NEWSLETTER #145
Rhythm & Blues,
Soul & Doo-Wop
Maxine Brown ->
Danny White + Books & DVDS
YOU CAN MAKE IT IF
YOU TRY The Ted Jarrett Story Of R&B In Nashville
by Ted Jarrett with Ruth White |
● BOOK $18.95 |
Paperback, 236 pages, counts as five CDs for shipping
When
most people think Nashville, they obviously think country music, but if you
go a little deeper there is all kinds of other fantastic material to be
found. Ted Jarrett has done it all in the music biz in Nashville. From
blues, R&B, soul, gospel and beyond Mr Jarrett has been an essential part of
the mix in Nashville since the 50s as artist, label boss, songwriter, disk
jockey, you name it. This is a great quick read telling the incredible story
of not just the music, but the man who made so much of it happen. Told in
great detail by the man himself with a little help from writer Ruth White. (JM)
|
LONELY AVENUE |
Alex Halberstadt |
The Unlikely Life & Times Of Doc Pomus |
● BOOK $25.98 |
Hardbound, 254 pp, highly recommended
(counts as six CDs for shipping)
The remarkable story
of Jerome Felder who was crippled as a child by polio, became enamored with
Black jazz and blues and taught himself to sing blues in the style of his
idol Joe Turner. He changed his name to the hipper sounding Doc Pomus and in
the mid 40s he started singing in black clubs - a short, stout, white Jewish
guy on crutches backed by some of the great Black musicians of the day
including Lester Young, Baby Dodds, the Duke Ellington Orch and others and
made some fine records (many of them available on Rev-Ola 148 "Blues In The
Red" - $15.98). In the 50s he started concentrating on songwriting first
for R&B artists like Ray Charles & Big Joe Turner and later, in
collaboration with the volatile and eccentric Mort Schumann where they
turned to more pop oriented material. Together they wrote numerous hits for
The Drifters, Dion, Fabian, Elvis and many others. By the mid 60s things
were at a low ebb for Doc - the mercurial Schuman had moved to France, Doc's
wife had left him and music tastes had changed leaving Doc spending much of
his time living in a hotel playing cards. In the 70s things turned around
and he started new songwriting collaborations with Mac "Dr. John" Rebennac
and Willie DeVille of (Mink DeVille) and in 1981 B.B. King made his and
Rebennack's There Must Be A Better World Somewhere into an R&B hit.
This and so much more is told in an engaging manner in this fast moving and
entertaining biography by Halberstadt who had access to Doc's personal
papers and journal. One might have wished for some more depth as Doc's life
was interesting enough to fill a book twice the size and a more
comprehensive listing of his compositions and recordings would have been
appreciated but as it stands it remains a testament to a remarkable man and
well worth a read. (FS)
|
RAY CHARLES |
Shout Factory 38144 |
The Dick Cavett Show - The Ray Charles
Collection |
● DVD $24.98 |
2 DVDs, 3 episodes, 14 live performances, 220 mins, highly
recommended
Shout Factory has been doing a bang-up job on getting these
great old Dick Cavett shows released on DVD. Cavett was certainly one of the
great talk show hosts of all time and arguably the best when it came to his
musical guests. My guess is that Cavett was one of the first to actually
treat musicians, especially Rock & Rollers, with reverence and respect, not
wanting them to lip sync their hits, but perform something unique for the
show and then be interviewed as the movie stars and such were. Whatever the
reason, he seemed to get a lot of really fantastic performances out of the
artists on his shows. Certainly it didn't take much to get an exceptional
performance out of "The Genius" Ray Charles, and as a whole his performances
throughout the three episodes contained herein are staggeringly good.
Whether at his piano with the Raelettes & a full band doing well known
tracks Born To Lose/ Georgia on My Mind/ Shake or I Can't Stop
Loving You or sitting at the organ with a scaled down band doing the
fabulous and tantalizingly named instrumental Blues For Big Bootie,
it's all fantastic stuff. Possibly my favorite on this collection is a
stunning version of Eleanor Rigby, which-I'm sure I will get a lot of
flack for this-I honestly feel might be better than the Beatles original;
its stark and haunting telling literally gave me chills. Lennon & McCartney
may have sung of Rigby's fate, but Ray Charles bears witness at her
graveside. This collection contains three full episodes of the Cavett show
from June 1972, Jan. 1973 and July 1973 respectively. The first and third
shows feature Cavett's usual eccentric guest list--Tony Randall, Margaret
Mead, etc-but the middle show is the real meat of the matter with a full 90
minute episode (network TV time) devoted to Charles by himself. The music
would easily be enough to recommend this, but Dick Cavett gets some
fantastic, lengthy, candid interview segments with Charles in every episode.
