LATEST ADDITIONS  04/21/2014

DVD
MUSIC FROM THE SOUTH

COMPACT DISCS
FULL ENGLISH

ROY HALL & HIS COHUTTA MOUNTAIN BOYS
BILLIE HOLIDAY
BIG WALTER HORTON
PATTI LABELLE & THE BLUEBELLES
MARY LOVE

CHIDINMA OKAFOR
JACK PENNINGTON'S VARIETY GANG
BOBBY POWELL
ROSCOE ROBINSON
JACKIE ROSS
LES SMITHART & HIS SUPER X COWBOYS
VARIOUS ARTISTS
SPENCER WIGGINS
REVEREND ROBERT WILKINS
DAVE "FAT MAN" WILLIAMS


IMPORTANT NOTE: We currently do not have a shopping cart. The company who handled our cart has gone out of business. However we are still handling orders and are keeping our web site up to date with new releases. You may place your orders by email (roots@toast.net), phone (toll free in USA 1-888-ROOTS-66, Elsewhere: 510-965-9503) or by mail P.O. Box 837, El Cerrito, CA 94530, USA


DVD

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS Vestapol 13131 Music From The South ● DVD $24.98
36 tracks, 131 mins, very highly recommended
Another fabulous collection of roots music from Vestapol. There is no information about dates, location or who filmed this footage but I would imagine it's from the 1960s and early 70s. The first half the DVD is devoted to the white music tradition with some wonderful performances from veteran fiddler Clark Kessinger, autoharp wizard Kilby Snow, mouth bow and vocals from the inimitable Jimmy Driftwood and two superb performances from the Coon Creek Girls featuring the terrific singer and banjo player Lily Mae Ledford. The rest of the disc is devoted to African-American musicians including a lovely blend of Cajun and Zydeco music from fiddler Canray Fontenot and accordion player "Bois Sec" Ardoin. We have several performances from the superb Ed & Young and their fife and drum band. A section of the music is devoted to the unique sound of the diddley-bow - an instrument usually found in Mississippi featuring one string strung between two bottles and attached to a wall or board. Singer Jessie Mae Hemphill is featured with a couple of other singers on a gospel song accompanied by diddley bow. There are solo diddley-bow performances from Compton Jones, Napoleon Strickland and Glen Ray Faulkner. The DVD ends with three fine piano players from Memphis - Mose Vinson, John (Piano Red) Williams and Booker T. Low - I really like the way the latter hollers on Roll & Tumble Blues. The music is truly fine but some notes would have been really useful. Video and audio quality is generally excellent. (FS)

 

COMPACT DISCS

 
FULL ENGLISH Topic TSCD 823 Full English ● CD $14.98
The Full English is a web portal created by the English Folk Dance & Song Society which gives you access to the original manuscripts of thousands of folk songs collected by numerous collectors (www.efdss.org/efdss-the-full-english). To celebrate the opening of this portal the EFDSS asked some of England's leading folk performers to take a selection of the songs and put them into new settings - in some cases adding melodies to songs which only had lyrics and in other cases creating whole songs out of fragments. This is the result featuring vocals by Seth Lakeman, Martin Simpson, Fay Hield, Nancy Kerr, Ben Nicholls, Rob Harbron and Sam Sweeney. The perform solo and together and are accompanied by fiddle, viola, guitar, double bass, concertina, cello and others instruments. Includes 56 page booklet with notes on the songs and illustrations of the original manuscripts.

 
ROY HALL & HIS COHUTTA MOUNTAIN BOYS B.A.C.M. 442 I'm The Boss-Detroit & Nashville Recordings, 1949-53 ● CD $14.98
Fine collection of western swing, hillbilly boogie and honky tonk from singer, piano and accordion player Roy Hall. Hall is best known as co-composer of Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On and his mid 50s rock 'n' roll releases but this features his earliest sides, mostly recorded between 1949 and 1953 with various excellent bands. Roy and his band went back and forth between Detroit (which had become his home) and Nashville and the recordings here were made for Detroit labels like Fortune and Citation and Nashville labels Bullet and Tenessee. Includes his local hit Dirty Boogies plus Never Marry A Tennessee Gal/ Five Years In Prison/ Ain't You Afraid/ Wild Wild Man From Tennessee/ You're Gonna Be Sorry For Slippin' Around and more. Excellent sound and detailed notes by Martin Hawkins.
ROY HALL & HIS COHUTTA MOUNTAIN BOYS: Ain't You Afraid/ Ask Me No Questions I'll Tell You No Lies (Instr.)/ Back Up And Push (Instr.)/ Corrine Corrina (Instr.)/ Dirty Boogie/ Five Years In Prison/ Going Down The Road Feeling Bad (Instr.)/ Golden Slippers (Instr.)/ I'm The Boss Around My House/ Jealous Love/ John Henry (Instr.)/ Mule Boogie/ My Freckle Face Girl/ Never Marry A Tennessee Gal/ No Rose In San Antone/ Okee Doaks/ Old Folks Jamboree/ Put On Your Old Grey Bonnet (Instr.)/ Skinny Minnie From Texas City/ Turn My Picture To The Wall/ We Never Get Too Big To Cry/ Wild Wild Man From Tennessee/ You Can't Come Back/ You'll Still Be The Captain Of My Ship/ You're Gonna Be Sorry For Slippin' Around

 
BILLIE HOLIDAY Not Now 141 The Essential Billie Holiday ● CD $13.98
Three CDs, 66 tracks, highly recommended
An inexpensive introduction to Billie Holiday - one of the greatest singers of the 20th century. Her singing effortlessly blended jazz, pop songs and blues into something that was uniquely Billie Holiday and enormously rewarding to the listener. These tracks are from the early years of her career recorded for Brunswick between 1935 and 1938 featuring empathetic accompaniments from people like Teddy Wilson, Jack Teagarden, Ben Webster, Chu Berry, Johnny Hodges, Roy Eldridge, Lester You and others. It includes many of her most famous songs from this period like Carelessly/ The Way You Look Tonight/ Pennies From Heaven/ The Mood That I'm In/ Mean To Me/ I Can't Give You Anything But Love and many more. Excellent sound and brief notes. (FS)
BILLIE HOLIDAY: A Sunbonnet Blue/ April In My Heart/ Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man/ Carelessly/ Easy Living/ Easy To Love/ Eeny Meeny Miney Mo/ Everybody's Laughing/ Foolin' Myself/ Guess Who/ He Ain't Got Rhythm/ Hello, My Darling/ Here It Is Tomorrow Again/ How Could You/ I Can't Believe That You're In Love With Me/ I Can't Give You Anything But Love/ I Cried For You/ I Must Have That Man/ I Wished On The Moon/ I'll Get By/ I'll Never Be The Same/ I'll Never Fail You/ I'm Painting The Town Red/ If Dreams Come True/ If You Were Mine/ It's Easy To Blame The Weather/ It's Like Reaching For The Moon/ It's Too Hot For Words/ Let's Dream In The Moonlight/ Life Begins When You're In Love/ Mean To Me/ Miss Brown To You/ Moanin' Low/ More Than You Know/ My First Impression Of You/ My Last Affair/ My Man/ Nice Work If You Can Get It/ Pennies From Heaven/ Say It With A Kiss/ Sentimental And Melancholy/ Spreadin' Rhythm Around/ Sugar/ Sun Showers/ That's Life I Guess/ The Mood That I'm In/ The Way You Look Tonight/ These Foolish Things/ These N That N Those/ They Say/ Things Are Looking Up/ This Year's Kisses/ Twenty-Four Hours A Day/ What A Little Moonlight Can Do/ What A Night, What A Moon, What A Girl/ What Shall I Say/ When You're Smiling/ Who Loves You/ Why Was I Born/ With Thee I Swing/ Yankee Doodle Never Went To Town/ You Let Me Down/ You Showed Me The Way/ You're Gonna See A Lot Of Me/ You're So Desirable/ Yours And Mine

 
BIG WALTER HORTON JSP JSPCD 8818 Live At The Knickerbocker ● CD $16.98
9 tracks, 52 mins, recommended
JSP does like to recycle it's releases. This album has been out three times before on CD - twice under the title "Little Boy Blue". These are live recordings cut in July 1979 and are among his last - he died in 1981. Walter is featured on six of the tracks, the other three feature vocals and harmonica by Sugar Ray. They are accompanied by a band including Ronnie Earl (his first recordings) on guitar, Michael "Mudcat" Ward/ bass, Little Anthony/piano and Ola Dixon/ drums. Walter is in fine form on three vocals and three instrumentals with his distinctive rich and horn like harmonica phrasing and the band do a good job accompanying him. The live recording quality is not great but is satisfactory. If you don't already have this then this is most worthwhile, particularly for harmonica buffs. (FS)

 
PATTI LABELLE & THE BLUEBELLES Real Gone 0237 The Complete Atlantic Sides Plus ● CD $29.98
2 CDs, 40 tracks, highly recommended
Before LaBelle, there was this quartet that made their mark during the Sixties; this set collects nearly all the material they cut for Atlantic Records between the years 1964 and 1969. Most of the songs are covers, but there are some originals that stand out like Curtis Mayfield's I'm Still Waiting and Family Man, and Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham's Dreamer. The "Plus" tracks are live recordings from a July 1964 show and there are four previously unissued tracks from 1969. Patti LaBelle has been vocal powerhouse for 50 years, and this set gives us the clearest picture yet of how it all began. (GMC)
PATTI LABELLE & THE BLUEBELLES: (1-2-3-4-5-6-7) Count the Days/ All or Nothing/ Always Something There to Remind Me/ Dance to the Rhythm of Love/ Danny Boy/ Down the Aisle/ Dreamer/ Ebb Tide/ Family Man/ Forget It (Unreleased)/ Groovy Kind of Love/ He/ He s Gone/ He s My Man/ How You Can Throw My Love Away (Unreleased)/ I Don't Want to Go On Without You/ I Need Your Love/ I'm Still Waiting/ Loving Rules/ More/ Never for Me (Unreleased)/ Oh My Love/ One Phone Call/ Over the Rainbow/ Patti s Prayer/ People/ Pride's No Match for Love/ Suffer/ Take Me for a Little While/ Tender Words/ That's How Heartaches Are Made/ Trustin' in You/ Try to Remember/ Unchained Melody/ When Joe Touches Me (Unreleased)/ Where Are You/ Who Can I Turn To/ Wonderful/ Yesterday/ You Forgot How to Love

 
MARY LOVE Kent CDKEND 414 Lay This Burden Down - The Very Best Of Mary Love ● CD $18.98
25 tracks, recommended
West Coast-based, Mary Love recorded for Modern and Josie during the mid- and late-Sixties. She had minor hits with Move a Little Closer in 1966 and The Hurt is Just Beginning in 1968-both are included here. Love has a good voice, but nothing that separates her from the rest of the pack; the recordings themselves have a glossy sheen that's missing from contemporary sides cut by Stax and other Southern Soul labels, and yet, spirited tracks like Lay This Burden Down lack that certain something that Motown sides from the same era have. In sum, a good representation of a forgotten artist that fans of West Coast R&B will appreciate. (GMC)

 
CHIDINMA OKAFOR Arc Music 2186 Modern Gospel From West Africa ● CD $14.98 $11.98
10 tracks, 54 mins, highly recommended
Lovely collection of gospel music featuring one of Nigeria's most popular vocalists accompanied vocally by a six member group who provide spellbinding harmonies that bring to mind the gospel music of South Africa. They are accompanied by a band with lovely skittering guitar sounds, kora, keyboards and more. Includes booklet with notes on the artist and songs in English, German, French and Spanish. Lovely stuff.

