|
BARGAIN
BASEMENT
COMPACT
DISCS - Rhythm & Blues, Soul & Doo-Wop
Sam & Dave ->
Jerry Williams aka Swamp Dogg
| SAM & DAVE |
Collectables 7758 |
Soul Men |
● CD $12.98
$8.98 |
11 tracks, highly recommended
A straight reissue of
Stax 275 originally released in 1967, this album contains the duo's
biggest hit Soul Man--#1 R&B, #2 Pop--as well as 10 other
slices of sonorous soul. Among the best offerings here are the
moving ballads Just Keep Holding On/ I've Seen What Loneliness
Can Do, which rivals the pair's better known When Something
Is Wrong With My Baby for pure emotion. Other knockouts include
the horn-laden The Good Runs The Bad Way/ Don't Knock It,
written by producers Issac Hayes and David Porter, and the Steve
Cropper composition Broke Down Piece Of Man. The lyric of the
oxymoronic Rich Kind Of Poverty - yes, it's a love song -
sounds a wee forced, and I'm With You is filler, both of
which would mean less if the album didn't clock in at under 30
minutes. Is it worth it? No question. (JC)
|
| THE SHOWMEN |
Collectables 5162 |
It Will Stand - Golden Classics |
● CD $13.98
$9.98 |
16 tracks, highly recommended
A great collection of
issued, previously unissued and alternate takes by this extremely
talented Norfolk, VA group who recorded in New Orleans during '61 &
'62 for Joe Banashak's Minit label is sheer delight to the ears of
those who like their harmonies smooth, pretty & soulfully cool.
Featuring the aching pipes of Norman Johnson (who later scored with
Give Me Just A Little More Time with The Chairman Of The
Board on Invictus in 1970), the quintet takes us through a set of 16
songs, most of which define soul harmony in the clearest terms.
Sounds the Drifters might have made had they not later been
overproduced. Includes their massive hit It Will Stand plus
This Misery/ fate Planned It This Way/ Valley Of Love/ Swish
Fish/ Strange Girl/ let Her Feel It In your Kiss/ 39-21-40 Shape,
etc. (OLN/ FS)
|
| THE SPANIELS |
Collectables 5584 |
40th Anniversary, 1953-1993 |
● CD $11.98
$8.98 |
1993 recordings with James "Pookie" Hudson.
|
| JOHNNY SPARROW |
Collectables 5332 |
His Bows & Arrows |
● CD $13.98
$7.98 |
Reissue of Krazy Kat LP. Tenor saxist Sparrow
languished in the rhythm sections of Jay McShann, Louis Armstrong, &
Lionel Hampton before striking out on his own in '49. This LP covers
his Gotham sides from '52-3, skirting the thin line between jazz and
R&B. Sparrow recorded 16 tunes at 4 sessions, with backing by
anonymous musicians ranging from a 3 piece rhythm to a full blown
group with trombone, flute, baritone sax, and keyboards. Gotham
issued 5 couplings and here are at least 1 take of 15 of the tunes,
with only "Boudoir Boogie" & "When Your Lover Has Gone" being the
originally issued takes. Many sound like a lighter version of Earl
Bostic. (GM)
|
| BENNY SPELLMAN |
Collectables 5165 |
Fortune Teller |
● CD $13.98
$9.98 |
16 tracks, recommended
16 tunes by Benny Spellman,
one of the many New Orleans singers that cashed in on the popularity
of the Crescent City sound in the 60's. These Minit, Alon and Bandy
tunes were recorded 1959-66 and presents a nice cross-section of
Spellman's gently rolling numbers, spiced by his always pleasing
voice. There's more than one song here that echoes Benny's supreme
moment, singing the bass response on Ernie K Doe's Mother-In-Law
. Fortune Teller/ Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette) (Minit
644) has to be one of the best two sided R&B 45's ever. Both are
included plus The Word Game/ T'Ain't It The Truth/ Talk About
Love/ Life Is Too Short , etc. (AE)
|
| J.B. SUMMERS |
Collectables 5333 |
With The Blues Shouters |
● CD $13.98
$7.98 |
14 tracks, highly recommended
Originally Krazy Kat
LP 833. I confess. I took one look at this and I knew I'd love it -
