New Releases: March->July 2011
Rhythm & Blues, Soul & Doo-Wop
Various Artists
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Ace CDLUX 005 |
Bandera Doo Wop |
● CD $24.98 |
26 tracks, highly recommended
Another in Ace's series of limited edition
reissues (1,500 copies total) - this one features
black doo wop recorded for the Chicago based
Bandera label in the late 50s and early 60s. It
includes 10 previously unissued sides and most of
the rest are appearing for the first time on a
legitimate CD. The label is legendary for having
originally recorded the classic For Your
Precious Love in 1959 which was immediately
snapped up by Vee-Jay and became a massive hit.
This CD includes nine tracks by the group from a
rehersal session which includes their first
recording of that songs as well as two versions of
the song that became the flip Sweet Was The
Wine. Although lacking the majestic status of
the issued versions these provide fascinating
insight into the creative process. The session
also includes a version of the song Shorty's
Got To Go which the group later cut for Bandera
with Curtis Mayfield as lead after Jerry Butler
had been signed as a solo artist by Vee-Jay. The
other songs from this session are also fine though
not up to the standard of the classics. The other
groups featured here are also excellent including
The Diatones, The Epics, Kirk Taylor & The
Majestics and others and there are several
unissued tracks by them. Superb sound and detailed
16 page booklet. (FS)
APPEND
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Ace ABOXCD 11 |
The Music City Story |
● CD $41.98 |
Three CDs, 78 tracks, 203 mins,
highly recommended
Terrific collection of blues, R&B, doo-wop and
soul recorded for the legendary Music City label
run out of Berkeley, California by entrepreneur
Ray Dobard between 1953 and 1975. This label has
been cherished for decades by a small hardcore of
R&B, vocal group and, latterly, soul fanatics.
Based on the available evidence - 50-odd 45 and
78rpm releases - and a lot of hearsay and rumour,
many have spent hours fantasizing about the
purported riches in the possession of its famously
protective, zealous owner. Ace have finally
acquired the rights to the catalog and are about
to unleash a treasure trove of issued and
previously unissued material. Dobard had only a
couple of minor hits - the 4 Deuces' doo-wop
classic W-P-L-J and guitarist Johnny
Heartsman's raucous Johnny's House Party -
but he kept the tape machine running pretty much
constantly for much of his quarter-century in the
business and more than half the tracks on this
fabulous collection are previously unissued.
Amongst the set's 78 tracks are names familiar to
doo wop and blues collectors - the Crescendos,
Gaylarks, Rovers, 5 Lyrics, Alvin Smith etc -
while behind several others lurk famous names
(James Brown, Lou Rawls) or others soon to be
famous (Sugar Pie DeSanto, members of Sly & the
Family Stone). From the raucous jump blues of Del
Graham's Your Money Ain't Long Enough to the
hip street soul of Darondo, the breadth of genres
represented is extensive, but the overall emphasis
in "The Music City Story" is upon the black vocal
group, be it 50s, 60s or 70s vintage. Among the
many artists featured here are Sidney Grande, Mr.
Undertaker, Gloria Jean, The Golden West Singers,
Jimmy Nelson, Lord Luther, The Marcels, Pee Wee
Kingsley, Five Crystels, Jimmy Raney, Little
Willie Littlefield (a previously unknown recording
by this West Coast blues legend), Vermettya
Royster with James Brown's Band, Jackie Day, The
Fantastics and many more including an unknown duo
covering Etta James' hit The Wallflower. In
addition there are several fascinating radio
spots. Compiled by West Coast music expert Alec
Palao who provides 42 pages of notes on the label
and the artists with many photos - some in full
color and a full listing of all titles that were
issued on Music City and it's affiliated labels.
And this set is just the beginning, future Ace
releases from the Music City label will be devoted
to specific artists and genres and I, for one,
can't wait! (FS)
THE 3 HONEYDROPS: Rockin’
Satellite/ THE 4 DEUCES: W-P-L-J/ THE BALLADS:
Loving You Isn’t Enough/ AL BENNETT WITH THE
COUNTRY TRAVELLERS: Bury Me In The South/ JOE
BLACKWELL & THE INDIVIDUALS: Beverly My Darling/
BOB & JESSIE: Church On The Hill/ WANDA BURT:
Feeling Fine, Feeling Good/ Scheming/ THE
CRESCENDOS: My Heart’s Desire/ DARONDO: Didn’t I/
JACKIE DAY: Don’t Fence Me In/ THE DERBYS: Lonely
One/ THE DREAMERS: Crossing The River/ LEE DURRELL
& THE TAMARAS: You Gave Me Love/ JASPER EVANS:
Wrong Doing Woman/ THE FANTASTICS: I’m Waiting/
THE FIDELS: Love Me Tender/ THE FIVE CAMPBELLS:
Morrine/ THE FIVE CRYSTALS: Heaven’s Own Choir/
THE FIVE LYRICS: I’m A Workin’ Man/ THE FIVE
SWANS: Lil Tipa-Tina/ THE FOUR RIVERS: Nature Boy/
THE FRANCISCANS: Ocean Of Love/ THE GAYLARKS: Tell
Me, Darling/ THE GAYTEENS: Ding Dong/ JOHNNY
GEORGE: Music City Hop/ GOLDEN BOY WITH CHICK
MORRIS & HIS BAND: Keep Me Satisfied, Baby/ THE
GOLDEN WEST SINGERS: This Wicked Race/ DEL GRAHAM
WITH QUE MARTYN’S ORCHESTRA: Your Money Ain’t Long
Enough/ SIDNEY GRANDE: Guitar Blues/ AL JOSEPH
HARRIS WITH CHICK MORRIS & HIS BAND: A Prayer/
JOHNNY HEARTSMAN: Johnny’s Stomp (Early Version)/
Johnny’s House Party (Pts 1 & 2)/ THE HEAVENLY
TONES: He’s All Right/ THE HOLIDAYS: Station
L-O-V-E/ THE ITALICS: I Feel So Blue/ THE KLIXS:
Elaine/ GENE LEE & THE BLUES ROCKERS: Gonna Blow
Out The Lamp/ LITTLE LYNN: I Walk In Circles/
LITTLE WILLIE LITTLEFIELD: Love You All Night
Long/ LORD LUTHER: Just One More Chance/ KARY
LYNN: Dynamite/ THE MARCELS: Indian Jane/ JOHNNIE
MARIE THORNE: I Can’t Take Any More/ ROBBIE
MELDANO: I Need You Baby/ THE MIDNIGHTS: Annie
Pulled A Hum-Bug/ WILLIE MOORE: The Slopp/ THE
MUSIC CITY ALL STARS: Do The Philly/ THE MUSIC
CITY SOUL BROTHERS: Something In My Eye/ THE MUSIC
CITY SWINGERS: Passing Thru Music City/ JIMMY
NELSON: The Wheel/ THE NIGHTCAPS: Mirage/ THE
PAGANS: Lover’s Plea/ PEE WEE & SUGAR PIE:
Flippin’ & A-Floppin’/ THE PERFORMERS: Farewell
Goodbye My Love/ GLORIA JEAN PITTS: I Don’t Stand
No Quittin’/ THE POWELL BROTHERS: You Are My Lover
Girl/ LEON PRYOR: From The Bottom Of My Heart/
JIMMY RANEY: Blues All Around My Bed/ LOU RAWLS:
Too Late To Cry/ THE ROVERS: Ichi Bon Tami-Dachi/
VERMETTYA ROYSTER WITH JAMES BROWN’S BAND: All
Around The World/ THE SATELLITE BAND: Party At
Vern’s/ ALVIN SMITH: On My Way/ THE SOUL BROTHERS:
She’s Coming Back/ THE SOUL SENSATIONS: A Man That
Is Not Free/ THE SWINGIN’ BROTHERS: What To Do/
THE TEAR DROP TEARS: When We Get Married (Part 2)/
THE THREE DONS & DONNA: Jerry/ THE TWILIGHTERS:
Late Last Night/ THE TWO THINGS IN ONE: Stop
Telling Me/ MR. UNDERTAKER: Here Lies My Love/
UNKNOWN MALE & FEMALE DUET: The Wallflower/ WALLY
& THERESA: Are You My Boyfriend/ D’VONYA WHITE:
The Kasavubu Waltz
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Ace CDCHD 1284 |
Sweet Inspiration - The Songs Of Dan Penn & Spooner Old |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks, 67 mins, highly
recommended
To fans of Southern Soul, the names of songwriters
Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham are revered as
premiere soul men. As producers/songwriters, only
Isaac Hayes and David Porter are arguably more
important in the history of Southern Soul music,
and it's fitting that these two men should get
their own volume in Ace's Songwriter series of
CDs. So many classic songs- I'm Your Puppet/
Sweet Inspiration/ Take Me (Just As I Am)/ I Met
Her In Church/ Cry Like a Baby, and more-and
they're here, but not necessarily in the versions
you're most familiar with. But that's ok, where
else can you hear Dionne Warwick wrap her
inimitable voice around I'm Your Puppet or
Arthur Alexander rip through Cry Like a
Baby? Artists ranging from Percy Sledge to
Charlie Rich, from Tony Joe White to the Box Tops
are represented here, all benefiting from the
singular brilliance of these two men. Dan and
Spooner always wrote from the heart, and often the
artists conveyed that spirit in their
performances: just check out Charlie Rich's
heartbreaking version of A Woman Left Lonely
or Solomon Burke's take of Take Me - so full
of truth and pain-as evidence. For Southern Soul
songwriting at its best during the years 1965 to
1971, look no further than Penn and Oldham, and
this compilation certainly gives them their due.
(GMC)
ARTHUR ALEXANDER: Cry Like A
Baby/ TONY BORDERS: I Met Her In Church/ THE BOX
TOPS: Everything I Am/ SOLOMON BURKE: Take Me
(Just As I Am)/ JAMES CARR: Let It Happen
(Alternate Take)/ ARTHUR CONLEY: In The Same Old
Way/ ART FREEMAN: Slippin' Around/ ETTA JAMES: I
Worship The Ground You Walk On/ PATTI LABELLE &
THE BLUEBELLES: Dreamer/ BARBARA LYNN: He Ain't
Gonna Do Right/ RONNIE MILSAP: Denver/ JEANNE
NEWMAN: It Tears Me Up/ THE OVATIONS: I'm Living
Good (Version 2)/ SANDY POSEY: Are You Never
Coming Home/ CHARLIE RICH: A Woman Left Lonely/
TOMMY ROE: Wish You Didn't Have To Go/ JOE SIMON:
Let's Do It Over/ PERCY SLEDGE: Out Of Left Field/
THE SWEET INSPIRATIONS: Sweet Inspiration/ TED
TAYLOR: Feed The Flame/ IRMA THOMAS: Good Things
Don't Come Easy/ THE WALLACE BROTHERS: I Need
Someone/ DIONNE WARWICK: I'm Your Puppet/ TONY JOE
WHITE: Watching The Trains Go By
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Ace CDCHD 1297 |
The Ace (USA) Story, Volume 3 |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks, 55 mins, essential
Don't look now, but here comes the third CD
chronicling the saga of Jackson, Mississippi label
Ace Records. As has been noted from past reviews,
these CDs are reissues (with generous bonus
tracks) of the original Ace Story vinyl LPs from
the 80's, which sought to document the activities
of the label over the period 1954 to 1964. If you
have the first two CDs (or the original vinyl),
then buying this installment is a no-brainer.
However, if non-believers need convincing, then so
be it. Can anyone possibly resist the harmonica stylings of Sonny Boy Williamson on Boppin'
With Sonny, Alvin "Red" Tyler's sax on
Snake Eyes, Albert Scott on I'm So Glad
You're Mine, Bobby Marchan on Don't Take
Your Love From Me, or Jerry McCain's She's
Tough? And that's only tracks from the original
LP; the bonus tracks are pretty hot too,
especially Marchan's Loberta, Earl King's
Darling Honey Angel Child, The Emeralds'
Kneel at Your Throne, and Frankie Lee Sims'
What Will Lucy Do. Are you non-believers
convinced yet? Look, all R&B fans need this
compilation (along with the first two) period.
(GMC)
THE BLUE DOTS: Saturday
Night Fish Fry/ THE EMERALDS: I Kneel At Your
Throne/ FRANKIE FORD: Cheatin' Woman/ JUNIOR
GORDON: My Love For You/ EARL KING: Darling Honey
Angel Child/ HARRY LEE: You Don't Know/ BOBBY
MARCHAN: Don't Take Your Love From Me/ Loberta/
JERRY MCCAIN: She's Tough/ Steady/ MERCY BABY:
Marked Deck/ Rock 'N' Roll Baby/ MAC REBENNACK:
Foolish Little Girl/ Sahara/ ALBERT SCOTT: I'm So
Glad You're Mine/ FRANKIE LEE SIMS: What Will Lucy
Do?/ HUEY "PIANO" SMITH: Everybody's Whalin'/ For
Cryin' Out Loud/ Little Liza Jane/ Somebody Told
It/ THE SUPREMES: Don't Leave Me Here To Cry/ JOE
TEX: Cut It Out/ ALVIN "RED" TYLER: Snake Eyes/
SONNY BOY WILLIAMSON: Boppin' With
Sonny
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Ace CDCHD 1300 |
Come Together - Black America Sings Lennon & McCartney |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks, 72 mins, highly
recommended
There can be little doubt that John Lennon and
Paul McCartney are among the most covered
songwriters of all time, with everyone from Frank
Sinatra to Joe Cocker taking a crack at their
large catalog of exceptional songs. And the R&B
world was no exception, as this fascinating
compilation demonstrates; with recordings from as
early as 1965 to as late as 1976, it's obvious
that the Beatles' main songwriters caught on early
with the Soul crowd and the honeymoon didn't end
with the 60's. The range of performers is
impressive, from Beatle influences returning the
favor (Little Richard rocking out I Saw Her
Standing There and Fats Domino's surprising
turn on Everybody's Got Something to Hide
Except Me and My Monkey) to contemporaries
recognizing good songwriting when they saw it
(Aretha Franklin's sublime Let It Be; Otis
Redding testifying on Day Tripper). Most
imaginative covers: Gene Chandler's Eleanor
Rigby, The Vibrations' And I Love Her,
Chairmen of the Board's Come Together,
Junior Parker's Lady Madonna, and Lowell
Fulson's Why Don't We Do it in the Road.