 
JACK PENNINGTON'S VARIETY GANG B.A.C.M. 443 Lang-Worth Transcriptions ● CD $14.98
32 tracks, recommended
Jack Pennington was a fine fiddler from Alabama who settled in Memphis in the 1930s and in the early 40s took over the band of Hal Byrnes and although they never recorded commercially did make quite a few transcriptions. This selection is from around 1947 and finds them performing a mixture of western songs, western swing, sentimental songs and gospel most of it sung in excellent three part harmony by Pennington, guitarist Sonny Haley and bassist Lonnie Love. The group is rounded out by steel guitarist Johnny Sorrels. Their material is a mix of traditional songs along with covers of songs from the repertoire of Tex Williams, Bob Wills, Ted Daffan, The Sons Of The Pionerrs and others all performed in a most appealing manner. (FS)
JACK PENNINGTON'S VARIETY GANG: A Penny For Your Thoughts/ Blue Bonnet Girl/ Blue Tail Fly/ Broken Vows/ Cherokee Strip/ Dese Bones Gonna Rise Again/ Do Ya Or Don'tcha/ Drivin' Nails In My Coffin/ Dude Cowboy/ FIre Song/ I Follow The Stream/ In The Sweet Bye And Bye/Why Do You Love Me, Oh Why/ Leaf Of Love/ Little Black Bronc/ Lou'siana Belle/ Lulu Walls/ Miss Molly/ Noah's Ark (One More River To Cross)/ Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen/ Oh, Mary, Don't You Weep/ One More Ride/ Rocky Roads/ Roll, Jordan Roll/ Saddle The Sun/ Standin' In The Need Of Prayer/ Take Me Back To Tulsa/ The Old Ark's A Moverin/ The Utah Trail/ Trail To San Antone/ Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight/ Wind

 
BOBBY POWELL Fuel 61977 There Is Something In A Man - The Best Of Bobby Powell ● CD $13.98
24 tracks, highly recommended
Baton Rouge spawned this blind singer/pianist who was the headline artist on Lionel Whitfield's Baton Rouge-based Whit label during the late 60's and early 70's. Powell's bluesy style was a good match for material like C.C. Rider - which became a hit in 1965 - Do Something For Yourself/ Hold My Hand, and The Bells. Another forgotten artist that needs rediscovering, Bobby Powell is the real deal. (GMC)
BOBBY POWELL: C.C. Rider/ Do Something for Yourself/ Have a Good Time/ Have a Heart/ Hold My Hand/ I Care/ I'm Gonna Leave You/ I'm Not Going to Cry Over Spilled Milk/ I've Been Waiting/ In Time/ Into My Own Thing/ It's Getting Late in the Evening/ Just a Matter of Time/ Love Man/ Our Love/ Question/ Stay in the Bed/ Thank You/ The Bells/ There Is Something in a Man/ They Don't Know/ What Are You Trying to Do to Me/ Who is Your Lover/ Why Am I Treated So Bad

 
ROSCOE ROBINSON Fuel 61968 Let Me Be Myself - The Best Of Roscoe Robinson ● CD $13.98
23 tracks, highly recommended
A gospel singer who made the leap into R&B/Soul later than most of his contemporaries (he cut his first secular song in 1965), Robinson cut sides for Wand, Paula, FAME, Sound Stage 7, and Atlantic. This collection contains tracks from his Sound Stage 7 ('67-'69) and Paula ('71-'73) stints; highlights include Why Are You Afraid/ Let Me Know, and You Don't Move Me No More. (GMC)
ROSCOE ROBINSON: (Standing In the) Safety Zone/ Darling, Please Tell Me/ Don't Set Me Free/ Fox Hunting On a Weekend/ How Many Times Must I Knock/ I'm Burning and Yearning (For You)/ I'm Satisfied/ Let Me Be Myself/ Let Me Know/ My Pride Won't Let Me/ One Bo-Dillion Years/ Prove It/ Standing In the Safety Zone/ Trust Me/ We Got a Good Thing Going/ We're Losing It Baby/ Why Are You Afraid/ Why Must It End/ Yesterday is Gone (Tomorrow is Too Late)/ You Don't Move Me No More/ You Qualify/ You and Me/ You're All I Need

 
JACKIE ROSS Kent CDKEND 385 Jerk & Twine - The Complete Chess Recordings ● CD $18.98 $14.98
24 tracks, highly recommended
As a neat bookend to its' Mary Wells "The One Who Really Loves You/Two Lovers and Other Great Hits to-fer" (Kent 387 - $18.98), Kent has issued a compilation of recordings by Chicago R&B singer Jackie Ross, who was signed for her vocal resemblance to Wells. Ross hit right out of the gate with Selfish One in 1964, but her remaining Chess stint was plagued with bad luck and indifference. Still, the sides collected here show her ability-whether as a Wells clone (I've Got the Skill/ Haste Makes Waste) or as her own woman (Wasting Time/ Jerk and Twine). She could handle sophisticated material in a Nancy Wilson-ish manner (covers of Summetime and Misty) and she could "rock" out (You Really Know How to Hurt a Girl/ Dynamite Lovin') with equal aplomb. And it was Jackie Ross who had the inadvertent "steal" of Evie Sands' monumental single Take Me For a Little While; although it's not up to Sands' version, Ross doesn't disgrace herself. All 'n' all, this collection sheds a light on a career that, with better luck, could have been more than it was. (GMC)

 
LES SMITHART & HIS SUPER X COWBOYS B.A.C.M. 444 Live And SWinging ● CD $14.98
22 tracks, 76 mins, highly recommended
Superb, but little known, Western Swing group from Kentucky. The group was led by outstanding fiddler Les Smithart and featuring the superb electric guitarist Spider Rich, steel guitarist Jerry Mandorca and Jim Gatlin adding sax on some cuts. Les's brothers Wally and Johnny fill out the group on guitar and drums. The group made a couple of commercial recordings but most of the tracks here are from radio transcriptions recorded between 1953 and '57 and find the group in great spirits commenting to each other between songs and egging each other during the instrumental breaks and their music swings like crazy and Rich's guitar work on the instrumentals is super hot. Their material is mostly covers of country and pop songs along with a few originals but all of it comes out sounding uniquely their own with a strong blues element frequently present. As a added bonus, two tracks feature the legendary Mose Rager whose thumbpicking style was such a big influence on Merle Travis and ultimately on all the guitarist influenced by Travis. Rager is featuring on a stunning instrumental version of John Henry and sings on the fine School Boy Blues. Excellent music throughout. (FS).
LES SMITHHART & SUPER X COWBOYS: Bartender Pour A Drink/ Big Fat Mama/ Body and Soul/ Closing Theme: Orange Blossom Special/ Devil's Dream/ Dinah/ Fat Back Louisiana/ Georgia On My Mind/ How High The Moon/ I Can't Live My Life Alone/ I Didn't Know How Much I Loved You/ I Never Knew/ It's All Your Fault/ Jersey Bounce/ John Henry/ Les's Hornpipe(Martha Campbell)/ Lingering Love/ Midnight Ramble/ My Broken Heart/ Prison Without Any Walls/ School Boy Blues/ Stardust/ Steel Guitar Stomp/ Super X Bebop/ Super X Boogie/ The Three Bears/ Theme: Cattle Call)/ There's A Big Rock In The Road/ Tina Marie/ Waltzing With You/ When You Come To The End Of The Day

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Ace CDCHD 1374 The Rebel Kind - Girls With Guitars 3 ● CD $18.98
24 tracks, highly recommended
The third volume in this series of CDs dedicated to all-girl bands from the Sixties includes many rarities from the U.S. (Chico's Girl by The Girls, written by Mann and Weil), U.K. (Goldie & the Gingerbreds' Please Please was produced by Kinks producer Shel Talmy), Italy (The Honeybeats' Dicci Cone Fini), and Japan (Pinky Chicks' Soba Ni Ite). Bigger names include Brenda Lee, British sensation Dana Gillespie, and Jackie DeShannon, but the definitive track would have to be "The Rebel Kind", a statement of purpose from New Zealand-bred The Chicks. A worthy follow-up to "Girls With Guitars" (Ace 989 - $18.98) and "Destroy That Boy! - More Girls With Guitars" (Ace 1224 - $18.98). (GMC)
THE ACE OF CUPS: Stones/ THE BEAS: International Girl/ THE BOOTLES: I'll Let You Hold My Hand/ THE CHANTELS: Peruvian Wedding Song/ THE CHICKS: The Rebel Kind/ THE CHYMES: He's Not There Anymore/ COLETTE & THE BANDITS: A Ladies' Man/ THE DEBUTANTES: A New Love Today/ Love Is Strange/ Strong Foundation/ THE DELMONAS: Peter Gunn Locomotion/ JACKIE DESHANNON: Dream Boy/ DANA GILLESPIE: You Just Gotta Know My Mind/ THE GIRLS: Chico's Girl/ GOLDIE & THE GINGERBREADS: Can't You Hear My Heartbeat/ Please, Please/ GAIL HARRIS WITH THE WAILERS: I Idolize You/ THE HONEYBEATS: Dici Come Fini/ Fa' Come Vuoi/ JEAN & THE STATESIDES: Putty In Your Hands/ BRENDA LEE: What'd I Say/ LYDIA MARCELLE: The Girl He Needs/ MOUSIE & THE TRAPS: How About You/ PINKY CHICKS: Soba Ni Ite