blues shouters, Tiny Grimes, Frank Motley, Gotham, great cover
photos - yeah! J.B. really has the Wynonie Harris bit down pat, shoutin' out good time R&B over a blazing R&B band. He is very
impressive on his 7 tunes here, backed up on different occasions by
the orchestras of Grimes, Doc Bagby and Eddie Woodland. Tunes
include Hey Mr. J.B./ Drinking Beer/ I Want A Present For
Christmas , etc. Side two starts with one of the greatest blues
shouters, Jimmy Rushing. Mr. 5x5 sings the previously unissued
Ain't It Lonesome , backed by The Count Basie All Stars. Harry
Crafton, Danny 'Mr. Alto' Turner, Benny Brown, Lloyd 'Fat Man' Smith
and Gay Crosse all contribute to the rollicking good time. A very
enjoyable collection. Super sleuth Bruce Bastin figures things out
in the liner notes. (AE)
|
| THE SWEET
INSPIRATIONS |
Stax 8565 |
Estelle, Myrna And Sylvia |
● CD $12.98
$8.98 |
This reissue of the 1973 Stax album was recorded
after Emily "Cissy" Houston had left for a solo career, but there
were still enough Inspirations here to make a wonderful record. The
first song Wishes And Dishes will convert disbelievers -
slow, plaintive vocals wax mournful on a marriage gone sour, and 6
minutes hardly seem like enough time. Call Me When All Else Fails
is another slow, sad one that leaves little wonder why these women
used to sing backup for Aretha Franklin. The upbeat Slipped And
Tripped turns the idea of literally falling in love into a great
song. Come to think of it, there are no bad cuts here. As a bonus,
this CD adds two hits from 1967: Why (Am I Treated So Bad),
their first chart success, and Sweet Inspiration, which
reached #5 on Billboard's R&B chart. Recommended. (JC)
|
| TARHEEL
SLIM & LITTLE ANN |
Collectables 5159 |
The Red Robin & Fire Years |
● CD $13.98
$9.98 |
15 tracks, 51 mins, highly recommended
Excellent
collection of blues, doo-wop, R&B ballads and some forgettable
versions of a few country songs by superb singer & guitarist Tarheel
Slim (Allen Bunn) and his wife Little Ann recorded for Bobby
Robinson's Red Robin, Fire & Fury labels between 1954 and '62. It
includes Slim's double sided rockin' blues masterpiece from 1959
Number Nine Train/ Wildcat Tamer and two 1954 blues sides by
him. There is also a superb solo performance by Ann on You're
Gonna Reap. The rest is duets Anne including some great minor
key doom laden R&B ballads like the two part Can't Stay Away,
It's Too Late and Much Too Late. Most of the rest is
pretty much mainstream R&B plus some country songs which might have
been O.K. but for the awful string section and wretched heavenly
choir. Sound could have been better but is satisfactory. (FS)
|
| JOHNNIE TAYLOR |
Fuel 61074 |
Funksoulbrother |
● CD $11.98
$6.98 |
10 tracks, 42 mins, recommended
Johnnie Taylor was
one of the greatest R&B/Soul singers to come out of the Stax Records
stable, and even after Stax's demise in 1975 Taylor-with the help of
his producer Don Davis-continued to rack up R&B hits well into the
80's. This compilation represents previously unheard tracks that
Paula Records issued in 1996; the exact date of recording is
unknown, but the songs were definitely produced by Don Davis, mostly
cut in Muscle Shoals, and possibly came from post-Stax sessions
prior to Taylor's signing with Columbia Records. Regardless, these
songs hold up incredibly as well as anything else the man cut in the
mid 70's. From the elegant cover of the Association's Never My
Love and the lovely Heaven Bless This Home to the gritty
I Want You Back Again , the patented Stax sound is in full
evidence. Other songs- I Wanna Get Into You/ Bittersweet Love
- are more firmly rooted in the R&B trends of the 70's and have a
semi-disco feel, but all are tastefully played and beautifully sung.