Most soulful versions go to Linda Jones' torchy
Yesterday, Donald Height's Don't Let Me
Down, and the Rev. Al Green's I Want to Hold
Your Hand. All 'n' all, an excellent collection
and here's hoping for a volume two. (GMC)
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Ace CDCHD 1303 |
The Big Beat - The Dave Bartholomew Songbook |
● CD $18.98 |
25 tracks, 61 mins, very highly
recommended
Those of you who own The Cosimo Matassa Story box
set (Proper Box 129) should already be familiar
with Dave Bartholomew. For newcomers, briefly, he
is a renown New Orleans
bandleader-producer-performer-songwriter who did
plenty for Fats Domino, Lloyd Price, and Smiley
Lewis. Not to be confused with The Big Beat of
Dave Bartholomew: 20 of His Milestone Productions
1949-1960, a 2002 release from EMI, this
collection brings together 25 of his best known
compositions performed by assorted artists from
the 50's, 60's and 70's. In some cases, the song
is by the original performer (Domino's The Fat
Man; Shirley & Lee's I'm Gone, Smiley
Lewis' Down the Road), while other tracks
are inspired cover versions, like Annie Laurie's
3 x 7 = 21, The Pelicans' Ain't Gonna Do
It, Johnny Burnette Trio's All By Myself,
Buddy Holly's Valley of Tears, and Roy
Brown's Let the Four Winds Blow. And that's
just for starters! There's comedy (Larry Storch
ribbing his way through I'm Walkin'),
country (Brenda Lee strolling through Walking
to New Orleans), proto-reggae (Neville Grant's
Sick and Tired), and folk-blues (Tom Rush
getting down and dirty on I'm in Love Again)
-talk about variety! Even Elvis, Jerry Lee, and
Little Richard (incognito with The Upsetters on
Every Night About This Time) put in
appearances. And to finish off, the set closes
with the ultimate rock and roll cover of a
Bartholomew song: Dave Edmunds' mad,
retro-rockabilly take on I Hear You Knocking
from 1970. Seldom has a compilation displayed the
durability of a songwriter as well as this one
has. Don't miss this one. (GMC)
DAVE BARTHOLOMEW: The
Monkey/ My Ding A Ling/ ROY BROWN: Let The Four
Winds Blow/ THE JOHNNY BURNETTE TRIO: All By
Myself/ BOBBY CHARLES: Before I Grow Too Old/ THE
DEL VIKINGS: The Big Beat/ FATS DOMINO: The Fat
Man/ DAVE EDMUNDS: I Hear You Knockin'/ GEORGIE
FAME AND THE BLUE FLAMES: Blue Monday/ NEVILLE
GRANT: Sick And Tired/ BUDDY HOLLY: Valley Of
Tears/ MERLE KILGORE: Please Please Please/ ANNIE
LAURIE: 3 X 7 = 21/ BRENDA LEE: Walking To New
Orleans/ JERRY LEE LEWIS: My Girl Josephine (Hello
Joesphine)/ SMILEY LEWIS: Down The Road/ TAMI
LYNN: One Night Of Sin/ BOBBY MITCHELL AND THE
TOPPERS: I'm Gonna Be A Wheel Someday/ THE
PELICANS (AKA THE KIDDS): Ain't Gonna Do It/ KEITH
POWELL: It Keeps Rainin'/ ELVIS PRESLEY:
Witchcraft/ TOM RUSH: I'm In Love Again/ SHIRLEY
& LEE: I'm Gone/ LARRY STORCH: I'm Walkin'/ THE
UPSETTERS FEATURING LITTLE RICHARD: Every Night
About This Time/ CHUCK WILLIS: Going To The
River
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Charly SNAP 268 |
Go Girls With The Girls From Red Bird |
● CD $13.98 |
30 tracks, 75 mins, very highly
recommended
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller weren't just among
the greatest songwriters/producers of their
generation; they were also record label moguls.
Red Bird/Blue Cat was their early/mid 60's company
(which also included subsidiaries Daisy and
Tiger); Red Bird covered the then-popular "girl
group" market, while Blue Cat was their blues
vanity label (although a few girl group came out
on that imprint as well). Although the most famous
and successful artists in the Red Bird stable were
the Shangri Las, the imprint managed to generate
quite a bit of additional chart action through the
likes of The Ad-Libs, Bessie Banks, The Dixie
Cups, and The Jelly Beans. In 2001, Charly Records
issued the definitive Red Bird collection, the 3
CD "The Red Bird Story" (Charly 733 - $24.98), but
this single disc set compiling the ladies of Red
Bird makes for a nice (and cheaper) taster. The
above named artists are all represented-not to be
missed is Banks' original version of Go Now,
hit covered by The Moody Blues-as well some tracks
by the criminally underrated Evie Sands (her I
Can't Let Go was covered by the Hollies and
Linda Ronstadt, but neither could touch her
version) and Dee Dee Warwick (Dionne's just as
talented sister), and songwriter Ellie Greenwich,
who kills on You Don't Know. And there's
plenty of goodness here from little-knowns like
Roddie Joy, Linda Jones, The Butterflys, Leola &
the Lovejoys, and The Love Joys. With Greenwich
and then-husband Jeff Barry and Shadow Morton
taking care of studio business, Red Bird produced
some of the best girl group pop ever. And this
collection proves it. (GMC)
THE AD LIBS: The Boy From
New York City/ BESSIE BANKS: Go Now/ It Sounds
Like My Baby/ THE BOUQUETS: Welcome To My Heart/
THE BUTTERFLYS: Good Night, Baby/ I Wonder/ THE
DIXIE CUPS: Chapel Of Love/ I'm Gonna Get You Yet/
Iko, Iko/ THE GOODIES: Sophisticated Boom Boom/
ELLIE GREENWICH: Baby/ You Don't Know/ THE
JELLYBEANS: Baby, Be Mine/ I Wanna Love Him So
Bad/ LINDA JONES: Fugitive From Love/ You Hit Me
Like T.N.T./ RODDIE JOY: Come Back Baby/ Love Hit
Me With A Wallop/ LEOLA & THE LOVEJOYS: He Ain't
No Angel/ THE LOVEJOYS: It's Mighty Nice/ Payin'
(For The Wrong I Done)/ CHI CHI MCCAULEY: I Know
He Loves Me/ DIDI NOEL: Let The Music Play/ CATHY
SAINT: Big Bad World/ Mr. Heartbreak/ EVIE SANDS:
I Can't Let Go/ Run Home To Your Mama/ THE
SHANGRI-LAS: Leader Of The Pack/ Remember (Walking
In The Sand)/ DEE DEE WARWICK: Don't Think My
Baby's Coming Back
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Chrome Dreams 5040 |
The Zombie Horror CD Collection |
● CD $15.98 |
30 tracks, 72 mins, highly
recommended
Here's a great Horror/monster themed collection
with a wider range of tunes than your average
spooky collection. From Jazz and Calypso to Rock &
Roll and Rhythm & Blues, this fright fest is
pretty much one great tune after another, with
many lesser or never compiled tunes. Features two
of my favorite all-time R&B horror tunes, both
amazingly by The Johnson Brothers Zombie Lou,
and Casting A Spell. Fats Waller, Bill
Doggett, Bobby Bare, Hollywood Flames, Monotones,
Duponts, Del Vikings, etc., meet Frankenstein,
Wolfman, Dracula, and Hoodoo men, Witch doctors,
Zombies (lots) and many more! All tracks recorded
before 1960! Note - track 24 is listed as
Hoo-Doo Say by The Sly Fox but is actually
Rocket 88 by Jackie Brenston - I suspect
that all copies are that way. (JM)
BOBBY BARE: Vampira/ THE BIG
BOPPER: Purple People Eater Meets The Witch
Doctor/ LEROY BOWMAN: The Graveyard/ CHAINO:
Voodoo/ BERT CONVY: Monster Hop/ THE CREW NECKS:
Rockin’ Zombie/ ARTHUR "BIG BOY" CRUDUP: Hoodoo
Lady Blues/ THE DEL-VIKINGS: The Voodoo Man/ ELROY
DIETZEL: Rock N Bones/ BILL DOGGETT: Monster
Party/ THE DUPONTS: Screamin Ball (At Dracula
Hall)/ BILLY GAYLE: The Night Howler/ THE HARLEM
WILDCATS: Zombie/ SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS: Little
Demon/ THE HOLLYWOOD FLAMES: Frankensteins Den/
JACK & JIM: Midnight Monsters Hop/ THE JOHNSON
BROTHERS: Casting A Spell/ Zombie Lou/ KING FLASH
AND THE CALYPSO CARNIVAL: Zombie Jamboree/ BOB
MCFADDEN & DOR: I Dig You Baby/ THE MONOTONES:
Legend Of Sleepy Hollow/ Zombi/ JACKIE
MORNINGSTAR: Rockin’ In The Graveyard/ BOBBY
PLEASE & THE PLEASERS: The Monster/ SLY FOX:
Hoo-Doo Say/ SMILEY SMITH: Voodoo Women/ THE
SWINGIN’ PHILLIES: Frankenstein’s Party/ BILLY
TAYLOR: Wombie Zombie/ JOHNNIE TEMPLE: Hoodoo
Women/ FATS WALLER: Abercrombie Had A
Zombie
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Dialtone 009 |
Texas Soul Sisters |
● CD $13.98 |
13 tracks, 53 min, excellent
Fine collection of blues & 60s-type soul from four
little-known Texas singers. A couple have been
around for quite awhile. Lavelle White recorded
for Duke in the 50s & early 60s, then after 30
years of being out of the public eye, reemerged in
'94 on the Antone's label. Gloria Edwards recorded
for the legendary Huey Meaux for Crazy Cajun &
sang with the likes of Clifton Chenier & Johnny
Copland. Glenda Hargis has been singing with her
brother, bluesman Matthew Robinson. Then there's
the mostly unknown Miss Candy AKA Amanda
Kannerson. All are backed with solid lineup of
guitar, organ, bass & drums, with Gloria adding a
trumpet & Glenda, besides having Robinson on
guitar has trumpet & sax. Also interesting is that
most of the tunes are originals, including I'm
Your Hoochie Mama/ Miss Candy's Groove/ H-Town.
and others (GM)
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Fantastic Voyage FVTD 059 |
Savvy Sugar - The Pure Essence Of West Coast Rock &Roll |
● CD $21.98 |
3 CDs, 75 tracks, 174 mins, highly
recommended
The theme that ties these seemingly disparate
artists together (apart from the "rock & roll"
catch-all) is the fact the all of the tracks were
cut in Los Angeles recording studios with the same
five musicians-Plas Johnson on sax, Ray Johnson on
piano, Earl Palmer on drums, Rene Hall on guitar,
Red Callender on upright bass-usually providing
the backing. So what we get is an interesting-and
entertaining-collection of tracks cut for both
local labels (Specialty, Modern, Capitol, Aladdin,
Warner Bros.) and out of town companies like
Atlantic and Dot. Covering the period between 1956
and 1959, the compilation includes everyone from
Fats Domino (proving that he didn't always record
in New Orleans), Larry Williams, and Nat "King"
Cole to Gene Vincent, Dorsey Burnette, and Ricky
Nelson. Each disc appears to have a loose "theme":
disc one includes "the toast of the coast", which
would imply the best West Coast artists are being
featured; if that's true then what's Fat Domino
doing on this disc? Any way, tracks from Earl
Bostic, Bobby Day, Milton Trenier, and Wynona Carr
don't disappoint. Disc two is titled "Rockville
USA" after the Turks track that kicks things off;
while cuts do indeed "rock"-the Cadets' I Want
You, the Blossoms' Move On, the Hollywood
Flames' Crazy - I'm not sure the Platters
You'll Never, Never Know could be said to
"rock". No matter, the disc does generate
appropriate heat, climaxing with Johnny Otis & the
Jayos' Tough Enough. Disc three, "Cool
Californians", is what the compliers consider to
be the cream of California 50's rock. Although
Annette's inclusion is questionable (although
Tall Paul was a legitimate hit), how can you
go wrong with Vincent, Burnette, Nelson, Eddie
Cochran, the Champs, and more Johnny Otis? Yeah,
there's some Hollywood rock here - Edd Byrnes and
Scott Engel, anyone? - but there's also Jerry
Fuller, Louis Prima, and Sam Butera too, so things
even out pretty well. The liner notes explain the
origins of the tracks-some were cut for movies,
others for the usual exploitation purposes.
Whatever, the background stories make for
informative reading, and this compilation, another
winner from the gang at Fantastic Voyage, gets a
big thumbs up. (GMC)
MARIE ADAMS & THE THREE TONS
OF JOY: Loop De Loop/ ANNETTE: Tall Paul/ IRVING
ASHBY: Guitar Rock/ BABBETTE BAIN: That's It/
BARBARA & THE BOYS: Hootie Sapperticker/ RICHARD
BERRY: Besame Mucho/ THE BLOSSOMS: Move On/ EARL
BOSTIC: Two O'Clock Jump/ BOOTS BROWN: (Let's Go
To) Strollsville/ DORSEY BURNETTE: Bertha Lou/ SAM
BUTERA: Twinkle In Your Eye/ EDD BYRNES: Kookie's
Mad Pad/ THE BYSTANDERS: Yellow, Mellow Hardtop/
THE CADETS: I Want You/ WYNONA CARR: Should I Ever
Love Again?/ THE CHAMPS: Double Eagle Rock/ EUGENE
CHURCH: Don't Stop Loving Me/ SANFORD CLARK:
Modern Romance/ THE COASTERS: Sweet Georgia Brown/
EDDIE COCHRAN: Teenage Heaven/ NAT "KING" COLE:
Blue Moon/ THE COO-COO RACHAS: Track Down/ DANNY
BOY: Don't Go Baby/ BOBBY DAY: Gotta New Girl/
FLOYD DIXON: Rita/ FATS DOMINO: No, No/ DON &
DEWEY: Farmer John/ AGGIE DUKES: John John/ SCOTT
ENGEL: The Livin' End/ THE FIVE MASKS: Polly
Molly/ JERRY FULLER: Tennessee Waltz/ GENE &
EUNICE: Ah! Ah!/ JENNELL HAWKINS & THE LOCKETTES:
The Mess Around/ THE HOLLYWOOD FLAMES: Crazy/ BEN
HUGHES: Sack/ DIMPLES JACKSON: Ring-A-Ling/ RODDY
JACKSON: I've Got My Sights On Someone New/ ETTA
JAMES: Sunshine Of Love/ JAN & ARNIE: The Beat
That Can't Be Beat/ JEANETTE & DECKY: Crazy With
You/ THE RAY JOHNSON COMBO: Wanna, Wanna, Wanna,
Wanna/ DON JULIAN & THE MEADOWLARKS: Boogie Woogie
Teenage/ THE KENTS: I Found My Girl/ CURTIS LEE:
Pure Love/ THE LOCKETTES: Puddin' Pie/ DICK LORY:
Cool It Baby/ THE MAHARAJAHS: Sweet Loretta/ GENE
MOORE & THE METRONOMES: She's Gone/ RICKY NELSON:
My Babe/ BOBBY NORRIS: I Went Rockin'/ JOHNNY
OTIS: All I Want Is Your Love/ Tough Enough/ THE
PLATTERS: You'll Never, Never Know/ LOUIS PRIMA:
Whistle Stop/ DON RALKE: Four Paces East/ JODY
REYNOLDS: Tight Capris/ THE ROBINS: Every Night/
THE ROMANCERS: House Cat/ RONNIE & ROY: Get Up
And Let's Dance/ TOMMY SANDS: Little Mama/ THE SIX
TEENS: Why Do I Go to School/ THE SOUVENIRS:
Alene, Sweet Little Texas Queen/ ROY TANN: Hey
Sugar/ THE TEEN QUEENS: I Miss You/ THE TITANS:
Can It Be/ TONY & JOE: Where Can You Be/ THE
TRAMPS: You're A Square/ MILT TRENIER: Gonna Catch
Me A Rat/ ANITA TUCKER: Hop, Skip And Jump/ THE
TURKS: Rockville USA/ GENE VINCENT: Somebody Help
Me/ T-BONE WALKER: Two Bones And A Pick/ LARRY
WILLIAMS: I Can't Stop Loving You/ YOUNG JESSIE:
Mary Lou/ BEN ZEPPA & THE ZEPHYRS: Baby - I Need
(Ting-A-Ling)
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Fantastic Voyage 81 |
Soul Breakout '60 |
● CD $19.98 |
Another entry in Fantastic
Voyage's series of mid-century R&B collections,
this two CD set with 60 tracks gives us the
highlights of the year 1960. The year was a
transitional one, as the likes of Jackie Wilson,
Sam Cooke, and Ray Charles exerted their influence
over the male singers of the time; Motown took
baby steps with Barrett Strong, Marv Johnson, Mary
Wells, and the Miracles; James Brown started
becoming a dominant force to be reckoned with; the
Shirelles led the girl group charge and showed
everyone how to do it; and Brook Benton and Jerry
Butler had their first go-arounds as R&B
heartthrobs. All of these people are represented
on this peerless collection of U.S. chart hits,
along with Etta James, the Drifters, Ike & Tina
Turner, Maxine Brown, Ben E. King, The Falcons,
and many more.
