|
RHYTHM
& BLUES, SOUL & DOO-WOP
Tarheel
Slim -> Sonny Til
| TARHEEL SLIM
& LITTLE ANN |
Collectables 5159 |
The Robin & Fire Years |
● CD $11.98 |
15 tracks, 51 mins, highly recommended
Excellent collection
of blues, doo-wop, R&B ballads and some forgettable versions of a few
country songs by superb singer & guitarist Tarheel Slim (Allen Bunn)
and his wife Little Ann recorded for Bobby Robinson's Red Robin, Fire
& Fury labels between 1954 and '62. It includes Slim's double sided
rockin' blues masterpiece from 1959 Number Nine Train/ Wildcat Tamer
and two 1954 blues sides by him. There is also a superb solo performance
by Ann on You're Gonna Reap. The rest is duets Anne including some
great minor key doom laden R&B ballads like the two part Can't Stay
Away, It's Too Late and Much Too Late. Most of the rest
is pretty much mainstream R&B plus some country songs which might have
been O.K. but for the awful string section and wretched heavenly choir.
Sound could have been better but is satisfactory. (FS)
|
| HOWARD TATE |
Koch 8311 |
Howard Tate |
● CD $12.98 |
A most welcome reissue of Howard's 1972 Atlantic. Mostly
original songs by Howard's long time associate and producer Jerry Ragavoy.
Brilliant and soulful singing by Howard and excellent arrangements
featuring top New York studio musicians.
|
| JOHNNIE TAYLOR |
Fantasy 60006 |
Chronicle: The Twenty Greatest Hits |
● CD $15.98 |
Twenty Taylor triumphs for the Stax label, totaling over an
hour of music. Includes Who's Makin' Love, Steal Away, Cheaper To Keep
Her, Just Keep On Lovin' Me.
|
| JOHNNIE TAYLOR |
Stax 4115 |
Who's Making LOve |
● CD $12.98 |
Reissue of Stax 2005 from 1968, Johnnie's 2nd LP. A gritty
soul classic throughout, most songs co-written by Homer Banks including
the set's 2 hits, the title classic and Take Care Of Your Homework
, plus I'd Rather Drink Muddy Water/ Payback Hurts/ Can't Trust Your
Neighbor (GM)
|
| JOHNNIE TAYLOR |
Stax 4432 |
Lifetime - A Retrospective Of Soul, Blues
& Gospel |
● CD $44.98 |
4 CDS, 65 tracks, 3 hours 47 mins, essential
Unfortunately
it took death to get the ultimate compilation of this extraordinary singer
out, with everything in one place. It helps that Fantasy owns Stax &
Specialty, but also Warners, ABKCO, Malaco & Sony contributed. This 3
CD set starts out with, starting with the self-penned I Dreamed That
Heaven Was Like This by The Highway QC's from Vee Jay & a dozen
incredible Soul Stirrers sides from Specialty where he replaced his good
friend Sam Cooke. In fact, the next sides were done for the Cooke-owned
SAR & Derby labels incl the original version of Rome Wasn't Built
In A Day written by & later recorded by Sam. At this point, his
career wasn't doing great, but the career of the similarly named Little
Johnny Taylor (who recorded for Galaxy) was going through the roof, with a
blues tune Part Time Love which was #1 in the R&B charts.
Little Johnny couldn't tour outside the West Coast, but our Johnnie could.
He included the tune in his show & took on a more blues style, best
exemplified here with I've Got To Love Somebody's Baby for Stax .
The beginning of his Stax career wasn't taking off, so he switched to a
more soulful style, finally striking gold with Who's Making Love,
which crossed over to the pop market. More big hits on Stax, including a
great cover of The Parliament's Testify (I Wanna), Cheaper To
Keep Her & Jody's Got Your Girl & Gone. From there over
to CBS where he had the very 1st platinum record with Disco Lady,
& into the 80s & 90s with Malaco, where his final single was 99's Soul
Heaven. In between are all the hits, plenty of LP tracks, lots of
unissued sides, both studio (covers of Part Time Love & Sam
Cooke's That's Where It's At) & live (a wonderful version of Steal
Away). Comes with a booklet with rare pics & excellent liner notes
from Lee Hildebrand. (GM)
|
| JOHNNIE TAYLOR |
Stax 8508 |
Raw Blues |
● CD $12.98 |
Reissue of Johnnie's 1st Stax LP, STS-2008, from 1969,
produced by Al Jackson with Steve Cropper engineering - lots of great
blues & soul shouting - Hello Sundown/ Part Time Love/ That Bone/
Where There's Smoke There's Fire/ Pardon Me Lady, etc.