These might be "lost" tracks from a sometimes dubious period in R&B
history, but there's nothing wasted or useless here. (GMC)
|
| CARLA THOMAS |
Rhino 71015 |
The Queen Alone |
● CD $13.98
$6.98 |
A straight reissue of Carla's third LP for Stax,
originally issued in 1967. And it's not bad stuff, but it's not
great either; call it accomplished if you like, but certainly not
inspired. On the other hand, somebody at Atlantic must think that
this is pretty hot material, because the company chose to reissue
this with some much worthier music that's still in the can. Oh well.
Cuts here include Carla's version of Chuck Jackson's Any Day Now,
I Take It To My Baby/ When Tomorrow Comes/ Unchanging Love
and Lie To Keep Me From Crying. Original cover art and notes.
Decent stereo sound. Twelve cuts providing 31 minutes of music. (DH)
|
| CARLA THOMAS |
Stax 30328 |
Live At The Bohemia Caverns |
● CD $11.98
$8.98 |
15 tracks, 62 mins, highly recommended
Carla Thomas
was the first lady of Stax Records and the Queen of Memphis Soul
during the '60s, and this never-before released live album-recorded
in Washington D.C. on May 25th, 1967-shows her wanting to expand her
musical horizons into Tin Pan Alley pop and Jazz standards. With a
band organized and led by Donny Hathaway, Thomas lets rip on
everything from You're Gonna Hear From Me (originally
featured in the film "Inside Daisy Clover") to Jorge Ben's Brazilian
hit Mas Que Nada to A Lot of Livin' to Do (from
Broadway musical "Bye Bye Birdie"). While she doesn't ignore her
hits Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes) and B-A-B-Y, and
while it's also clear that she's no Ella Fitzgerald or Nancy Wilson,
Thomas does give it her all on the show-tunes in a way that proved
she was sincere, and gives an engaging performance in spite of her
lack of technique. Although the last five tracks feature her father
Rufus Thomas (recorded at the same performance, after she had
finished), this is truly Carla's show all the way. The packaging,
liner notes and sound are excellent, of course, but it's worth
noting that these recordings were supposed to have been released on
Stax in 1967, but for some reason the label pulled the album at the
last minute. The trajectory of Thomas' career might have been vastly
different if these recordings had been released, but we now have
them to treasure and to make one think what could have been. (GMC)
|
| CHRIS THOMAS |
Hightone HCD 8043 |
Simple |
● CD $14.98
$3.98 |
If you're not a fan of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi
Hendrix and ZZ Top then you probably wouldn't like this extremely
heavy new recording by former Arhoolie artist Chris Thomas. If you
like your guitars full of fuzz, wha wha and distortion then Thomas
is your man. This would sound at home in the Fillmore Ballrooms of
the 60's. I would prefer a lot more flesh and blood in the drumming
department but the fat modern synthetic drums are here to stay I
guess. Thomas has a nice epic flair in his compositions and enough
thunder and lightnin' to his guitar playing to blow out a wall of
Marshall amps. War/ Itch/ Simple/ Blood On The Dagger/ Fool For
Love/ Sad, Sad World , etc. (AE)
|
| RUFUS THOMAS |
Stax 8569 |
Can't Get Away From This Dog |
● CD $12.98
$8.98 |
These 20 unreleased songs from the world's oldest
teenager comprise another fine release of Stax treasures. Recorded
between 1963-67, the selections are heavy on the R&B dance music
that made Thomas famous - Walking The Dog being the best
known. An alternate version of that hit is here, along with other
doggie songs like Can Your Monkey Do The Dog/ Stop Kicking My Dog
Around and the title track. The latter is not only the best cut
but was, according to Rufus, written by Sam Cooke. Of the three
duets with daughter Carla, the best is their version of Don't
Mess Up A Good Thing, though Reconsider Baby is no
slouch. The backing band is none other than Booker T & The MG's and
the Mar-Key Horns (Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love, later known as The
Memphis Horns). (JC)
|
| SONNY THOMPSON |
Sequel 900 |
Jam Sonny Jam |
● CD $15.98
$10.98 |
20 tracks, 55 min., essential
According to Robert Pruter's 1989 obituary of Sonny Thompson pianist/ songwriter/
bandleader Alphonso Thompson was born in 1916, Centreville, MS. (not