BROOK BENTON: Kiddio/ The
Same One/ The Ties That Bind/ BOBBY BLAND: Cry Cry
Cry/ Lead Me On/ THE BOBBETTES: Dance With Me
Georgie/ JAMES BROWN: The Bells/ MAXINE BROWN: All
In My Mind/ JAMES BROWN & THE FAMOUS FLAMES: I'll
Go Crazy/ Think/ This Old Heart/ You've Got The
Power/ JERRY BUTLER: A Lonely Soldier/ He Will
Break Your Heart/ RAY CHARLES: Sticks And Stones/
Tell The Truth/ SAM COOKE: Chain Gang/ No One (Can
Ever Take Your Place)/ Sad Mood/ Teenage Sonata/
Wonderful World/ SUGAR PIE DESANTO: I Want To
Know/ THE DRIFTERS: I Count The Tears/ Lonely
Winds/ Save The Last Dance For Me/ This Magic
Moment/ THE FALCONS: The Teacher/ THE FLAMINGOS:
Nobody Loves Me Like You/ ARETHA FRANKLIN: Today I
Sing The Blues/ BOBBY FREEMAN: (I Do The) Shimmy
Shimmy/ TY HUNTER & THE VOICE MASTERS: Everything
About You/ ETTA JAMES: All I Could Do Was Cry/
MARV JOHNSON: (You've Got To) Move Two Mountains/
Ain't Gonna Be That Way/ All The Love I've Got/ I
Love The Way You Love/ BEN E. KING: First Taste Of
Love/ Spanish Harlem/ BOBBY MARCHAN: There's
Something On Your Mind (Part 2)/ CLYDE MCPHATTER:
Ta Ta/ LENNY MILES: Don't Believe Him, Donna/ THE
MIRACLES (FEATURING BILL "SMOKEY" ROBINS: Shop
Around/ THE SHIRELLES: Tonight's The Night/ Will
You Love Me Tomorrow/ SHIRLEY & LEE: I've Been
Loved Before/ BARRETT STRONG: Money (That's What I
Want)/ TED TAYLOR: Look Out/ IRMA THOMAS: (You Can
Have My Husband But) Don't Mess With My Man/ ED
TOWNSEND WITH THE TOWNSMEN: Stay With Me (A Little
While Longer)/ IKE & TINA TURNER: A Fool In Love/
I Idolize You/ BABY WASHINGTON: Work Out/ DINAH
WASHINGTON & BROOK BENTON: A Rockin' Good Way (To
Mess Around And Fall In Love)/ Baby (You've Got
What It Takes)/ MARY WELLS: Bye Bye Baby/ THE
WHEELS: Clap Your Hands (Part 1)/ JACKIE WILSON: A
Woman, A Lover, A Friend/ Am I The Man/ Doggin'
Around/ Talk That Talk
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Fantastic Voyage 083 |
R&B Spotlight '60 |
● CD $19.98 |
The companion to Soul Breakout '60
(Fantastic Voyage 81 - $19.98), this collection
shows a different side to post-Rock 'n' Roll R&B,
covering everything from dance-craze mania (Chubby
Checker's The Hucklebuck and The
Twist; (Do the) Mashed Potatoes by Nat
Kendrick & the Swans; The Madison from Al
Brown's Tunetoppers) and novelty jive (The
Hollywood Argyles - Alley-Oop; The Coasters
- Run Red Run) to New Orleans groove (Fats
Domino, Jessie Hill, Aaron Neville) and
still-holding-on-by-the-skin-of-its-teeth Doo-Wop
(The Spaniels, The Five Satins, Maurice Williams &
the Zodiacs, The Platters, Little Anthony & the
Imperials). Plus there's party music from Hank
Ballard & the Midnighters, Chuck Berry, and Bo
Diddley, girl power from Lavern Baker and Ruth
Brown, and blues from Jimmy Reed, Elmore James,
and Rosco Gordon. Truly a "something for everyone"
collection, and each one a hit.
LAVERN BAKER: Bumble Bee/
Shadows Of Love/ Shake A Hand/ Wheel Of Fortune/
HANK BALLARD & THE MIDNIGHTERS: Finger Poppin'
Time/ Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go/ The Coffee
Grind/ CHUCK BERRY: Jaguar And Thunderbird/ Let It
Rock/ Too Pooped To Pop Casey/ THE BLUE NOTES: My
Hero/ GARY (U.S.) BONDS: New Orleans/ JAMES
BOOKER: Gonzo/ BUSTER BROWN: Fannie Mae/ RUTH
BROWN: Don't Deceive Me/ AL BROWN'S TUNETOPPERS
FEAT. COOKIE BROWN: The Madison/ CHUBBY CHECKER:
The Hucklebuck/ The Twist/ DEE CLARK: How About
That/ You're Looking Good/ THE COASTERS: Besame
Mucho (Part 1)/ Run Red Run/ Shoppin' For Clothes/
Wake Me, Shake Me/ What About Us/ BO DIDDLEY:
Crawdad/ Road Runner/ FATS DOMINO: My Girl
Josephine/ Walking To New Orleans/ ETTA & HARVEY:
If I Can't Have You/ Spoonful/ THE FIVE SATINS:
I'll Be Seeing You/ WADE FLEMONS: Easy Lovin'/
What's Happening/ ROSCO GORDON: Just A Little Bit/
BOBBY HENDRICKS: Psycho/ JESSIE HILL: Ooh Poo Pah
Doo (Part 1)/ THE HOLLYWOOD ARGYLES: Alley-Oop/
JOHN LEE HOOKER: No Shoes/ ELMORE JAMES & HIS
BROOMDUSTERS: The Sky Is Crying/ LITTLE WILLIE
JOHN: Heartbreak (It's Hurtin' Me)/ Let Them Talk/
Sleep/ JIMMY JONES: Good Timin'/ Handy Man/ JOE
JONES: You Talk Too Much/ NAT KENDRICK & THE
SWANS: (Do The) Mashed Potatoes (Part 1)/ LITTLE
ANTHONY & THE IMPERIALS: My Empty Room/ Shimmy,
Shimmy, Ko-Ko-Bop/ MICKEY & SYLVIA: What Would I
Do/ AARON NEVILLE: Over You/ THE OLYMPICS: Big Boy
Pete/ JOHNNY OTIS SHOW: Mumblin' Mosie/ THE
PLATTERS: Harbor Lights/ LLOYD PRICE: Question/
JIMMY REED: Baby What You Want Me To Do/ THE
SPANIELS: I Know/ JOE TURNER: Honey Hush/ My
Little Honey Dripper/ MAURICE WILLIAMS & THE
ZODIACS: Stay
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Fantastic Voyage 84 |
Rockin' Rollin' Weddin' |
● CD $15.98 |
24 tracks, 61 mins, highly
recommended
Entertaining collection of R&B and rock 'n' roll
songs from the 50s on the subject of marriage
compiled by renowned British DJ Mark Lamarr.
Alongside obvious choices like Big Bopper's
Wedding by Big Bopper, Church Bells May
Ring by The Willows and Peggy Sue Got
Married by Buddy Holly there are lesser known
items like Rock-A-Little Lucy by The Four
Scores, We're Getting Married by The
Whispers and the great Lone Ranger Gonna Get
Married by Jimmy Johnson. Also includes sides
by Roy BRown, LaVern Baker, Johnny Angel (aka
Jimmy Lee Fautheree), Dean & Jean, Terry Noland,
Hank Ballard & The Midnighters, The Heratbeats,
Big Miller & The FIve Pennies, The Orchids and
more. Lots of fun with excellent sound and
informative notes on the performances by Lamarr.
(FS)
JOHNNY ANGEL: Teen-Age
Wedding/ LAVERN BAKER: Jim Dandy Got Married/ BIG
BOPPER: Big Bopper's Wedding/ ROY BROWN:
Caldonia's Wedding Day/ Fannie Brown Got Married/
DEAN & JEAN: We're Gonna Get Married/ THE
ETERNALS: Babalu's Wedding Day/ THE FIVE SATINS:
To The Aisle/ THE FOUR SCORES: Rock-A-Little Lucy/
WYNONIE HARRIS: Married Women - Stay Married/ THE
HEARTBEATS: Wedding Bells/ BUDDY HOLLY: Peggy Sue
Got Married/ JIMMY JOHNSON: Lone Ranger Gonna Get
Married/ THE MIDNIGHTERS: Rock And Roll Wedding/
BIG MILLER WITH THE FIVE PENNIES: All Is Well/
FREDDIE MITCHELL & HIS ORCHESTRA: Wedding March/
RUDY MOORE: Ring A Ling Dong/ TERRY NOLAND: Come
Marry Me/ THE ORCHIDS: Newly Wed/ JOHNNY OTIS’
CONGREGATION: Wedding Boogie/ THE QUIN-TONES: Down
The Aisle Of Love/ TINY TIM & THE HITS: Wedding
Bells/ THE WHISPERS: We're Getting Married/ THE
WILLOWS: Church Bells May Ring
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Fantastic Voyage 087 |
Jumping The Shuffle Blues - Jamaican Sound System Class |
● CD $21.98 |
3 CDs, 88 tracks, 3 hours 53 min.,
very highly recommended
Not a collection of early R&B recordings from
Jamaica, rather a compilation of the most
influential American R&B songs heard in Jamaica
between 1946-1960, before the birth of Ska and
Reggae. The relative influence is apparently based
on whether or not the songs were played on U.S.
radio stations that were picked up in Jamaica and
on whether the most popular sound system operators
played the songs in their clubs. Disc three is
titled "My Boy Lollypop: The Big Three Take Over"
and the trio referred to is Coxsone Downbeat (as
he was known then), Duke Reid, and King Edwards.
Those interested in the history of Jamaican music
will appreciate the booklet's notes on the
development of the sound system and related
matters, but for anyone interested in jump blues,
shuffle blues and R&B of the period will likely
find this set irresistible. A lot of the tracks
are not those usually found on compilations.
Artists include Teddy Brannon, The Harold Land All
Stars, James Wayne, Joe Liggins, Felix Gross, Zuzu
Bollin, Lynn Hope, Jewel King, Melvin Daniels,
Mike Gordon, Amos Milburn, Calvin Boze, Jimmie Lee,
Hal Paige, Roy Wright, and many others. Guys like
Duke Reid made more money if they had a cool
record that no one else could locate, so obscurity
and quality both mattered, and this set is a solid
pleasure from first to last. The sound is good,
the running time long. Jump in. (JC)
JOHNNY ACE: Pledging My
Love/ JOHNNY ADAMS: I Won't Cry/ GENE AMMONS & HIS
ORCHESTRA: Jug Head Ramble/ ARCHIBALD:
Stack-A-Lee (Parts 1 & 2)/ DOC BAGBY: Dumplin's/
You're So Delightful/ DAVE BARTHOLOMEW: Country
Gal/ The Shufflin' Fox/ PAUL BASCOMB & HIS BAND:
Mumbles Blues/ BIG MAYBELLE: I Don't Want To Cry/
ZUZU BOLLIN: Why Don't You Eat Where You Slept
Last Night/ THE BOP-A-LOOS: South Parkway Mambo/
CALVIN BOZE & HIS ALL STARS: Safronia B/ TEDDY
BRANNON & HIS ORCHESTRA: Mixon With Dixon/ JACKIE
BRENSTON & HIS DELTA CATS: Independent Woman/ ROY
BROWN: Train Time Blues/ EDDIE CHAMBLEE: La! La!
La! Lady/ Every Shut Eye Ain't Sleep (aka Learn)/
THE CHARMS: Ling, Ting, Tong/ GENE COY & HIS
KILLER DILLERS: Killer Diller/ EARL CURRY: One
Whole Year Baby/ MELVIN DANIELS WITH THE KING
CURTIS ORCHESTRA: No More Crying On My Pillow/
BOBBY DAY: Over And Over/ MARGIE DAY & THE GRIFFIN
BROTHERS ORCHESTRA: Bonaparte's Retreat/ FLOYD
DIXON & HIS BAND: Hey Bartender/ BILL DOGGETT:
Quaker City/ FATS DOMINO: I'm In The Mood For
Love/ CHAMPION JACK DUPREE: Drunk Again/ DONNIE
ELBERT: Have I Sinned/ Will You Ever Be Mine/
LOWELL FULSON: Guitar Shuffle/ BARBIE GAYE: My Boy
Lollypop/ GENE & EUNICE: Ko Ko Mo/ CHARLIE
GONZALEZ: I'm Free/ ROSCO GORDON: No More Doggin'/
Too Many Women/ MIKE GORDON & THE EL TEMPOS: Why
Don't You Do Right/ THE GRIFFIN BROTHERS: Riffin'
With Griffin/ Stubborn As A Mule/ FELIX GROSS:
What's Your Style, Baby/ WYNONIE HARRIS: Bloodshot
Eyes/ CLARENCE “FROG MAN™ HENRY: Ain't Got No
Home/ LYNN HOPE & HIS ORCHESTRA: Hope, Skip, And
Jump/ LI’L SON JACKSON: Get High Everybody/ WILLIS
JACKSON & HIS ORCHESTRA: Later For The 'Gator/
ETTA JAMES: The Pick Up/ LOUIS JORDAN & HIS
TYMPANY FIVE: Reet Petite And Gone/ Salt Pork,
West Virginia/ B.B. KING: You Upset Me Baby/ JEWEL
KING: 3 x 7 = 21/ SONNY KNIGHT: Confidential/ But
Officer/ LLOYD LAMBERT & HIS BAND: Heavy Sugar/
THE HAROLD LAND ALL STARS: San Diego Bounce/
JIMMIE LEE WITH JAY FRANKS & HIS ROCKETS OF RHY:
Blue And Lonesome/ SMILEY LEWIS: Little Fernandez/
Real Gone Lover/ Someday, You'll Want Me/ JIMMY
LIGGINS: Drunk/ JOE LIGGINS & HIS HONEYDRIPPERS:
Drippers' Boogie, Parts 1 & 2/ Little Joe's
Boogie/ LITTLE WILLIE LITTLEFIELD: KC Lovin' (aka
Kansas City)/ JIMMY MCCRACKLIN: Blues Blasters'
Boogie/ Looking For A Woman/ OSCAR MCLOLLIE & HIS
HONEYJUMPERS: Convicted/ BIG JAY MCNEELY & BAND:
There Is Something On Your Mind/ BIG JAY MCNEELY &
HIS ORCHESTRA: Big Jay Shuffle/ JACK MCVEA & HIS
ORCHESTRA: Two Timin' Baby/ AMOS MILBURN: One
Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer/ HAL PAIGE & HIS
BAND: Drive It Home/ KING PERRY & HIS SEXTET:
Goin' To California Blues/ GENE PHILLIPS & HIS
RHYTHM ACES: Rock Bottom/ LLOYD PRICE: Lawdy Miss
Clawdy/ THE RAY-O-VACS: My Baby's Gone/ TODD
RHODES: Page Boy Shuffle/ SHIRLEY & LEE: Feel So
Good/ I'm Gone/ LLOYD TROTMAN & HIS ORCHESTRA:
Trottin' In/ T-BONE WALKER: T-Bone Shuffle/ The
Hustle Is On/ JAMES WAYNE: Tend To Your Business/
LARRY WILLIAMS: High School Dance/ LESTER
WILLIAMS: I Can't Lose With The Stuff I Use/ Brand
New Baby/ ROY WRIGHT: You Promised
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Floridita 8 |
Granpa's Gully Rock, Vol. 3 |
● CD $22.98 |
25 tracks, 57 mins, highly
recommended
This starts out with Lee Castle and the Jimmy
Dorsey Orchestra doing The Big Bad Train,
and I don't think that I've ever heard Jimmy
Dorsey's horns blow so hot! A big bombastic cut in
the vein of the Peter Gunn Theme, it's a
real cool start to a real cool collection. This
set is a hipster's paradise if I ever heard one,
with groovers like The Celebrities Mambo
Daddy (rock those bongos man), The Alladins
with Munch, The Majestics with Hard
Times, Maurice Williams and the Zodiacs
withCollege Girl, and so on. You also get a
couple of great early tracks from bigger names
like Fontella Bass - Honey Bee - and Gladys
Night & The Pips - Room In Your Heart. This
is predominantly dedicated to the rare cuts by the
not as well known acts, though: Hank Blackman &
the Killers doing Itchy Koo (a rip off of JJ
Jackson's O Ma Liddy, but killer
nonetheless) and The Hot Tamales doing Hum
Dubble Bubble are the rule, not the exception.