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Ace CDCHD 1384 Lou Adler - A Musical History ● CD $18.98
Lou Adler was an important West Coast record producer, songwriter, record company owner and film director and has been active from the late 50s to the present day. This collection looks at some of his productions from the late 50s through mid 70s and ranges from Sam Cooke's Wonderful World to California Dreamin' by The Mamas and Papas to Earache My Eye by Cheech & chong! Other artists include Sam Butera & TThe Witnesses, Dante & The Evergreens, Jan & Dean, Scott McKenzie, Merry Clayton, Tim Curry & The Cast Of The Rocky Horror Show and more. 25 tracks in all.
THE BLOSSOMS: Stoney End/ Wonderful/ THE BROTHERS & SISTERS OF LOS ANGELES: The Times They Are A-Changin'/ SAM BUTERA & THE WITNESSES: Bim Bam/ CHEECH & CHONG: Earache My Eye/ THE CITY: Snow Queen/ MERRY CLAYTON: Gimme Shelter/ Oh No, Not My Baby/ SAM COOKE: All Of My Life/ Wonderful World/ TIM CURRY & THE ORIGINAL ROXY CAST: Sweet Transvestite/ DANTE & THE EVERGREENS: Alley-Oop/ THE EVERLY BROTHERS: Crying In The Rain/ JAN & DEAN: Baby Talk/ Honolulu Lulu/ CAROLE KING: It's Going To Take Some Time/ It's Too Late/ PEGGY LIPTON: Wear Your Love Like Heaven/ THE MAMAS & THE PAPAS: California Dreamin'/ Go Where You Wanna Go/ BARRY MCGUIRE: Eve Of Destruction/ SCOTT MCKENZIE: San Francisco (Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)/ SPIRIT: I Got A Line On You/ THE UNTOUCHABLES: Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight/ JOHNNY "GUITAR" WATSON: Deana Baby

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Ace CDCH2 1391 The Complete Fame Singles, Vol. 1: 1964-1967 ● CD $24.98
2 CDs, 52 tracks, highly recommended
This is the obvious next step after Kent's superlative series of CDs that collected rarities and unissued tracks from the vaults of Rick Hall's FAME Records. Covering the years 1964 to 1967, this set's main goal is to follow the development of the songwriting team of Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham. And although many of these singles weren't hits, few can deny the talents of people like Jimmy Hughes, Arthur Conley, and Clarence Carter. And as always with these compilations, the lesser known artists provide many of the highlights, including June Conquest (Party Talk), James Barnett (Keep On Talking), and Art Freeman (I Can't Get You Out of My Mind). The first of three volumes, and I'm already looking forward to the rest. (GMC)
JAMES BARNETT: Keep On Talking/ Take A Good Look/ CLARENCE CARTER: Don't Make My Baby Cry/ I Stayed Away Too Long/ She Ain't Gonna Do Right/ Tell Daddy/ The Road Of Love/ Thread The Needle/ ARTHUR CONLEY: I Can't Stop (No, No No)/ I'm Gonna Forget About You/ In The Same Old Way/ Take Me (Just As I Am)/ JUNE CONQUEST: Almost Persuaded/ Party Talk/ ART FREEMAN: A Piece Of My Heart/ Everybody's Got To Cry Sometime/ I Can't Get You Out Of My Mind/ Slippin' Around With You/ JIMMY HUGHES: A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues/ Don't Lose Your Good Thing/ Goodbye My Lover Goodbye/ Hi Heel Sneakers/ I Want Justice/ I Worship The Ground You Walk On/ I'm A Man Of Action/ I'm Getting Better/ It Was Nice/ It's A Good Thing/ Lollypops, Lace And Lipstick/ Lovely Ladies/ Midnight Affair/ Neighbor, Neighbor/ Steal Away/ The Loving Physician/ Time Will Bring You Back/ Try Me/ When It Comes To Dancing/ Why Not Tonight/ You Can't Believe Everything/ You Really Know How To Hurt A Guy/ DAN PENN: Close To Me/ Diamonds/ Let Them Talk/ Take Me (Just As I Am)/ SPOONER AND THE SPOONS: Hey, Do You Wanna Marry/ Wish You Didn't Have To Go/ THE VILLAGERS: Laugh It Off/ You're Gonna Lose That Girl/ TERRY WOODFORD: Gonna Make You Say Yeah/ His Town/ Hit The Ground/ She Wants What She Can't Have

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Ace CDCHD 1397 Swamp Pop By The Bayou ● CD $18.98
28 tracks, very good
Ace's latest stop by the bayou is devoted to that appealing blend of R&B, rock & roll and country with a soupcon of Cajun music that is unique to Louisiana and South Texas. Like others in this series there are a lot of obscure titles as well as unissued songs and alternates from the Jay Miller and Eddie Shuler vaults and almost all songs are new to CD with the exception of the classic Breaking Up Is Hard to do by Jivin' Gene. Unfortunately, most of the performances are fairly pedestrian. Artists include Vince Anthony with The Blue Notes, Warren Storm, Frankie Lowery, Ronnie Bennett, Rocket Morgan, Doug Charles & The Boogie Kings, George, Donnie Williams & The Blue Notes and others. Includes 16 page booklet with detailed notes and rare photos and label shots. (FS)
JOHNNIE ALLAN & THE KRAZY KATS: The Convict And The Rose/ VINCE ANTHONY WITH THE BLUE NOTES: Sneakin' Home/ BEE ARNOLD: Deedle Dee Deedle Dee/ RONNIE BENNETT: In This Letter/ JOHNNY BERSIN & THE DIAL-TONES: I Ran Around/ THE BOOGIE KINGS: You're On My Mind/ JOHN FRED: Good Lovin'/ GEORGE ?: I'm Ready/ GUITAR JEFF: You Jezebel/ JIVIN' GENE & THE JOKERS: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do/ FRANKIE LOWERY: I Ain't Had No Sleep/ She's Walking Towards Me/ PETO MARLOW & THE RHYTHM KINGS: Operator (This Is Elbert)/ ROCKET MORGAN: Did You Leave Something Else (For Me)/ Too High A Price (To Pay For Love)/ Walking Home/ CHARLES PAGE: No Season On Squeezing/ JAY RICHARDS & THE BLUES KINGS: Hear Love Knockin'/ BUCK ROGERS & HIS JETS: Rose Marie/ WARREN STORM: I'm Leaving You/ Oh Oh Baby/ This Life I Live/ TOMMY STRANGE: Lonely Lonely Heart/ What Am I To Do/ GENE TERRY & THE DOWN BEATS: What Can I Do/ BOBBY WEBB & THE JETS: Tell Me/ DONNIE WILLIAMS & THE BLUE NOTES: Cry Your Heart Out

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Bear Family BCD 16881 Sweet Soul Music - 26 Scorching Classics From 1971 ● CD $24.98 $19.98
Bear Family has now issued the final five albums in their acclaimed series documenting the history of Soul Music. These cover the years from 1970 when funk started to become ascendant to 1975 when disco was getting its start. Each volume includes a selection of the best and biggest songs of the year along with important titles that never made the charts. All tracks are remastered from original master tapes newly remastered for best possible songs and each CD comes with a 76 page booklet with track by track notes by Bill Dahla and loads of photos and memorabilia. This volume has 26 soul gems from 1971 including Proud Mary by Ike & Tina Turner, Soul Power, Parts 1 & 2 by James Brown with The JBs, Want Ads by Honey Cone, Mr. Big Stuff by Jean Knight as well as tracks by Jackie Moore, Bill Coday, The Temptations, Beginning Of The End, Cornelius Brothers & Sister Ruth and more.
8TH DAY: She's Not Just Another Woman/ BEGINNING OF THE END: Funky Nassau, Part 1/ JAMES BROWN WITH JB’S: Soul Power Parts 1 & 2/ THE CHI-LITES: Have You Seen Her/ BILL CODAY: Get Your Lie Straight/ CORNELIUS BROTHERS & SISTER ROSE: Treat Her Like A Lady/ THE DETROIT EMERALDS: Do Me Right/ THE DRAMATICS: Watcha See/ ARETHA FRANKLIN: Rock Steady/ AL GREEN: Let’s Stay Together/ HONEY CONE: Want Ads/ JEAN KNIGHT: Mr. Big Stuff/ DENISE LASALLE: Trapped By A Thing Called Love/ JACKIE MOORE: Precious, Precious/ THE PERSUADERS: Thin Line Between Love & Hate/ WILSON PICKETT: Don’t Let the Green Grass Foul You/ SLY & FAMILY STONE: Family Affair/ THE STAPLE SINGERS: Respect Yourself/ JOHNNIE TAYLOR: Jody’s Got Your Girl And Gone/ THE TEMPTATIONS: Just my Imagination/ IKE & TINA TURNER: Proud Mary/ UNDISPUTED TRUTH: Smiling Faces Sometimes/ DEE DEE WARWICK: Suspicious Minds/ BILL WITHERS: Ain’t No Sunshine/ BETTY WRIGHT: Clean Up Woman/ O.V. WRIGHT: A Nickel And A Nail