in 1922, Chicago). He will always be remembered for his instrumental
standard, Long Gone (Miracle,'48). He began recording for
Morton Sultan's Sultan Records in 1946, then moving on to Miracle,
King, Federal & Deluxe Records. This, the first ever CD devoted to
Sonny Thompson, contains his 1st two #1 R&B hits, Long Gone, Part
1 (featuring guitarist Arvin Garrett) and Late Freight
(Creeping) (featuring Eddie Chamblee on tenor sax. The other
tenor saxophonists featured on this set - David "Bubba" Brooks, Tina
Brooks and King Curtis - plus the inclusion of 6 unissued & 3
alternate takes, makes this release essential. Highlights include
Flying Home (with Bubba Brooks), Gum Shoe (with King
Curtis), and Smoke Stack Blues (with Tina Brooks & guitarist
Bill Johnson before he joined The Moonglows). (EL)
|
| SONNY TIL |
Sequel NEMCD 737 |
Solo - Featuring Edna McGriff |
● CD $15.98
$9.98 |
25 tracks, 71 min., recommended
Even while he was
leading the preeminent vocal group of the late 40's and early 50's,
Sonny Til was encouraged by his label to record both solo numbers
and, for one session in 1952, duets with Edna McGriff, whose popular
recording of Heavenly Father had brought her to public
attention. And you can rest assured that Til is still the epitome of
silky smoothness even when he lacks the backing of the rest of the
Orioles. Highlights of the program here include My Prayer,
Fool's World, Blame It One Yourself, The First of
Summer, and Panama Joe as solos, and Once in a While
and Pic-A-Dilly as duets. It's delightful music, presented
with Sequel's normal high production values, but be forewarned: If
you already own the Orioles Bear Family boxed set, you already have
every track here. (DH)
|
| T.N.T. TRIBBLE |
Collectables 5328 |
Volume 2 |
● CD $13.98
$7.98 |
CD reissue of Krazy Kat 828. Second volume of twin
trumpet blowin' T.N.T. Tribble's great Gotham sessions from the
early 50's. Tribble and band are, by turns, swingin', jumpin' and
smokey sounding. Even the Krazy Kat sleuths are at a loss to pindown
many of the band members, including the dynamic guitar player on
Red Hot Boogie , Rockin' Mama and others, although their
best guess is Mauzette Graham. 14 cuts here, mostly unreleased.
Hey Everybody/ Cadillac Blues/ TNT Stroll/ She Walked Right In ,
etc. (AE)
|
| IKE & TINA TURNER |
Collectables 5107 |
Golden Classics |
● CD $13.98
$8.98 |
18 of their classic Sue recordings from 1960-62 -
It's Gonna Work Out Fine/ You Can't Blame Me/ A Fool In Love/ Mind
In A Whirl/ Can't Chance A Break-up/ I'm Jealous/ Stagger Lee &
Billy, etc/
IKE & TINA TURNER: Argument/ Can't Chance A
Break-up/ Fool In Love, A/ I Idolize You/ I Idolize You (Alternate
Take)/ I'm Jealous/ It's Gonna Work Out Fine/ Letter From Tina/ Mind
In A Whirl/ Poor Fool/ Poor Fool(Alternate Take)/ Puppy Love/
Stagger Lee & Billy/ This Man's Crazy/ Tina's Dilema/ Tra La La La
La/ You Can't Blame Me/ You Should've Treated Me Right
|
| IKE & TINA TURNER |
Entertain ME 74474 |
The Collection |
● CD $54.98
$29.98 |
10 CDs, 134 tracks, highly recommended
We've turned
up a handful of copies of this collection which is now out of print
and are offering it at an amazing price. The most extensive
collection yet of recordings by the Turners. Although it includes
some familiar recordings from Sue, Liberty, United Artists and
Warner Brothers there are also a lot of less familiar titles and I
think that most of these are from the extensive sessions that the
duo conducted at Ike's home studio in Los Angeles in the 70s when
they were chasing after that elusive next hit. A lot of these
appeared on a variety of obscure labels after the couple split and
although many were presumably meant as demos the performances are
exciting and professional with great singing from Tina and tough
instrumental work from Ike and the band (with occasional overuse of
synthesizer) with The Ikettes adding great backup vocals to a number
of songs. They perform a mix of new songs along with covers of
blues, R&B, country. pop and rock favorites. Though the main focus
is on Tina there are also several vocals by Ike and a number of fine
instrumentals. There are practically no notes and no discographical
information so it's hard to determine the provenance of some of
these recordings - a number of these tracks I can't find listed
anywhere else though it's possible that some have been retitled.
