 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
||||||||||||||
 |
|
||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
RHYTHM & BLUES, SOUL & DOO-WOP
Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles -> Smiley Lewis
| PATTI LABELLE & THE
BLUEBELLES THE LAMPLIGHTERS THE LARKS FRANKIE LEE |
LEGENDS OF DOO WOP BARBARA LEWIS BOBBY LEWIS EARL LEWIS & THE CHANNELS JIMMY LEWIS SMILEY LEWIS |
| PATTI LABELLE & THE BLUEBELLES | Ace CDCHD 441 | The Early Years | ● CD $18.98 |
| 26 tracks, 74 min., recommended. These are the same
recordings as on Relic 7044, except the less expensive Relic CD offers one
more song (It's Written In Our Hearts). Isn't capitalism zany? Anyhow, Down
The Isle, I Sold My Heart To The Junkman, Decatur
Street, C'est La Vie, Love Me Just A Little, One
Phone Call, What Kind Of Heart, and the rest of their non-Xmas
Newtown recordings are here for you and your family to enjoy again and
again. And for what it's worth, this Ace release does have nicer photos of
the ladies than its competitor. (JC) |
|||
| PATTI LABELLE & THE BLUEBELLES | Collectables 5090 | Golden "Philly" Classics | ● CD $11.98 |
| PATTI LABELLE & THE BLUEBELLES | Collectables 5091 | Our Christmas Songbook | ● CD $11.98 |
| PATTI LABELLE & THE BLUEBELLES | Relic 7043 | Sleigh Bells, Jingle Bells & Bluebelles | ● CD $13.98 |
| 16 tracks including White Christmas/ Blue Christmas/
Winter Wonderland/ Oh Holy Night/ The First Noel/ O Come All ye Faithful/
Silent/ I Believe etc. PATTI LABELLE & THE BLUEBELLS: 0 Come All Ye Faithful/ Auld Lang Syne/ Blue Christhas/ Hark The Herald Angels Sing/ I Believe/ It Came Upon A M1dnight Clear/ Jingle Bells/ O Little Town Of Bethlehem/ Oh Holy Night/ Santa Claus Is Coming Town/ Silent Night/ The First Noel/ White Christmas/ Wihat Are You Doing New Years Eve/ Winter Wonderland/ You'll Never Walk Alone |
|||
| PATTI LABELLE & THE BLUEBELLES | Relic 7044 | Down The Aisle | ● CD $13.98 |
| 27 tracks, 77 min., recommended. Who would have thought that
the Bluebelles - renamed as LaBelle in 1971 - made so many swell records
for the Newtown label? Their biggest hit, 1962's I Sold My Heart To The
Junkman, (apparently sung by the Starlets) is here, as is Down The
Aisle. But lesser-known efforts like C'est La Vie/ Love Me Just A
Little/ Decatur Street/ One Phone Call/ Go On (This Is Goodbye) are
even better. And among the 6 unreleased cuts, the high energy What Kind
Of Heart is not only the standout but ranks among the best they ever
did. Sound quality is quite good, with some songs appearing in true stereo
for the first time. The annoying crowd sounds dubbed onto their first LP
(Newtown 632) are mercifully absent. (JC) PATTI LABELLE & THE BLUEBELLS: Academy Award/ C'est La Vie I Believe/ Cool Water/ Danny Boy/ Decatur Street/ Down The Aisle/ Go On (this Is Goodbye)/ Have I Sinned/ I Sold My Heart To The Junkman/ I Walked Right In/ Impossible/ Island Of Unbroken Hearts/ It's Written In Our Hearts/ Itty Bitty Twist/ Love Me Just A Little/ My Bridal Gown/ One Phone Call/ Please Hurry Home/ Sold My Heart To The Junkman/ Tear After Tear/ The Joke's On You/ What Kind Of Heart/ When Johnny Comes Marchin' Home/ Where Are You?/ You Will Fill My Eyes No More/ You'll Never Walk Alone |
|||
| THE LAMPLIGHTERS | Regency 121 | Bi-Bop Wino | $18.98 |
| Terrific collection of soulful up-temp doo-wop and ballads
by this excellent west coast group, mostly featuring the excellent lead
vocals of Willie Ray Rockwell. There are several leads by Thurston Harris
as well as the group accompanying Lil Greenwood and the great blues
shouter Jimmy Witherspoon. A second volume of the Lamplighters (Regency
130) was listed some time ago and includes many of the titles issued by