They don't
make talk shows like this anymore. (JM)
|
FATS
DOMINO, RAY CHARLES & JERRY LEE
LEWIS |
Time Life 19360 |
Fats & Friends |
● DVD $19.98 |
1986 TV show filmed at the Storyville nightclub in New
Orleans featuring three giants of R&B and rock 'n' roll performing
individually and collectively with guest appearances from Ron Wood and
others. Includes 50 minutes oif bonus material including an interview with
musical dierctor Paul Shaffer and rehearsal footage of the three legends.
|
KING COLEMAN |
Norton 298 |
It's Dance Time! |
● CD $14.98 |
22 rockin' R&B and soul instrumentals with spoken
interjections by Coleman from the 60s. It includes the hit recording of
(Do The) Mashed Potatoes and Dish Rag featuring disc jockey
Coleman shouting out the many varieties of cooked potatoes to a backing
track by James Brown's band which was issued as by Nat Kendrick & The Swans.
Also includes Black Bottom Blues/ Do The Hully Gully/ Dressed In Plaid/
Down In The Basement/ Belivce It Or Not/ Do The Booga Lou/ The Boo Boo Song,
etc. Includes 12 page illustrated booklet.
|
DON COVAY |
Rhino (UK) 79994 |
The Platinum Collection |
● CD $10.98 |
22 wonderful Atlantic sides by this outstanding soul
songwriter and singer recorded for Rosemart and Atlantic between 1964 and
1969 including his original hit versions of Mercy Mercy/ Take This Hurt
Off Me/ Please Do Something and Saw Saw. Everyone from Aretha to
The Stones to Steppenwolf have had hits with Covay's songs, now's your
chance to hear the originals.
DON COVAY: A Women's Love/ But I Forgive You/ Come On In/
Come See About Me/ Everything I Do Goin' Be Funky/ Fat Man/ I Never Get
Enough Of Your Love/ I'll Be Satisfied/ Iron Out The Rough Spots/ Key To The
Highway/ Mad Dog Blues/ Mercy Mercy/ Please Do Something/ Precious You/
Seesaw/ Sookie Sookie/ Sweet Pea (don't Love Nobody But Herself)/ Take This
Hurt Off Me/ The Boomerang/ The Usual Place/ You Must Believe Me/ You're
Good For Me
|
THE DIRTY DOZEN
BRASS BAND |
Shout Factory 10178 |
What's Going On |
● CD $18.98 |
9 tracks, 40 min., highly recommended
The road to the cut
out bin is paved with good intentions. So reworking Marvin Gaye's
ground-breaking 1970s soul album What's Going On (with a series of guest
vocalists) to commemorate the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, sounds
like a recipe for mediocrity. But somehow the DDBB not only pulls it off,
but they and their guests manage to make a compelling and unified recording,
despite the wide-ranging talent involved. Public Enemy's Chuck D turns the
opening (title) track into an indictment of America's insufficient response
to Katrina specifically, and to Ameirica's global politics, generally. Chuck
D, (his voice part accusation, part challenge), shines a spotlight on the
pervasive, institutional racism in America. Bettye Lavette's reading of
What's Happening Brother, which directly follows, seems to offer
something in the way of sympathy, but when she sings "what's happening my
brother," a genuine sense of helplessness restates the album's explicit
concern over America's increasingly tenuous grasp of right and wrong. Other
guest musicians include Ivan Neville (God Is Love), G. Love (Mercy
Mercy Me), and Guru (Inner City Blues). An ambitious album,
which, for all its anger, offers hope and affirms life, just as the Marvin
Gaye original did so many years before. (JC)
|
BO DOLLIS &
THE WILD MAGNOLIAS |
AIM 5012 |
30 Years .. And Still Wild |
● CD $15.98 |
15 tracks, 71 mins,
rrecommended
Bo Dollis & The Wild
Magnolias are truly one of those unique acts that only New Orleans could
produce. Pioneers of "Indian Funk," they had performed in N.O. as part of
Mardi Gras etc. for many years before being coaxed into the recording
studio. This features classic recordings from the early 1970's. With their
legendary Mardi Gras costumes and outrageous performances, they are a band
that's a treat for the eyes and the ears, both as long as done in small
doses. (JM)
|
LORRAINE ELLISON |
Rhino Handmade 7717 |
Sister Love - The Warner Brothers Recordings |
● CD $69.98 |
3 CDs, 65 tracks, 3 hours 49 min., highly recommended
Her
gospel training is immediately evident as Ellison's powerful vocals inhabit
the higher registers of the stratosphere. The earliest recordings here (the
set covers 1966-74) are arranged by Oliver Nelson and could as easily be
described as jazz vocals performances as soul; in fact, Ellison seems to
develop into a soul singer right before your ears on this fine collection.
