more of a jazz singer than anything else, so few of her recordings
became hits - in fact there were only two, Impossible, which
hit the R&B charts in '61 & her signature sing I Wish You Love,
a top 30 on both pop & R&B. However, her output was uniformly
excellent, as this set will show. Featuring all of her A sides done
for Everest '59-65 as well as most of her B-sides, with musicians
including Kenny Burrell, Sweets Edison & Sam The Man Taylor,
includes such great tracks as Perdido/ I'll Buy You A Star/
Condemned Without A Trial/ The Lamp Is Low & of course the two
hits. With 12 pg booklet of bio, pics & more. (GM)
|
| THE
MARATHONS & FRIENDS |
Acrobat 4024 |
Talkin' Trash |
● CD $13.98
$10.98 |
26 tracks 61 minutes, highly recommended
In the
infamous world of 1950's Doo Wop, bands change members, change band
names, and record under fake names to avoid problems with exclusive
contracts (usually with shady characters that are ripping them off
anyway). So the story of this CD is understandably convoluted. The
Marathons on the first 2 tracks are actually the Vibrations (who
were originally The Jayhawks who did the definitive version of
Stranded In The Jungle) incognito, so that they wouldn't get in
trouble with Chess records; the rest of the Marathons tracks are
local teenagers rounded up by the Arvee records folks. So when The
Marathons of Chicken Spaceman reference Peanut Butter,
they aren't referencing themselves, but another group. Peanut
Butter is a classic that most will know, but the tracks done by
the teenage Marathons are excellent as well. To confuse things more,
The Olympics, who also have some excellent tracks here, were
actually originally slated to do Peanut Butter, but were too
busy touring. The common thread to all of these groups as well as
The Boulevards, The Lions and The Lexingtons are that they are all
fantastic west coast outfits, with the one exception being The
Danleers, who were an east coast band whose label, Everest, later
moved to the west coast, so they can sneak in under the cultural
radar. O.K., so does that all make sense to you? Yeah, me neither,
but it's a lot of fun to obsess over the infinite wacky details when
you're talkin' crazy obscure Doo Wop records. Also, since there are
a plethora of shoddy Doo Wop compilations out there, it is nice to
see one like this with great tracks, fantastic sound and (obviously)
copious liner notes. A lot of these tracks are on the novelty tip,
so if that's your obsession (it's one of mine, along with putting
things in parenthesis), Enjoy! (JM)
THE BOULEVARDS: Chop Chop Hole In The Wall/ THE
DANLEERS: Foolish/ I'm Looking Around/ No One (No One But You)/ THE
LEXINGTONS: I Found My Baby/ When My Baby Went Away/ THE MARATHONS:
C Percy Mercy Of Scotland Yard/ Chicken Spaceman/ Gee/ High Blood
Pressure/ Nothing In The World/ Oink Jones/ Peanut Butter/ Talkin'
Trash/ Tight Sweater/ Tutti Frutti/ You Bug Me Baby/ THE OLYMPICS:
Ain't No Big Thing/ Big Cheese Little Puff/ Bye Bye Baby/ How Long
Will It Take/ Shame Shame Shame/ THE ROBINS: Just Like That/ Live
Wire Suzie/ Oh No/ Whole Lot Of Imagination
|
| BOBBY MARCHAN |
Collectables 5113 |
Golden Classics |
● CD $13.98
$9.98 |
12 tracks, 32 mins, recommended
A dozen Fire sides
from 1959 and 1960 by this fine and distinctive New Orleans vocalist
with the high voice who first came to prominence as lead singer with
Huey "Piano" Smith and The Clowns. In spite of the short playing
time on this disc there are some great soulful and bluesy cuts
including his big hit the two part There Is Something On Your
Mind with its unique narration. A number of other cuts repeat
the narration concept including the two part You're Still My Baby
and a great cover version of Maxine Brown's All In My Mind.
Other songs include I Miss You So/ It Hurts Me To My Heart/ What
You Don't Know Don't Hurt You/ Yes It's Written All Over Your Face.