the group under the names of The Tenderfoots, Sharps and others. LIL GREENWOOD & GROUP: All Is Forgiven/ I'll Go/ I'm Crying/ Mercy Me/ THE LAMPLIGHTERS: Be-bop Wino/ Believe In Me/ Bo Beep/ Crazy Times/ Don't Make It So Good/ Hug A Little, Kiss A Little/ I Can't Stand It/ I Used To Cry Mercy, Mercy/ I Wanna Know/ Love, Rock & Thrill/ Ride Jockey, Ride/ Roll On/ Sad & Lonely/ Salty Dog/ Smoochie/ Tell Me You Care/ Turn Me Loose/ You Hear/ You Were Sent Down From Heaven/ You're Part Of Me/ Yum Yum (sugar Lump)/ JIMMY WITHERSPOON & GROUP: Give Me/ Just For You/ Move Me Baby/ Sad Life/ Twenty Four Sad Hours |
|||
| THE LAMPLIGHTERS | Regency RR 130 | Bo Peep | ● CD $18.98 |
| 30 tracks from this fine L.A. group from the mid 50s plus
various spin-off groups like The Tendefoots, Sharps and others. Mixture of
up tempo bluesy rockers and soulful ballads usually featuring the lead
vocals of Thurston Harris. Includes three previously unissued cuts. THE CRENSHAWS: No Other One/ CARL ELL & THE BUDDIES: Bobby, My love/ Sunshine/ THE LAMPLIGHTERS: Bo Peep/ Everything Is Allright/ Five Minutes Longer/ Goody, Goody, Good Things/ I'm Yours, Anyhow/ It Ain't Right/ Save Me Some Kisses/ Watussi Wussi Wu/ THE SHARPS: All My Love/ Gig-A-Lene/ Have Love, Will Travel/ Here's My Heart/ Lock My Heart/ Look What You've Done To Me/ Our Love Is Here To Stay/ Shufflin'/ Six Months, Three Weeks, Two Days, One Hour/ Sweet Sweetheart/ Tapun, Tapun/ What Will I Gain/ THE TENDERFOOTS: Lavern/ My Confession/ Sindy/ Sugar Ways/ The Kissing Bug/ Those Golden Bells/ SHARPS THE: Come On |
|||
| THE LARKS | Collectables 5176 | The Jerk - Goden Classics | ● CD $11.98 |
| THE LARKS | Collectable 8831 | The Apollo Sessions | ● CD $24.98 |
| 2 discs, 33 tracks | |||
| THE LARKS | Relic 7124 | My Reverie | ● CD $13.98 |
| 20 tracks each, 55 and min., essential Collectable issued a
double Larks double CD a few months back, and now Relic is issuing the
same material on two separate discs (see also below). Why would the much less imitative
folks at Relic go to the trouble? I think that the answer is simple.
Collectables left 7 cuts off of their issue - a previously unissued
version of Eyesight to the Blind, the beautiful All I Want for
Christmas, Christmas to New Years, I Live True to You,
the Jam Session that precedes Rockin' in the Rocket Room,
and the two fine gospel cuts issued under the Larks' own name, Shad-Rack
and Honey in the Rock. Relic, needless to say, has included those
tracks, plus, of course the remaining 33. To put it simply: The Relic team
seems to have wanted to see the job done right. And rightly done it is
this time. All of the great Larks records are here, including My
Reverie, Lucy Brown, Coffee Cigarettes & Tears, Stolen
Love, When I Leave These Prison Walls, I Ain't Fattenin'
Frogs for Snakes, I Don't Believe in Tomorrow, and No Mama
No. Both discs include extensive notes, several photos, discographical
information, and the names of group members. Even if you've already bought
the Collectables set (I did.), put it in your car if you're lucky enough
to have a CD player there or give it to a friend and buy yourself the
better-done Relic discs. (DH) |
|||
| THE LARKS | Relic 7125 | When I Leave These Prison Walls | ● CD $13.98 |
| THE LARKS | Jamie/Guyden 4014 | Unbelievable | ● CD $14.98 |
| 18 tracks, 51 min, recommended Not to be confused with the
Larks who recorded for Apollo. Though this is in Jamie's doowop series
& does contain a few doo-wop classics, including their hits It's
Unbelievable & Fabulous Cars & Diamond Rings, the
majority of this is the beginnings of Philly Soul. Led by Weldon McDougal,
the group went through several lead singers, both male & female,
including eventually 2 of McDougal's wives & most importantly Barbara
Mason, heard here on Dedicated To You, her 1st recording. From here
McDougal got deeper in the music business, 1st with Mason & her huge
hit Yes I'm Ready, then from there with Motown where he eventually
discovered The Jackson 5. McDougal 1st brought together some of the key
ingredients of Philly Soul for the group, including future members of MFSB.