As you can tell, this is all about the hot Rhythm
& Blues and the cool early Soul, so fans of those
sweet sounds will not be disappointed. Unlike so
many of the collections of the obscure, this
collection comes with some pretty extensive liner
notes, plus original label reproductions and rare
photos. Well-done, sirs! (JM)
THE ALADDINS: Munch/ THE
ARABIANS: The Shack/ FONTELLA BASS: Honey Bee/
BILLY & LILLY & THE THUNDERBIRDS: Baby Don't You
Know/ LARRY BIRDSONG: Little School Girl/ HANK
BLACKMAN & THE KILLERS: Itchy Koo/ LEE CASTLE &
THE JIMMY DORSEY ORCH: The Big Bad Train/ THE
CELEBRITIES: Mambo Daddy/ JOHNNY CHEF: Can't Stop
Moving/ EDDIE CLEARWATER: Hey Bernadine/ THE
CYCLONES FEAT. EDDIE JONES: Give Me Love/ JIMMY
DEE & THE UNIVERSALS: If It Wasn't For Pride/ THE
DELMEN: You've Got What it Takes/ THE FABULOUS
CLOVERS FEAT. JOHN 'BUDDY' BAIL: They're Rockin'
Down the Street/ RAY FOURINA WITH THE ROCKING
REBELS: Settle Down/ THE GAY POPPERS: I Want to
Know/ ROY HALL'S ALLEY CATS FEAT. ANDRE WILLIAMS:
Go Go Little Queenie!/ THE HOT TAMALES: Hum Double
Trouble/ GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS: Room in Your
Heart/ THE MAJESTICS: Hard Times/ Treat Me Like
You Want to Be Treated/ THE MANDELS FEAT. DELMER
WILBURN: My Kissin' Cousin/ THE MONITORS: Mama
Linda/ THE ORIGINALS FEAT. TONY ALLAN: Let Me Hear
You Say Yeah/ MAURICE WILLIAMS & THE ZODIACS:
College Girl
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Funky Delicacies 0011 |
Funky Funky New Orleans |
● CD $13.98 |
14 tracks, 50 min., highly
recommended
Available again. A collection of high octane, superfunk recorded in the land of Mardi Gras
between 1969-1975, which will forever be known as
the golden age of extreme funkifacation. If Eddie
Bo doesn't get your blood and muscle moving, check
your big toe for a white tag. Songs such as
Louisiana Homegrown's Chiller are literally
too funky for words, while others, including Chuck
Cornish's Ali; Funky Thing (about the boxer)
and Sonny Jones' Lighten Up, find the
occasional vocal poking through the bass thump.
The best track might just be If It's Good To
Ya, It's Good For Ya (an Eddie Bo classic), in
all its previously-unreleased extended-mix
greatness. Louisiana Homegrown's two cuts are
previously unreleased as well, as are The Scram
Band's Don't Change Nothin' and I've Got
Reasons. And while Jimmy Hicks' answer song
I'm Mr. Big Stuff rides in a similar groove
as the original Jean Knight classic, it doesn't
touch it for attitude. Send more Eddie Bo. (JC)
EDDIE BO: Hook And Sling
(Part 1)/ Hook And Sling (Part 2)/ If It's Good To
Ya, It's Good For Ya/ CHUCK CORNISH: Funky Thing/
THE GATURS: Swivel Your Hips/ JIMMY HICKS: I'm Mr.
Big Stuff/ SONNY JONES: Lighten Up/ LOUISIANA
HOMEGROWN: Chiller/ Homegrown/ THE RHYTHM MASTERS:
Black Conversation/ I Can Do Anything You Can/ THE
SCRAM BAND: Don't Change Nothin'/ I've Got
Reasons/ WALTER WASHINGTON & THE SOUL POWERS: Soul
Power
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Great American Music 231 |
The Fire/ Fury Doo Wop Story |
● CD $19.98 |
2 CDs, 40 tracks, 100 mins, highly
recommended
This is the companion piece of sorts to the "Fire/
Fury Rhythm & Blues" collection that came out
recently, with both collections well worth picking
up. This features great early tracks by Gladys
Knight & The Pips (Every Beat Of My Heart/
Letter Full Of Tears, and Darling -
-credited to just The Pips), plus fantastic songs
by The Kodaks (Teenager's Dream/ Oh Gee Oh
Gosh/ My Baby and Me, and more), the Channels
(Bye Bye Baby/ The Girl Next Door/My Heart Is
Sad.), The Starlites, Du Mauriers, Federals,
Little Bobby Rivera & The Hemlocks, The Scarlets,
Lewis Lymon (Frankie's little brother) & The
Teenchords, and many more fine Doo Wop acts. All
recordings here were done for the Fire & Fury
record labels in the late 1950s to early 1960s.
(JM)
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Gusto 2164 |
R&B Hipshakers - Teach Me To Monkey & 19 Others |
● CD $9.98 |
20 tracks, 53 mins, highly
recommended
This was a highly recommended collection when it
originally came out priced around $20 on the
import Vampisoul label, now it's priced around $10
and all the more appealing. This compiles a whole
mess of fantastic, rare and wild Rhythm & Blues
and Soul from the heady years of 1956 to 1967
recorded for King & Federal. All tracks selected
by WFMU Disk Jockey Mr. Fine Wine, a cat who
definitely knows his stuff and someone who
currently has the third best show on the legendary
radio station. Gibble Gobble by Willie
Wright & His Sparklers, My Nerves by the
great Little Willie John, Posin' by Johnny
Guitar Watson, Where You At Jack by Little
Mummy, and many, many more moments of joy are here
waiting for you. Other artists include Hank
Ballard, Freddy King, Willie Dixon, Eddie Kirk,
just to name a few of the heavy hitters featured
on this disk. (JM)
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Jasmine 169 |
Doo-Wop The Greatest Hits, 1957-1960 |
● CD $15.98 |
Two CDS, 54 tracks, recommended
Complementing Jasmine 507 ("Doo-Wop The Greatest
Hits, 1954-1958" - $15.98) this presents some of
the most popular doo-wop tunes during this period.
In the earlier disc all the sides had made the R&B
top ten and many crossed over into the pop charts.
By 1957 doowop was part of the mainstream pop and
rock 'n' roll scene and many of the groups having
success were white and as was the case with so
much black music the music was often watered down
with strings and sometimes big band arrangements
and most of the tracks on this set made the pop
charts with only about a third cracking the R&B
charts. There was still a lot of great doowop
being recorded in this period but the best of them
didn't always make the charts - R&B or pop. Still
there are lots of great sides here from the likes
of The Dominoes, Drifters (two groups where the
addition of strings really worked), Fiestas,
Cadillacs, Flamingos, Hank Ballard & The
Midnighters, Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs, Dion
& The Belmonts, The Miracles and others. Not as
exciting as the first volume but still worthwhile.
(FS)
HANK BALLARD & THE
MIDNIGHTERS: Finger Poppin' Time/ THE BLUENOTES:
My Hero/ THE CADILLACS: Peek A Boo/ THE CAPRIS:
There's A Moon Out Tonight/ THE CELLOS: Rang Tang
Ding Dong (I Am The Japanese Sandman)/ THE CHARTS:
Desiree/ THE CHIMES: Once In A While/ THE
COASTERS: Poison Ivy/ THE CRESTS: 16 Candles/ Six
Nights A Week/ DION AND THE BELMONTS: In The
Still Of The Night/ When You Wish Upon A Star/
Where Or When/ THE DOMINOS: Deep Purple/ Stardust/
THE DRIFTERS: Dance With Me/ I Count The Tears/
Save The Last Dance For Me/ There Goes My Baby/
This Magic Moment/ THE DUBS: Chapel Of Dreams/ THE
ETERNALS: Rockin' In The Jungle/ THE FALCONS:
You're So Fine/ THE FIDELITY'S: The Things I Love/
THE FIESTAS: So Fine/ THE FIREFLIES: You Were
Mine/ THE FIVE SATINS: I'll Be Seeing You/ THE
FLAMINGOS: I Only Have Eyes For You/ Mio Amore/
Nobody Loves Me Like You/ THE GENIES: Who's That
Knocking/ THE IMPALAS: Sorry (I Ran All The Way
Home)/ THE JESTERS: So Strange/ The Wind/ LITTLE
ANTHONY AND THE IMPERIALS: Shimmy Shimmy Ko Ko
Bop/ THE MIRACLES: Shop Around/ THE OLYMPICS: Baby
Hully Gully/ THE PARADONS: Diamonds And Pearls/
THE PASSIONS: I Only Want You/ THE PENTAGONS: To
Be Loved (Forever)/ THE RIVIERAS: Count Every
Star/ Moonlight Serenade/ Since I Made You Cry/
THE SAFARIS: Image Of A Girl/ THE SHELLS: Baby O
Baby/ SKIP AND FLIP: Cherry Pie/ THE SKYLINERS:
Since I Don't Have You/ This I Swear/ THE
SPANIELS: Everyone's Laughing/ THE TEMPOS: See You
In September/ THE TEMPTATIONS: Barbara/ THE VAN
DYKES: Gift Of Love/ THE VELOURS: Can I Come Over
Tonight/ MAURICE WILLIAMS AND THE ZODIACS:
Stay
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Jasmine 507 |
Doo-Wop The Greatest Hits, 1954-1958 |
● CD $15.98 |
Two CDs, 50 tracks, highly
recommended
A perfect introduction to the joy of doo-wop
featuring nothing but hits cut between 1954 and
1958. All the tracks made the R&B top ten and many
crossed over into the pop charts. Just One classic
after another starting with Sh-Boom by The
Chords and ending with For Your Precious
Love by Jerry Butler & The Impressions. Along
the way we hear Earth Angel by The Penguins,
When You Dance by The Turbans, Soldier
Boy by The Four Fellows, At My Front Door
by The El Dorados plus more ballads and rockers
from The Cadillacs, Cleftones, Five Satins, Del
Vikings, Jive Bombers, Lee Andrews & The Hearts
and many more. Even if you have substantial
doo-wop collection this is one of those
collections that you can listen to from beginning
to end. (FS)
LEE ANDREWS AND THE HEARTS:
Teardrops/ JERRY BUTLER AND THE IMPRESSIONS: For
Your Precious Love/ THE CADILLACS: Speedo/ THE
CARDINALS: The Door Is Still Open/ THE CHANTELS:
Maybe/ THE CHORDS: Sh-Boom/ THE CLEFTONES: Little
Girl Of Mine/ THE CLOVERS: Blue Velvet/ Devil Or
Angel/ THE CROWS: Gee/ THE DANDERLIERS: Chop Chop
Boom/ THE DANLEERS: One Summer Night/ THE DEL
VIKINGS: Come Go With Me/ THE DELLS: Oh What A
Nite/ THE DRIFTERS: Ruby Baby/ THE DUBS: Could
This Be Magic/ THE EL DORADOS: At My Front Door/
THE FIVE KEYS: Close Your Eyes/ Ling Ting Tong/
THE FIVE SATINS: In The Still Of The Night/ To The
Aisle/ THE FLAMINGOS: I'll Be Home/ THE FOUR
FELLOWS: Soldier Boy/ HARVEY AND THE MOONGLOWS:
Ten Commandments Of Love/ THE HEARTBEATS: A
Thousand Miles Away/ THE HOLLYWOOD FLAMES: Buzz
Buzz Buzz/ THE JESTERS: The Plea/ THE JIVE
BOMBERS: Bad Boy/ LITTLE ANTHONY AND THE
IMPERIALS: Tears On My Pillow/ FRANKIE LYMON AND
THE TEENAGERS: I'm Not A Juvenile Delinquent/ THE
MONOTONES: Book Of Love/ THE MOONGLOWS: Most Of
All/ Please Send Me Someone To Love/ Sincerely/
THE NUTMEGS: Ship Of Love/ Story Untold/ THE
OLYMPICS: Western Movies/ THE PASTELS: Been So
Long/ THE PENGUINS: Earth Angel/ THE RAYS:
Silhouettes/ ROBERT AND JOHNNY: We Belong
Together/ THE SILHOUETTES: Get A Job/ THE
SPANIELS: Everyone's Laughing/ Goodnight,
Sweetheart, Goodnight/ THE SPIDERS: Witchcraft/
THE TEENAGERS: Why Do Fools Fall In Love/ THE
TUNEWEAVERS: Happy Happy Birthday Baby/ THE
TURBANS: When You Dance/ THE WILLOWS: Church Bells
May Ring/ THE WRENS: Come Back My Love
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Jasmine 598 |
The Shirelles And The Evolution Of The Girl Group Sound |
● CD $15.98 |
2CD, 50 tracks, highly recommended
Like other sub-genres of rock 'n' roll, Girl Group
pop did not emerge from a vacuum, and the mission
of this collection is to illustrate its roots.
From the Enchanters in 1952 to the Primettes (aka
the Supremes) in 1960, the CD traces the evolution
of the girl group sound chronologically
culminating, with the last 12 songs, from the
Shirelles first LP "Tonight's the Night" (1960).
Although the compilers assume that the Shirelles
were the quintessential girl group (i.e. the most
successful), it could be argued that the group
that really set the girl group standard was the
Chantels, who hit with Maybe in 1957.