|
| JOHNNIE TAYLOR |
Stax 8563 |
The Johnnie Taylor Philosophy Continues |
● CD $12.98 |
Despite the uninviting title, this reissue of Taylor's 1969
Stax album is great soul in the tradition. Backed by 3/4 of The MG's
(Marvell Thomas on keyboards), Taylor's sure-fired grooves change styles
as easily as most people change parking spaces. For low-down soul there's Testify,
for the ballad-minded listener there's Separation Line, and for
boxing metaphors there's I Had A Fight With Love - guess who wins.
The eclectic set also includes the classic Isley Bros.' song It's Your
Thing, and the Holiday Inn lounge fave Who Can I Turn To, which
Taylor works into a Nat "King" Cole feel. Throw in I Could
Never Be President/ Love Bones/ Love Is A Hurting Thing and more, sit
back with the volume up, and you'll wonder why this wasn't reissued
sooner. (JC)
|
| SAM "THE
MAN" TAYLOR |
Verve 547 877 |
Swingsation |
● CD $11.98 |
14 tracks recorded for MGM in New York between 1954 and 1956
featuring tenor sax man Taylor best known for his work as a sideman on
hundreds of sessions.
|
| TED TAYLOR |
Collectables 5669 |
Ted Taylor's Greatest Hits |
● CD $13.98 |
18 tracks, 45 min., recommended
The welcome reissue of Ted
Taylor's mid-60's cuts for the Okeh division of Columbia Records.
Distributed by Collectables, the disc itself is pressed by Sony and
features excellent sound quality. The program opens with the charted hit, Stay
Away from My Baby, then moves on to Can't Take No More, Don't
Lie, a solid remake of his Duke label hit Be Ever Wonderful, Don't
Deceive Me (Please Don't Go), Need You Home, You Must Have
Been Meant For Me, Him Instead of Me, and Somebody's Always
Trying. Fine falsetto soul music from this solid entertainer, a man
who began his career as a member of the Cadets/Jacks vocal group in the
mid-50's and who enjoyed his last chart successes on the Ronn and Alarm
labels into the mid-70's. (DH)
|
| THE TEEN QUEENS |
Ace CDCHD 581 |
Eddie My Love |
● CD $18.98 |
22 tracks, 50 min., recommended
The younger sisters of Cadets'/Jacks' member Aaron Collins, Betty
and Rosie Collins hit the big time as the Teen Queens when they were only
16 and 14 years old. Their first record, Eddie My Love, written by
brother Aaron, was a smash hit in early 1956. Later records for the RPM
label in much the same vein included Red Top, Until the Day I
Die, Rock Everybody, Baby Mine, So All Alone, and
Teenage Idol, all included here. None of these later numbers
clicked with the public, however, and, sadly, the Collins sisters, like
Frankie Lymon, turned self destructive and died in their early 30's.
Thanks are due to Ace for preserving their youthful output, with that
label's usual care. Sound quality, liner notes, graphic considerations,
and vintage photos are all solid. (DH)
|
| THE TEMPREES |
Stax 8524 |
The Best Of The Temprees |
● CD $12.98 |
Excellent 70s soul trio featuring the sweet falsetto lead of
Jabbo Smith. 12 fine singles recorded for the Stax subsidiary We Produce
in 1972-76, including beautiful remakes of Dedicated To The One I Love
& A Thousand Miles Away + Love Maze/ Explain It To Her Mama/
At Last/ My Baby Love , etc. (GM)
|
| JOE TEX |
Collectables 5451 |
Golden Classics |
● CD $13.98 |
24 tracks featuring some of his best
sides recorded between 1964 and 1976 - Ain't Gonna Bump No More/ I
Gotcha/ Hold What You Got/ Skinny legs & All/ Show M/ Men Are Getting
Scarce/ Buying A Book, etc.