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Bear Family BCD 16882 Sweet Soul Music - 25 Scorching Classics From 1972 ● CD $24.98 $19.98
25 tracks including I Gotcha by Joe Tex, Back Stabbers by The O'Jays, Get On The Good Foot, Part 1 by James Brown, Me and Mrs Jones by Billy Paul plus tracks by Soul Children, Denise LaSalle, The Staple Singers, Luther Ingram, The Chi Lites and more.
JAMES BROWN: Get On The Good Foot, Part 1/ THE CHI LITES: Oh Girl/ OTIS CLAY: Trying To Live My Life Without You/ LYN COLLINGS: Think (About It)/ CORNELIUS BROTHERS & SISTER ROSE: Too Late To Turn Back Now/ THE DRAMATICS: In The Rain/ AL GREEN: I’m Still In Love With You/ LUTHER INGRAM: (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don’t Want To Be Right/ THE JB’S: Gimme Some More/ DENISE LASALLE: Now Run And Tell That/ LAURA LEE: Rip Off/ MAIN INGREDIENT: Everybody Plays The Fool/ MEL AND TIM: Starting All Over Again/ HAROLD MELVIN & BLUENOTES: If You Don’t Know Me By Now/ THE O’JAYS: Back Stabbers/ BILLY PAUL: Me & Mrs. Jones/ BILLY PRESTON: Outa Space/ JOE SIMON: Power Of Love/ SOUL CHILDREN: Hearsay/ THE STAPLE SINGERS: I’ll Take You There/ THE STYLISTICS: Betcha By Golly, Wow/ JOE TEX: I Gotcha/ BILL WITHERS: Use Me/ BOBBY WOMACK: Woman’s Gotta Have It/ BETTY WRIGHT: Baby Sitter

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Charly 915 Chicago Hit Factory - The Vee-Jay Story, 1953-1966 ● CD $105.98
Around 10 years ago Charly put out a four CD set with 115 tracks surveying the output of the Vee-Jay label - America's premier black owned label in the 1950s and early 60s. Now on the 60th anniversary of the label they have significantly expanded that concept to a 10 CD set with 269 tracks to give an even more comprehensive picture. The first three CDs features 84 tracks that made the R&B and/or pop charts presented in chronological order including The Spaniels, Jimmy Reed, The Magnificents, Gene Allison, Dee Clark, Jerry Butler, The Pips, John Lee Hooker, The Four Seasons, The Dells and many more, including some guys called The Beatles (Yes Vee-Jay was one of the first U.S. labels to release singles by them which flopped at the time but when the British Invasion took off became big hits). Disc 4 features 28 doo-wop gems from The El-Dorados, Dells, Kool Gents, Delegates, Dillard Crume Jr., The Capers, Senators and others. Disc 5is devoted to blues with 28 tracks from Floyd Jones, Morris Pejoe, Billy "The Kid Emerson, John Lee Hooker, Elmore James, Memphis Slim and more. Disc 6 features rhythm & blues cut between 1954 and 1962 from Hazel McCollum & The El Dorados, Dee Clark, Lee Diamond, Priscilla Bowman & The Bowman, Rosco Gordon, The Rockin R's, Donnie Elbert, etc. Disc 7 continues on from 6 featuring more R&B and early soul recorded between 1961 and '65 from Wade Flemons, Nancy Love, Gene Chandler, Dee Clark, Barrett Strong, The Rivingtons and more. Disc 8 features 30 tracks from between 1962 and 1965 including country, garage rock and girl group sounds from Marilyn Britton, The Four Seasons, Barbara Jackson, Noreen Corcoran, The Sensations, Hoy Axton, Shelley Fabares and more. Disc 9 features 26 tracks drawn from Vee-Jay's extensive catalog of classic gospel with tracks from The Staple Singers, Silver Quintette, Harmonizing Four, Swan Silvertones, Original Five Boys of Mississippi and others and finally disc 10 draws on some of the great jazz recorded for the label with tracks from Wayne Shorter, Victor Feldman, Ann Richards & The Bill Marx Trio, Ira Sullivan & The Chicago Jazz Quintet, Bennie Green & Gene Ammons and more. Sound quality is excellent and set is packaged in a handsome 11"x6" box and with a similarly sized 72 page book with an informative essay on the history of the label and the musicians included and loads of photos, label shots and other memorabilia. A full track listing can be found on our web site.
Disc 1 AT MY FRONT DOOR  THE HITS VOL. 1 - GENE ALLISON: You Can Make It If You Try/ Have Faith/ PRISCILLA BOWMAN & THE JAY MCSHANN ORCHESTRA: Hands Off/ JERRY BUTLER & THE IMPRESSIONS: For Your Precious Love/ DEE CLARK: Nobody But You/ Just Keep It Up/ Hey Little Girl/ How About That/ THE DELLS: Oh What A Nite/ THE EL DORADOS: At My Front Door/ I'll Be Forever Loving You/ WADE FLEMONS: Here I Stand/ Easy Lovin'/ ROSCO GORDON: Just A Little Bit/ JOHN LEE HOOKER: I Love You Honey/ THE MAGNIFICENTS: Up On The Mountain/ JIMMY REED: You Don't Have To Go/ Ain't That Lovin' You Baby/ You've Got Me Dizzy/ Little Rain/ The Sun Is Shining/ Honest I Do/ I'm Gonna Get My Baby/ Baby What You Want Me To Do/ THE SPANIELS: Baby, It's You/ Goodnite, Sweetheart, Goodnite/ You Painted Pictures/ Everyone's Laughing
Disc 2 DUKE OF EARL  THE HITS VOL. 2 - JERRY BUTLER: He Will Break Your Heart/ Find Another Girl/ I'm A Telling You/ Moon River/ You Can Run (But You Can't Hide)/ GENE CHANDLER: Duke Of Earl/ You Threw A Lucky Punch/ Rainbow/ GENE CHANDLER (AS THE DUKE OF EARL): Walk On With The Duke/ DEE CLARK: Your Friends/ Raindrops/ I'm Going Back To School/ THE DUKAYS: Nite Owl / WADE FLEMONS: Please Send Me Someone To Love/ THE FOUR SEASONS: Sherry/ Big Girls Don't Cry/ EDDIE HARRIS: Exodus/ JOHN LEE HOOKER: Boom Boom/ FRANK IFIELD: I Remember You/ Lovesick Blues/ THE PEARLETTES: Duchess Of Earl/ THE PIPS: Every Beat Of My Heart/ JIMMY REED: Hush-Hush/ Close Together/ Big Boss Man/ Bright Lights Big City/ Good Lover
Disc 3 THE SHOOP SHOOP SONG  THE HITS VOL. 3 - THE BEATLES: Love Me Do/ P.S. I Love You/ BIRDLEGS & PAULINE: Spring/ JERRY BUTLER: Need To Belong/ Giving Up On Love/ I Stand Accused/ Good Times/ For Your Precious Love [1966 version]/ JERRY BUTLER & BETTY EVERETT: Let It Be Me/ Smile/ Since I Don't Have You/ GENE CHANDLER: Man's Temptation/ JIMMY CROSS: I Want My Baby Back/ THE DELLS: Stay In My Corner/ BETTY EVERETT: You're No Good/ The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss)/ I Can't Hear You/ Getting Mighty Crowded/ THE FOUR SEASONS: Peanuts/ FRED HUGHES: Oo Wee Baby, I Love You/ You Can't Take It Away/ LITTLE RICHARD: Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On/ I Don't Know What You've Got (But It's Got Me) - Parts 1 & 2/ JIMMY REED: Shame, Shame, Shame/ I'm The Man Down There/ JOE SIMON: My Adorable One/ Let's Do It Over/ THE STANDELLS: The Boy Next Door
Disc 4 GREAT GOOGLY MOO  DOO-WOP DOYENS & HEAVENLY HARMONISERS - THE "5" ROYALES: Much In Need/ THE CAPERS: Miss You My Dear/ THE CO-HEARTS: My Love/ DILLARD CRUME JR.: It's You I Love/ THE DELEGATES: Mother's Son/ THE DELLS: Zing Zing Zing/ THE DUKAYS: Tango Bop/ THE EL DORADOS: My Loving Baby/ Bim Bam Boom/ THE FIVE ECHOES: I Really Do/ THE FLAMINGOS: Golden Teardrops/ THE GOLDENRODS: Wish I Was Back In School/ THE HI-LITERS: Bobby Sox Baby/ THE KOOL GENTS: This Is The Night/ Crazy Over You/ THE MAGNIFICENTS: Ozeta/ THE MOONGLOWS: Real Gone Mama/ THE ORIOLES: For All We Know/ THE PRODIGALS: Judy/ THE RHYTHM ACES: Get Lost/ THE SENATORS: It Doesn't Matter/ 'Til Forever More/ THE SHEPPARDS: Tragic/ SHERIFF & THE RAVELS: Shombalor/ THE SPANIELS: You Gave Me Peace Of Mind/ Great Googly Moo/ I Know/ Bus Fare Home
Disc 5 BABY WHAT'S WRONG  BLUES MASTERS & BLASTERS - BILLY BOY ARNOLD: I Wish You Would/ I Ain't Got You/ LARRY BIRDSONG: If You Don't Want Me No More/ PEE WEE CRAYTON: The Telephone Is Ringing/ I Found My Peace Of Mind THE EL CINCOS: Oh, Baby, You Have To Go/ BILLY "THE KID" EMERSON: If You Won't Stay Home/ Every Woman I Know/ THE FIVE ECHOES: Fool's Prayer/ JOHN LEE HOOKER: Dimples/ No Shoes/ My First Wife Left Me/ ELMORE JAMES: The 12 Year Old Boy/ It Hurts Me Too/ FLOYD JONES: Ain't Times Hard/ J.B. LENOIR: Oh Baby/ L.C. MCKINLEY: She's Five Feet Three/ MEMPHIS SLIM: Stroll On Little Girl/ Rockin' The House (Beer Drinkin' Woman)/ MORRIS PEJOE: Hurt My Feelings/ JIMMY REED: Can't Stand To See You Go/ Honey, Where You Going?/ Take Out Some Insurance/ Found Love/ Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth/ EDDIE TAYLOR: Big Town Playboy/ You'll Always Have A Home/ Baby, What's Wrong
Disc 6 A ROCKIN' GOOD WAY  R&B DUKES & DUCHESSES - GENE ALLISON: Everything Will Be Alright/ KIP ANDERSON: I Wanna Be The Only One/ HANK BALLARD & THE MIDNIGHTERS: The Twist/ PRISCILLA BOWMAN & THE SPANIELS: A Rockin' Good Way/ JERRY BUTLER: Lost/ A Lonely Soldier/ LEONARD CARBO: Pigtails And Blue Jeans/ DEE CLARK: Seven Nights/ Oh Little Girl/ You're Looking Good/ LEE DIAMOND: Hattie Malatti/ Mama Loochie/ DONNIE ELBERT: Baby Let Me Love You Tonight/ I Beg Of You/ WADE FLEMONS: Slow Motion/ What's Happening/ I'll Come Runnin'/ ROSCO GORDON: No More Doggin'/ CAMILLE HOWARD: Rock 'n Roll Mama/ THE IMPRESSIONS FEATURING JERRY BUTLER: Come Back My Love/ PRESTON JACKSON & THE RHYTHM ACES: Be Mine/ CHRISTINE KITTRELL: Mr. Big Wheel/ HAZEL MCCOLLUM & THE EL DORADOS: Annie's Answer/ GROVER MITCHELL: That's A Good Idea/ BOBBY PARKER: You Got What It Takes/ Blues Get Off My Shoulder/ EARL PHILLIPS: Oop De Oop/ THE ROCKIN' RS: Mustang
Disc 7 SHOOK UP OVER YOU  SOUL STIRRERS & SHAKERS - JERRY BUTLER: Whatever You Want/ I Don't Want To Hear It Anymore/ I Can't Stand To See You Cry/ Just For You/ JERRY BUTLER & BETTY EVERETT: Ain't That Loving You Baby/ YVONNE CARROLL: Please Don't Go/ GENE CHANDLER: Tear For Tear/ DEE CLARK: Dance On Little Girl/ Shook Up Over You/ THE DAYLIGHTERS: Whisper Of The Wind/ Here Alone/ THE DELLS: It's Not Unusual/ THE DONTELLS: In Your Heart (You Know I'm Right)/ BETTY EVERETT: It Hurts To Be In Love/ WADE FLEMONS: At The Party/ Welcome Stranger/ MARIE GLADNESS: Cops And Robbers/ BROWLEY GUY: Do Somethin' Baby/ GIL HAMILTON: Move And Groove/ NANCY LOVE: As Sure As I Live/ Baby, I'm Not Over You Yet/ It's Really Real/ THE PYRAMIDS: Shakin' Fit/ THE RIVINGTONS: I Love You Always/ JOE SIMON: The Whoo Pee/ BARRETT STRONG: Make Up Your Mind/ Gonna Take A Journey
Disc 8 DREAM FOR SALE  HITS, MISSES & REGIONAL BREAKERS - THE ANGELOS: Just Like Taking Candy From A Baby/ HOYT AXTON: Double Double Dare/ Bring Your Lovin'/ TERRY BLACK: Unless You Care/ MARILYN BRITTON: Big Mr. Heartbreaker/ THE CLINGER SISTERS: Shoop Shoop De Doop Rama Lama Ding Dong Yeah Yeah Yeah/ NOREEN CORCORAN: Love Kitten/ Dreamin' Of You/ ORVILLE COUCH: Hello Trouble/ JOHNNY CYMBAL: Bachelor Man/ MAC DAVIS: Hey Monkey/ TRACEY DEY: Jerry (I'm Your Sherry)/ Jealous Eyes/ SHELLEY FABARES: Lost Summer Love/ WADE FLEMONS: Watch Over Her/ THE FOUR SEASONS: Santa Claus Is Coming To Town/ Apple Of My Eye/ THE HONEY BEES: One Girl, One Boy/ BARBARA JACKSON: Second Best/ MELINDA MARX: How I Wish You Came/ THE MONSTERS FOUR: Farmer John/ JOEY PAIGE: Dream For Sale/ BILLY JOE ROYAL: Get Behind Me Devil/ THE RUBIES: A Spanish Boy/ PEGGY SANS: Snow Man/ THE SENSATIONS: You Made A Fool Of Me/ RAY SMITH: Rockin' Robin/ THE SOCIETY GIRLS: S.P.C.L.G. (Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Little Girls)/ THE STANDELLS: Big Boss Man/ THE SUNBEAMS: Good Old Days
Disc 9 UNCLOUDY DAY  INSPIRATIONAL GOSPEL GREATS - THE ARGO GOSPEL SINGERS: Jesus Is The Answer/ THE CARAVANS: What Will Tomorrow Bring?/ DOROTHY LOVE COATES & THE GOSPEL HARMONETTES: Camp Meeting/ THE FRIENDLY BROTHERS: Operator/ THE HARMONIZING FOUR: Motherless Child/ Wade In The Water/ THE HIGHWAY QCS: God Has Not Promised/ Walk With Me/ THE INTERNS: The Road Home/ THE KELLY BROTHERS: Prayer For Tomorrow/ THE MIGHTY SKYLIGHTS: If Jesus Came To Your House/ THE ORIGINAL FIVE BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA: I Can See Everybody's Mother/ I'm Journeying On/ Precious Lord/ THE ORIGINAL FIVE BLIND BOYS OF MISSISSIPPI: Leave You In The Hands Of The Lord/ THE SILVER QUINTETTE: Sinner's Crossroads/ THE STAPLE SINGERS: If I Could Hear My Mother Pray/ This May Be My Last Time/ Uncloudy Day/ Let Me Ride (Swing Down Chariot)/ So Soon/ THE SWAN SILVERTONES: Sinner Man/ Oh Mary, Don't You Weep/ Nobody But You/ THE WATSON SISTERS: He Lives/ MARION WILLIAMS & THE STARS OF FAITH: Surely God Is Able
Disc 10 JUGGIN' AROUND  HOT & COOL JAZZ GEMS - CANNONBALL ADDERLEY & PAUL CHAMBERS: I Got Rhythm/ BUDDY DE FRANCO & ART BLAKEY: Cousin Mary/ VICTOR FELDMAN: On Green Dolphin Street/ EDDIE HARRIS: Whispering Bossa Nove/ THE LOUIS HAYES QUINTET (FEATURING YUSEF LATEEF): Hazing/ THE EDDIE HIGGINS TRIO: Zarac, The Evil One/ WYNTON KELLY: Joe's Avenue/ THE BILL MARX TRIO: Streets Of Laredo/ MJT+3: Love For Sale/ LEE MORGAN: Just In Time/ ANN RICHARDS & THE BILL MARX TRIO: I Only Have Eyes For You (Live)/ WAYNE SHORTER: Mack The Knife/ FRANK STROZIER: Runnin'/ IRA SULLIVAN & THE CHICAGO JAZZ QUINTET: Love Letters (Live)/ THE LEROY VINNEGAR TRIO: Doing That Thing (Double Stopping)/ THE YOUNG LIONS: Fat Lady/ BENNIE GREEN & GENE AMMONS: Juggin'Around