(FS)
|
| JIMMY MCGRIFF |
Collectables 5147 |
Blues For Mr. Jimmy |
● CD $13.98
$9.98 |
Reissue of Sue 1039 from 1963, Jimmy's second. Jimmy
was the rockingest of the Philadelphia Hammond school (Jimmy Smith,
Jack McDuff, Groove Holmes, etc). Except for The Party's Over
, all tunes are originals - The Dog (You dog)/ Discotheque USA/
Bump De Bump/ Sh'o Nuff , etc.
|
| JIMMY MCGRIFF |
Collectables 5747 |
Christmas With Jimmy McGriff |
● CD $13.98
$8.98 |
Jimmy and his organ treat us to a jazzy, funky
Christmas with a couple of originals and hip versions of old
chestnuts like White Christmas/ Winter Wonderland/ Rudolph The
Red Nosed Reindeer, etc
|
| BIG JAY MCNEELY |
Collectables 5131 |
Live At Birdland 1957 |
● CD $13.98
$9.98 |
16 tracks, 30 min., essential
This should a popular
release, a CD version of a vintage 1957 Big Jay show recorded on a 2
track Ampex (don't worry, it sounds fine) at Seattle's Birdland
Club. The discovery of this tape in 1988 was, for R&B fans,
tantamount to the unearthing of King Tut's tomb. This CD version
adds 6 cuts from another Big Jay Records LP, Swingin' (JLP
103). The band opens with the dynamic, raspy voiced Little Sonny
Warner singing I Hope You're All Right , then jumps into
prime Big Jay on the wild Insect Ball . After a soulful
rendition of Lynn Hope's Tenderly and a swingin' number
called Havana Hop , McNeely really cuts loose on an amazing
and exciting version of the old Goodman/ Hampton classic Flying
Home , that must have really worn out the dancers there - it's 8
1/2 min. long! He does his crowd pleasers, Deacon's Hop and
There Is Something On Your Mind and throws in some surprises
too, like a fine version of Les Paul & Mary Ford's How High The
Moon . If you like honkin' R&B you'll love this
(AE)
|
| BIG JAY MCNEELY |
Collectables 5133 |
Swingin' - Golden Classics |
● CD $13.98
$9.98 |
Previously issued on Jay's own Big J label. 16 fine
tracks recorded for the Los Angeles Swingin' label 1957-61 - lots of
hard-driving music including the uneditied version of the hit
There Is Something On Your Mind with Little Sonny Warner on
vocals, lots of honkin' instrumental & even a rockabilly track with
a white singer - 6 tracks previously unreleased.
|
| CLYDE MCPHATTER |
Acrobat ACMCD 4322 |
Jukebox Hits, 1953-1957 |
● CD $13.98
$10.98 |
A collection of 22 R&B chart hits opening with eight
tracks by The Drifters featuring the gorgeous leads of Clyde
McPhatter from 1953 through 1955 (Money Honey/ Honey Love/ The
Bells Of St Mary's, etc. There are seven hits by The Drifters
from 1955 through '57 after McPHatter left and was replaced by
JOhnny Moore (Adorable/ I Gotta Get Myself A Woman/ Hypnotized,
etc) and the final seven tracks are McPhatter solo recordings from
'55 through '57 including his duet with Ruth Brown on Love Has
Joined Us Together plus Treasure Of Love/ Long LOnely Nights
and others.
|
| JOE MEDWICK |
Edsel 632 |
I'm An After Hours Man - The Crazy
Cajun Recordings |
● CD $17.98
$8.98 |
19 tracks, recommended
Excellent soul singer and
songwriter from Texas who is best known for having written a number
of Bobby Bland's hits like Further On Up the Road/ I Pity the
Fool and others. As usual for the Crazy Cajun reissues on Edsel
the information is pretty vague but I would guess that most of these
are unissued demos and arrangements are occasionally a bit ragged
but there are some very fine performances from Joe who turns in some
great deep soul ballads as well as some rocking up tempo numbers. I
would assume that most of the songs are Medwick originals but there
are also some nice covers including Robert Parker's Barefootin'
and a surprising but effective version of Hank Williams' Wedding
Bells. Arrangements range from rhythm section with keyboards to
a full band with horns. Well worth a listen. (FS)
|
| THE MELLOKINGS |
Acrobat ACMCD 4301 |
The Herald Sessions |
● CD $13.98
$9.98 |
26 tracks from this white teenage quintet from Mt.