I've only had a chance to listen to a couple of the CDs but what
I've heard is superb - their rockin' take on You Are My Sunshine,
Tina's suprisingly tender rendition of Help Me Make It Through
The NIght and a fantastic version of Barrett Strong's Money
immediately spring to mind. (FS)
IKE & TINA TURNER: (Still Keep) Missing You
(live)/ A Fool For You/ After Hours/ Ain't Nobody's Business/ Ain't
That A Shame/ Akadama Red/ All I Could Do Is Cry/ Baby Get It On/ Be
My Love/ Beauty's Only Skin Deep/ Bolic Waltz (price Of Love)/
Boogie Woogie/ Bootsy White Law/ Come Together/ Do The Chicken/
Don't Fight It, Feel It-knock On Wood (live)/ Don't Look Back/ Done
Got Over It/ Down In The Valley/ Drift Away/ Early In The Morning/
Eight Ball/ Finger Poppin' Time/ Fool In Love/ Fun, Fun, Fun/ Get
Back (instrumental)/ Give A Chance/ Give It To Me/ Going Our
Separate Ways/ Golden Empire/ Golden Empire Part One/ Golden Empire
Part Two/ Good Good Lovin'/ Gotta Find Me A Substitute/ Having A
Good Time(live)/ Heavy Rhythm/ Help Me Make It Through The Night/
High Heel Sneakers/ Honey Child, I'm Over You/ Hully Gully (iii)/
Hully Gully I (vocal)/ Hully Gully Ii (instrumental)/ Humpty Dumpty/
I Can't Believe What You Say/ I Can't Have You/ I Can't Stop Loving
You Live)/ I Don't Want Nobody/ I Got My Mojo Working/ I Gotta Man/
I Had A Notion/ I Idolize You/ I Know/ I Wanna Take You Higher/ I'm
Blue/ I'm Falling In Love With You/ I'm Gonna Cut You Loose/ I'm
Ripe/ If I Knew Then (what I Know Now)/ It Only Took A Moment/ It's
All Over Now (live)/ It's Gonna Work Out Fine/ Jo Jo/ Judgement Day/
Keep On Using Me/ Keep You Guessing/ Kinda Strange/ Lean On Me/
Leave Me Alone, Let Me Be/ Let The Good Times Roll/ Livin' For The
City/ Locomotion/ Looking Back/ Louie Louie/ Matador/ Matuse/
Mississippi Rolling Stone/ Mocha Soul/ Money/ Movin' On/ My Man's
Wedding Vows-all I Could Do Is Cry (live)/ Never Been To Spain/ No
More Lovin'/ Nudden'/ Nutbush City Limits/ Ode To Billie Joe/ Oh My
My (can You Boogie)/ Only Women Bleed/ Paid Me Back With My Own
Coins/ Philadelphia Freedom/ Play Your Piano/ Poor Fool/ Proud Mary/
Put On Your Tight Pants (live)/ River Deep, Mountain High/ Rockin'
And Rollin'/ Rough Bootsie/ Sexy Ida/ Shake A Hand/ Shake A Tail
Feather/ Shake, Rattle And Roll/ Shame, Shame, Shame/ She Can Rock/
Shuckin'/ So Fine/ Something/ Something's Got A Hold Of Me/ Stagger
Lee/ Stand By Me (live)/ Suffering The Blues/ Sugar Sugar/ Sweet
Rhode Island Red/ Take The Time/ Tell Me Why/ Tell The Truth/ The
Twist (live)/ The Wedding Vows (live)/ There's Nothing I Wouldn't
Do/ This Man's Crazy/ Too Many Tears In My Eyes/ Took A Trip/ Tra La
La La/ Trouble On My Mind/ Turn You Loose (live)/ Tweedle Dee/ Uncle
Ekil/ Why I Sing The Blues/ Why Oh Why/ Ya Ya/ You Are My Sunshine/
You Can't Blame Me/ You Cheat, I Cheat/ You're Love Is Mine/ You're
No Good
|
| IKE & TINA TURNER |
Time Life 19300 |
The Ike & Tina Turner Story,
1960-1975 |
● CD $39.98
$19.98 |
3 CD retrospective of the battling Turners with 49
tracks in a handsome book format package. The first two CDs cover
most of the major recordings by the duo with the exception of their
Phil Spector recordings (due to licensing restrictions) though it
does include a fine live version of River Deep, Mountain High.
