Rhythm & Blues - Newsletter 135 - Faye Adams->Bobby Womack

BOOKS

WHO SANG OUR SONGS? The Official Rhythm & Blues And Doo-Wop Songography by Douglas Friedman & Anthony Gribin

● CD $29.98

Paper, 490 pages, counts as nine CDs for shipping An invaluable reference work for collectors and fans of R&B vocal groups featuring a listing of 30,000 songs recorded by R&B vocal groups between the late 40s and early 60s. Each listing has the song title, group who performed it, year of release and original label and number. Now if you know the name of a song but don't remember who sang it you're likely to find the answer here and if you wonder who else recorded "Sunday Kind Of Love" beside the Harptones you'll fine more than 30 groups did.

THE OLD BARRIO GUIDE TO LOW RIDER MUSIC, 1950-1975 by Ruben Molina

● CD $21.98

160 pages, paperback, counts as four CDs for shipping purposes A loving tribute to the music popular with young Chicanos between 1950 and 1975 who were particularly entranced by R&B ballads and this book looks at nearly 800 singles that were popular duing this period including recordings by Chicanos, Anglos and African-American artists. The recordings are arranged alphabetically by artist with profiles of the artists, artist photos, label shots, reproductions of posters and more. Among the hundreds of artists profiled are Johnny Ace, The Carlos Brothers, The Contours, The Diplomats, The Escorts, Al Green, Little Julian Herrera & The Tigers, Etta James, Sonny Knight, Malo, The Moonglows, Jimmy Reed, The Romancers, The Spinners, Tierra, Johnny "Guitar" Watson and many more.

COMPACT DISCS

FAYE ADAMS	Herald 416	30 Greatest Hits	● CD $17.98
20 tracks, 77 mins, highly recommended Great collection of 30 sides by this fine and expressive gospel inflected singer best remembered for her classic Shake A Hand which is included here along with 29 other great sides. This disc features most of her Herald sides recorded between 1953 and 1956 along with three of earlier sides which were issued as by the Joe Morris Orchestra including the amusing duet with Joe on That's What Makes My Baby Fat ad it also includes her 1957 hit Keeper Of My Heart recorded in New Orleans with the Dave Bartholomew Band. Excellent sound but no notes. (FS)

RICHARD BERRY	Ace CDCHD 1029	Yama Yama! The Modern REcordings, 1954-1959	● CD $18.98
Overhaul of Ace CDCHD 355 ("Get Out Of The Car") with every track newly remastered from the best sources available. Several tracks are new to CD and the set also includes previously unissued alternate takes of titles where the the masters appear on Ace's other Richard Berry-related compilations.

THE CADILLACS	Collectables 7628	The Fabulous Cadillacs/ The Crazy Cadillacs	● CD $13.98
24 tracks, 61 mins, highly recommended Reissue of two Josie LPs from 1957 and 1959 by this superb New York group featuring the great lead Earl Carroll. The group was comfortable with both soulful ballads and up tempo rockers and this set includes their most famous songs - the big hit Speedo (which gave Carroll his nickname) and their great version of the ballad GLoria. Lots of other fine songs like Zoom/ Woe Is Me/ Down The Road/ No Chance/ Broken Heart/ Zoom-Boom-Zing/ Why Let Me Explain and others. Excellent sound and includes original LP notes. . (FS) THE CADILLACS: Baby's Comin' Home To Me/ Betty My Love/ Broken Heart/ Carelessly/ Don't Be Mad With My Heart/ Down The Road/ Gloria/ I Wonder Why/ Let Me Explain/ My Girl Friend/ No Chance/ Shock-A-Doo/ Speedoo/ Sugar Sugar/ Sympathy/ That's All I Need/ The Girl I Love/ Why/ Window Lady/ Wishing Well/ Woe Is Me/ You Are/ Zoom/ Zoom-Boom-Zing

