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NEWSLETTER
#124
Rhythm & Blues, Soul & Doo Wop
Tiny Bradshaw -> Chuck Willis
| SAM COOKE |
Abkco 3563 |
Keep Movin' On |
● CD $17.98 |
23 tracks, 62 min, essential. When the Sam Cooke four CD box
set, "The Man Who Invented Soul" (RCA 67911) came out last year,
it had a fatal flaw. Sam's final recordings, from '63-64 were absent. They
were controlled by the infamous Allan B Klein's ABKCO, notorious for
suppressing their holdings from being released on CD on CD, from The
Rolling Stones to Phil Spector to Cameo/Parkway, even Herman's Hermits! Of
course none of those tunes were allowed on the box, nor were they
available anywhere else. Now ABKCO has come through with this exceptional
package on their Tracey subsidiary. Everything here is wonderful &
includes classics such as Good News/ A Change Is Gonna Come/ Shake/
Good Times/ Another Saturday Night/ Rome Wasn't Built In A Day/ Yeah Man,
none of which were on the box. To make this even more wonderful, the title
track is making it's 1st ever appearance. Complete liner notes, great
sound make this as an essential package as you can get, with no overlap
with the box. (GM)
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| THE CRESCENDOS |
Teen-Ager 609 |
Sweet Dreams About ... |
● CD $18.98 |
20 tracks of teen doo-wop from Nashville group best known
for their big 1957 hit Oh Julie which is included here along with Angel
Face/ Young And In Love/ Let's Take A Walk/ Crazy Hop/ School Girl/ My
Little Girl/ I've Tried/ Lucky Love, etc.
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| THE DEEP RIVER BOYS |
Royale 102 |
Not Too Old To Rock And Roll |
● CD $18.98 |
16 tracks, 39 mins, fair. The Deep River Boys formed in the
mid 30s and recorded farly extensively in the 40s doing both gospel and
jivey pop material. In the 50s they toured extensively in Europe and I
think these recordings were made in England around 1958. Accompanied by a
dull big band they perform fairly uninspired renditions of R&R
favorites like Shake, Rattle & Roll/ Rock A Beatin' Boogie/ Whole
Lotta Shakin' Goin On and others. With a good R&B band and better
choice of material they might well have proved they were not too old to
rock & roll but here they just sound tired. (FS)
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| THE FLARES |
Ace CDCHD 841 |
Foot Stompin' |
● CD $18.98 |
First CD devoted to the recordings of this fine West Coast
group featuring 26 tracks recorded for Felsted and Press including, of
course, the hit title song and three previously unissued sides.
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| FRANKIE & THE
FASHIONS |
Crystal Ball 1041 |
Not The Usual Doo Wop |
● CD $17.98 |
23 tracks from good contemporary doo-wop group featuring the
lead vocals of FRank Lafaro. Mostly contemporary compositions including a
number by Lafaro and/or producer Ed Engel.
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| HEN GATES & HIS
GATERS |
Masterseal 6000 |
Let's All Dance To Rock & Roll |
● CD $18.98 |
29 tracks, 79 mins, recommended. O.K. time for some serious
discographers to step forward. Back in the late 50s wily entrepreneurs
tried to cash in on the popularity of rock 'n' roll by taking anything
they could find with a beat and issuing it as rock 'n roll. This CD is, I
think, a reissue of two LPs issued in the late 50s. In spite of the
teenagers pictured on the cover and the reference in the liner notes to
the performers being "a group of talented young rock 'n' roll
musicians" this is actually a collection of hard driving instrumental
R&B featuring honking sax. The sax man is identified as Freddie
Mitchell - a fine veteran musician who started with Fletcher Henderson
and Benny Carter in the 40s and recorded for a number of small labels over
the years. But how about the rest of the polished group featured here? Hen
Gates was a stage name for jazz pianist James Foreman who worked with
Dizzy Gillespie and James Moody in the late 40s - so is he the pianist on
some of these tracks? Or did the compiler of this album think "Hen
Gates" was too cool a name to let go to waste? Some of the tracks
appear to be reissues of Freddie's singles from as far back as 1949 with
slight retitlings (Auld Lang Syne Boogie becomes Auld Lang Syne
Rock). Anyway, this is a fine collection of instrumental R&B with
an air of mystery about it that makes it even more appealing. (FS)
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| THE HESITATIONS |
Official 56701 |
Let's Groove |
● CD $18.98 |
23 tracks from late 60s by Cleveland soul group including
their big hit - a wild gospel flavored treatment of Born Free. Also
includes Love Is Everywhere/ I've Gotta Find Her/ Push A Little Bit
Harder/ I Believe In Love/ We Can Do It/ Who Will Answer/ Somewhere,
etc.