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Documents 600145 Doo-Wop Chartbusters ● CD $29.98
If you want a collection of some of the best and most popular vocal harmony recordings from the mid 40s through the early 60s this excellent set should fit the bill with 200 tracks on 10 CDs all of which appeared on the R&B or pop charts or both. From the smooth pop flavored vocals of the mid 40s (The Mills Brothers, Five Red Caps, etc) to the transitional groups who started adding elements of R&B in their performances in the late 40s (The Orioles, Ravens, etc.) to the early 50s when the rhythm & blues sound became prominent (The Chords, The Drifters, The "5" Royales, etc) to the mid 50s when doo-wop had crossed over from the African-American audience to the Caucasian audience (The Silhouettes, Dell-Vikings, Lee Andrews & The Hearts, Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, etc.) and the emergence of some great white doo wop groups (Dion & The Belmonts, The Skyliners, The Crests, etc) to the late 50s when the music started moving in different directions - there was still straight ahead doo-wop though some recordings were becoming heavily arranged with orchestral accompaniments while others were performing in a style that would lead to soul music. All these artists and many more are featured on this excellent collection which though not arranged in chronological order make for great listening. As usual for Documents there are no notes.
THE ACCENTS: Wiggle Wiggle/ LEE ANDREWS & THE HEARTS: Long Lonely Nights/ HANK BALLARD & THE MIDNIGHTERS: Get It/ Let's Go, Let's Go, Let's Go/ Teardrops On Your Letter/ Work With Me Annie/ THE BOBBETTES: Mister Lee/ JERRY BUTLER & THE IMPRESSIONS: For Your Precious Love/ THE CADETS: Stranded In The Jungle/ Why Don'T You Write Me/ THE CADILLACS: Speedo/ THE CAPRIS: There's A Moon Out Tonight/ THE CARDINALS: Shouldn'T I Know/ The Door Is Still Open/ The Wheel Of Fortune/ THE CATS 'N JAMMER THREE: I Cover The Waterfront/ THE CELLOS: Rang Tang Ding Dong/ THE CHANTELS: I Love You So/ Maybe/ THE CHANTERS: No, No, No/ THE CHARMS: Hearts Of Stone/ THE CHARTS: Deserie/ THE CHORDS: Sh-Boom/ EUGENE CHURCH & THE FELLOWS: Pretty Girls Everywhere/ THE CLEFTONES: Little Girl Of Mine/ THE CLOVERS: Devil Or Angel/ Don'T You Know I Love You/ Fool, Fool, Fool/ Good Lovin'/ Love Potion Number Nine/ Lovey Dovey/ One Mint Julep/ Ting A Ling/ THE COASTERS: Besame Mucho/ Charlie Brown/ Down In Mexico/ Searchin'/ THE COLTS: Adorable/ THE COOKIES: In Paradise/ THE CORONETS: Nadine/ THE COUNTS: Darling Dear/ THE CRESTS: Sixteen Candles/ The Angels Listened In/ THE CRICKETS: You're Mine/ THE CROWS: Gee/ THE CUES: Burn That Candle/ THE DANDERLIERS: Chop Chop Boom/ DANNY & THE JUNIORS: At The Hop/ Dottie/ BOBBY DAY & THE SATELLITES: Little Bitty Pretty One/ THE DELL-VIKINGS: Come Go With Me/ Whispering Bells/ THE DELLS: Oh What A Nite (Junior)/ THE DELTA RHYTHM BOYS: Just A-Sittin' and A-Rockin'/ THE DIABLOS: The Way You Dog Me Around/ DION: Little Miss Blue/ A Teenager In Love/ I Wonder Why/ Where Or When/ THE DIXIEAIRES: Go Long/ DO RAY AND ME: Wrapped Up In A Dream/ THE DOMINOES: Do Something For Me/ Have Mercy Baby/ I Am With You/ Sixty Minute Man/ That's What You're Doing To Me/ These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You/ THE DRIFTERS: Honey Love/ Money Honey/ Ruby Baby/ There Goes My Baby/ This Magic Moment/ What'Cha Gonna Do/ THE DU-DROPPERS: I Wanna Know/ THE DUBS: Could This Be Magic/ THE EDSELS: Rama Lama Ding Dong/ THE EL DORADOS: At My Front Door/ THE ELEGANTS: Little Star/ THE ETERNALS: Rockin'n The Jungle/ THE FALCONS: The Teacher/ You're So Fine/ THE FIDELITY'S: The Things I Love/ THE FIESTAS: So Fine/ THE FIREFLIES: You Were Mine/ THE FIVE KEYS: Close Your Eyes/ Ling Ting Tong/ The Glory Of Love/ THE FIVE RED CAPS: I Learned A Lesson I'll Never Forget/ THE FIVE ROYALES: Baby Don't Do It/ Dedicated To The One I Love/ I Do/ Too Much Love (Much Too Much)/ THE FIVE SATINS: In The Still Of The Night/ To The Aisle/ THE FLAMINGOS: I Only Have Eyes For You/ I'Ll Be Home/ Lovers Never Say Goodbye/ Nobody Loves Me Like You/ WADE FLEMONS & THE NEWCOMERS: Here I Stand/ THE FOUR FELLOWS: Soldier Boy/ THE FOUR TUNES: Marie/ THE G-CLEFS: Ka-Ding Dong/ THE GENIES: Who's That Knocking On My Door/ THE GLADIOLAS: Little Darlin'/ SHIRLEY GUNTER & THE QUEENS: Oop Shoop/ THE HEARTBEATS: A Thousand Miles Away/ THE HEARTS: Lonely Nights/ THE HOLLYWOOD ARGYLES: Alley Oop/ THE HOLLYWOOD FLAMES: Buzz, Buzz, Buzz/ THE IMPALAS: Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home)/ THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Shout Part I & II/ THE JAMIES: Summertime, Summertime/ JAN & ARNIE: Jenny Lee/ JAN & DEAN: Baby Talk/ Clementine/ Gee/ There's A Girl/ We Go Together/ THE JESTERS: So Strange/ THE JIVE BOMBERS: Bad Boy/ BILL JOHNSON & HIS MUSICAL NOTES: Don't You Think I Oughta Know/ THE KALIN TWINS: Forget Me Not/ ANDY KIRK & HIS CLOUDS OF JOY: I Know/ LITTLE ANTHONY & THE IMPERIALS: Shimmy, Shimmy Ko-Ko Bop/ Tears On My Pillow/ LITTLE JOE & THE THRILLERS: Peanuts/ FRANKIE LYMON & THE TEENAGERS: I Want You To Be My Girl/ Why Do Fools Fall In Love/ THE MAGNIFICENTS: Up On The Mountain/ THE MARCELS: Blue Moon/ THE MARIGOLDS: Rollin' Stone/ THE MELLO-KINGS: Tonite, Tonite/ THE MELLO-MOODS: Where Are You/ HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES: My Hero/ THE MILLS BROTHERS: Till Then/ THE MONOTONES: Book Of Love/ THE MOONGLOWS: Most Of All/ See Saw/ Sincerely/ Ten Commandments Of Love/ THE MYSTICS: Hushabye/ THE NUTMEGS: Story Untold/ THE OLYMPICS: (Baby) Hully Gully/ Big Boy Pete/ Western Movies/ THE ORIOLES: Baby Please Don'T Go/ Crying In The Chapel/ It's Too Soon To Know/ THE PARADONS: Diamonds And Pearls/ THE PASSIONS: Just To Be With You/ THE PASTELS: Been So Long/ THE PENGUINS: Earth Angel/ THE PENTAGONS: To Be Loved/ PHIL PHILLIPS & THE TWILIGHTS: Sea Of Love/ THE PLATTERS: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes/ The Great Pretender/ THE QUIN-TONES: Down The Aisle Of Love/ THE RAVENS: Ol' Man River/ Rock Me All Night Long/ THE RAYS: Silhouettes/ THE RIVIERAS: Moonlight Serenade/ THE ROBINS: If It's So Baby/ Smokey Joe'S Café/ ROCHELL & THE CANDLES: Once Upon A Time/ ROSIE & THE ORIGINALS: Angel Baby/ THE ROYAL JOKERS: You Tickle Me Baby/ THE SEVILLES: Charlena/ THE SHADOWS: I've Been A Fool/ THE SHELLS: Baby Oh Baby/ THE SHIELDS: You Cheated/ THE SHIRELLES: Dedicated To The One I Love/ I Met Him On A Sunday/ Tonight'S The Night/ Will You Love Me Tomorrow/ THE SILHOUETTES: Get A Job/ THE SIX TEENS: A Casual Look/ THE SKYLINERS: Since I Don't Have You/ This I Swear/ THE SPANIELS: Baby It's You/ Everyone Is Laughing/ Goodnite Sweetheart, Goodnite/ I Know/ THE SPIDERS: I'm Slippin' In/ Witchcraft/ You'Re The One/ THE STUDENTS: I'm So Young/ THE SWALLOWS: Beside You/ Will You Be Mine/ THE TEDDY BEARS: To Know Him Is To Love Him/ THE TEEN QUEENS: Eddie My Love/ TRAVIS & BOB: Tell Him No/ THE TUNE WEAVERS: Happy, Happy Birthday Baby/ THE TURBANS: When You Dance/ THE VALIANTS: This Is The Nite/ BOBBY VEE: Rubber Ball/ THE VELOURS: Can I Come Over Night/ THE VOCALEERS: Is It A Dream/ ANDRE WILLIAMS: Bacon Fat/ MAURICE WILLIAMS & THE ZODIACS: Stay/ THE WILLOWS: Church Bells May Ring