It also includes the great I'm Blue (The Gong Gong Song) by
the duo's superb vocal backup group The Ikettes. The third disc is
the entire live album "In Person" originally issued in 1969 on
Minit. Includes 24 page illustrated booklet.
THE IKETTES: I'm Blue (The Gong-Gong Song)/ IKE &
TINA TURNER: A Fool For A Fool/ A Fool In Love/ A Fool In Love/ Baby
Get It On/ Bold Soul Sister/ Come Together/ Don't Play Me Cheap/
Early One Morning/ Everyday People/ Feel Good/ Finger Poppin'/ Funky
Street/ Get Back/ Good Good Lovin'/ Goodbye, So Long/ Honky Tonk
Women/ I Can't Believe What You Say/ I Heard It Through The
Grapevine/ I Idolize You/ I Want To Take You Higher/ I'm Gonna Do
All I Can (To Do Right By My Man)/ I'm Jealous/ I'm Yours (Use Me
Any Way You Wanna)/ I've Been Loving You Too Long/ Intro-Soul
Serenade/ It's Gonna Work Out Fine/ Medley: All I Could Do Was
Cry-Please, Please, Please-Baby, I Love You/ Medley: Gimme Some
Lovin'-Sweet Soul Music/ Medley: There Was A Time-African Boo's/
Nutbush City Limits n/ Ooh Poo Pah Doo/ Poor Fool/ Proud Mary/
Respect/ River Deep Mountain High (live)/ Sexy Ida (Part 1)/
Something's Got A Hold On Me (live)/ Son Of A Preacher Man/ Stagger
Lee and Billy/ Sweet Rhode Island Red/ Tell Her I'm Not Home/ The
Hunter/ Tra La La La La/ Two Is a Couple/ Up In Heah/ Workin'
Together/ You Shoulda Treated Me Right/ TINA TURNER: Acid Queen
|
| TITUS TURNER |
Collectables 5160 |
Golden Classics - Soulville |
● CD $13.98
$8.98 |
14 cuts produced by Bobby Robinson - Soulville/
Solitude/ I Love You Baby, etc.
|
| IKE & TINA
TURNER REVUE |
Fuel 61030 |
Live And Dangerous |
● CD $13.98
$9.98 |
14 tracks, 51 mins, good
This is one of the times
when Fuel drops the ball: this collection of Ike and Tina live
recordings gives absolutely no information regarding the source of
these tracks which is particularly frustrating since there is so
much like Ike & Tina and the market it's hard to tell if this
material is available elsewhere or not. Regardless of the lack of
info, it would seem that these cuts date from the late 60's/early
70's given the material at hand (Sly's I Want to Take You Higher;
Creedence's Proud Mary; a version of I Heard it Through
the Grapevine that owes more to Marvin Gaye than Gladys Knight).
The sound quality is also rather variable, ranging from the good to
the adequate. It iss cool to hear Tina in her exuberant and hard
working, crowd pleasing youth-all of which shine through despite the
occasionally muffled sound quality. Other songs include What You
See/ I Wish It Would Rain/ I Can't Stop Loving You/ Twist & Shout
and more. (GMC/ FS)
|
| THE VOLUMES |
Collectables 5032 |
I Love You - Golden Classics |
● CD $11.98
$7.98 |
Includes Angel/ You Put A Spell On Me/ Miss
Silhouette/ Bells/ I Love You, etc.