Vernon, N.Y. who recorded for Al Silver's Herald label between 1957
and 1959 and had some success with their initial release Tonite,
Tonite. This CD contains all their Herald output, including
originally unissued songs and alternate takes. The group sings well
in a smooth sweet-sounding way, but occasionally drifts into
commercially trite material. Besides their hit tracks this set
includes Sassafras/ Kid Stuff/ Valerie/ Do Baby Do/ I Played The
Part Of A Fool/ Till There Was None/ Love At First Sight, etc.
Excellent sound and informative notes by Bob Fisher.
|
| LUCKY MILLINDER |
Collectables 2898 |
The Very Best Of Lucky Millinder |
● CD $15.98
$11.98 |
24 tracks, 65 mins, highly recommended
Wonderful
collection of swinging rhythm & blues featuring the complete King
recordings of this great and important big band cut between 1950 and
1955. Includes vocals by Big John Greer, Annisteen Allen, Brother
John Sellers, Melvin Moore, Cathy Ryan and others. Top musicians
like Lamar Wright, John Hardee, Sonny Thompson, Tyree Glenn, Sam
"The Man" Taylor and others help the fun along on tracks like Who
Said Shorty Wasn't Coming Back/ My Little Baby/ Clap Your Hands/
Silent George/ I'm Waiting Just For You/ It's Been A Long Long Time/
The Grape VineWhen I Gave You My Love, etc. Excellent sound.
(FS)
|
| JOHNNY
MOORE'S THREE BLAZERS |
Westside 217 |
Los Angeles Blues |
● CD $21.98
$12.98 |
Two CD set featuring 31 tracks recorded for RCA
between 1949 and 1950 by this pioneering "cocktail R&B" group
including 12 previously unissued tracks! This material is making its
first ever appearance on CD.
|
| ART NEVILLE |
Specialty 7023 |
His Specialty Recordings 1956-58 |
● CD $15.98
$10.98 |
This 20 track package offers a comprehensive glimpse
at the first Neville Bro' to hit wax. Art's mid-50's efforts were
pretty much in the Little Richard vein of New Orleans rock (without
the savagery). Art is accompanied by top New Orleans musicians like
Lee Allen, "Red" Tyler, Roy Montrell, Frrank Fields and others and
this set includes unissued songs and alternates and a track with Art
accompanying Larry Williams.
|
| THE NUTMEGS/
THE TURBANS |
Acrobat 4251 |
The Nutmegs vs The Turbans |
● CD $13.98
$10.98 |
30 tracks, highly recommended
The complete Herald
recordings of two of the finest vocal groups to record for the
label. Both groups had hits with songs that have become doowop
anthems, endlessly covered by other artists - The Turbans with their
mambo flavored When You Dance in 1955 and from the same year
The Nutmegs with their timeless ballad A Story Untold. The
Turbans, from Philadelphia, never repeated their initial success but
continued recording fine rocking songs and ballads through 1957 when
they moved to various other labels. The Nutmegs from New Haven,
Connecticut, were with Herald from 1955 through 1962 and followed
"Story" with another fine hit ballad The Ship Of Love and
were also equally adept at ballads and rockers. This set includes
the Nutmegs one off single for Tel in 1960 and also includes the
originally unissued Farewell To Arms by The Turbans and an
alternate take of A Story Untold. Excellent sound and
informative notes round out a collection of doo wop at its finest.