|
| JOE TEX |
Curb 77520 |
Greatest Hits |
● CD $10.98 |
Joseph Arrington Jr. was born in Rogers, TX. in 1933, and
died of a heart attack in 1982. After singing with local gospel outfits
and winning a talent contest at the Apollo Theater in 1954, Joe signed
with King Records. King did nothing to advance Joe's career potential;
neither did Ace, Anna, Jalynne, Parrot, or Chess. In 1964 Tex signed with
Dial and cut a string of beautiful soul ballads centering around the
trials and tribulations of love and marriage. Five of these gems are
featured on this 12-song collection: Hold What You've Got/ A Sweet
Woman Like You/ I Want To (Do Everything For You)/ I Believe I'm Gonna
Make It/ The Love You Save May Be Your Own. The remainder is made up
of funk-junk chart fodder. From material cut before Joe became a Muslim in
1972. Scant notes, average sound. (OLN)
|
| JOE TEX |
Kent CDKEND 114 |
Skinny Legs & All |
● CD $18.98 |
|
| JOE TEX |
Kent CDKEND 117 |
You're Right, Joe Tex |
● CD $18.98 |
22 soul gems recorded for Dial in late 60s.
|
| JOE TEX |
Rhino 72565 |
The Very Best Of |
● CD $11.98 |
16 track budget price collection - Hold What You've Got/
One Monkey Don't Stop No Show/ A Sweet Woman Like You/ S.Y.S.L.J.F.M. (The
Letter Song)/ Papa Was Too/ Skinny legs And All/ Buying A Book/ You Said A
Bad Word, etc.
|
| JOE TEX |
R n B CD 1001 |
The Early Years |
● CD $18.98 |
27 tracks, 72 min., recommended
A comprehensive look at the
late 50's and very early 60's recordings of this soul star to be. And,
truth to tell, Tex's early works very accurately predict the output to
come, for, like Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson, and James Brown, he seemed to
know the music of the next decade long before that decade began. Tracks
here include All I Could Do Was Cry, She's Mine, Boys
Will Be Boys, Ain't Nobody's Business, Mother's Advice, You
Little Baby Faced Thing (an attempt to sound like Little Richard), I'll
Love You Just the Same, Davy You Upset My Home, Get Closer
Together, Another Woman's Love, Yum Yum, and I'll
Never Break Your Heart. Fine music, offered here with solid sound
quality, a great vintage cover photo, and no notes at all. (DH)
|
| JOE TEX |
Varese Vintage 66101 |
25 All Time Greatest Hits |
● CD $16.98 |
25 tracks,73 min, essential
A wonderful collection of Joe's
65-72 Dial hits, with the added addition of his '77 comeback single for
Epic, Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman). Joe
Arlington Jr. was the original rapper, testifying & preaching on such
hits as Hold On To What You Got/ One Monkey Don't Stop No Show/ A Sweet
Woman Like You & I Believe I'm Gonna Make It. By '68 he was
into a more novelty vein, 1st with SYSLJFM (The Letter Song) &
finally his smash Skinny Legs & All & his follow-up (my
fave) Men Are Getting Scarce. All these are here, along with The
Love You Save (May Be Your Own)/ Papa Was Too, the incredible I
Gotcha, tons more, all written by Joe except Bump, which was
written for him by his long-time producer Buddy Killen, who started the
Dial label (distributed by Atlantic) just for Tex. (GM)
|
| THE TEXAS TRUMPETS |
Dialtone 002 |
Featuring The Eastside Band |
● CD $14.98 |
12 tracks, recommended. A bit of a different sound, but a
most appealing one. Four fine trumpet players from Texas (Martin Banks,
Donald "Duck" Jennings, Pat Patterson and Ephraim Owens) join forces on a
selection of blues, jazz and R&B tunes - mostly originals. Between them the
players have worked with artists like Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Lou
Rawls, Etta James, Hank Ballard & The Midnighters and others. They are
accompanied by a solid group with guitar, bass, drums and organ. In addition
to the instrumental workouts there are vocals from Jennings, Patterson and
guest vocalist Matthew Robinson. Very nice. (FS)
|
| CARLA THOMAS |
Stax 8538 |
Memphis Queen |
● CD $12.98 |
Reissue of Stax 2019 from 1969, Carla's first for the