Songs such as Only Your Love and I'm Gonna Cry Till My Tears Run
Dry leave no doubt as to Ellison's ability to create compelling soul.
Even on Stay With Me, where her vocals approach dog-whistle range,
the swelling intensity absorbs the listener entirely. Other standout
performances include No Matter How It All Turns Out, A Good Love,
and the incredible Heart Be Still. And that's just the first CD! The
set collects her three Warner Brothers LPs, adds a few previously unreleased
tracks, and throws in a 1972 demo session (disc 3) of previously unissued
material featuring Ellison apparently accompanying herself on piano. Not
exactly polished demos these, populated as they are by occasional missteps
and missed notes, but instructive and often beautiful nonetheless, even if
they do tend to drag on a bit at times. Be forewarned that this limited,
numbered edition of 5000 is certain to sell out. No telling if Rhino will
offer this music as an regular, unnumbered edition. Sometimes they do,
sometimes not. Includes a 32-page booklet full of notes and photos. (JC)
|
ROY HAMILTON |
Shout 27 |
Don't Let Go - Epic R 'n' B From "The Golden
Boy" |
● CD $15.98 |
26 tracks, 67 min., recommended
If only Roy Hamilton had
begun his recording life at Stax or Atlantic, his classically-trained
baritone might have been pressed into genuine soul service instead of MOR
(or is it MOR&B?) balladry that defined his career for so long. As it is,
his most productive years were spent at Epic, where he was recorded like a
pop singer and saddled with enough strings and schlock to trigger diabetes
attacks in his listeners. Epic released no fewer than 48 singles on Hamilton
between 1954-62, with only 8 making the Pop charts top 100. The R&B charts
were kinder, with 10 reaching the top 20 and 8 of those settling into the
Top 10. The former amateur heavy weight boxer had an undeniably wonderful
voice, and yet, this ain't soul. At least not most of the time. Shout has
collected the more R&B-sounding sides from Epic and some otherwise cool cuts
such as I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Cry (Over You), which was later
covered by Elvis Presley. The booklet, which cleverly incorporates the old
Epic label into its graphic design, is a pleasure to read. Best collection
of Hamilton's Epic material to date. (JC)
|
THE IDEALS |
Gorilla 1002 |
Knee Socks & Gorilla's |
● CD $17.98 |
20 tracks from the early/ mid 60s by fine Chicago group who
started life as The Mel-Tones in 1952. The earlier sides are pretty much
straight doo-wop but they gradually shifted into soul and in 1966 had their
only hit with Kissing. The set includes a number of novelty songs
including several about the dance The Gorilla. In addition to their hit this
includes Knee Socks/ Together/ The Gorilla/ Mojo Hanna/ Mo Gorilla/ I Got
Lucky (When I Found You)/ You Hurt Me/ I Need A Dream/ Go Go Gorilla/ The
Mighty Lover, etc.
|
THELMA JONES |
Kent CDKEND 277 |
Second Chance |
● CD $18.98 |
22 tracks recorded in the 60s and 70s by this recently
rediscovered and reappraised soul diva including her original version
of
The House That Jack Built, later recorded by Aretha Franklin.