(FS)
|
| THE OLYMPICS |
Acrobat 4055 |
Arvee Singles Plus |
● CD $13.98
$10.98 |
27 tracks, 66 min, highly recommended
The Olympics
have a long recording history, from '58's Western Movies
through '66's original version of Good Lovin'. This set
concentrates on their '60-61 recordings for the small L.A. label
ArVee, & includes all their 45 rpm sides along with a host of LP
tracks. Of course their best known tracks from this period are all
here incl uding their hit remake of Big Boy Pete plus
(Baby) Hully Gully (which was ripped off by The Marathons to
become Peanut Butter which resulted in lawsuits), Little
Pedro/ Dance By the Light Of the Moon/ Private Eye/ Boo Dee Green,
etc. Booklet with full liner notes. (GM)
THE OLYMPICS: (baby) Hully Gully/ Baby It's Hot/
Big Boy Pete/ Big Chief Little Puss/ Boo Dee Green/ Brand New
Tennessee Waltz/ Dance By The Light Of The Moon/ Dodge City/ Dooley/
Everybody Likes To Cha Cha Cha/ Hoochie Coochie Coo/ I'll Never Fall
In Love/ Little Pedro/ Madison Time/ Mash Them 'taters/ Party
Pooper/ Pony Time/ Private Eye/ Save The Last Dance For Me/ Shimmy
Like Kate/ Stay Away From Joe/ Stay Where You Are/ The Scotch/ The
Slop/ The Stomp/ The Twist/ What'd I Say/ Workin' Hard
|
| THE ORIOLES |
Acrobat 5000 |
1947-1955 |
● CD $18.98
$12.98 |
2 CDs, 52 tracks, essential
As the 4 LP Murray Hill
box is long out of print and you may not want to spring for the six
CD Bear Family box, this is the way to go to get some great Orioles
in your collection. Featuring the great lead of Sonny Til, this set
has all the hit singles as well as some rare vault tracks that only
came out on the above box sets. The Orioles were one of the founding
fathers of doo-wop & did something rare in that genre - covered
blues! Includes their versions of Baby Please Don't Go/ CC Rider
& Irene Goodnight, as well as such gems as It's Too Soon
To Know/ What Are You Doing New Years Eve/ Barfly & of course
Crying In The Chapel. Liner notes limited to a brief bio of the
band & letting you know the personnel & year each song came out.
(GM)
THE ORIOLES: (it's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas/ A
Kiss And A Rose/ A Scandal/ Baby Please Don't Go/ Bad Little Girl/
Barbra Lee/ Barfly/ Blame It On Yourself/ Crying In The Chapel/
Deacon Jones/ Don't Cry Baby/ Don't Go To Strangers/ Don't Stop/
Every Dog-gone Time/ Fair Exchange/ For All We Know/ Forgive And
Forget/ Getting' Tired ,tired ,tired/ Goodnight Irene/ Happy Go
Lucky Local Blues/ Hold Me ! Squeeze Me!/ Hold Me Thrill Me Kiss Me/
How Blind Can You Be/ I Challenge Your Kiss/ I Cover The Waterfront/
I Cross My Fingers/ I May Be Wrong/ I Miss You So/ I Need You Baby/
I Need You So/ I Only Have Eyes For You/ I'd Rather Have You Under
The Moon/ If It's To Be/ In The Chapel In The Moonlight/ In The
Mission Of St. Augustine/ It Ain't Gonna Be Like That/ It's Too Soon
To Know/ My Baby's Gonna Get It/ My Loved One/ No Other Love/ Once
In Awhile/ Pretty Pretty Rain/ Secret Love/ See See Rider/ Tell Me
So/ The Night Has Come/ The Robe Of Calvary/ Waiting/ Walking By The
River/ What Are You Doing New Years Eve/ Why Did You Go/ Would I
Love You(love You,love You)
|
| ROBERT PARKER |
Fuel 61611 |
An Introduction To Robert Parker |
● CD $13.98
$9.98 |
Apart from the 1966 classic double sider
Barefootin' and Let's Go Baby (Where The Action Is) most
of the tracks on this 16 track collection are from the 70s - mostly
Allen Toussaint production.
|
| PATTY & THE
EMBLEMS |
Collectables 5765 |
Golden Classics |
● CD $13.98
$9.98 |
20 tracks- Mixed Up, Shook Up, Girl/ You Can't
Get Away/ Please Don't Ever Leave Me Baby/ Billy Boy/ Dreams Do Come
True/ Don't Put Me Down/ He Brought Sunshine In My Life, etc.