DAVE "BABY" CORTEZ	Clock 1000	The Happy Organ	● CD $17.98
33 tracks, recommended 33 tracks from the late 50s and early 60s from this talented singer and keyboard player best known for his #1 hit The Happy Organ which is included here along with other hits like The Whistling Organ/ Rinky Dink and Fiesta. About two thirds of the tracks are piano or organ instrumentals and the rest are vocals ranging from Little Richard style rockers like You Gave Me The Heeby Jeebies to the sappy ballad Let Me Come Home. Some of the tracks have some hot guitar - possibly the great Jimmy Spruill. Includes Soft Lights/ I'm Happy/ Hoot Owl/ The Swinging Piano/ The boogie Organ/ It's A Sin To Tell A Lie/ Honey Baby/ Piano Shuffle/ Mosin' Along, etc. 17 tracks duplicate Ace 386. Sound is excellent but there are no notes. (FS)

THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS	Collector's Choice Music 391	Masters Of Hip Harmony	● CD $15.98
A collection of 20 tracks drawn from radio broadcasts made between 1941 and 1945 by this sweet and hot popular vocal group. The first five tracks are are from a 1941 CBS radio show featuring them with Mildred Bailey and the rest are from performances recorded for the Armed Forces Radio Service including Jersey Bounce/ Is You Is Or Is You Aint My Baby/ One O' Clock Jump/ Take The A Train/ Are You For It/ Good News/ It's Only A Paper Moon, etc.

THE DOLPHINS	Crystal Ball 1058	I Had A Dream	● CD $17.98
27 tunes, 10 from 1960-66, 4 from 1970, 3 from 1982-85, 4 from 2000, and 6 from 2004 - I Had A Dream/ Tell Tale Kisses/ The Girl In My Dreams/ L-O-V-E, etc.

FATS DOMINO	Classics 5095	The Chronological Fats Domino, 1953	● CD $14.98
The third volume in this series features 21 great tracks including Goodbye/ Rose Mary/ Domino Sromp/ Rose Mary/ Ain't It Good/ Don't Leave Me This Way/ Fats' Frenzy/ You Left Me/ Barrelhouse/ If You Need Me/ Thinking Of You. If you don't already have this material on previous reissues then this is indeispensible stuff.

TOM DOWD	Palm Pictures 3077	Tom Dowd And The Language Of Music	● CD $24.98
DVD 90 mins, color, highly recommended Tom Dowd lived an extraordinary life, spending his teenage years as a chemistry whiz who became a part of the Manhattan Project at age 16, then turning to record engineering when national security prevented him from using what he'd learned after the war. Nuclear warfare's loss is always humanity's gain, but nevermoreso than with him. Dowd engineered scores of important records, most of them for Atlantic Records, pioneered everything from stereo to eight track and worked with Ray Charles, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Aretha Franklin, the Rascals, Eric Clapton, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers. The scene here of his reunion with Ray Charles is extraordinarily powerful, but so's the one where he remixes Layla, and the sequences where he works with an unknown new band spell out his total commitment to mastering the language of music. You could call this film hagiographic I guess, but all I know is that, over the better part of four decades, I've never met anyone who disliked Tom Dowd or who didn't marvel at his utter enthusiasm for music and musicians. Capturing that spirit and energy is the film's real subject. (DM)

THE FIVE DISCS	Emge 1001	Acappella Album	● CD $17.98
20 performances THE FIVE DISCS: Adios/ Adios (version 2)/ All Nite Long/ Bring It On Home/ Come On Baby/ Don't Say Goodnight/ Gloria/ I Remember/ I Remember (version 2)/ Let's Fall In Love/ My Foolish Heart/ My Love Will Never Die/ My True Story/ Never Let You Go/ Outside of Heaven/ That Was the Time/ That Was the Time (version 2)/ Valarie/ When You Dance/ Your Way