However one chooses to view history, there's no
denying that appears to be a pretty clear line
from the early 50's R&B of the Enchanters and
Shirley Gunter and the Queens to the more
sophisticated hits of the Shirelles. Along the way
we get early tracks from later hitmakers like the
Cookies, the Jaynettes, and the Crystals, and cuts
from cult favorites the Hearts. Just to prove that
pop was certainly part of the equation, there's
the lovers laments of the Teen Queens and the Poni
Tails to remind us that girl group music would be
nothing without a broken heart. While I question
the need for including the entire Shirelles LP
(Ace already did an excellent job with that
material), it's cool to have some rare music-the
Pre Teens, the Joytones, the Chordettes, the Sweet
Teens, the Rosebuds etc.-in one place. All you
lovers of girl group pop don't want to miss this
collection. (GMC)
THE
BOBBETTES: Don’t Say Goodnight/ I Shot Mr.Lee/
Untrue Love/ THE CHANTELS: Every Night (I Pray)/
He’s Gone/ I Love You So/ Maybe/ THE CHIFFONS:
Tonight’s The Night/ THE CHORDETTES: Born To Be
With You/ THE CLICKETTES: To Be A Part Of You/ THE
COOKIES: In Paradise/ THE CRYSTALS: I Do Believe/
I Love My Baby/ THE DELICATES: Ronnie Is My Lover/
THE DREAMERS: Since You’ve Been Gone/ THE
ENCHANTERS: Housewife Blues/ How Could You/ I’ve
Lost/ Today Is Your Birthday/ SHIRLEY GUNTER AND
THE QUEENS: It’s You/ Oop Shoop/ THE HEARTS: All
My Love Belongs To You/ Disappointed Bride/ THE
JAY NETTS: I Wanted To Be Free/ THE JOYTONES: All
My Love Belongs To You/ My Foolish Heart/ THE PONI
TAILS: Born Too Late/ THE PRE TEENS: What Makes Me
Love You Like I Do/ THE PRIMETTES (SUPREMES):
Pretty Baby/ Tears Of Sorrow/ THE QUIN-TONES: Down
The Aisle Of Love/ THE ROLLETTES: Kiss Me Benny/
THE ROSEBUDS: Dearest Darling/ THE SHIRELLES:
Boys/ Dedicated To The One I Love/ Doin’ The
Ronde/ Johnny On My Mind/ Lower The Flame/ Oh,
What A Waste Of Love/ The Dance Is Over/ Tonight
At The Prom/ Tonight’s The Night/ Unlucky/ Will
You Love Me Tomorrow/ You Don’t Want My Love/ THE
STARLETS: P.S. I Love You/ THE SWEET TEENS: With
This Ring/ THE TASSELS: To A Soldier Boy/ THE TEEN
QUEENS: Eddie My Love/ There Is Nothing On My Mind
Pts 1& 2
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Jasmine 685 |
The Human Orchestra |
● CD $18.98 |
Two CDs, 50 tracks, 137 mins,
essential
Fantastic collection of black vocal group singing
from the pre-doowop era. "The Human Orchestra"
refers to a groundbreaking 1985 LP on the Swedish
Clanka Lanka Orchestra which was probably the
first extended reissue of these styles with
particular emphasis on performances where the
vocal group members would often emulate the sound
of brass instruments with amazing and uncanny
results. The first 16 tracks on this collection
reissues the tracks that were on that album and
the rest of disc 1 features nine more performances
in the same style. The second disc features 25
more tracks of early vocal group singing but not
necesarilly emphasizing the "human orchestra'
aspect. The recordings made between 1932 and '47
feature spectacular harmonies with sparse backing
(often just guitar and sometimes with additional
string instruments). There are a number of
compilations of pre rock 'n' roll vocal group
harmonis but this is the best. It opens with the
amazing Mr. Ghost Goes To Town by The Five
Jones Boys who impersonate a whole orchestra with
their voices and ends with the superb Ooh Look
A There Ain't She Pretty by The Charioteers
which becamse very popular in England in 2007 when
it was used on TV commercial. Other artists
include The Golden Gate Quartet, Norfolk Jazz
Quartet, The Five Breezes (a superb group
featuring a young Willie Dixon and the great
guitar of Leonard Caston), The Three Keys, Ink
Spots, Cabineers, Four Blues, Quintones, Cats And
The Fiddle, Three Sharps And A Flat, Four
Vagabonds and many more. A mix of blues, novelty
jive, jazz and pop songs. Excellent sound and
three pages of brief, but informative, notes
though I would have been happier with a big thick
booklet since the music deserves it, but I
shouldn't be greedy. (FS)
THE
CABINEERS: Let the Party Go On/ Sweet Louise/ THE
CATS AND THE FIDDLE: I Miss You So/ I'd Rather
Drink Muddy Water/ Nuts to You/ That's On Jack
That's On/ THE CHARIOTEERS: Ooh Look a There Ain't
She Pretty/ THE FIVE BREEZES: Just a Jitterbug/
Minute and Hour Blues/ My Buddy Blues/ Return, Gal
of Mine/ THE FIVE JINKS: Dirt Dishing Daisy/ Za Zu
Swing/ THE FIVE JONES BOYS: Mr. Ghost Goes to
Town/ THE FOUR BLACKBIRDDS: Dixie Rhythm/ THE FOUR
BLUES: Jitterbug Sadie/ THE FOUR CLEFS: I Like
Pie, I Like Cake/ The Jive is Jumpin'/ THE FOUR
SOUTHERN SINGERS: hambone Am Sweet/ THE FOUR
VAGABONDS: Comin in on a Wing and a Prayer/ Hit
That Five jack/ Murder He Says/ Rosie the Riveter/
THE GOLDEN GATE QUARTET: My Walking Stick/ THE INK
SPOTS: Swingin' on the Strings/ THE JONES BOYS
SING BAND: Pickin' a Rib/ it's Sleepy Time in
Hawaii/ THE LEWIS BRONZEVILLE FIVE: Oh! Mabel Oh!/
THE MILLS BROTHERS: Jungle Fever/ THE MISSISSIPPI
MUD MASHERS: Moonglow/ THE NORFOLK JAZZ QUARTET:
Suntan Baby Brown/ THE QUINTONES: Fool That I Am/
My Sugar Walks Down the Street/ ROLLIN' SMITH'S
RASCALS: Kickin' the Gong Around/ THE THE
CARIOTEERS: Way Down Yonder in New Orleans/ THE
THREE BARONS: Milk Shake Stand/ THE THREE KEYS:
Basin Street Blues/ Fit as a Fiddle/ Heebie
Jeebies/ Somebody Loses, Somebody Wins/ Somebody
Stole Gabriels Horn/ That Doggone Dog of Mine/ Wah
Dee Dah/ THE THREE PEPPERS: Love Grows on the
White Oak Tree/ Swing Out Uncle Wilson/ Swingin'
at the Cotton Club/ THREE SHARPS & A FLAT: That's
the Rhythm/ THREE SHARPS & FLATS: I'm Getting
Sentimental Over You/ THREE SHARPS AND A FLAT:
I'm Through/ THE THREE SHARPS AND A FLAT: Swinging
at the Candy Store
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Jazzman 018 |
Carolina Funk |
● CD $17.98 |
22 tracks, 59 min., recommended
The subtitle is "Funk 45s From The Atlantic Coast:
21 Rare And Unreleased Cuts." Some, one suspects,
were unreleased for a reason. Sometimes the reason
was poor sound or weak production. On Roy Roberts'
previously unreleased You Ain't Miss It the
vocals are mixed so low you trip over them.
Sometimes the song is only a fragment. Sometimes
the horns sound like they might not be quite in
tune. Redemption comes in the form of wild and
chaotic (in a good way) tracks such as Super
Good (as opposed to JB's Super Bad?) by
Dynamite Singletary, which opens with James
Brown-esque grunts and vocals. It comes on the
slightly militant call of "Soul Power-Black Power"
that graces the Soul Impossibles'
Interpretation - Soul Power No. 1 which
mixes steel tough sound with the refreshingly
positive message of "school and education" over
"fighting in the streets." It shows itself in the
fiery, bullet-proof instrumental The Road by
Communicators & Black Experience Band and on the
superfine Funky Soul Brother as realized by
The Soul Drifters. And just when things are
looking up, another James Brown wannabe turns out
an amateurish mess. It runs about fifty-fifty.
Informative notes and enough goes right to make it
all worthwhile. (JC)
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Jookin' 18001 |
Jookin', Vol. 1 |
● CD $16.98 |
27 tracks, highly recommended
A great collection of hard rocking rhythm & blues featurings sides from the 50s and early 60s. There
are few familiar tracks like Down On The
Farm by Al Downing and Cheese Crackers by
Rosco Gordon but a lot of the sides are making
their first appearance on CD and it includes sides
by Clarence Samuels, The Rays (the goofy Zimba
Lulu), The Stewart Brothers (a 1959 rocker
featuring Sylvester Stewart aka Sly Stone), Mel
Jackson, Joannie Taylor & The Tabs, Leon Peels
(former lead singer of The Blue Jasy with the hot
Cottonhead Joe with some stellar guitar
work), Scat Man Crothers, Bobby Byrd, The Pearls
(the great and very unflattering Ugly Face),
Grandpappy Gibson (primitive 1960 rockers from
Clifford Gibson who recorded great country blues
in the late 20s and early 30s), Elroy Peace, The
Travelers, etc. Excellent sound an dpacking is
very reminiscent of the sadly moribund Stompin'
label but unlike Stompin' there are no notes. (FS)
BOB & EARL: You Made A
Boo-Boo/ BOBBY BYRD: Looby Doo/ AL CALLOWAY: Uncle
John/ FREDDIE CARPENTER: Money, Money, Money/ SCAT
MAN CROTHERS: Rock, Roma, Rock It/ AL DOWNING WITH
THE POE KATS: Down On The Farm/ WILLIE EGANS: Rock
‘n' Roll Fever/ LLOYD FATMAN: Miss Mushmouth/
GRANDPAPPY GIBSON: The Monkey Likes To Boogie/
ROSCO GORDON: Cheese And Crackers/ BOBBY
HENDRICKS: Molly B. Good/ MEL JACKSON: Move It
Over Baby/ PRENTICE MORELAND: Holy Mack'rel/ ELROY
PEACE: Quick Like/ THE PEARLS: Ugly Face/ LEON
PEELS: Cottonhead Joe/ THE RAYS: Zimba Lulu/ BIRD
ROLLINS: Hurry Up Baby/ CLARENCE SAMUELS: We're
Goin' To The Hop/ TONY SPADE: What's Gwyne On?/
SONNY STEVENSON: Bessie Lou/ THE STEWART BROTHERS:
The Rat/ THE TADS: Wolf Call/ JOANNIE TAYLOR & THE
TABS: Dapper Dan/ DOSSIE (THUNDERBIRD) TERRY:
Skinny Ginny/ THE TRAVELERS: Teenage Machine Age/
LESTER WILLIAMS: Mcdonald's Daughter
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Jookin' 18002 |
Jookin', Vol. 2 |
● CD $16.98 |
27 tracks, highly recommended
More exciting and hard driving R&B from the 50s
and 60s though this one also includes quite a few
ballads. It includes sides by The Collegians,
Little Bessie, The Ecuadors, Jimmy & Jean (fine
duet vocal with the Ike Turner Orch.), Johnny
Copeland (the great Texas bluesman rocks out), The
Don-Tels, The Metronomes (yet another dance tune
The Chickie-Goo), The Payments, Fred Green,
Bill Doggett & His Combo (a cover of You Can't
Sit Down), Buddy Lamp, Earl Knight & George
Kelly (the fine two part instrumental Let The
Good Times Roll) and more. (FS)
RUFUS (MR. SOUL) BEACHAM:
Take It Easy Baby/ PHIL BO: My Sea Of Tears/ AL
"TNT" BRAGGS: Drip Drip Goes The Tears/ VALERIE
CARR: Rockin' Bed/ THE COLLEGIANS: Cookin'/ JOHNNY
COPELAND: Rock And Roll Lily/ THE DEL-PHIS: I'll
Let You Know/ BILL DOGGETT & HIS COMBO: You Can't
Sit Down, Part 1/ THE DON-TELS: Lonely Boy/ THE
ECUADORS: Say You'll Be Mine/ DONNIE ELBERT: Baby
Let Me Love You Tonite/ FRED GREEN: Wham Slam Bam/
GUITAR JR.: Knocks Me Out/ CHARLES HODGES: Can I
Run To You/ JIMMY & JEAN WITH IKE TURNER ORCH.: I
Can't Believe/ EARL KNIGHT & GEORGE KELLY: Let The
Good Times Roll, Part 1/ Let The Good Times Roll,
Part 2/ BUDDY LAMP: Have Mercy Baby/ LITTLE
BESSIE: Broken Hearted/ For Your Love/ THE
METRONOMES: The Chickie-Goo/ HAL PAIGE & THE
WHALERS: Thunder Bird/ THE PAYMENTS: Brand New
Automoile/ THE REBELS WITH AL SMITH'S BAND: Just
Give Me Your Hand/ JOAN SHAW WITH DON COSTA ORCH.:
The Time/ J.L. SMITH: Did You Do The Mosquito/
BETTE WATTS: Let It Be
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Jookin' 18003 |
Jookin', Vol. 3 |
● CD $16.98 |
27 tracks, highly recommended
Another superb collection of mostly rocking R&B
plus some proto soul recorded between the mid 50s
and early 60s - many making their first appearance
on CD. Artists include Hank Moore, Pinnochio James
(obscure but excellent blues shouter with band
including Kenny Burrell and Milt Hinton), Hal Page
& The Whalers, Dimples Jackson (a fine female
vocalist with a style akin to that of Ruth Brown),
Jimmy & Jean (their I Want To Marry You was
obviously inspired by Mickey Sylvia's Love Is
Strange and they are backed by Ike Turner & His
Orch.), Bobby & Rosemary, Johnny Copeland (one
side of the first recording by this superb Texas
bluesman from 1958 is a terrific blues ballad),
Bill Doggett, Nathan McKinney & The Valleyites (a
gorgeous soul ballad about a soldier going off to
war), Joan Shaw, The Ecuadors (with hot guitar by
Chuck Berry), Little Miss Jessie, Davey Jones,
Charles Hodges (a soul/ R&B reworking of the jazz
standard Oh Lady Be Good) and others. (FS)
PHIL ALLEN: You're Gone, And
Left Me Lonely/ LARRY BIRDSONG WITH AL SMITH'S
ORCH.: Fannie's Place/ BOBBY & ROSEMARY:
Cheapskate/ BEA BOOKER: Comfort In My Heart/ OSCAR
BOYD: Little Sweet Things You Do/ AL "TNT" BRAGGS:
A Little Bit Closer/ HOOKS COLEMAN: Fine Young
Girl/ JOHNNY COPELAND: It Don't Bother You/ THE
DELACARDOS: I Just Want To Know/ DIMPLES JACKSON:
Ring A Ling/ BILL DOGGETT: Pony Walk/ THE
ECUADORS: Let Me Sleep Woman/ HERMAN GRIFFIN & THE
MELLO-DEES: Do You Want To See My Baby/ JIM & BOB
HARRISON: Here Is My Heart/ CHARLES HODGES: (Oh)
Lady Be Good/ PINNOCHIO JAMES: Mama Don't Love Me
No More/ JIMMY & JEAN WITH IKE TURNER ORCH.: I
Want To Marry You/ DAVEY JONES: No More Tears/
LITTLE MISS JESSIE WITH BENNY SHARP ORCH: My Baby
Has Gone/ NATHAN MCKINNEY & VALLEYITES: Weep No
More/ HANK MOORE: Big Daddy/ NOMOS: Step Out And
Git It/ GARLAND OWENS: I Want To Know If You Love
Me/ HAL PAGE & THE WHALERS: Sugar Babe/ ROBERT
PARKER: Twistin' Out In Space/ JOAN SHAW: Hand
Holdin' Baby/ TABBY THOMAS: Hoodo Party
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Jookin' 18004 |
Jookin', Vol. 4 |
● CD $16.98 |
27 tracks, recommended
This volume in this fine series is not as strong
as previous ones due the inclusion of half a dozen
bland pop flavored items but there is enough hot rockin' R&B to make it worthwhile. The disc is
bookended by two superb instrumentals opening with
the fabulous Spunky Onions by Billy Davis &
The Legends and ending with the hot The Hook
by The Candy Johnson Show and halfway through
we get another fine instrumental from legendary
Texas guitarist Johnny Brown. The Candy Johnson
Show is also featured on an excellent cover of
Jessie Hill's Ooh Poo Pah Doo and there are
other fine sides from The Frontier (a Coasters
inspired group), Bobby Parker (his classic
Watch Your Step), Junior Gordon (fine New
Orleans style R&B), Finnimo, Tabby Thomas, Carol
Morgan (the tough blues My Man Is Dangerous)
and others. (FS)
BOBBY &
ROSEMARY: So Nice to be Loved/ BEA BOOKER: If I
Had Known/ AL 'TNT' BRAGGS: Chase 'Em Tom Cat/
JOHNNY BROWN & THE JOY BOYS: Snakehips/ CONNIE
CHRISTMAS: Big Chief/ BOBBY DAVIS & THE BIG 3
TRIO: One Love Have I/ BILLY DAVIS & THE LEGENDS:
Spunky Onions/ THE DRAPERS: Merry-Go-Round/
FINNIMO: I Want to Marry You/ THE FRONTIERS: You
Shake Me Up/ JUNIOR GORDON: A Brighter Day/ Call
the Doctor/ HERMAN GRIFFIN & THE MELLO-DEES: Hurry
Up and Marry Me/ WILLIE HAMILTON: Hangin' Around/
CANDY JOHNSON SHOW: Ooh Poo Paa Doo/ The Hook/
DAVEY JONES: Tootsie Wootsie/ BUDDY LAMP: I'm
Coming Home/ CAROL MORGAN & ZEKE STRONG BAND: My
Man is Dangerous/ DANNY OVERBEA: Candy Bar/ BOBBY
PARKER: Watch Your Step/ THE PIPS: Room in Your
Heart/ RUFUS AND FRIEND: Yeah, Yea-ah/ LONNIE
RUSS: Them Greens/ CARL SPENCER: One Last Kiss/
TABBY THOMAS: Roll on Ole Mule/ TEE TUCKER: Rock &
Roll Machine
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Jookin' 18005 |
Jookin', Vol. 5 |
● CD $16.98 |
27 tracks, 64 mins, highly
recommended
After a slightly disappointing Volume 4 this one
is another winner with a great selection of mostly uptempo R&B along with some blues, doo-wop and
soul. It opens strongly with the great
instrumental Mighty Joe Conn by Joe
Conwright & His Mighty Men featuring some
scorching guitar. The group is also featured in
the intriguing political Wrong Party. Jerry
McCain is featured on the dumb song
Ting-Tang-Tigalu which is rescued by a
superb harmonica solo. Famed vocal group Vernon
Green & The Medallion is featured on one of their
later and more obscure recordings - the great soul
flavored Deep, So Deep featuring some of
Vernon's trademark sobbing. Other artists include
Charles Wright, Lenny Johnson, The Twisters with
The Bobby Smith Combo, Tina Marvel (the great
soulful blues I Can't LOve No One But You
recorded for Detroit's Lu Pine label with tough
guitar - possibly Robert Ward?), The Twilighters,
Acklin Brothers, Young Jessie, Kell Osborne, Sweet
Sammy J. (tough Detroit blues), Chyvonne Scott,
Bird Rollins (two songs including the superb soul
ballad You Lide To Me) and others. Great
stuff and most of it making its first appearance
on CD. (FS)
THE ACKLIN BROTHERS:
Junior's Angle/ JOE CONWRIGHT & HIS MIGHTY MEN:
Mighty Joe Conn Blues/ Wrong Party/ DETROIT JR.:
Too Poor (Alt. Take)/ BETTY EVERETT: Why Did You
Have To Go/ THE FABULOUS DENOS: Hard To Hold Back
The Tears/ VERNON GREEN & MEDALLIONS: Deep, So
Deep/ ARTHUR GRISWOLD & THE ORGANICS: Pretty Mama
Blues/ LITTLE JOE HINTON: Let's Start A Romance/
LENNY JOHNSON: Am I Still Your Fool/ SAX KARI
ORCH. FEAT. ELLA REED: Sweet Man/ TINA MARVEL: I
Can't Love No One But You/ JERRY MCCAIN:
Ting-Tang-Tigalu/ BILLY MIRANDA: Run Rose/ THE
ORIGINAL MUSTANGS: Jump Lula/ KELL OSBORNE: Little
Darling/ BIRD ROLLINS: Answer My Prayer/ You Lied
To Me/ CHYVONNE SCOTT: I'm Moving On/ SWEET SAMMY
J.: Baby, Just You And Me/ SAMMY TAYLOR: Ain't
That Some Shame/ Switchin' In The Kitchen/ THE
TWILIGHTERS: Scratchin'/ THE TWISTERS WITH BOBBY
SMITH COMBO: Run Little Sheba/ BOBBY WILLIAMS &
MAR KINGS: It's A Dilly/ CHARLES WRIGHT: (Gotta
Be) The Right Time/ YOUNG JESSIE: I'm A Lovin'
Man
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Jookin' 18006 |
Jookin', Vol. 6 |
● CD $16.98 |
LARRY
BIRDSONG: Do You Love Me/ LUCKY CARMICHAEL: Hey
Girl/ JOHNNY COPELAND: Just One More Time/ THE
CRAVENS FEAT. REX GARVIN: Searchin'/ HAL DAVIS:
You're The Girl - The Girl For Me/ TONY DEGRANT:
You Told Another Lie/ DON & BOB: Shy Guy/ THE
DRAPERS: The Love I Wish I Had/ SHERMAN EVANS WITH
CRUZ ORTIZ & FLAMES: Looking For My Baby/ There's
Gonna Be Some Crying/ FINNIMO: Just Ask For What
You Want/ THE GAY POPPERS: I Need Your Love/ THE
HONEY-DEWS: Honey-Dew/ LENNY JOHNSON: Walk Ginny
Walk/ DAVEY JONES: Let's Do It/ LITTLE IRVIN:
Who's Loving You/ LITTLE PENNY: In My Dreams/
LITTLE RAY: You Can't Hurt Me/ BILLY MIRANDA: Go
Ahead/ CLARENCE PAUL: Falling In Love Again/ BOBBY
PETERSON QUINTET: The Hunch/ SWEETS REED: Bad
Shape Blues/ TONY RICE & OVERTONES: Little School
Girl/ VERNON & JEWEL: It Hit Me Where It Hurts/
HOMER WALKER, JR.: Do Uncle Willie's Dance/ Move
Back Baby/ NOBLE WATTS: Florida Shake/ CHARLIE
WHITE: Little Mama Don't Leave Me
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Kent CDKEND 347 |
Manhattan Soul - Scepter, Wand & Musicor |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks, 61 mins, highly
recommended
Here we have another of Kent Record's stellar
label compilations; this time spotlighting New
York labels Scepter/Wand and Musicor. According to
the liner notes, these labels were lumped together
on this CD because they shared many similarities,
not least of which were the talents of
songwriter/producer Luther Dixon. With tracks
spanning the years 1962 to 1973, the CD pays apt
tribute to the labels and exposes the Kent folks'
penchant for including obscure artists and/or
songs on their compilations. And this is not a bad
thing because we get to hear some groovy stuff
that would otherwise rot in the vaults-Dan & the
Clean Cuts' Walking With Pride, J.B. Troy's
Live On, or Betty Moorer's Speed Up
for example. Oh there's the usual sprinkling of
"name" artists caught on the way up (or down) in
their careers too: Maxine Brown, The Platters,
Johnny Maestro & the Crests, The Shirelles, and
The Toys to name a few. And the Knight, Maestro,
and Shirelles (really a demo recording) tracks are
particularly noteworthy and not to be missed. The
set finishes off with the exquisite So Help Me
Woman by George Tindley and reinforces the fact
that the guys and gals at Kent have done it again.