|
| ANN PEEBLES |
Hi (UK) 105 |
Lookin' For A Lovin' |
● CD $17.98
$10.98 |
21 tracks cut between 1969 and 1981 by this superb
soul singer, produced by Willie Mitchell, including Respect/ It's
Your Thing/ My Man/ What You Laid On Me/ Loved Played A Game/ You're
Gonna Make Me Cry/ The Handwriting Is On The Wall/ Lookin' For A
Lovin'/ I Didn't Take Your Man/ Be For Me/ I'd Rather Leave While
I'm In Love, etc.
|
| ANN PEEBLES |
Hi Records HILO 167 |
If This Is Heaven |
● CD $13.98
$7.98 |
Reissue of Anne's fifth Hi LP from 1977 with new
liner notes and one bonus track - the non-album single Fill This
World With Love. Includes If This Is Heaven/ I'm So Thakful/
Boy I Gotta Have You/ You're Gonna Make Me Cry/ Lovin' You Without
Love and six more.
|
| IKE PERRY &
THE LYRICS |
Ohio 1001 |
Ike Perry & The Lyrics |
● CD $17.98
$11.98 |
21 tracks from the late 50s/ early 60s by this
excellent, but obscure, black vocal group from Cleveland, Ohio. A
fine selection of ballads and up tempo items, some acapella - You
Can Be My Honey/ Star Steps To Heaven/ I'm Travelin' Light/ In My
Letter To You/ It's Too Soon To Know/ Please Don't Send Me Away,
etc. Fine music though remastering uses too much digital noise
reduction.
|
| THE PERSUASIONS |
Bullseye Blues 9556 |
Right Around The Corner |
● CD $15.98
$7.98 |
13 tracks, 45 min., highly recommended
Mellowing
like fine vintage wine, these superstars of the a capella vocal
group sound offer here yet another outstanding program of ballads,
blues, and hymns. Selections include Willie Dixon's Little Red
Rooster, Sam Cooke's That's Heaven to Me, Lowman
Paulings' (of the Five Royales) I'm With You and Come On
and Save Me, plus The Good Ol' Days, Don't Leave Me
Here to Cry, and Oh Heavenly Salvation. A wonderful
addition to your Persuasions collection, or, if you don't have one
yet, a perfectly sound reason to begin. Just one more reminder that
the most expressive instrument of all is the human voice. (DH)
|
| LITTLE ESTHER
PHILLIPS |
Acrobat ACRCD 213 |
Mistrustin' And Deceivin' |
● CD $10.98
$7.98 |
25 tracks, 70 mins, highly recommended
Esther
Phillips with an influence on the "Little" part; all tracks on this
while she was still a teenager. Originally a prot‚g‚ of Johnny Otis,
the first half of these tracks are recorded with Esther fronting
Otis's spectacular orchestra, performing Otis's material. The first
14 tracks are Otis compositions recorded for Savoy including the #1
R&B smash Double Crossing Blues, recorded as a duet with the
Robins, especially bass man Bobby Nunn. Other high points of the
Savoy sessions include Misery/ Cupid's Blues, the hilarious
Wedding Boogie and just in time for this catalog, Far Away
Christmas Blues. After the usual royalty/ business disputes,
Phillips left Savoy for Federal records, but for the most part kept
Johnny Otis and crew with her working incognito. Of the 11 Federal
tracks here, most didn't do nearly as well as her Savoy cuts, but
there's great tunes aplenty nonetheless. Other Lips, Other Arms/
The Deacon Moves In/ Aged and Mellow Blues and Turn The Lamps
Down Low to name just a few of the great tracks that round this
collection out. (JM)
|
| JIMMY PRESTON |
Collectables 5306 |
Jimmy Preston |
● CD $13.98
$7.98 |
13 tracks recorded for Gotham in 1950.