THE FLAIRS	Ace CDCHD 1023	The Ultimate Flairs Featuring Richard Berry	● CD $18.98
29 tracks, 76 mins, highly recommended A great collection of rockers and ballads from this superb Los Angeles group whose initial line up featured the triple threat of Richard Berry, Cornell Gunter and Young Jessie! Includes tracks issued as by The Hunters, The Whips (the jury is still out as to whether this is actually the Flairs but the two songsher are great), The Five Hearts (only Richard Berry from the Flairs is on these), The Chimes, Rams and Young Jessie. Superb sound and informative notes from Gordon Skadberg. (FS)

THE FLAMINGOS	Philips 4004	Complete Philips Recordings!	● CD $17.98
19 tunes recorded in the mid 60s - Boogaloo Party / I Only Have Eyes For You / Lover's Never Say Goodbye / I'll Be Home / Your Other Love / Nobody Loves Me Like You, etc.

THE FOUR JEWELS / JEWELS	Start 1001	Loaded with Goodies	● CD $17.98
30 tunes, 20 from 1962-66 and 10 from 1985, beginning with Reap What You So (sic) by Billy Stewart & Four Jewels from 1962 plus Dapper Dan / That's What They Put Erasers On Pencils For / Johnny Jealousy / The Hash, etc.

TINY GRIMES	Classics 5106	The Chronological Tiny Grimes, 1949-1951	● CD $14.98
Second volume featuring recordings by this fine and important musician. It overlaps the comprehensive Blue Moon series but the Classics series does not include all the alternate takes available on Blue Moon.

BULL MOOSE JACKSON	Classics 5105	The Chronological Bull Moose Jackson 1947-1950	● CD $14.98
Second volume of recordings issued under his own name (first was Classics 5054, which covered 1945-47; his earliest sides with Lucky Millinder are on Classics 1026 & 1173). 22 selections, 9/15-17/47 through 9/27/50.

MABLE JOHN	Spectrum 980 846	My Name Is Mable - The Complete Collection	● CD $11.98
19 tracks, 53 mins, highly recommended Terrific collection of high quality soul recorded for Motown's Tamla subsidiary in the early 60s by Little Willie John's older sister Mable. Only a handful of singles were issued but since they were unsuccesful many of her fine recordings remained in the can until this release which includes 10 previously unissued sides - most of them just as good as the issued tracks, including the great uptempo My Name Is Mable. Includes songs written by Berry Gordy, Andre Williams and Mable herself. (FS)

LITTLE BOB & THE LOLLIPOPS	La Louisianne 1024	I Got Loaded	● CD $15.98
26 tracks, 67 mins, highly recommended Fine collection of Lousiana R&B and soul recorded for La Louisianne and Tamm between 1963 and 1969 including their original 1964 recordings of I Got Loaded which has been covered by many artists including Robert Cray and Los Lobos. Little Bob & The Lollipops were another one of those immensely talented but obscure Louisiania R&B bands that giged around Bayou country nightclubs and frat dances in the 50's and 60's. They played for entertainment not arts sake and had to perform and appeal to a wide variety of musical tastes. Whether it was swamp pop, R&B dance tunes, blues or deep soul, they could do it with the best. Little Bob was a great singer and oh, that soulful horn section which included the great John Hart. Unequivocally guaranteed, out of sight R&B. In additioned to the aformentioned classics this set includes many other great sides Are You Ever Coming Home/ Are You Going My Way/ Nobody But You/ Lollipoppin'/ Cry, Cry, Cry (a great version of the Bobby Blue Bland classic)/ Agent Double-O Soul/ My Girl/ With THese Hands/ I Can't Take It/ Look Out Mr Heartache and more. (AE/ FS)

SARAH MCLAWLER	Classics 5111	The Chronological Sarah McLawler, 1950-1953	● CD $14.98
19 tracks, very good A collection featuring the talents of singer, piano & organ player Sarah McLawler. Her first session from 1950 features Sarah singing and playing piano on a couple of fine tunes with a small band. The next two sessions from 1951 and '52 features eight songs with a small group led by Sonny Thompson and features mostly rather nondescript ballads though Sarah's singing is very fine. The rest of the tracks are from 1953 by which time Sarah had switched to playing organ and this instrument is featured prominently on these titles including several instrumentals and your enjoyment of these will depend on how much you like the sound of the Hammond organ on R&B songs - I'm not a big fan. On the last four tracks the band is joined by Sarah's husband Richard Otto on violin. (FS)