(GM) |
|||
| FRANKIE LEE | Blind Pig 5013 | Going Back Home | ● CD $14.98 |
| 48 minutes, 12 tracks, very good. There's been a lot of good
new soul coming out of the South, with my only quibble being that there
are more keyboard programmers listed than musicians. Frankie Lee Jones
does it right done up here in Berkeley with 2 different 14 piece bands led
by guitarist Bobby Murray, with full horn, background & percussion sections, giving it a great feel. There's a nice mixture of originals by
Jones & Murray along with such covers as Joe Tex's The Love You
Save Today, Sam Cooke's Let The Good Times Roll & Marvin
Gaye's Ain't That Peculiar. (GM) |
|||
| FRANKIE LEE | Blues Express 0001 | Here I Go Again | ● CD $14.98 |
| 12 tracks, recommended. Frankie leads 2 fine bands on this
collection of uptown blues & soul, both featuring guitar from Bobby
Murray; the Frankie Lee Band has a rhythm section of Sametto & Donto
James, sons of the great Etta James, & his Allstars has Dave Matthews
on organ, both with 3 piece horn sections. There are a few Lee originals,
including the title tune, but he really shines on the covers, ranging from
a blazing version of Crossroads with guest Sonny Rhodes on lap
steel to Smokestack Lightnin' with just Frankie & Bobby, plus
some less covered tunes including OV Wright's Don't Let My Baby Ride,
Otis Redding's Open The Door & Robert Cray's Playin' With My
Friends. (GM) |
|||
| FRANKIE LEE | HMG 5501 | The Ladies And The Babies | ● CD $11.98 |
| Reissue of 1984 album by excellent R&B vocalist. CD
issue features one bonus unissued cut. |
|||
| LEGENDS OF DOO WOP | Legends ---- | Alive | ● CD $15.98 |
| 14 tracks, 35 min, recommended When you see the cover pic of
these 4 old guys & put on the CD with the sound of young guys from the
50s, you know you're in for the real thing! These legends were lead
singers from the best of the New York doo-wop groups - Jimmy Gallagher of
The Passions (with a beautiful lead falsetto - high tenor), Tony
Passalacqua of The Fascinators & Frank Mancuso of The Imaginations,
along with basser Steve Horn from The 5 Sharks. The repertoire is from the
songbook of the lead singer's groups, with the one ringer being Dear
Lord from the Continentals - tunes include (Passions) Just To Be
With You/ Gloria/ (Imaginations) Guardian Angel/Mystery of You/
(Fascinators ) Guardian Angel/ Mystery of You. Recorded live with
just 2 mikes - 1 for the lead, the other for the group. (GM) |
|||
| BARBARA LEWIS | Collectables 5104 | Golden Classics | ● CD $11.98 |
| A dozen Atlantic sides including Hello Stranger/ Baby I'm
Yours/ Make Me Your Baby |
|||
| BARBARA LEWIS | Rhino 71619 | Hello Stranger - The Best Of Barbara Lewis | ● CD $16.98 |
| 20 tracks, 51 min., recommended Capable of being soulful,
sultry, and sweet, often at the same time, Barbara Lewis has long deserved
a retrospective of this breadth and overall quality. Among the many
highlights here, recorded between 1962 and 1968, are her major hits like Hello
Stranger/ Baby I'm Yours/ Make Me Your Baby/ and Make Me Belong to You
plus lesser known tracks like How Can I Say Goodbye/ I Remember the
Feeling and Thankful for What I Got. Though she was never a
powerhouse soul star like her contemporary and label-mate Aretha Franklin,
Lewis recorded lots of gentle music well worth revisiting, offered here in
solid stereo sound, with worthwhile notes by David Nathan, and journeyman
graphics. (DH) |
|||
| BOBBY LEWIS | Relic 7041 | Tossin' & Turnin' | ● CD $13.98 |
| Following the stereotypic storyline of his era, Bobby Lewis
struck chart gold with his first Beltone outing, the title tune here which
rose to number one in 1961, and never saw those glorious heights again.