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| HERBERT & RUFUS
HUNTER |
Black Magic 9202 |
The Sound Of A Crying Man |
● CD $13.98 |
21 tracks from the 60s and early 70s by two brothers from
Nashville doing R&B and soul for various small labels run by Nashville
music entrepreneur Ted Jarrett.
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| THE KAC-TIES |
Kape 5000 |
Greatest Hits |
● CD $18.98 |
Fine collection of 20 tracks recorded in the early 60s by
this excellent New York group including sic acapella performances and
track originally issued under the name The Relations. Mostly powerful
ballads along with some up-tempo and novelty items. Includes their most
well known song Walkin' In The Rain (not the Prisonaires song) plus
Girl In My Heart/ Oh What A Night/ Mr. Were Wolf/ Until We Two Are One/
Too Proud To Let You Know/ Let Me In Your Life/ Crowd With The Phony Tatoo/
Over The Rainbow/ The Rest Of My Life and more.
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| SONNY KNIGHT |
Pacific 625 |
Confidential |
● CD $18.98 |
Fine collection of 25 tracks recorded by this soft,
melancholic singer from Los Angeles for a number of labels between 1954
and 1964. Includes his 1956 hit Confidential along with other fine
sides like Dedicated To You/ Worthless & Lowdown/ So Wonderful/
Those Oldies But Goodies/ Cold, Cold Night/ But Officer/ Once In A While/
Lovesick (yes, the Hank Williams hit) and others.
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| JIMMY LEWIS |
Kent CDKEND 204 |
Give The Poor Man A Break |
● CD $18.98 |
23 tracks by this fine soul singer from Los Angeles with a
gritty Southern Soul approach includes many previously unissued demos.
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| THE MANHATTANS |
Official 56702 |
People Get Ready |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks from early 70s by this fine and popular soul
group. Includes The Picture Became Quite Clear/ Give Him Up/ If My
Heart Could Speak/ From Atlanta To Goodbye/ People, Get Ready/ Cry If You
Wanna Cry/ One Life To Live/ By The Time I Get To Phoenix, etc.
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| PROFESSOR LONGHAIR |
Night Train 7106 |
Ball The Wall! Live At Tipitinas's 1978 |
● CD $15.98 |
More poorly recorded live sides of Fess doing the same
material he does on all those other poorly recorded sets. It's not without
musical value but is it necessary?
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| QUIET ELEGANCE |
Hi (UK) CD 185 |
The Complete Quiet Elegance |
● CD $14.98 |
The complete recordings made between 1972 and 1976 by this
fine soul trio featuring two former members of The Glories and one of
Martha Reeves' Vandellas. Includes 13 tracks originally issued on singles,
three that were not issued until the 90s and five bonus alternate mixes.