|
| CHARLES WALKER |
Blue Label 307242 |
Soul Stirring Thing |
● CD $15.98
$11.98 |
14 tracks, 66 min., highly recommended
Stylistically, Walker would be right at home at 1960s-era Stax
Records, pouring out his deep soul next to Otis Redding. And he'd be
fine along side Bobby Bland or John Lee Hooker too, which is to say
he's a soul singer--a damn good one--who lives next door to the
blues. His voice has a slightly frayed quality and plenty of power,
better suited to such uptempo numbers as Third Times A Charm
than to the slower paced Time To Kill. The title track and
That's A Lie, with its more-than-usually interesting lyric,
stand up as stand outs. His Hooker boogie influenced pieces (My
Buddha and Giant Switches are among the least
interesting, although the latter boasts interesting lyrics and both
are still pretty good. This release is likely to set soul fans
scrambling for Walker's back catalogue, and with good reason. (JC)
|
| THE WALLACE
BROTHERS |
Excello 3014 |
Lover's Prayer |
● CD $14.98
$8.98 |
22 tracks, 47 min., recommended
Their LP on the Sims label is one of the rarest and
most valuable albums of the soul era. But if you like your soul
music a bit on the raw and spontaneous side, this
cousin-rather-than-brother aggregation may be right for you. They
were among the very first to take advantage of the magic touch of
the Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. And they even scored a
reasonably good-sized hit in 1964 with the title track here. This
disc reissues their entire output - their Sims singles plus 3
singles recorded for the British Sue label. It includes Love Me
Like I Love You, Faith, I'll Let Nothing Separate Me,
Precious Words, One Way Affair, She Loves Me Not,
Stepping Stone, These Arms of Mine, and Line
Between Love and Hate. It's rough-edged, gospel-influence music,
offered with high production standards. (DH)
|
| ROBERT WARD |
Black Top 1088 |
Rhythm Of The People |
● CD $15.98
$7.98 |
13 tracks, 50 minutes, recommended
Now out of print.
This is the second Black Top release by Ward since his
"re-discovery" in 1990. The former leader of the Ohio Untouchables
again brings along his classic unique sound - a Fender Stratocaster
played through an old Magnatone amp with a stereo vibrato. At times
he seems a bit overwhelmed by the organs, horn sections, background
vocalists, etc. but listeners accustomed to the modern soul blues
sound will enjoy it and there's plenty more here to please the
lovers of his early 60's style as well. Ward is at his best on the
slower, stark numbers like Say What You Mean/ Some Things/ Soap
Opera Blues (the beautiful gospel duet with his wife Roberta),
Children Of The World (Don't Forget To Pray) and a faithful
remake of the Wilson Pickett/ Falcons tune I Found A Love (he
played guitar on the original) (AE)
|
|
MAURICE WILLIAMS & THE ZODIACS |
Acrobat ACMCD 4250 |
Stay |
● CD $13.98
$9.98 |
24 tracks, 52 mins, very highly recommended
Quintessential early 60s doo- wop, on the cusp of soul, by this
Lancaster, South Carolina quartet. This set features all the group's
recordings made for Al Silver's Herald label between 1960 and 1962
(Maurice Williams - lead, Henry Gaston - tenor, Wiley Bennet -
tenor, Chas Thomas - baritone, Albert Hill - bass, and Little Willie
Morrow - drums) and recorded some of their best sides, many of which
became regular "Beach" dance classics in the Carolinas. Prime cuts
include I Remember/ Do I/ Come Along/ Someday/ Little Mamma/ Come
And Get It/ It's Alright, a great cover of Ray Charles' I Got
A Woman and and the hypnotic anthemic bestseller Stay. It
also includes the originally unissued Dearest Baby. There are
two bonus cuts from 1957 by an earlier Maurice Williams group the
Gladiolas including their original recording of Little Darling
that became a big hit in an emasculated version by The Diamond and
the almost as good flip side Sweetheart Please Dont Go.
Excellent sound and 12 page booklet with informative notes by Austin
Powell. (FS)
|
| JERRY
WILLIAMS JR. AKA SWAMP DOGG |
Westside WESM 500 |
Swamp's Things |
● CD $13.98
$10.98 |
20 tracks by this talented and idiosyncratic singer,
songwriter and producer whose career dates back to the mid 50s when
he cut his first record at the age of 14 and is still active today.
The first ten sides feature all his singles cut for New York's Calla
label in the mid 60s and the rest reissues an obscure LP from 1976
originally on the Stone Dogg label.
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Back To Bargain Basement
Introduction
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