Nonetheless during his tenure with that label he cut a total of 17 tracks,
many of which have the same sort of rhythm and energy as Tossin' And
Turnin' and all of which are reissued here, including One Track
Mind/ Cry No More/ A Man's Gotta Be A Man/ Lonely Teardrops/ Nothing But
the Blues, and, of course, the title track. They all show the
sensitivity of a performer with roots in the 50's rather than one who's
looking ahead to the emergence of soul. Sound quality is excellent. The
liner notes by Ronnie Erwin are solid, and the cover art is the best that
Relic has come up with yet. Well done. (DH) BOBBY LEWIS: A Man's Gotta Be A Man/ Are You Ready?/ Boom A Chick Chick/ Cry No More/ Day By Day I Need Your Love/ Head Over Heals/ I'm Tossin' And Turnin' Again/ Let Me Be The One You Love/ Lonely Teardrops/ Mamie In The Afternoon/ Nothing But The Blues/ Oh Yes, I Love You/ One Track Mind/ Tossin' And Turnin'/ Turn Over A New Leaf/ What A Walk/ Yes, Oh Yes It Did |
|||
| EARL LEWIS & THE CHANNELS | Collectables 5012 | New York's Finest | ● CD $11.98 |
| JIMMY LEWIS | Collectables 5188 | Golden Classics | ● CD $11.98 |
| JIMMY LEWIS | Kent CDKEND 153 | Still Wanna Be Black | ● CD $18.98 |
| Fine late 60s to mid 70s Southern soul from Mississippi soul
singer and noted songwriter. Includes all 8 tracks from his 1974 Hotlanta
album "Totally Involved" plus 12 previously unissued - most of
them probably songwriter demos including the powerful anthemic title song. JIMMY LEWIS: Don't Sit Around/ Friendship Only Goes So Far/ Go On Live Your Life/ Help Me Understand You/ How Long Is A Heartache Supposed To Last/ I Got My Troubles/ I Intend To Take Your Place/ I've Got To Get You Back/ Is That Any Way To Treat A Lady/ It Ain't What's On The Woman/ It's Never Too Late/ Message To The Ladies/ Midnight Special/ One Woman's Man/ Still Wanna Be Black/ Stop To Start/ Thank You/ That Won't Stop Me From Loving You/ There Ain't No Man That Can't Be Caught/ When Love Is Gone |
|||
| SMILEY LEWIS | Collectables 5630 | I Hear You Knocking - The Best Of Smiley Lewis | ● CD $13.98 |
| Another EMI reissue that was available for about five
minutes and then deleted and now picked up by Collectables. 24 tracks by
one of New Orleans finest singers accompanied by the cream of New Orleans
sidemen. All the major cuts are here: Tee Nah Nah/ The Bells Are
Ringing/ Big Mamou/ Blue Monday/ I Hear You Knocking/ Shame, Shame, Shame,
and his most famous song - One Night. The notes by Jeff Hannusch
are first rate. There's a listing of Smiley's singles and track
annotations for each of the cuts included here though no personnel
information are given. |
|||
Roots & Rhythm
P.O. Box 837
El Cerrito, CA 94530 USA
Toll Free Order Line : 888-ROOTS-66, Fax : 510-526-9001
© 2008 Roots & Rhythm. No part of this site may be reproduced without written permission