|
| JIMMY PRESTON |
Collectables 5327 |
Rock The Joint Vol 2 |
● CD $13.98
$6.98 |
14 tracks, highly recommended
Reissue of Krazy Kat
LP 827. Wild small combo R&B cut by alto saxist Preston & his Prestones for Gotham. Most of the tunes are from '48 & '49 incl the
frantic title tune making a good case for the 1st Rock'n'Roll
recording (done 2 years before Rocket 88) & covered by fellow
Keystone stater Bill Haley. Also incl the hit Hucklebuck Daddy,
later the basis for the 5 Keys' Hucklebuck With Jimmy, & 3
never released alts from '50 with future jazz star Benny Golson on
tenor, Let's Hang Out Tonight (with Tiny Grimes) & 2 takes of
They Call Me The Champ (AE)
|
| LLOYD PRICE |
MCA 112883 |
The Best Of Lloyd Price - The
Millenium Collection |
● CD $9.98 $6.98 |
12 Tracks, 29 Minutes, recommended
After you have
picked up the fantastic collection of Lloyd Price's early work on
Specialty put out by Classics (Classics 5100), you will still need
to pick this one up for all of the ABC/ Paramount hits. No surprises
here, just hit after hit, amazingly all recorded between 1957 -
1959. This includes the re-make of his Specialty records hit
Lawdy Miss Clawdy and the un-sanitized version of Stagger
Lee. (JM)
LLOYD PRICE: Come Into My Heart/ I‘m Gonna Get
Married/ Just Because/ Lady Luck/ Lawdy Miss Clawdy/ Never Let Me
Go/ No If‘s – No Ands/ Personality/ Question/ Stagger Lee/ Where
Were You (on Our Wedding Day)/ Wont‘cha Come Home
|
| LLOYD PRICE |
Specialty SPCD 7047 |
Vol. 2 - Heavy Dreams |
● CD $14.98
$9.98 |
23 tracks, 57 min., recommended
Price joined the
Specialty label when he was a mere 17 years old, but he'd already
been fronting a small combo act for several years. So it should come
as no surprise that, backed by some of New Orleans' finest session
men - including Dave Bartholomew, Herb Hardesty, Lee Allen, Earl
Palmer, and even Fats Domino - he produced numerous charted hits in
the early to mid-50s. Top ten r&b numbers featured here include
Oooh-Oooh-Oooh/ Restless Heart/ Tell Me Pretty Baby, and
Ain't It a Shame. Prime Crescent City music from start to finish
and a fitting companion to Volume One by the same artist. Sound
quality, graphics, and notes are all solid. Hats off again to Billy
Vera, who is producing this reissue series for Fantasy Records. (DH)
|
| THE RADIANTS |
Rack-O-Ribs 4544 |
The Singles Collection, 1962-1970 |
● CD $14.98
$10.98 |
27 tracks, highly recommended
As far
as I know, this is the 1st ever collection of this fine Chicago soul
group who later became the duo Maurice & Mac. There were 3 distinct
phases/influences here. The original group was a quintet including
Maurice McAlister, Mac McLauren, & Wallace Sampson. The group was
heavily influenced by early Motown - their 1st single, Father
Knows Best, is kind of an answer to Shop Around. By '63
Mac was drafted & and soon after the group imploded, with McAlister
& Sampson joined by Leonard "Baby Doo" Caston. Now more heavily
influenced by the hometown Impressions, the trio scored with the
only 2 tunes that seem to be reissued, both big hits - It Ain't
No Big Thing & the classic Voice Your Choice. By '65,
Caston left to become a producer for Chess & an important voice in
Chicago soul. McAlister left to go solo, which is where we leave the
Radiants, but we have his rare 45 I'd Rather Do It Myself/ Baby
Hang On. In '67 Mac returned & as Maurice & Mac, the duo put out
singles heavily influenced by Sam & Dave including the deep soul
classic You Left The Water Running. (GM)
THE RADIANTS: Baby Hang On/ Baby You're The One/
Baby You've Got It/ Father Knows Best/ Heartbreak Society/ I Gotta
Dance To Keep My Baby/ I Want To Thank You/ I'd Rather Do It Myself/
I'm Afraid To Let You Know/ I'm In Love/ I've Got A Girl/ If I Only
Had You/ It Ain't No Big Thing/ Lay It On Me/ Lean On Me/ Love
Power/ Noble The Bargain Man/ Oh What A Time/ One Day I'll Show You/
Please Don't Leave Me/ Shy Guy/ Tomorrow/ Try Me/ Voice Your Choice/
What Am I Going To Do/ Whole Lot Of Woman/ You Left The Water
Running
|
| THE RAVENS |
Savoy Jazz 17304 |
Their Complete National Recordings |
● CD $28.98
$19.98 |
Superb three CD set featuring all the recordings
made between 1947 and 1950 for National by this superb, influential
and popular vocal group whose music bridged the gap between the
earlier smooth Ink Spots stylings and the later, more R&B flavored
doo-wop styles. The group, with the basement bass of the legendary
Jimmy Ricks and the much copied silvery tenor of Maithe Marshall. 64
tracks including acapella demos and alternate takes. Newly
remastered and including a booklet with notes by compiler Billy
Vera.