THE MERCED BLUE NOTES	Ace CDCHD 1026	Get Your Kicks On Route 99	● CD $22.98
Fine collection of R&B and blues from the early/ mid 60s by superb band based in Merced, California led by fine vocalist and guitarist Kenny Craig with Bobby Hunt on piano or organ, Gilbert Fraire/ bass and Carl Mays Jr./ drums plus Bill "Tiger" Robertson on sax on some cuts. There are also some guest vocals from the excellent Marietta Robertson. No nonsense funky music mostly meant for dancing with many instrumentals. Includes 11 previously unissued tracks and one previously unissued alternate of their great instrumental version of Bad Bad Whiskey.

WILD BILL MOORE	Blue Moon 6042	The Complete Wild Bill Moore, Vol. 1 : 1945-1948	● CD $14.98
First of two CD presenting the complete early recordings of bands led by Texas tenor saxist Wild Bill Moore. 16 tracks of mostly instrumental honking R&B and jazz with occasional vocals from Duke Henderson and Scatman Crothers. Session sidemen include Paul Williams, Milt Buckner, T.J. Fowler, Shifty Henry and others.

WILD BILL MOORE	Blue Moon 6043	The Complete Wild Bill Moore, Vol. 2 : 1948-1955	● CD $14.98
16 more sides with Jonah Jones, Paul Quinichette, Milt Buckner, Emmitt Slay and others.

ELLA MAE MORSE	ASV CDAJA 5514	Cow Cow Boogie	● CD $11.98
27 tracks,76 mins, recommended Ella Mae was still a teen in the 40s when, as vocalist with Freddie Slack, she had a long run of rockin' boogie hits, including 1942's million selling Cow Cow Boogie which was Capitol's first big hit. In 1943 she struck out on her own and over the years recorded with many different groups in a variety of settings. Her music drew on elements of jazz, R&B, country and pop and so she could be considered a proto-rock 'n' roller. This fine collection features recordings cuts between 1942 and '52 - many of them pop hits and a number hitting the R&B charts as well. Includes Cow Cow Boogie/ Mr. Five By Five/ Get On Board, Little Children/ No Love, No Nothing/ Tess' Torch Song/ Captain Kidd/ The House Of Blue Lights/ Pig Foot Pete/ Sensational/ The Blacksmith Blues/ Jump Back Honey/ Forty Cups Of Coffee and others. (GM/ FS)

THE OVATIONS	Crystal Ball 1052	High School Reunion	● CD $17.98
28 selections including 13 bonus cuts, 8 previously unreleased - Who Needs Love / That's How Girls Get Boys / Ilene / Broken Bottles And Sticks / Laura My Darlings, etc.

VITO PICONE AND THE ELEGANTS	Crystal Ball 1046	Pure and Simple	● CD $17.98
17 songs - Little Star / Belind / Peace of Mind (Acap.) / What's Your Name / Lonesome Weekend, etc.

LLOYD PRICE	Classics 5100	The Chronological Lloyd Price 1952-1953	● CD $14.98
First volume by Lloyd Price in the Classics label's chronological R&B reissue series. This one has 25 tunes, recorded 1952-4/16/53 in New Orleans with sidemen like Dave Bartholomew, Herb Hardesty, Fats Domino, Edgar Blanchard, Earl Palmer and others. Includes his early R&B hits like Lawdy Miss Clawdy/ Oooh, Oooh, Oooh/ Restless Heart/ Tell Me Pretty Baby and Ain't It A Shame as well other fine sides. All this material has been out before on Specialty but here it is in chronological order.

JIMMY RICKS AND THE RAVENS	Jackal 9104	Jimmy Ricks and The Ravens	● CD $17.98
18 tunes - Do You Promise/ Secret Love/ Daddy Rollin Stone/ Homesick/ Leanin On Your Love/ Sixteen Tons/ Lazy Mule, etc.