(GMC)
ANN BAILEY: Sweeping Your
Dirt Under My Rug/ MAXINE BROWN: I Want A
Guarantee/ THE BUCKEYE POLITICIANS: Girl I Could
Love You More/ DAN & THE CLEAN CUTS: Walking With
Pride/ THE FABULOUS DENOS: Diamond Ring/ JERRY
FISCHER & THE NIGHTBEATS: I've Got To Find Someone
To Love Me/ DOUGLAS 'JOCKO' HENDERSON: Blast Off
To Love/ HELEN HENRY: A Little Bit Of Heartbreak/
MARIE KNIGHT: That's No Way To Treat A Girl/ DIANE
LEWIS: Without Your Love/ JOHNNY MAESTRO & THE
CRESTS: Afraid Of Love/ JACKIE MOORE: Same Change,
The/ BETTY MOORER: Speed Up/ WINFIELD PARKER: Will
There Ever Be Another Love For Me/ PATTI JO:
Ain't No Love Lost/ THE PLATTERS: I Love You 1000
Times/ PORGY & THE MONARCHS: It's A Dream I've
Always Had (a.k.a. Hey Girl)/ THE SHIRELLES: One
Time Too Many/ THE TABS: Take My Love Along With
You/ LEE THOMAS: Millionaire/ GEORGE TINDLEY: So
Help Me Woman/ ED TOWNSEND: Stick By Me/ THE TOYS:
You Got It Baby/ J.B. TROY: Live On
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Kent CDKEND 349 |
Northern Soul's Guilty Secrets |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks, 64 mins, highly
recommended
Like any so-called music scene, Northern Soul has
been subject to the question of what does and
doesn't constitute Northern Soul. Different people
have different notions of what is a true Northern
Soul song; some say that only up-tempo R&B make by
black people count, while others maintain that
anything that you can dance to-black or white, pop
or R&B-is fair game. While the controversy rages
on, this CD spotlights some of those "grey area"
records and, on the basis of the line up, it's
easy to see what people of a certain mind set were
complaining about; for on this disc is a
smorgasbord of styles and artists: everything from
proto-disco (Barnaby Bye's Can't Live This
Way), garage rock (the Seeds Pushin' Too
Hard!), and mid-60's pop (The Newbeats' Run
Baby Run) to soulful white boys (Len Barry,
John Fred) is touched upon. Although there are a
few songs that might make you go "what the hell"
(Bobby Goldsboro!), nothing sucks and all the
songs here were actually played by Northern Soul
DJs and were "hits" with the crowds to varying
degrees. And the songs (for the most part) fit the
"obscurity" criteria needed to be a Northern Soul
record, but whether or not one takes to Rodger
Collins' You Sexy Sugar Plum or Garland
Green's Bumpin' and Stompin' is purely a
matter of taste. Regardless, one can definitely
say that the mid to late 60's and early 70's
tracks on this CD give a whole new perspective on
the British Northern Soul scene. And don't miss
the one transcendent moment: Kiki Dee's absolutely
gorgeous On a Magic Carpet Ride. Yes, it's
that good. (GMC)
BABE RUTH: Elusive/ LEN
BARRY: I Struck It Rich/ THE BURNING BUSH: Keeps
On Burning/ BARNABY BYE: Can't Live This Way/
RODGER COLLINS: You Sexy Sugar Plum (But I Like
It)/ ANN D'ANDREA: Don't Stop Looking/ DAVID &
THE GIANTS: Ten Miles High/ KIKI DEE: On A Magic
Carpet Ride/ RAL DONNER: Don't Let It Slip Away/
FLOWER SHOPPE: You've Come A Long Way Baby/ JOHN
FRED: Hey Hey Bunny/ BOBBY GOLDSBORO: It's Too
Late/ GARLAND GREEN: Bumpin' And Stompin'/
JEANETTE HARPER: Put Me In Your Pocket/ JUDY
HARRIS: You Touched Me/ JAY & THE AMERICANS:
Livin' Above Your Head/ KEITH: Daylight Saving
Time/ BOBBI LYNN: Jump Back In The Arms Of Love/
THE NEWBEATS: Run Baby Run (Back Into My Arms)/
THE RUMBLERS: Soulful Jerk/ MARY SAENZ: Would She
Do That For You/ THE SPYDERS: I Can Take Care Of
Myself/ TWO OF CLUBS: Walk Tall/ JOHNNIE
VANNELLI: Seven Days Of Loving You
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Kitty 501 |
Over The Mountain, Across The Sea |
● CD $17.98 |
25 tracks, 68 min., good
The subtitle says much: "The influence of Doowop
and Teen Music in countries outside of the USA,"
which seems to imply that there are other
countries inside the USA. Texas, perhaps. And if
ever some informative booklet notes were called
for, this is the time. And so there are no notes
at all. No recording dates. No country of origin.
Squat. At any rate, tracks such as Gerard Joling's
Doo-Wop Days reek of the kind of nostalgia
that destroys the thing it loves rather than
honoring it. And are listeners to assume that the
Tony Visconti of I Remember Brooklyn is the
producer of David Bowie fame? Either way, the song
is only marginal, as is much of this material. The
a cappella performance of The Five Voices is nice
without being compelling, and that's the pattern.
Other artists include Beano, The Rubetts, The
Telegrams, The Boppers, Wess And The Airedales,
Telephone Bill And The Smooth Operators, Ola And
The Janglers, The Fi-Tunes, The Minarets, Tats
Yamashita, and more. Some pleasant performances
here, many no doubt very rare, but little that
gets the blood stirring or the heart throbbing or,
even, the foot tapping. (JC)
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Night Train 7013 |
Swing Time Jive |
● CD $13.98 |
| Back in stock. A fine collection
devoted to the more light hearted side of blues,
R&B and jazz with a selection of lively and hip
numbers from the vaults of Swingtime featuring The
Red Saunders Band, Joe Pullum, Pete Peterson, Joe
Swift with Johnny Otis Band, Floyd Dixon, Earl
Jackson, Charles Brown, Ray Charles and others.
With titles like Legs Gettin' Bigger And
Bigger/ Gal With A Whole Lotta Loot/ Alligator
Meat/ Take Out The Squeal and Bippety Be Bop
Pony you know you're in for a good time.
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Night Train 7019 |
Swingtime Doo-Wop |
● CD $13.98 |
20 tracks, 55 min., highly
recommended
Back in stock. If you like that early blues ballad
sound, and I very much do, this is definitely a
disc to pick up. Recorded between 1949 and 1954,
the program here is made up of released numbers,
rehearsal tapes, and alternate takes taken from Swingtime's own Los Angeles sessions and from
material that owner Jack Lauderdale bought from
small labels in Detroit. The playlist includes
seven cuts by the Hollywood Flames, including
three versions of I Know, plus one each of
Marie, and Let's Talk It Over; three
numbers by the Musketeers, including Deep In My
Heart and Love Me Till Your Dying Day;
two songs by the Serenaders; two tracks by the
Drifters (not the Atlantic group); and four
numbers by the Question Marks (a.k.a. the
Violinaires), including two versions of the great
gospel ballad Another Soldier Gone. All of
this great music and solid liner notes by Richie
Benway. (DH)
THE DRIFTERS:
Honey Chile/ Mobile/ THE HOLLYWOOD FLAMES: I Know/
I Know (version 1)/ I Know (version 2)/ Let's Talk
It Over/ Marie/ Mellow As A Man Can Be/ Roseanne
Of Charing Cross (acapella)/ THE MUSKETEERS: Deep
In My Heart (version 1)/ Deep In My Heart (version
2)/ Love Me 'til Your Dying Day/ THE QUESTION
MARKS: Another Soldier Gone (version 1)/ Another
Soldier Gone (version 2)/ Go Get Some More/ Joy In
The Beulah Land/ THE ROCKINEERS: Happy As A Man
Can Be/ THE SERENADERS: Ain't Gonna Cry No More/
Maybelle/ PLAYBOY THOMAS AND GROUP: End Of The
Road Baby
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Night Train 7044 |
Legendary Labels Of Louisiana - The Best Of Hermitage |
● CD $13.98 |
20 tracks, 48 min., recommended
Available again. A delightful and thorough look at
the 1962-1963 output of William "Hoss" Allen's
Hermitage label, an outfit with something of a
split personality, in that about half of its
tracks reflect the black musical styles of the
label's Nashville home base, while the other half
reflect Allen's tendency to record in New Orleans.
The first nine numbers here clearly come from the
Crescent City; they include I Get the Blues
When It Rains by Alonzo Stewart, Eternity
and I Can't Help It by Joe and Ann, and
Southern Style by Eskew Reeder's Eskerettes.
And on the Nashville side of the roster, the
program includes six r&b sides by Sam Baker -
including Rainin' and Stormin', Keep on
Scratchin', and Sweet Little Angel - two
numbers by Good Jelly Bess (a male performer
according to my ear), two by Preston Jackson, and
one by Henry Moore. The mix of strong ballads with
upbeat dance numbers makes for a particularly
enjoyable program. (DH)
SAM
BAKER: Keep On Scratchin'/ Little Mama/ Rainin'
And Stormin'/ Sweet Little Angel/ Tossin' And
Turnin'/ Why Does A Woman Treat A Man So Bad/
GOOD JELLY BESS: A Little Piece At A Time/ Come
And Get It/ PRESTON JACKSON: Three Quarter Stomp
Part 1/ Three Quarter Stomp Part 2/ JOE & ANN:
Doubtful/ Eternity/ I Can't Help/ Runnin' And
Foolin'/ HENRY MOORE: Let The World End Tomorrow/
ESKEW REEDER'S ESKERETTES: Love Is A Many
Splendered Thing/ Southern Style/ ALONZO STEWART:
I Get Blues When It Rains/ I'm Sill In Love With
You/ WILLIE B.: I Trusted In You
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Night Train 7045 |
New Orleans Rock 'n Roll Party |
● CD $13.98 |
23 tracks, 52 mins, highly
recommended
Back in stock. Terrific collection of New Orleans
R&B from the late 50s and early 60s. Mostly
obscure artists recording for tiny labels like
Pontchartrain, Dewitt, Arcadia and Concertone but
most have that distinctive New Orleans sound with
riffing, rolling horns and a strong backbeat.
Among the artists here are Billy Tircuit, Stella
Johnson (the terrific Trial Of Stagger Lee),
Chris Kenner, Earl Williams, Byron Gipson, Al Reed
(a wonderful New Orleans style version of El
Rancho Grande)!), Calvin "Hound Dog" Ruffin,
Big Al Downing (doing a prefect Fat Domino
impersonation on his two songs), The Mel Lastie
Band and others. Only one clinker here - the
dismal ballad Face The Facts by Billy
Tircuit. Many of the tracks sound like they were
dubbed from 45s but the sound is by no means bad.
(FS)
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Numero 039 |
Eccentric Soul - The Nickel & Penny Labels |
● CD $19.98 |
24 tracks, 69 mins, highly
recommended
It's been a while since the gang at Numero has
unleashed one of their obscure American R&B
compilations on an unsuspecting world, but here it
is and this time the spotlight is on Chicago
labels Nickel and Penny. The mastermind behind the
labels-and most of these sides-was Chicago DJ
Richard Pegue, who acted as writer, arranger and
producer. The obscurity of these 60's and 70's
recordings is partly due to the fact that they
went out of print weeks after being released.