|
THE MAR-KEYS |
Rhino (UK) 79995 |
The Platinum Collection |
● CD $10.98 |
21 tracks, recommended
Budget priced import. 16 year old
Steve Cropper formed the instrumental group The Mar-Keys in 1957 -
originally called The Royal Spades. The group included Donald "Duck" Dunn on
bass, Booker T. Jones on keyboards and, later, Wayne Jackson on trumpet and
Don Nix on sax. Surprisingly, their only top ten hit was 1961's Last
Night, issued on the Satellite label. That hit is included along with
the follow up Philly Dog which crept into the lower reaches of the
charts along with other fine tunes recorded between 1960 and 1967 like
Hold It/ Sack O'Woe/ Diana/ Night Before/ In The Mood/ Cleo's Back/ Walking
With The Duke/ Ebb Tide/ I've Been Loving You Too Long, etc. (FS)
|
TOUSSAINT MCCALL |
Fuel 2000 61657 |
Nothing Takes The Place Of You |
● CD $11.98 |
Back in 2003 Fuel 2000 issued a wonderful 25 track
collection of this fine soul singer's Ronn recordings, they deleted it two
years later and have now issued this CD with 14 of the tracks that were on
that CD. I know record companies like to recycle their catalog but this is
ridiculous. Anyway, there's some wonderful deep soul recordings here
including his hits Nothing Takes The Place Of You and I'll Do It
For You. If you missed out on the previous release you should get this
one since, knowing this company, it won't be around for very long!
|
THE OVATIONS |
Crystal Ball 1077 |
Featuring Richard Kelly : 1958-1972 |
● CD $17.98 |
26 tracks featuring various groups from New Jersey led by
vocalist Richard Kelly recorded between 1958 and 1982 including The Ovations
(not be confused with the Southern soul group or The Ovations from Queens!),
The In-Ovations, Friendship as well as solo sides by Kelly under the name
Cal Richards. The mid 60s sides by the In-Ovations are typical male group
sounds of the era - most of the rest is doo-wop.
|
WILSON PICKETT |
DBK Works 529 |
Hey Jude |
● CD $15.98 |
11 tracks, 31 min., very highly recommended
A straight
reissue of a soul classic from Mr. Wicked himself, recorded in 1968 at Rick
Hall's legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, with session work
from Roger Hawkins (drums), David Hood (bass), Barry Beckett (keys), Marvell
Thomas (organ), Gene Miller (trumpet), and the Sweet Inspirations on
background vocals, top talents all. A better than average selection of songs
includes 5 co-written by the great George Jackson, including the opener
Save Me and the #20 R&B hit from 1968 A Man And A Half. But for
raw, incendiary, three-alarm soul, nothing beats the Hayes-Porter gem Toe
Hold, although Pickett's screaming at the end of Hey Jude is
enough to set a house on fire all by itself. The Pickettization of Born
To Be Wild while a sizable hit, falls short of its brethren, which
proclaim their true wildness in deed rather than word. (JC)
|
THE RAELETTES |
Titanic 4422 |
Hits And Rarities |
● CD $17.98 |
26 tracks, 75 mins, highly recommended
"Hits and Rarities" is
a fantastic collection of sweet soul music and melodic Funk from the ladies
behind the legend Ray Charles. If not for their day job, the Raelettes
(Ethel [Darlene] McCrea, Margie Hendrix [sometimes spelled Hendricks],
Patricia Lyles, and Gwendolyn Berry) could have probably been a major force
in soul music on their own. This collects all of their singles and--if I'm
not mistaken--all of the album tracks, too, recorded for the Tangerine label
between 1967 and 1972. I'm Getting 'Long Alright featured here was
their only top 40 appearance; other cuts like One Hurt Deserves Another/
Bad Water and I Want To (Do Everything For You) all cracked the
hot 100, but deserved better. Highlights would have to be the tough as nails
version of Charles' Leave My Man Alone and their heartbreaking take
on Jimmy Cliff's Many Rivers To Cross, but honestly this CD is just
fantastic from start to finish, filled with many hard-to-find gems. (JM)
THE RAELETTES: A Lover's Blues/ After Loving You/ All I
Need Is Love/ Bad Water/ Come Get It I Got It/ Here I Go Again/ I Found My
Love/ I Want To (Do Everything For You)/ I You Want To Keep Him/ I'm Gettin'
Long Alright/ Into Something Fine/ It's Alright/ Keep It To Yourself/ Leave
My Man Alone/ Let No One Hold You/ Love Train/ Many Rivers To Cross/ My
Baby/ Now the Hurts On You/ One Hurt Deserves Another/ One Room Paradise/
Restless/ That Goes To Show You/ Try a Little Kindness/ You Have a Way With
Me/ You Must Be Doing Alright
|
PERCY SLEDGE |
DBK Works 532 |
The Percy Sledge Way/ Take Time To Know Her |
● CD $15.98 |
23 tracks, 69 min., highly recommended/essential
On "Way,"
Sledge turns his talents (with generally satisfying results) on other
people's hits, including the Chips Moman-Dan Penn penned miracle The Dark
End Of The Street, required singing for serious soul men. He covers Sam
Cooke's You Send Me, Otis Redding's I've Been Loving You Too Long
(To Stop Now), William Bell's You Don't Miss Your Water, and
others. The superior "Take Time" is pleasingly ballad heavy, a form
seemingly made for Sledge, and would be required listening even if it only
contained the brilliant title track. The other giant here is Out Of Left
Field (a #25 R&B hit), with the smoldering Feed The Flame not far
behind. Sledge's take on two Marlin Greene-Eddie Hinton songs, Cover Me
& It's All Wrong But It's Alright, are definitive. A cover of
Spooky (a hit for Classics IV) marks the only real misstep here.