|
| JAMES RAY |
Collectables 5199 |
Golden Classics - If You Gotta Make
A Fool Of Somebody |
● CD $13.98
$9.98 |
12 cuts, including title cut/Itty Bitty
Pieces/The Old Man And The Mule/Lazy Bones/St. James Infirmary.
|
| OTIS REDDING |
Rhino 70380 |
In Person At The Whiskey A Go Go |
● CD $12.98
$7.98 |
If you could own only one live Otis album, the nod
would clearly go to "Live In Europe", one of the greatest live rock/
soul releases ever. But since life is more than either/ or, this '66
Los Angeles show is well worth picking up. Originally released
(posthumously) in 1968 as Atco 33-265, In Person finds
Redding in front of a 10-piece band including 4 saxes, a pair of
trumpets, and trombone. He shouts his way through heart pounders
like I Can't Turn You Loose/ Papa's Got A Brand New Bag.
Respect/ Satisfaction/ Pain In My Heart/ Just One More Day/ Mr.
Pitiful/ I'm Depending On You/ Any Ole Way/ These Arms Of Mine
are also on the play list. (JC)
|
| OTIS REDDING |
Stax 8579 |
Good To Me - Live At The Whisky A Go
Go, Vol. 2 |
● CD $12.98
$8.98 |
12 tracks, 43 min., recommended
One more time:
Everything Otis Redding recorded is recommended if not required
listening. This is Vol. 2 of the Whiskey A Go Go show from 1966
(originally released in '82 as Atlantic SD 19346), and yes one of
the trumpet players is out of tune, and no it doesn't make a damn
bit of difference. The incendiary version of I Can't Turn You
Loose is enough to singe your eyebrows, and even though Otis
hasn't got the slightest idea what the words are to A Hard Day's
Night, he rocks it off the planet. The CD offers 4 bonus tracks
not originally available, including the excellent I'm Depending
On You and a version of These Arms Of Mine. Imperfection
never sounded so good. (JC)
|
| TOMMY RIDGLEY |
Rounder 2079 |
The New Orleans King Of The Stroll |
● CD $15.98
$8.98 |
15 fine cuts from veteran singer, pianist and
bandleader Ridgley, whose soulful voice has graced vinyl since 1949
when he first appeared in Dave Bartholomew's band. 13 of the cuts
here were recorded between 1960 and '62 for the Ric label with
sidemen like Mac Rebennack, Edgar Blanchard, Lee Allen, Harold
Battiste and other Nawlins legends. While best at heartfelt ballads
like Should I Ever Love Again , I've Heard That Story
Before or Bullmoose's I Love You Yes I Do , he also can
pull off such novelties as Double Eyed Whammy or The Girl
From Kooka Monga . We get 2 rare 1964 cuts from Watch subsidiary
Johen produced by Wendell Quezergue, including the wicked soul
number I Want Some Money Baby (JMC)
|
| BOBBY RUSH/ LYNN
WHITE |
Cannonball 29205 |
Southern Soul |
● CD $15.98
$8.98 |
1998 album by two of the giants of the contemporary
Southern soul and soul blues scene. Both performers are in fine form
accompanied by solid bands with the Willie Mitchell horns also in
attendance
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