BILL SAMUELS	Classics 5112	The Chronological Bill Samuels, 1945-1947	● CD $14.98
26 tracks feature vocalist and pianist Bill Samuels usually in the company of The Cat's N Jammer Three (Adam Lambert/g, Sylvester Hickman/ b and Hillard Brown/ d). A mix of blues, jive, pop ballads and vocal group harmony - I Cover The Waterfront/ My Bicycle Tillie (very risque)/ That Chick's Too Young To Fry/ Port Wine/ I Surrender Dear/ My Baby Didn't Even Say Goodbye/ When I Closed My Eyes/ One For The Money/ Stompin' These Blues Away, etc.

PERCY SLEDGE	Varese 66599	Shining Through The Rain	● CD $16.98
New album from soul legend produced by Saul Davis and Barry Goldberg who produced his 1994 album "Blue Night". Includes new compositions along with songs written by The Bee Gees, The Hollies, Steve Earle and others. With various guest musicians and vocalists.

BETTYE SWANN	Astralwerks 98841	Bettye Swann	● CD $17.98
22 tracks, 64 mins, highly recommended From the same people who put together the recent great Candi Staton CD here is another collection of truly great deep soul. Bettye Swann was originally from Louisiana but recorded on the West Coast - originally for John Dolphin's Money label (reissued on Kent 197) and then between 1968 and 1970 for Capitol which is the source of these recordings. Produced by Wayne Schuler she recorded a lot of covers of country, soul and even pop songs but with her beautiful, sensitive, sweet and soulful voice and uncluttered arrangements she gives every song her own individual stamp. Includes Don't You Ever Get Tired (Of Hurting Me)?/ Don't Touch Me (her only Capitol hit)/ Cover Me/ Sweet Dreams/ Ain't That Peculiar/ Words (yes, The Bee-Gees song!)/ Stand By Your Man/ Angel Of The Morning and more. After Capitol she recorded for Atlantic and then gave up on the music business which is certainly our loss. (FS)

PAULA WATSON	Classics 5104	The Chronological Paula Watson 1948-1953	● CD $14.98
18 tracks, 46 mins, recommended Enjoyable set by this fine singer and piano player who only recorded the 18 tracks here and is largely forgotten today though she had a couple of decent hits in 1948 and '49. The material is varied including small group jump blues featuring sterling piano work and the fine guitar of Tiny Webb, jazzy sides with bigger bands and jumping New York R&B. Nothing really special but worth a listen. (FS)

WHISPERS	Implant 103	"Best Of" 1964-1974	● CD $17.98
21 selections from this L.A. soul group - It Only Hurts For A Little While/ The Dip/ I Was Born When You Kissed Me/ Needle In A Haystack (ballad)/ The Time Will Come/ Seems Like I Gotta Do Wrong, etc.

LARRY WILLIAMS	Ace CDCH2 1021	At His Finest - The Specialty Rock 'n' Roll Years	● CD $32.98
2 CDs, 47 tracks, highly recommended New Orleans born Larry Wiliams is from the hard-driving "upsetting" school of R&B whose fellow classmates include Little Richard & Robert Parker. The first disc features 22 sides issued on singles and LPs including all his great hits like Short Fat Fannie/ Bony Moronie (an extended version with additional whistling on the outro)/ Dizzy Miss Lizzie and Slow Down. The second disc features 25 unissued songs and alternate takes, 18 never released on CD before - often featuring lyric changes and different instrumental breaks! It also includes studio chatter. These recordings cut in Los Angeles and New Orleansin 1957 and '58 feature a virtual who's who of great session men including Lee Allen, Earl Palmer, Plas Johnson, Irving Ashby, Roy Montrell, Harold Battiste, Frank Fields, Rene Hall and others. Includes 20 page illustrated booklet with extensive notes by Stuart Coleman. Black rock 'n' roll at its finest. (FS)

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