Produced by Greene and Quin Ivy with first flight session help from Eddie
Hinton, Spooner Oldham, Roger Hawkins, David Hood, Jimmy Johnson, and
others. (JC)
|
IRMA THOMAS |
Collectables 2906 |
Wish Someone Would Care/ Take A Look |
● CD $15.98 |
24 tracks, 62 min., essential
At long last, Irma Thomas' two
Imperial LPs ("Wish" #12266 from 1964 & "Take" #12302 from 1966) find their
way back into print as a twofer. Until now fans have had to make do with
greatest hits releases to get a sample of her first two long players
(difficult to find in vinyl too, as it happens), and since both showcase a
superb soul singer at her finest, whatever tracks compilers left out meant a
loss for listeners. Unsurprisingly, Thomas covers tunes penned by Allen
Toussaint, Van McCoy, and Curtis Mayfield, but she also does good service to
a trio of early Randy Newman compositions (Anyone Who Knows What Love Is
(Will Understand), Baby Don't Look Down, and While The City
Sleeps. Her version of Time Is on My Side predates the cover by
the Rolling Stones, who ape hers pretty closely. No extra tracks, but that's
forgivable. Downside? Collectables packaging is its usual budget-driven
self, so don't expect any new booklet notes or session details or cool
photos or interviews or interesting graphics. Luckily, the music is enough.
(JC)
|
THE TOYS |
Pavillion 71242 |
All Of Our Toys |
● CD $17.98 |
30 tracks, 77 mins, recommended
Although best known for
their soulful reworking of Bach's "Minuet in G" as A Lover's Concerto,
The Toys put out a nice assortment cool tunes. This extensive collection
gathers up all of their singles and album tracks for the Dyno Voice / Vox,
Musicor and Phillips labels recorded from 1965 through 1968. Sundazed put
out a straight re-issue of the Toys lone LP "A Lover's Concerto/Attack!" a
while back, this however contains all of that plus an additional 16 tracks.
(JM)
THE TOYS: A Lover's Concerto/ Attack/ Baby Toys/ Baby's
Gone/ Can't Get Enough Of Your Baby/ Ciao Baby/ Deserted/ Hallelujah/ Happy
Birthday Broken Heart/ Hey Baby/ I Close My Eyes/ I Got A Man/ I Got Carried
Away/ I Got My Heart Set on You/ Let Me Down Easy/ May My Heart Be Cast to
Stone/ My Love Sonata/ On Back Street/ Sealed With A Kiss/ See How They Run/
See How They Run (Mono single edit)/ Silver Spoon/ The Fight's Not Over/
This Night/ Try to Get You Out Of My Heart/ What Ever Happened To Our Love/
What's Wrong With Me Baby/ Yesterday/ You Got It Baby/ You've Got To Give
Her Love
|
IKE & TINA TURNER |
DBK Works 530 |
The Ike & Tina Show Live, Volumes 1 & 2 |
● CD $15.98 |
22 tracks, 71 min., highly recommended/recommended
Is it
safe yet to say that while Tina was the star, Ike was more talented? Is it
sexist and politically incorrect to suggest that, as exciting as their live
show could be, actually seeing Tina perform was half the fun? Thought so. To
be sure, the show is a barely controlled frenzy of horn blasts and guttural
screams, rendered here with sound as good as it's likely to get, but it does
feel a little frantic at times (especially on volume 1), as if the whole
band needs to hurry up and catch a plane. Tracks 1-12 were originally
released on Warner Brothers (#1579) and 13-22 on the Loma label (#5904).