These tracks are basically slices of sweet soul
that sound pleasant to the ear and are as well
crafted as anything else from that time frame. The
top artists appear to have been Jerry Townes, the
Norvells, and Little Ben & the Cheers, who all
impress on their respective songs (Townes' Just
Say the Word and Never More; Why Do
You Want to Make Me Sad by the Norvells; and
Little Ben's Mighty, Mighty Lover and I'm
Gonna Get Even With You). Other artists of note
include Voices, Halleluiah Chorus, and South Shore
Commission. As with all of Numero's compilations,
this one is packaged beautifully and contains a
booklet that gives the lowdown on Pegue's story.
If you're a fan of rare Chicago soul then this is
the CD for you. (GMC)
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Okeh 8001 |
OKeh Doo-Wop Groups, Vol. 1 |
● CD $17.98 |
30 tracks, highly recommended
A terrific collection of black doo-wop recorded
for Columbia's R&B subsidiary OKeh between 1951
and 1960. It opens with the label's biggest
doo-wop hit - the great Peanuts from 1957 by
Little Joe & The Thrillers featuring the intense
falsetto vocals of Joe Cook, superb harmonies and
some electrifying guitar work (Mickey Baker?).
There are three other cuts by this group including
a superb cover of The Zodiacs Stay and the
incredibly soulful This I Know. The Sandmen
were a fine group singing in an older style and
featuring the lead vocals of Benny Peay who would
later become better known as Brook Benton. The
group is featured on one side by themselves as
well as accompanying the great Chuck Willis on two
cuts. Another future star Marvin Gaye is featured
on The Marquees only record - the rocking
Somebody To Love/ Wyatt Earp from 1957. The
long lived Ravens are featured on two fine sides
and there are lots more goodies from The Tune
Timers, Al Russell & The Do Re Mi Trio, The
Schoolboys, Sammy Cotton & Group (the hot blues
Give Me One More Drink), The Mello Tones
(actually a fine gospel group), The Eventuals
(emulating The Coasters on Charlie Chan) and
more. There are no notes but sound quality is
generally superb. (FS)
ARNETT COBB & GROUP: Someone
to Watch Over Me/ SAMMY COTTON & GROUP: Give Me
One More Drink/ Lead On Baby/ THE DOLLS: In Love/
THE EVENTUALS: Charlie Chan/ THE FIVE SCAMPS: With
All My Heart/ THE GAYNELLS: Uh Huh/ LITTLE JOE &
THE THRILLERS: Lilly Lou/ Peanuts/ This I Know/
LITTLE JOE & THRILLERS: Stay/ THE MARQUEES: Hey
Little School Girl/ Wyatt Earp/ THE MELLO TONES:
Cool by the River Bank/ CHRIS POWELL & THE BLUE
FLAMES: Blue Boy/ I Come From Jamaica/ THE RAVENS:
I Get All My Lovin' On Saturday Night/ Mam'sell/
AL RUSSELL & THE DO RE ME TRIO: May That Day Never
Come/ THE SANDMEN: Somebody To Love/ THE
SCHOOLBOYS: Ding A Ling Coo Coo Mop/ Pearl/ THE
SMOOTHTONES: Little Cupid/ THE SUGAR TONES: Sun
Shines Once Again/ THE SUGARTONES: Today Is Your
Birthday/ TINY & TIM: Love at First Sight/ THE
TUNE TIMERS: What Have I Got To Dream About/ CHUCK
WILLIS & GROUP: Lawdy Miss Mary/ CHUCK WILLIS &
THE SANDMEN: Charged With Cheating/ I Can
Tell
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Okeh 8002 |
OKeh Doo-Wop Groups, Vol. 2 |
● CD $17.98 |
30 tracks, recommended
Though not as strong as the first volume this is
another fine set of doo-wop from the OKeh label
including three more excellent sides from LIttle
Joe & The Thrillers and three from fine teen group
The Schoolboys. There's only one track from female
group The Dolls but it's superb and there are also
fine sides from The Litterbugs, The Troys, Howie &
The Sapphires, Chris Powell & The Blue Flames, The
Ravens, The Smoothtones and others. On the other
hand the tracks by The Tune Timers, Brook Benton &
The Sandmen and La vern Ray & The Ray Tomes are
more pop than R&B flavored and the cuts by Big
John's Buzzards are R&B but not very good. Not as
impressive as the first volume this is till
worthwhile. (FS)
BROOK BENTON & SANDMEN: Don/
BIG JOHN'S BUZZARDS: Your Cash Ain't Nothin' But
Trash/ THE BUDDIES: The Castle Of Love/ ARNETT
COBB & GROUP: Linger Awhile/ SAMMY COTTON & GROUP:
I Live the Life I Love/ You're the Kind of Woman/
THE DOLLS: Please Come Home/ THE HI LITES: Zanzee/
HOWIE & THE SAPPHIRES: More Than the Day Before/
Rocking Horse/ THE LITTERBUGS: Valarie/ LITTLE
JOE & THE THRILLERS: Goodnight Little Girl/ Run
Little Girl/ The Echoes Keep Calling Me/ CHRIS
POWELL & BLUE FLAMES: The Masquerade Is Over/
CHRIS POWELL & THE BLUE FLAMES: Ida Red/ THE
RAVENS: That Old Gang of Mine/ LA VERN RAY & THE
RAY TONES: I'm In Love Again/ I've Got That
Feeling/ AL RUSSELL & THE DO RE MI TRIO: How Can
You Say You Love Me/ THE SCHOOLBOYS: I Am Old
Enough/ Please Say You Want Me/ Shirley/ THE
SHEPPARDS: Walkin'/ THE SMOOTHTONES: Don't Keep
Our Love Hidden In the Dark/ THE SUGARTONES: The
Sun Shines Once Again/ TINY & TIM: Bop A Diddy
Do/ THE TROYS: The Cling/ THE TUNE TIMERS:
Thinking
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
OKeh 8003 |
OKeh Doo-Wop Groups, Volume 3 |
● CD $17.98 |
30 tracks, highly recommended
After a slightly disappointing Volume 2 the third
volume of vocal group sounds from the OKeh label
is almost up to the standard of Volume 1 with 30
tracks recorded between 1951 and 1963 ranging from
the pre-doowop stylings of The Ravens to the
gorgeous proto soul stylings of The Sheppards.
There are two great early sides from 1957 by BIlly
Stewart who was discovered by Bo Diddley and his
cuts feature vocal backup by The Marquees and
guitar by Bo. Other artists include The Hi Lites
(the lovely ballad I Found A Love), Little
Joe & The Thrillers (the hard driving I'll
Never Let You Go), Chris Powell & The Blue
Flames, The Sandmen (featuring a young Brook
Benton), The Shufflers, Royals, Chuck Willis (the
superb I've Been Treated Wrong Too LOng with
vocal group backup from the Royals), Duke Stevens
And Group, Billy La Mont, etc. Another splendid
collection with excellent sound. (FS)
THE BUDDIES: Give Me Your
Love/ THE FLINTS: People Say/ THE GAYNELLS:
Chubby/ THE HI LITES: I Found A Love/ BILLY
LAMONT: Now Darling/ THE LITTERBUGS: Charlypso/
LITTLE JOE & THE THRILLERS: Give Me All Of Your
Love/ I'll Never Let You Go/ CHRIS POWELL & THE
BLUE FLAMES: Darn That Dream/ October Twilight/
THE RAVENS: Calypso Blues/ Everything But You/ The
Whiffenpoof Song/ THE ROYALS: Dreams of You/ Gas
Happy Mama/ If You Love Me/ THE SANDMEN: When I
Grow Too Old To Dream/ THE SCHOOLBOYS: Carol/
Mary/ THE SHEPPARDS: Pretend You're Still Mine/
THE SHUFFLERS: Loving On My Mind/ There Ain't
Nothin' Wrong With That/ DUKE STEVENS & GROUP:
Yeah Yeah/ DUKE STEVENS AND GROUP: Won't You Say
Yes/ BILLY STEWART & THE MARQUEES: Baby You're My
Only Love/ Billy's Heartache/ THE SUGAR TONES:
Wishing/ Your Fool Again/ THE TROYS: Ding A Ling/
CHUCK WILLIS & THE ROYALS: I've Been Treated Wrong
Too Long
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Rhythm And Blues 010 |
Rumba Blues - How Latin Music Changed Rhythm & Blues |
● CD $15.98 |
26 tracks, 73 min., very highly
recommended
That music lovers had control over this project
becomes clear when listeners notice that the
tracks are not in chronological order. Instead
they are organized by location, that is East
Coast, New Orleans, West Coast, and such. Makes
some sense since musical influence was a function
of place more than a function of time, at least in
the short run. The influence of the Rumba (or
Rhumba, as the Americans would have it) is clear
throughout this collection, and yet a casual
listener might not notice it. All of which is just
to say that the songs and performances sparkle on
their own power and considering them in the
context of the rumba makes for an even more
enlightening experience. Ask someone what I
Can't Be Satisfied by Muddy Waters has in
common with Early In The Morning by Louis
Jordan And His Timpani Five and with My Baby's
Gone by The Ray-O-Vacs and few will come up
with Rumba for an answer. Other tracks include
Heartbreaker by Ray Charles, Hound Dog
by Big Mama Thornton, Woke Up This Morning
by B.B. King, Tell Me Pretty Baby by Lloyd
Price, That's Your Last Boogie by Joe Swift
With Johnny Otis Orchestra, and more. Every song
has accompanying booklet notes, photos, label and
session info, dates, and more. High marks all
around. (JC)
DAVE BARTHOLOMEW: Country
Boy/ RAY CHARLES: Heartbreaker/ SUGAR BOY
CRAWFORD: Jock-O-Mo/ PEE WEE CRAYTON: Daybreak/
FATS DOMINO: Mardi Gras In New Orleans/ CHAMPION
JACK DUPREE: Mexican Reminiscences/ LOWELL FULSON:
Back Home Blues/ CLARENCE GARLOW: Bon Ton Roula/
LLOYD GLENN: Cuba Doll/ EDGAR HAYES: Fat Meat 'n'
Greens/ LOUIS JORDAN AND HIS TIMPANI FIVE: Early
In The Morning/ B.B. KING: Woke Up This Morning/
KID KING’S COMBO: Banana Split/ JOHNNY OTIS
ORCHESTRA: Mambo Boogie/ CHRIS POWELL’S FIVE BLUE
FLAMES: I Come From Jamaica/ LLOYD PRICE: Tell Me
Pretty Baby/ PROFESSOR LONGHAIR: Hey Now Baby/
THE RAY-O-VACS: My Baby’s Gone/ JIMMY REED: Roll
And Rumba/ JOE SWIFT WITH JOHNNY OTIS ORCHESTRA:
That’s Your Last Boogie/ SONNY THOMPSON: Jumping
With The Rhumba/ BIG MAMA THORNTON: Hound Dog/
SKEETS TOLBERT: Rhumba Blues/ T-BONE WALKER WITH
LES HITE ORCHESTRA: T-Bone Blues/ MUDDY WATERS: I
Can’t Be Satisfied/ BILLY WRIGHT: Hey Little
Girl
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Soul-Tay-Shus 6364 |
Legendary Labels Of Louisana - Best Of International City |
● CD $17.98 |
2 CDs, 40 tracks, 113 mins, highly
recommended
Of course when they say Louisiana, it means
principally New Orleans, which then also means the
best area in the country for Rhythm & Blues for
sure. The New Orleans Rhythm & Blues that this
compilation gives us specifically is the 1960's
output from the International City/ River City
record label group, which was home to such great
artists as Tommy Ridgley, Chick Carbo, and Robert
Parker who are all featured here in heavy doses.
Carbo's Witchcraft, and Biggest Fool In
Town, or Ridgley's My Love Gets Stronger,
or Parker's Wash Mama Wash, are worth the
price of admission by themselves. You also get
such gems as Better World by Lee Tillman,
Any Way You Want It by Bobby Marchan, Mr.
Blues by Gerri Hall, and Sweet Thing by
Senator Jones, just to name a few of the
outstanding cuts you will find here. You hear the
influence of Huey Piano Smith and Fats Domino in
the early tracks and you definitely hear the
influence of The Meters on the later tracks, and
the influence of the world's great city New
Orleans throughout it all. Excellent and thorough
liner notes and photos complete the package. (JM)
CHICK CARBO: Biggest Fool In
Town/ I'm A Determined Man/ Ordinarity/ Someone*/
The Story Of My Life/ Touch Me/ When The Wind
Blows In Chicago*/ Witchcraft/ WAYMAN DIXON: My
Broken Heart*/ St. James Infirmary*/ GEORGE &
LEE: Nobody But You/ You Were Made For Me/ GERRI
HALL: I Cried A Tear/ Mr. Blues/ SENATOR JONES:
Country Soul/ Enie Meenie Miney Minnie & Moe/
Miniskirt Dance/ Sweet Thing/ BOBBY MARCHAN: Any
Way You Want It/ What Can I Do/ ROBERT PARKER:
Funky Bump*/ Rockin' Pneumonia/ The Hiccup/ The
Hiccup(Instrumental Remix)*/ Wash Mama Wash*/ You
See Me/ You Shaking Things Up/ GEORGE PERKINS:
Starting All Over/ CAROLYN PORTER: Put Your Mind
Where Your Heart Is/ The Man I'm Looking For/
TOMMY RIDGLEY: Don't Take My Sunshine Away*/ Fly
In My Pie/ I'm Asking Forgiveness/ I'm Not The
Same Person/ If I Ever Needed Someone*/ My Love
Gets Stronger/ Something On Your Mind/ When I Meet
My Girl/ LEE TILLMAN: Better World/ Down The
Road
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Sparkletone 91002 |
Laurie Vocal Groups - Lost Masters & Hidden Treasures 2 |
● CD $17.98 |
Volume 1 in this series
(Sparkletone 99003) came out in 1995! Now here are
four more volumes featuring rare recordings from
the Laurie label and its subsidiaries Rust,
Versatile and Providence - many making their first
appearance on CD. The 27 tracks here features
recordings ranging from the late 50 to late 60s
and mostly features East Coast white vocal groups
and with many of them from the 60s there is a
noted pop flavor to manyof the recordings. Artists
on this volume includes The Dean, Spiedels,
Cashmeres, Alteers, Dean Barlow, Cla Raye & The
Class-airs, Bobby & Terri, The Cardboard Zepellin,
Bobby Loye Jr., etc. Sound quality is excellent
and booklet has brief notes on some of he artists.
THE ALTEERS: Keep Laughing/
DEAN BARLOW: Don't Let Them Take My Baby/ CARL
BELL & THE NOVARS: Open House In Your Heart/
BOBBY & TERRI: You Killed A Thrill In My Heart/
CARDBOARD ZEPPELIN: City Lights/ THE CASHMERES: A
Very Special Birthday/ THE COUSINS:
Everlovin'(Baby Mine)/ THE DAYLIGHTS: A Tear Fell
From My Eyes/ THE DEANS: Little White Gardenia/
THE DEL-RONS: Leave Us Alone/ THE IMPERIAL GENTS:
Little Darlin'/ BILLY JAMES & THE STENOTONES:
Phyllis/ THE JAY WALKERS: Love At First Sight/ ANN
KING: Tears On My Pillow/ RUSTY LANE: Darling
Goodbye/ LEE & THE LEOPARDS: Come Into My Palace/
BOBBY LOYE JR.: Another Mr. Blue/ THE OPALS: No No
Never Again/ CARL RAYE & THE CLASS-AIRES: Lovely
Lies/ ED READ: Charm Bracelet/ RENDEZVOUS: Take A
Break/ AL ROMEO: Moonlight Becomes You/ GEORGE
SMITH: Pretty Little Girl/ THE SPIEDELS: That;s
What I Get/ JOE TEDORA: Why Does My Baby Cry/
LARRY WEISS: MaryAnna/ THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD: The
Secret
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Sparkletone 91003 |
Laurie Vocal Groups - Lost Masters & Hidden Treasures 3 |
● CD $17.98 |
27 more sides, 1958-1968, from The
Four Epics, The Leverett Sisters, Kestrels,
Alteers, Frank Fleming, The Flametts, Dee And Zee,
Joe Ravel, Billy Vera & The Contrasts, Cal Raye
And The Class-Airs (actually The Belmonts) and
others.