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| SIR MACK RICE |
Infi 4444 |
This What I Do |
● CD $14.98 |
12 tracks, highly recommended. Fabulous recent album of
Memphis style soul and R&B from legendary singer and songwriter Rice
whose career dates back to the 50s when he and Wilson Pickett were members
of the great Detroit group The Falcons. He has had a number of records
under his name though never hit the big time as a vocalist in spite of his
great voice. But he's not hurting as he is the writer of Mustang Sally
- a number played by just about every blues and R&B band on the planet
and was featured in the hit movie The Commitments. He has had songs
recorded by The Staple Singers, Wilson Pickett, B.B. King, Rufus Thomas,
Robert Cray and many others. This new album was produced by Jon Tiven and
features a tough, no nonsense band and funky backup singers - Tiven's own
Roebuck Staples flavored guitar work is particularly impressive. All the
songs were written or co-written by Mack and includes a fine new recording
of Sally along with some excellent new songs like Money Talks/
Pussyfootin/ Gettin' Too Big For Your Britches and the wonderful funky
blues tune Another Lonely Weekend In Memphis, Tennessee. The sound
harks back to the 70s but doesn't sound in the least bit dated. Great
stuff. (FS)
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| THE SWALLOWS |
Starbound 503 |
The Starbound Years |
● CD $18.98 |
22 sides from 1985 and '86 by this legendary group. The only
original member of the group is lead singer Eddie Rich. Includes Try To
Remember/ Beside You/ have Mercy Baby/ It Ain't The Meat/ It's Never Too
Soon/ Dearest/ Oh Lonesome Me, etc.
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| BILLY WARD &
THE DOMINOES |
Collectables 2827 |
The Very Best Of Billy Ward & The
Dominoes |
● CD $15.98 |
25 tracks, 69 mins, highly recommended. Billy Ward formed The
Dominoes in 1950 out of students in his class at the Juillard School Of
Music in N.Y. where Ward after graduation worked as voice coach. The
original group consisted of Clyde McPhatter - lead, Charlie White - tenor,
Joe Lamont - baritone, Bill Brown - bass, and Ward himself arranged and
played piano. The group signed with King/Federal Records that same year
and their third release 60 Minute Man skyrocketed the group to
stardom. This CD contains 25 of the group's jumps, blues & ballads,
including all eleven charted sides from the 1950-'53 period. Other
notables include Clyde-led classics - the haunting Weeping Willow Blues,
the doom-laden Bells, complete with sobbing, and the beautiful Do
Something For Me with its tortured blues guitar accompaniment. In 1953
McPhatter left and his place was taken by the powerful pipes of Jackie
Wilson who can be heard to good effect on the #2 hit Rags To Riches
along with You Can't Keep A Good Man Down/ Until The Real Thing Comes
Along and others. Sound on this collection is excellent and there are
informative, if rather brief, notes by Victor Pearlin. (OLN/FS)
BILLY WARD & HIS DOMINOES: Can't Do Sixty No More/ Chicken Blues/
Christmas In Heaven/ Do Something For Me/ Give Me You/ Harbor Lights/ Have
Mercy Baby/ I Am With You/ I Really Don't Want To Know/ I'd Be Satisfied/
May I Never Love Again/ No! Says My Heart/ Over The Rainbow/ Pedal Pushin'
Papa/ Rags To Riches/ Sixty Minute Man/ That's What You're Doing To Me/
The Bells/ These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You/ Three Coins In The
Fountain/ Until The Real Thing Comes Along/ Weeping Willow Blues/ When The
Swallows Come Back To Capistrano/ You Can't Keep A Good Man Down/ Yours
Forever
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| CHUCK WILLIS |
Collectables 6889 |
I Remember Chuck Willis/ King Of The Stroll |
● CD $13.98 |
25 tracks, 62 mins, essential. Now that the great Razor &
Tie collection from a few years ago is deleted this 25 track collection,
reissuing two original Atlantic LPs is most welcome. Chuck was a great
original with a very soulful voice and was a superb songwriter - all but
two of the songs here were written or co-written by Chuck. He recorded
many fine songs for OKeh who he joined in 1952 and had a number of R&B
hits for that label. In 1956 he moved to Atlantic who sweetened his sound
a little and Chuck then crossed over to the pop market having big hits in
1957 and '58 with his reworked versions of old blues favorites C.C.
Rider and Betty & Dupree. Chuck's tragic death in April
1958 of peritonitis left a great void and in May of that year Atlantic
released his first posthumous single - the prophetic two sider Hang Up
My Rock & Roll Shoes and What Am I Living For. There are
lots of other great titles here like the truly wonderful soul ballad It's
Too Late, the powerful Juanita (with vocal backup from The
Cookies and some very effective steel guitar) and lots more. Sound is good
and the insert includes the original LP notes. (FS)
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