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Documents 600149 Jazz Guitar - Ultimate Collection, Vol. 1 ● CD $29.98
A budget priced treat for jazz guitar fans. This 10 CD set reissues eighteen 10" and 12" LPs from 16 masters of the jazz guitar which were originally issued in rge 1950s/ early 60. It includes Wes Montgomery - "The Incredible Jazz Guitar Of Wes Montgomery" (1960), Kenny Burrell - "Blue Lights Vol. 1" (1958), Jim Hall - "Jazz Guitar" (1957), "Herb Ellis Meets Jimmy Giuffre" (1959), "Guitar Moods By Mundell Lowe (1956), "A Recital By Tal Farlow (1955), Joe Puma - "East Coast Jazz 3" (1954), "Jimmy Raney Featuring Bob Brookmayer" (1956), Howard Roberts - "Good Pickins" (1959), Freddie Green - "Mr. Rhythm" (1955) (the only album under his own name from legendary guitarist from the Basie band), "The Oscar Moore Quartet" (1954), "Souvenirs De Django Reinhardt, Vols 1,2,3" (Three 10" LPs featuring recordings from 1947), Billy Bauer - "Plectrist" (1956), Charlie Byrd Trio - "Charlie's Choice" (1960), "Rene Thomas Et Son Quintette" (1954) and "Amor - The Fabulous Guitar Of Luiz Bonfa" (1959). No notes but full discographical info is included.

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Fuel 61960 Marijuana Madness, Vol. 2 ● CD $11.98
The madness continues with another 23 jazz and blues songs extolling the pleasures of the demon weed (and other drugs). Starting off with the most famous of drug songs Minnie The Moocher by Cab Calloway, we also have Ella Fitzgerald with When I Get Low I Get High, Junker's Blues by Champion Jack Dupree, The Onyx Hop by Frankie Newton & His Uptown Serenaders, Cocaine from country singer Dick Justice, Selling That Stuff by McKinney's Cotton Pickers plus songs from Jimmie Lunceford & His Orch., Louis Prima & His Orch., Jazz Gillum, Bob Howard & His Boys, Luke Jordan, The Harlem Hamfats and more.
LUCILLE BOGAN: Pot Hound Blues/ WILLIE BRYANT & HIS ORCHESTRA: A Viper's Moan/ CAB CALLOWAY & HIS ORCHESTRA: Minnie the Moocher/ CHAMPION JACK DUPREE: Junker's Blues/ JAZZ GILLUM & HIS JAZZ BOYS: Reefer Head Woman/ THE HARLEM HAMFATS: Weed Smoker's Dream (Why Don't You Do Right)/ BOB HOWARD: If You're a Viper (The Reefer Song)/ RICHARD M. JONES & HIS JAZZ WIZARDS: Blue Reefer Blues/ LUKE JORDAN: Cocaine Blues/ DICK JUSTICE: Cocaine/ LEAD BELLY: Take a Whiff on Me/ BARON LEE & THE BLUE RHYTHM BAND: Reefer Man/ JIMMIE LUNCEFORD & HIS ORCHESTRA: My Blue Heaven/ MCKINNEY'S COTTON PICKERS: Selling That Stuff/ THE MEMPHIS JUG BAND: Cocaine Habit Blues/ HAZEL MEYERS: Pipe Dream Blues/ MEZZ MEZZROW & HIS ORCHESTRA: Sendin' the Vipers/ FRANKIE NEWTON & HIS UPTOWN SERENADERS: The Onyx Hop/ LOUIS PRIMA & HIS ORCHESTRA: My Chinatown/ DJANGO REINHARDT & THE QUINTET OF THE HOT CLUB: Viper's Dream/ FREDDY TAYLOR & HIS SWING MEN FROM HARLEM: Blue Drag/ FATS WALLER: Viper's Drag/ CHICK WEBB & HIS ORCH. WITH ELLA FITZGERALD: When I Get Low, I Get High