Volume 1 emits enough pure rock 'n' soul energy to power a former Soviet
block country for six weeks, while volume 2 is less frenetic and better for
repeated listening. Guest vocals from Jesse Smith and Vanetta Fields. This
fine release includes the original liner notes from the WB album--quaint if
useless--but lacks new notes or anything that could be called information. (JC)
|
PHIL UPCHURCH |
Harkit 8157 |
You Can't Sit Down |
● CD $24.98 |
15 tracks, highly recommended
First CD issue of this hot R&B
instrumental album from 1961 featuring the hit title tune. Upchurch is a
superb guitarist who has recorded prolifically as a session man starting in
the 50s backing vocal groups like The Dells, The Spaniels and Dee Clark and
The Kool gents and later working with Quincy Jones, George Benson, Marlena
Shaw, Chaka Khan and others. This is a collection of funky instrumentals
which in addition to Upchurch's stellar guitar work also features organist
Cornell Muldrow and tenor saxist David Brooks. This new import reissue adds
two fine bonus tracks. (FS)
|
WILLIE WALKER &
THE BUTANES |
Haut 1110 |
Memphisapolis |
● CD $16.98 |
13 tracks, 49 min., recommended
Mississippi born, Memphis
raised, gospel trained, Walker makes his home in Minneapolis. He cut his
first 45 rpm (Ticket To Ride b/w There Goes My Used To Be) for
Goldwax in 1967 with the aid of Roosevelt Jamison, one-time protege of James
Carr and O.V. Wright. Walker later found his way to Checker and couple of
smaller labels, but never made much of a dent in the charts, though not for
lack of talent. After a 30-plus year hiatus from recording, Walker's 2002
"comeback" album "Right Where I Belong" garnered critical praise and enough
sales to allow this follow-up CD. His guitarist, Curtis Obeda wrote all the
songs (as well as producing, arranging, and mixing), demonstrating an
affinity for the classic soul sound of bygone days that nonetheless sounds
fresh. After hearing this, you'll wish Walker had comeback sooner or never
gone away in the first place. (JC)
|
LENNY WELCH |
Ace CDCHD 1139 |
A Taste Of Honey - The Complete Cadence
Singles,1959-64 |
● CD $18.98 |
20 tracks, 51 min., almost recommended
Sure, he sounds more
like Neil Sedaka than Clyde McPhatter on songs such as Are You Sincere
and no, Cadence did not exactly specialize in R&B, but Welch has his
moments. Cadence tended to record Welch as if he were the black Andy
Williams (if such a thing can even be imagined without the aid of controlled
substances), which led to inevitably suitable pop music that was inevitably
unexciting. If there were any rough edges, Cadence producers sanded them off
and then covered whatever was left with ten coats of bland (see Stranger
In Paradise or I'm In The Mood For Love). All that said, Welch
has a truly fine voice, and his version of Since I Fell For You in
undeniably pleasant, definitive almost. And his "doo wop" record
Congratulations Baby hints at what Welch might have been if
circumstances had been different and if label owner Archie Bleyer had been
hipper. Superior to the Collectables release, this Ace album contains the
complete Cadence recordings mastered from the original tapes and tosses in
the usual first-class booklet notes and photos. (JC)
|
DANNY WHITE |
Kent CDKEND 269 |
Natural Soul Brother |
● CD $18.98 |
21 tracks, 54 min., recommended
Sometimes a move will give a
fellow a new perspective on life. In Danny White's case, his move from New
Orleans to Memphis in 1964 changed him from a solid if largely forgettable
soul-pop singer to a bone fide soul man. Maybe it was teaming up with Isaac
Hayes and David Porter that made the difference. Maybe it was recording with
the MGs (sans Booker T) and the Memphis Horns. Perhaps it was having Willie
Mitchell at the knobs and the Hi house band behind. This album comes across
with White's complete Frisco, Atlas, SSS International, and ABC-Paramount
sides. His best early cut, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye, set the bar high,
too high for much of his pre-Memphis work. If truth in advertising mattered,
The Twitch, White's apparent attempt at kicking off a dance craze,
would have been called The Filler. So the first dozen cuts make
decent listening, but track 13 on qualifies as required listening for soul
fans, especially Can't Do Nothing Without You. Note: many of these
songs appear on Kent CHD 629, The Frisco Record Story, in stereo mixes. The
sides here are in original mono and are generally superior to their less
unified brethren, (JC)
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