THE ALTEERS: Words Can't
Explain/ MARIE ANTOINETTE: He's My Dream Boy/ BILL
BAKER: Just To Be Near You/ CARL BELL & THE
NOVARS: Birth Of The Beat/ DALE BROOKS: Army
Green/ THE CHARMERS: I Cried/ THE COUSINS: Walking
Down That Lonely Road/ DEE & ZEE: The Slurp/
GLORIA DENNIS: Richie/ THE FLAMETTES: You You You/
FRANK FLEMING: All By Myself/ THE FOUR EPICS: How
I Wish I Were Single Again/ BILLY JAMES & THE
STENOTONES: My Prayer/ THE JAY WALKERS: Oh Babe/
THE KESTRELS: There Comes A Time/ LEE & THE
LEOPARDS: Trying To Make It/ THE LEVERETT SISTERS:
Stop, Think It Over/ BOBBY LOYE JR.: I'm Startin'
Tonight/ THE MARVELS: So Young So Sweet/ JOE
RAVEL: The House Of Cool/ CARL RAYE & THE
CLASS-AIRES(THE BELMONTS): We Belong Together/
RENDEZVOUS: It Breaks My Heart/ GEORGE SMITH: Born
Again/ THE SUNSHINES: Love Truth & Fantasy/ THE
UNISONS: Til There Was You/ BILLY VERA & THE
CONTRASTS: All My Love/ THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD: My
Little Donna
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Sparkletone 91004 |
Laurie Vocal Groups - Lost Masters & Hidden Treasures 4 |
● CD $17.98 |
27 more from The Modern Ink Spots,
Spiedels, Kestrels, Del-Rios, Frank Fleming, Karl
Hammell, Jr., The Cashmeres, Jimmy Curtiss & The
Regents, The Unisons, etc.
BILL BAKER & THE DEL SATINS: I Wanna
Know/ RONNIE BAKER & THE DELTONES: I Wanna Be
Loved/ THE CASHMERES: Papa Said/ THE CHARMERS: My
Kind Of Love/ FRANKLYN CIRCLE: Midnight Magic Man/
JIMMY CURTISS: Gone But Not Forgotten/ The Girl
From Land Of 1000 Dances/ RUSS DAMON: Heaven Sent/
BARRY DARVELL: These Wedding Bells/ THE DAYLIGHTS:
Billy Is The Boy/ FRANK FLEMING: School Bells/
KARL HAMMEL JR.: Cloudy Crystal Ball/ ROY JONES &
THE SHELLS: Made For Lovers/ THE KESTRELS: In The
Chapel In The Moonlight/ THE MODERN INK SPOTS:
Spotlight Dance/ THE MONTCLAIRS: A Broken Promise/
THE MOTIONS: Make Me Your Love/ RICKY NORTH: The
Angels Bring Me Dreams/ BOBBY SHAFTO: She's My
Girl/ THE SPIEDELS: Dream Girl/ THE SUNSHINES:
Baby Baby Baby/ LYNN TERRY: When You Walk In The
Room/ DEL-RIOS THE: Valerie/ AL TIENNO: Getting
Nowhere With My Baby/ THE UNISONS: I'll Always Be
Waiting/ THE VELVETEENS: I Thank You/ THE
WHISPERS: Here Comes Summer
|
| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Sparkletone 91005 |
Laurie Vocal Groups - Lost Masters & Hidden Treasures 5 |
● CD $17.98 |
The final volume (for now)
features another 27 tracks from 1959 through 1971
- Evolution, The Charmers, Essents, Svenne &
Lotta, Steve Reynolds, The Junior Five, Carl
Spencer, Frank Cherval, Nicky Como,
etc.
GENE ANDREWS: Linda
Linda/ LEIGH BELL & THE CHIMES: Eternally/ THE
CHARMERS: Johnny/ FRANK CHERVAL: Carnival Girl/
NICKY COMO: Look For A Star/ HARRY DEAL & THE
GALAXIES: I Feel Good All Over/ TERRI DEAN:
Adonis/ THE ESSENTS: Barbara/ EVOLUTION: Sing Me
A Song/ SHANE FENTON & THE FENTONES: I'll Know/
THE IN-BETWEEN SET: Walkin' In The Rain/ THE
JO-VALS: Sometimes I'm Happy/ THE JUNIOR FIVE: On
My Birthday/ JOHNNY KAPP: Why Did It Have To
Change/ LARRY & THE STANDARDS: My Lucky Night/
JAMIE LYONS GROUP: Stoney/ THE MUSIC EXPLOSION:
What's Your Name/ PENNY & THE SECRETS: I Didn't
Want To Know/ POOH & THE HEFFALUMPHS: Lady
Godiva/ RONNIE PREMIERE: So Loved Am I/ STEVE
REYNOLDS: High School Yearbook/ THE RIELS: Paul/
THE SHAPES OF THINGS: Last Night Wasn't There/ L.
SHORT: Still/ CARL SPENCER: Cover Girl/ SVENNE &
LOTTA: Sandy/ AL TIENNO: Benny Sent Me
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Sub Rosa 325 |
Dr. Boogie Presents Bear Traces - Nuggets From Bob's Ba |
● CD $17.98 |
32 tracks, 78 mins, highly
recommended
The Bob referred to in the title is legendary
Canned Heat front man and notorious record
collector Bob Hite, whose epic record collection
has fed a number of excellent compilations over
the last few years. These collections are a fine
brew of Jazz, Rhythm & Blues, Jump Blues, etc.
taken from rare 78s. All are excellent and well
worth picking up, this one is probably my favorite
so far. Lenny Dee Plantation Boogie, Red
Prysock Chop Suey, Preston Love Ali
Baba's Boogies, Nappy Brown Love Baby, H
Bomb Ferguson Bookie's Blues, and many more
excellent tracks are here, sounding fantastic.
Among the things on this collection that you
definitely won't hear on any other are the
exceedingly rare dirty blues of Taps Miller and
his Manneke Pis Boogie, and the fascination
last track, which is Hite himself, talking about
record collecting. Considering the source
material, you might expect some diminished sound
quality at times, but what there is on this is
barely noticeable and this sounds great
throughout. (JM)
PROFESSOR ALEX BRADFORD:
What Did John Do?/ NAPPY BROWN: Love Baby/ WAYMON
BROWN: Barefoot Susie/ BIRD COLLINS: We Like
Mambo/ CHRIS COLUMBO & HIS SWINGIN GENTLEMEN: Oh
Yeah Part One/ JULIAN DASH SEPTET: Dashin' In/
LENNY DEE: Plantation Boogie/ THE DIAMONDS: Ka
Ding Dong/ H. BOMB FERGUSON: Bookie's Blues/ JIMMY
FORREST: Hey Mrs. Jones/ PAUL GAYTEN: Drivin' Home
Part One/ MIKE GORDON & THE EL TEMPOS: Why Don't
You Do Right/ RUFUS GORE: Big Ends/ JOHNNIE "THE
GASH" GRAY: Tequila/ WYNONIE HARRIS: Greyhound/
BOB HITE: Bob Talks About 78's/ LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS:
Move On Out Boogie/ MUVVA "GUITAR" HUBBARD: Congo
Mombo/ GEORGE JACKSON: Hold Me/ KID KING'S COMBO:
Mambino/ JOE LIGGINS & THE HONEYDRIPPERS:
Dripper's Boogie/ PRESTON LOVE: Ali Baba's
Boogies/ WILLARD MCDANIEL: Baby Be Good/ TAPS
MILLER: Manneke-Pis Boogie/ THE CHUCK MILLER TRIO:
Hopahula Boogie/ DANNY OVERBEA & HIS COMBO: Train
Train Train/ RED PRYSOCK: Chop Suey/ THE RAVENS:
Rooster/ FRANKIE LEE SIMS: Don't Take It Out On
Me/ HUEY "PIANO" SMITH: We Like Mambo/ PAUL
WILLIAMS & THE HUCKLEBUCKERS SINNERS: Hop Part
One/ RALPH WILSON QUINTET: Roy's Boogie
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Sunrise 001 |
Looking Back - The Jamaican Chart Hits Of 1958 & 1959 |
● CD $25.98 |
2 CDs, 59 tracks, 156 min, highly
recommended
One thing that can certainly be said about the
Jamaican people of the 1950s is that they had
fantastic taste in music and had no problem making
what was an obscure lower charting in the U.S., a
big chart hit in their own country. Certain
artists like Lloyd Price, The Platters, and
especially Fats Domino, were really latched onto
by the Jamaican music fans, but the depth of the
music here goes far deeper than that. There's lots
of great R&B, R&R, Jazz, with some doses of
Calypso thrown in as well. Rosco Gordon, The
Drifters, Lee Andrews, Wilbert Harrison, Earl
Grant, The Three Playmates, Mighty Sparrow,
Professor Longhair, Louis Jordan, plus lots more.
Very cool collection. (JM)
LAUREL AITKEN: Come Back
Jeannie/ Nightfall In Zion (Aka Roll River
Jordan)/ Sweet Chariot/ Boogie Rock/ LEE ANDREWS &
THE HEARTS: It's Me (Aka Whap Whap)/ HARRY
BELAFONTE: Island In The Sun/ THE BOBBETTES: Mr
Lee/ FITZ-VAUGHN BRYAN'S ORCHESTRA WITH VOCALS BY
KENTRIC: Evening News/ JIMMY CLANTON: Just A
Dream/ THE COASTERS: Charlie Brown/ NAT "KING"
COLE: Looking Back/ SAM COOKE: You Send Me/ THE
CYRIL X. DIAZ & HIS ORCHESTRA: Tabu/ BILL DOGGETT:
Honky Tonk, Part 1/ FATS DOMINO: Be My Guest/ Sick
And Tired/ THE DRIFTERS: There Goes My Baby/ WADE
FLEMONS: Here I Stand/ FRANKIE FORD: Sea Cruise/
ERNIE FREEMAN: Dumplin's/ Live It Up (Aka Beardman
Shuffle)/ GENE & EUNICE: The Vow/ THE GONE ALL
STARS: 7-11 (Aka Mambo No. 5)/ ROSCO GORDON: No
More Doggin'/ EARL GRANT: Evening Rain/ The End/
WILBERT HARRISON: Kansas City/ THE HAWKS: I-Yi/
BILLY HOPE & THE BAD MEN: Riding West/ THE
IMPERIALS: Tears On My Pillow/ LITTLE WILLIE JOHN:
Fever/ JOHNNY & THE HURRICANES: Red River Rock/
LOUIS JORDAN & HIS TYMPANY FIVE: G. I. Jive/ Show
Me How (You Milk The Cow)/ LORD TANAMO: Sweet
Dreaming/ MILSON LUCE: Don't Break Your Promise/
JIMMY MCCRACKLIN: The Walk/ OSCAR MCLOLLIE: Hey
Girl, Hey Boy/ CLYDE MCPHATTER: Rock And Cry/ THE
MIGHTY SPARROW: Dear Sparrow/ COUNT OWEN: Island
In The Sun/ Hool-A-Hoop Calypso/ HAL PAIGE & THE
WHALERS: Going Back To My Hometown/ THE PLATTERS:
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes/ Twilight Time/ PEREZ
PRADO & HIS ORCHESTRA: Guaglione/ LLOYD PRICE:
Personality/ Stagger Lee/ LOUIS PRIMA: Buona Sera/
PROFESSOR LONGHAIR: No Buts, No Maybes/ THE RAYS:
Silhouettes/ LITTLE JIMMY SCOTT: I May Never (See
My Baby Anymore)/ HUEY "PIANO" SMITH: Little
Chickee Wha Wha/ HUEY (PIANO) SMITH & THE CLOWNS:
High Blood Pressure/ TERRY & JERRY: People Are
Doing It Everyday/ THE THREE PLAYMATES: Sugah
Wooga/ LARRY WILLIAMS: High School Dance/ CHUCK
WILLIS: C.C. Rider/ JACKIE WILSON: That's Why (I
Love You So)
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Universal (UK) UMC 2029 |
It's Your Voodoo Working - The Best Of Excello Records |
● CD $27.98 |
Two CDs, 34 tracks, highly
recommended
With practically none of of the vast Excello
catalog currently in print in the USA (though
there are a number of great reissues on the
English Ace label) this is a welcome release
featuring tracks ranging from the country blues of
Arthur Gunter recorded in 1956 to the funk of Ureaus from 1975. Apparently there is a new
interest in the label due to recordings on the
label being heavily featured in U.K. dance clubs
so, not surprisingly the emphasis is on up tempo
numbers. The title is from Charles Sheffield's
It's Your Voodoo Working which has become so
popular in the clubs that the value of the
original single has skyrocketed from $45 to more
than $450! The first disc is mostly blues and R&B
and in addition to Sheffield includes tracks by
King Carl & Guitar Gable, Rudy Green, Lazy Lester,
Slim Harpo, The Blues Rockers, Jerry McCain, Kid
King's Combo and others. The second disc features
the labels funk and soul recordings which have
rarely been reissued in the past including sides
by Roger Hatcher, Slim Harpo, Stacy Lane, Bobby
Powell, The Kelly Brothers, The Solicitors, Kip
Anderson and others. A fine and varied collection
with superb sound and informative notes by Tony
Rounce. (FS)
KIP ANDERSON: You'll Lose A
Good Thing/ ROSHELL ANDERSON: Snake Out Of Green
Grass (Part 1)/ THE BLUES ROCKERS: Calling All
Cows/ THE EXOTICS: Boogaloo Investigator/ CAROL
FRAN: Emmitt Lee/ GUITAR GABLE AND THE MUSICAL
KINGS: Congo Mombo/ THE GLADIOLAS: Little Darlin'/
RUDY GREEN: My Mumblin' Baby/ GUITAR GABLE: This
Should Go On Forever/ Cool Calm And Collected/
ARTHUR GUNTER: Baby, Let's Play House/ SLIM HARPO:
Baby Scratch My Back/ Don't Start Crying Now/ I've
Got My Finger On Your Trigger/ Tip On In (Part 1)/
Tip On In (Part 2)/ ROGER HATCHER: Sweetest Girl
In The World/ THE KELLY BROTHERS: Crystal Blue
Persuasion/ KID KING'S COMBO: Mambino/ STACY LANE:
Funky Little Train/ LAZY LESTER: I'm A Lover Not
A Fighter/ Sugar Coated Love/ The Same Thing Could
Happen To You/ LONESOME SUNDOWN: My Home Is A
Prison/ MACEO & ALL THE KING'S MEN: A Funky Tale
To Tell/ MARVA AND ELLIS: We Need More (But
Somebody Gotta Sacrifice)/ JERRY MCCAIN & HIS
UPSTARTS: Courtin' In A Cadillac/ BOBBY POWELL:
Your Good Good Loving/ CHARLES SHEFFIELD: It's
Your Voodoo Working/ Kangaroo/ Rock 'N' Roll
Train/ THE SOLICITORS: Music For The Brothers/
TABBY THOMAS: Popeye Train/ UREAUS: Let Our Music
Make Love To You (Part 1)
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| VARIOUS ARTISTS |
Winley 3063 |
Winley Records Presents Doo Wop |
● CD $13.98 |
28 tracks, 69 min., highly
recommended
Between 1957-63, Paul Winley released roughly 50
singles on his small, independent Winley Records
label and managed to keep the quality at a
consistently high level overall. As expected, The
Paragons (8 cuts) and The Jesters (6 cuts) are
heavily represented here, but, as good as they
are, some of the lesser known groups shine more
brightly. The Quinns Oh Starlight is as
impressive as their Hong Kong is culturally
awkward. Charlie White's Dearest To Me and
Nobody's Fault But Mine are both keepers, as
are both tracks (You and Must Be Fallin'
In Love) by Little Anthony & The Duponts. Sound
quality is generally quite good, although no notes
are provided. (Note: This release is essentially a
reissue of the long out-of-print CD on Relic
Records Golden Era Of Doo Wops: Winley Records,
Relic 7070.) (JC)
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