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Jasmine 747 This Magic Moment - The Sound Of The Brill Building ● CD $18.98
Two CDs, 64 tracks, highly recommended
1619 Broadway in New York was known as the Brill Building after it's first owners. In the 1930s music publishers started moving in and it eventually became a headquarters for more than 160 music industry related businessess. In the early 1960s it was the home of a number of great songwriters and songwriting teams who turned out some of the best popular tunes of the time and this excellent collection is a sampling of of some of those songs - many of them hits. Among the writers represented here are Gerry Goffin & Carole King, Doc Pomus & Mort Schumann, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Neil Sedaka & Howard Greenfield, Bobby Darin, Jeff Barry, Phil Spector and many more - often in varying combinations. Among the performers who sangs their songs are The Shirelles, The Everly Brothers, Barry Mann, Tony Orlando, Jay & The Americans, The Crickets, Jimmy Clanton, The Crystals, Sam Cooke and many more. Excellent sound and informative notes. (FS)
FRANKIE AVALON: Two Fools/ RUTH BROWN: I Can't Hear A Word You Say/ This Little Girl's Gone Rockin'/ THE CHORDETTES: Just Between You And Me/ JIMMY CLANTON: Another Sleepless Night/ Venus In Blue Jeans/ THE COASTERS: Charlie Brown/ Sorry But I'm Gonna Have To Pass/ JAMIE COE: Summertime Symphony/ SAM COOKE: Teenage Sonata/ THE COOKIES: Chains/ THE CRICKETS: Don't Ever Change/ THE CRYSTALS: I Love You Eddie/ Uptown/ What A Nice Way To Turn Seventeen/ THE DELICATES: Dickie Went And Did It/ DION: Dream Lover/ Teenager In Love/ RAL DONNER: So Close To Heaven/ THE DRIFTERS: Please Stay/ Some Kind Of Wonderful/ This Magic Moment/ THE EVERLY BROTHERS: Crying In The Rain/ That's Old Fashioned/ SHELLEY FABARES: Telephone (Won't You Ring)/ FABIAN: Kissin' And Twistin'/ Turn Me Loose/ CONNIE FRANCIS: Breakin' In A Brand New Broken Heart/ Everybody's Somebody's Fool/ Where The Boys Are/ BIRDIE GREEN: How Come/ BUDDY HOLLY: Early In The Morning/ JAY & THE AMERICANS: Dawning/ This Is It/ BEN E. KING: First Taste Of Love/ Stand By Me/ Yes/ CAROLE KING: It Might As Well Rain Until September/ BRENDA LEE: It Started All Over Again/ CURTIS LEE: Pretty Little Angel Eyes/ LITTLE EVA: The Locomotion/ BARRY MANN: War Paint/ Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp, Bomp, Bomp)/ MYRNA MARCH: Our Love It Grows/ VINNIE MONTE: Painting The Town With Teardrops/ TONY ORLANDO: Bless You/ Halfway To Paradise/ THE PARIS SISTERS: I Love How You Love Me/ RAY PETERSON: Be My Girl/ Tell Laura I Love Her/ GENE PITNEY: Only Love Can Break A Heart/ Take It Like A Man/ THE PLAYMATES: Tell Me What She Said/ THE RONETTES: You Bet I Would/ NEIL SEDAKA: Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen/ One Way Ticket (To The Blues)/ You Mean Everything To Me/ DEL SHANNON: (Marie's The Name) His Latest Flame/ The Answer To Everything/ THE SHIRELLES: It's Love That Really Counts/ Will You Love Me Tomorrow/ BOBBY VEE: Run To Him/ Sharing You/ GENE VINCENT: Wear My Ring

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS Official 1500 Hidden Gems, Vol. 2 - Peacock Records ● CD $16.98
24 tracks, highly recommended
Official's second collection of "Hidden Gems" is devoted to the great Texas label Peacock, owned by the legendary (infamous?) Don Robey. It features 24 great blues tracks - many making their first appearance on CD. There are some superb, little known, female vocalists here including Bea Johnson, Iona Wade, Bettye Jean Washington and Mildred Jones as well as the somewhat better known Marie Adams. There are two superb cuts from singer/ piano player Clarence Green, not to be confused with the great Texas guitarist of the same name, though the two cuts here feature some hot guitar that is not listed in the discography. Other artists include Skippy Brooks, "Silver Cooks" with The Gondoliers (with Papa Lightfoot on harmonica and Tommy Ridgley on piano), R.B. Thibadeaux, Sonny Parker, Joe Fritz with The Johnny Otis Orch. and others. Excellent sound and discographical information is included in the booklet. (FS)
MARIE ADAMS WITH BILL HARVEY ORCH.: My Search Is Over/ MARIE ADAMS WITH CHEROKEE CONYERS & ORCH.: My Song/ MARIE ADAMS WITH PLUMA DAVIS ORCH.: I'm Gonna Latch On/ SKIPPY BROOKS, HIS PIANO & ORCH.: Across The Country Blues/ WALTER BROWN WITH JAY MCSHANN'S ORCH.: A B C Blues/ JOE FRITZ WITH JOHNNY OTIS ORCH.: The Woman I Love/ CLARENCE GREEN, HIS PIANO & ORCH.: Hard Headed Woman/ Until The End/ BEA JOHNSON WITH BIG JIM WYNN & BAND: Glad You Let Me Go/ MILDRED JONES WITH BILL HARVEY'S ORCH.: It's Been A Long, Long Time/ Love Sick Gal/ PAUL MONDAY WITH BILL HARVEY'S ORCH.: Dearest Mother/ Happy Birthday To You/ SONNY PARKER WITH GLADYS HAMPTON'S BLUES BOYS: Disgusted Blues/ SILVER COOKS WITH THE GONDOLIERS: Coming Back Home/ Mr. Ticket Agent/ LLOYD "FAT-MAN" SMITH & ORCH.: My Clock Stopped/ LLOYD "THE FAT MAN" SMITH WITH CALDONIA'S BOYS ORCH.: Giddy-Up Giddy-Up (All Night Long)/ R.B. THIBADEAUX WITH MUSIC BY R.B.'S BAND: New Kind Of Loving/ R.B. Boogie/ IONA WADE WITH ERIC VON SCHLITZ & HIS BIG SIX: Come On In (Drink Some Gin)/ Take My Number Baby/ BETTYE JEAN WASHINGTON WITH GEORGE SANFORD'S ORCH.: Why! Oh Why/ BEA JOHNSON WITH BIG JIM WYNN & BAND: No Letter Blues

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS One Day 234 Big Shot - The Fernwood Records Story ● CD $11.98
Two CDs, 40 tracks, very good
This volume in One Day's ongoing label profile series features sides recorded for the Memphis based Fernwood label founded by Jack Clement and "Slim" Wallace in 1957 and issued some 42 singles between 1957 and 1964. The most significant artist here is Thomas Wayne who has five songs here including the ballad Tragedy which was the label's only hit, the hot rockabilly track You're The One That Done and the original recording of The Girl Next Door later recorded by Elvis. Most of the rest is teen rock 'n' roll and includes sides by Johnny Cannon, Bill Reeder, Bill Rice (a fine and versatile performer who co-wrote The Girl Next Door with Wayne), Joe Lee, The Lyrics, The Tarantulas (a dull instrumental group), The Scotty Moore Trio (not as good as you might think, unfortunately), Barbara Perry, The Psychos (Bill Black Combo imitators), Eddie Collins (fine country singer), Kelly Sims, etc. Better than usual notes on this volume. (FS)
ALVIN & BILL: Typing Jive/ JOHNNY CANNON: Big Shot/ Rest/ EDDIE COLLINS: Can't Face Life Alone/ Patience Baby/ JOE LEE: Hang-Out/ Ethel Mae/ THE LYRICS: Let's Be Sweethearts Again/ You And Your Fellow/ RAMON MAUPIN: Love Gone/ No Chance/ Rocking Rufus/ What's The Use/ JERRY MCDONALD: Am I A fool/ True Love Deep Love/ THE SCOTTY MOORE TRIO: Have Guitar, Will Travel/ O'HENRY & BARBARA: Why Do I Love You/ BUFORD PEEK: Knock Down, Drag Out/ BARBARA PERRY: Bobby Is A Bad Bad Boy/ DEWEY PHILLIPS: Beg Your Pardon/ It Had To Be You/ THE PSYCHOS: Mack The Knife/ BILL REEDER: Where Were You Last Night/ You're My Baby/ BILL RICE: All Alone/ How Will We Ever Be Together/ I'll Run And Hide/ It's All Your Fault/ Let The Four Winds Blow/ KELLY SIMS: Betrayed By Love/ THE TARANTULAS: Kaw Liga/ Like Spellbound/ TRAVIS WAMMACK: I'm Leaving Today/ Rock & Roll Blues/ THOMAS WAYNE: Girl Next Door/ Gonna Be Waiting/ Saturday Date/ This Time/ Tragedy/ You're The One That Done It

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS One Day 240 Gansgter Of Love - The Apt Records Story ● CD $11.98
2 CD, 50 tracks, highly recommended
Apt Records was a less-than-successful label (one notable hit in its' eight year existence) subsidiary of ABC-Paramount, that was mostly used as a vehicle to release finished masters from independent producers and re-issue regionally released records national and internationally. Apt's sole major hit was the Elegants' "Little Star" in 1958, but several other notable records emerged with the Apt logo, including Johnny Kidd & the Pirates' Shakin' All Over (which the Guess Who hit covered) and The Parliaments' Poor Willie (the group became better known as Seventies funk merchants under George Clinton's guidance). Some other cool sides: Debbie Stevens' If You Can't Rock Me, Scott Stevens & the Cavaliers' Why, Why, Why, and The Darts' On My Mind. Apt was musically all over the place-releasing rock 'n' roll, pop, rockabilly, and R&B-and although the hits weren't happening, this collection proves that the non-chart action wasn't due to low quality. (GMC)
CHOKER CAMPBELL: Walk Awhile/ VINCE CASTRO: Bong Bong (I Love You Madly)/ You're My Girl/ THE CAVALIERS: Dance, Dance, Dance/ THE CLICK-CLACKS: Pretty Little Pearly/ Roma Rocka-Rolla/ THE CONSORTS: Time After Time/ THE DARTS: On My Mind/ Well Baby/ LONNIE DONEGAN: Pick A Bale Of Cotton/ THE DOZIER BOYS: My Heart Is Yours/ THE ELEGANTS: Little Star/ Please Believe Me/ THE FAWNS: Come On (And Love Me)/ THE FOREVERS: Baby/ BOBBY GUY: Good Enough/ BOBBY HAMILTON: Crazy Eyes For You/ How Come/ THE JIVE TONES: Ding Ding Dong/ Geraldine/ DAVE JOHNSON: Angel Of Mine/ DAVEY JONES: Come On And Love Me/ Let's Do It/ JOHNNY KIDD & THE PIRATES: Shakin' All Over/ DONNIE LA NEAR: Gangster Of Love/ I Don't Think You Love Me Anymore/ LITTLE LUTHER: Ever Lovin' Baby/ THE MADISON BROTHERS: Trusting In You/ THE MANIN BROTHERS: Hot Rod Susie/ LON MCCALLISTER: One Desire/ RUTH MCFADDEN: Don't Take Your Love/ TERRY NOLAND: Long Gone Baby/ There Goes A Girl/ THE ORIGINAL STARFIRES: Fender Bender/ THE PARLIAMENTS: Poor Willie/ THE PRETENDERS: Daddy Needs Baby/ RICK RANDELL: More Of The Same/ THE REDJACKS: Big Brown Eyes/ THE RICHETTES: Love And Happiness/ JERRY ROBERTS: Little Bitty Lover/ CLARENCE SAMUELS: We're Goin' To The Hop/ THE STEREOPHONICS: Love Is So Wonderful/ DEBBIE STEVENS: If You Can't Rock Me/ SCOTT STEVENS: Too Long Ago/ Why, Why, Why/ THE SUPREMES: Another Chance To Love/ Fidgety/ TED TAYLOR: Little Things Mean A Lot/ THE TERRACETONES: Ride Of Paul Revere/ LES VOGT: Moon Rocketin'

 
VARIOUS ARTISTS One Day 241 Boogie Uproar - Gems From The Peacock Vaults ● CD $11.98
Two CDs, 50 tracks, highly recommended
Superb collection of jump blues and R&B recorded for the great Peacock label between 1949 and 1952. Founded in Houston in 1949 by night club owner Don Robey it was originally formed with the intention of recording one of his most popular club artists Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown it quickly expanded and featured some of the best artists in Houston and the surrounding areas as well artists from further afield who were passing through like Memphis Slim & Jimmy McCracklin. "Gatemouth" is featured on four titles including the hot title instrumental and the classic Dirty Work At The Crossroads. Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton is featured on four tracks including her big hit Hound Dog and the soulful They Call Me Big Mama. Other artists here include Paul Monday, Bettye Jean Washington, The Deuces Of Rhythm (rockin' R&B vocal group featuring a young Little Richard), Andrew Tibbs (Chicago vocalist with the excellent Mother's Letter which I believe is on CD for the first time), Marie Adams, Jimmy McCracklin (two superb sides from 1952 with hot guitar from Lafayette THomas), The Johnny Otis Orch., Pete "Guitar" Lewis (the tough harmonica instrumental Goin' Crazy which I believe is on CD for the first time), Elmore Nison, Floyd Dixon, Silver Cooks & The Gondoliers (fine New Orleans group with Papa Lightfoot on harmonica), Joe "Papoose" Fritz, Walter Brown (the last recordings of this superb and pioneering blues shouter with The Jay McShann Orch.), Willie Holiday, Robert Ketchum and others. The Peacock label was also the greatest gospel label of the 50s and 60s and there are three token gospel sides featured including the fantastic Calling Jesus, My Rock by the female quartet The Golden Harp Gospel Singers led by Jeanette Harris, the wife of the great R.H. Harris. Fabulous stuff. (FS)
MARIE ADAMS: Ain't Car Crazy/ I'm Gonna Play The Honky Tonks/ THE BELLS OF JOY: Let's Talk About Jesus/ EDGAR BLANCHARD & THE GONDOLIERS: Creole Gal Blues/ CLARENCE "GATEMOUTH" BROWN: Baby Take It Easy/ Boogie Uproar/ I've Been Mistreated/ WALTER BROWN & MC SHANN'S ORCHESTRA: ABC Blues/ The Search/ CLARENCE "GATEMOUTH" BROWN WITH JIMMY MC CRACKLIN'S ORCHESTRA: Dirty Work At The Crossroads/ THE DEUCES OF RHYTHM WITH THE TEMPO TOPPERS: Fool At The Wheel/ FLOYD DIXON: Let's Dance/ Rockin' At Home/ Sad Journey/ We'll Be Together/ JOE "PAPOOSE" FRITZ: I'm Not Suspicious But/ Summer's Coming On/ GOLDEN HARP GOSPEL SINGERS: Calling Jesus, My Rock/ GLADYS HILL & AL GREY'S ALLSTARS: Please Don't Touch My Bowl/ WILLIE HOLIDAY: I've Played This Town/ BEA JOHNSON & JIM WYNN & HIS BAND: No Letter Blues/ GWEN JOHNSON WITH QUINTON BATISTE & ORCHESTRA: New Orleans/ MILDRED JONES WITH THE BILL HARVEY ORCHESTRA: It's Been A Long Time/ ROBERT KETCHUM: She's Gone From Me/ PETE "GUITAR" LEWIS: Goin' Crazy/ SMILIN 'SMOKEY' LYNN & BILL HARVEY ORCHESTRA: Leave My Girl Alone/ JIMMY MCCRACKLIN & HIS ORCHESTRA: She Felt Too Good/ She's Gone/ MEMPHIS SLIM & HIS ORCHESTRA: Living Like A King/ Mean Little Woman/ Sitting And Thinking/ The Girl I Love/ PAUL MONDAY WITH THE BILL HARVEY ORCHESTRA: Irene's Boogie/ Tired Of This Life I'm Living/ ELMORE NIXON AND HIS ORCHESTRA: A Hepcat's Advice/ ELMORE NIXON, HENRY HAYES AND HIS FOUR KINGS: Alabama Blues/ JOHNNY OTIS ORCHESTRA: Rock Me Baby/ Young Girl/ SONNY PARKER WITH GLADYS HAMPTON'S BLUES BOYS: Money Ain't Everything/ She Sets My Soul On Fire/ SISTER JESSIE MAE RENFRO: Rock Of Ages (Hide Thou Me)/ SILVER COOKS & THE GONDOLIERS: Mr Ticket Agent/ R.B. THIBADEAUX: R.B. Boogie/ WILLIE MAE "BIG MAMA" THORNTON & BILL HARVEY'S ORCHESTRA: Cotton Picking Blues/ WILLIE MAE THORNTON & BILL HARVEY'S BAND: Let Your Tears Fall Baby/ WILLIE MAE "BIG MAMA" THORNTON & JOHNNY OTIS ORCHESTRA: Rock A Bye Baby/ WILLIE MAE "BIG MAMA" THORNTON WITH KANSAS CITY BILL & ORCHEST: Hound Dog/ ANDREW TIBBS & CHEROKEE CONYER'S ORCHESTRA: Mother's Letter/ Rock Savoy, Rock/ BETTY JEAN WASHINGTON: Betty Jean Blues

 
SPENCER WIGGINS Kent CDKEND 340 Feed The Flame: The Fame And XL Recordings ● CD $18.98 $14.98
22 tracks, 67 min., essential
After Rick Hall (of Fame Records) bought Wiggins' contract from the floundering Goldwax Records, he send him straight to the studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. The results of those and later sessions (as well as Wiggins' final Goldwax outing) appear on this excellent release. Recorded between 1969-73, these sides, made at Fame and Sounds Of Memphis (many previously unreleased) are every bit the equal of Wiggins' earlier work (also available on Ace/ Kent). It's deep southern soul recorded the way it should be. Wiggins' voice, which is two parts Bobby Bland and one part O.V. Wright sounds vibrant and strong on the classic This Time, the much sought after I'm At The Breaking Point, This Love Is Gonna Be True, Holding On To A Dying Love, the ballad Love Works That Way, Make Me Yours,and more. Wiggins even turns out a James Brown-esque funk workout called Love Machine and funks it up some more on Love Attack. Used to be impossible to find this guy's records, so it's especially nice to have these great recordings made available. And Kent/Ace does its usual quality job all around. Impressive stuff. (JC)

 
REVEREND ROBERT WILKINS Bear Family BCD 16629 Prodigal Son ● CD $21.98
13 tracks, essential
After almost 50 years this masterpiece is finally available again. Mississippi bluesman Robert Wilkins made some superb and distinctive recordings in the late 20s and early 30s. These tracks are available on Yazoo 1077 - "The Original Rolling Stone" ($16.98) and are essential listening. In 1964 he was rediscovered by enthusiast and researcher Dick Spottswood. Wilkins had become a preacher and had abandoned the blues but continued singing and playing gospel songs with the same skill and feeling he had brought to the blues though with a more rhythmic emphasis that was more appropriate to the gospel songs he performed. Spottswood recorded an album by Wilkins in 1964 featuring eight magnificent performances highlighted by the incredible 10 minute Prodigal Son - a long imaginative song based on the Bible parable and using the same tune as his pre war blues "That's No Way To Get Along." The rest of the recordings were almost as good being a mix of traditional songs and original songs based on traditional themes. Among the other highlights are his hypnotic and rhythmic version of Do Lord Remember Me and his own Jesus Said If You Go with powerful exclamations from him that bring to mind Rev. Gary Davis. There are also a couple of superb instrumentals including another repurposing of one of his old blues songs I'm Going Home To My Heavenly King is based around the tune of Old Jim Canann. After being available for a few years the album disappeared into limbo not appearing again on LP or CD until now. This new CD features all eight songs from the LP along with three other songs from the session that appeared on a Biograph LP including the gorgeous I Wish I Was In Heaven Sitting Down with some lovely side playing. There is also a five minute "biographical statement" by Robert where he talks about his early life. The disc includes a 28 page booklet with new notes by Spottswood. In 1968 The Rolling Stones recorded a version of "Prodigal Son" for their "Beggar's Banquet" LP and royalties from this release allowed the Reverend to live the rest of his life in comfort and in a rare display of bad taste Bear Family has used a parody of the first cover for Beggar's Banquet as their front cover. But, ultimately it's the music that counts and that is fantastic. (FS)

 
DAVE "FAT MAN" WILLIAMS GHB 511 I Ate Up The Apple Tree ● CD $14.98
14 tracks, strongly recommended
An immensely appealing collection of music from New Orleans singer/ piano player Williams. Williams' music occupies a space somewhere between R&B and Jazz -  - some trackw are pure R&B(I Would If I Could) and some are pure jazz (Juke Box Sadie Lee but most of it lies somewhere in between. This CD reissues a long out of print album featuring recordings from 1963 and 1974 and adds five tracks from a 1975 session. Williams is accompanied by a band that includes musicians whose credits include jazz and R&B sessions (Clarence Ford/ clarinet & tenor sax, Alvin Alcorn/ trumpet, Frank Fields/ bass and others). The tracks are a mix of Williams originals and old favorites. The title track, a Williams composition, has become a New Orleans standard, frequently performed by local brass bands and covered by a number of artists. The feel is low key and gently swinging in true New Orleans style. Not a profound album but a very entertaining one. (FS)

 

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