post-Atlantic label, fine Memphis soul including her last big hit, I
Like What You're Doing (To Me) , the obligatory Hair tune Where
Do I Go , plus Precious Memories/ Strung Out/ Guide Me Well/ More
Man Than I Ever Had (GM)
|
| CHRIS THOMAS |
Hightone HCD 8043 |
Simple |
● CD $15.98 |
If you're not a fan of Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix and
ZZ Top then you probably wouldn't like this extremely heavy new recording
by former Arhoolie artist Chris Thomas. If you like your guitars full of
fuzz, wha wha and distortion then Thomas is your man. This would sound at
home in the Fillmore Ballrooms of the 60's. I would prefer a lot more
flesh and blood in the drumming department but the fat modern synthetic
drums are here to stay I guess. Thomas has a nice epic flair in his
compositions and enough thunder and lightnin' to his guitar playing to
blow out a wall of Marshall amps. War/ Itch/ Simple/ Blood On The
Dagger/ Fool For Love/ Sad, Sad World , etc. (AE)
|
| IRMA THOMAS |
Kent 010 |
Time Is On My Side |
● CD $18.98 |
24 tracks, 66 min., essential
At least the third major
reissue for the queen of New Orleans soul in the last few years, this one
has one more track than the others, better graphics, and a cool photo of
Irma (this CD reissues a Kent LP and adds 8 cuts). The song selection is
arguably as good as the EMI collection (which is out of print) and better
than the Razor & Tie release (which is in print). Fans who have the
EMI disc, still might what to spring for this set since they only have 12
tracks in common. The Kent offers Baby Don't Look Down, I
Haven't Got Time To Cry, and Wait, Wait, Wait, all from her 2nd
LP, as well as Look Up (When Ever), the b-side from her Bandy
single and heaps more not on the EMI disc. It features the outstanding It's
A Man's-Woman's World-Part 1&2 ('66), produced by Mr. James Brown
himself. Of course, all her important sides like Wish Someone Would
Care, Anyone Who Knows What Love Is, Times Have Changed,
Time Is On My Side (covered by The Rolling Stones), and Ruler Of
My Heart are included. It's really all so simple. The more Irma Thomas
the better. (
JC/EL)
IRMA THOMAS: (I Want A) True, True Love/ Anyone Who Knows What Love Is
(will Understand)/ Baby Don't Look Down/ Break-a-way/ Gone/ I Did My Part/
I Done Got Over It/ I Haven't Got Time To Cry/ I Need Your Love So Bad/
It's A Man's-woman's World Parts 1 & 2/ It's Raining/ Look Up (when
Ever)/ Ruler Of My Heart/ Some Things You Never Get Used To/ Somebody Told
You/ Straight From The Heart/ Take A Look/ Time Is On My Side/ Times Have
Changed/ Two Winters Long/ Wait, Wait, Wait/ Wish Someone Would Care/
Without Love (there Is Nothing)/ You Don't Miss A Good Thing (until It's
Gone)
|
| IRMA THOMAS |
Razor & Tie 82097 |
Sweet Soul Queen Of New Orleans - The Irma
Thomas Collection |
● CD $16.98 |
23 tracks, 60 min., essential
Similar to the excellent and
already out-of-print EMI release of Minit/Imperial material of a few years
ago -- they share 14 of 23 tracks and even use the same cover photo --
this Razor & Tie production offers 9 Thomas songs not on the earlier
disc, including such top flight b-sides as Nobody Wants To Hear
Nobody's Troubles and Cry On, the flip to her first Minit 45, Girl
Needs Boy from '61. The previously unissued songs from the EMI release
are missing, but the replacements are of uniformly high quality. The
booklet notes are less informative here, and whoever decided to leave Two
Winters Long off is a mean person who probably kicks dogs. Still,
don't miss this music. . . again. (JC)
|
| IRMA THOMAS |
Rounder 2058 |
The Way I Feel |
● CD $15.98 |
Irma's second record for Rounder finds her again updating
her classic New Orleans sound, with mixed but better results. Her voice is
as good as ever and shines on great tunes such as You Can Think Twice
, Dancing In The Street and Toussaint's Old Records . Often,
however, she is done in by a plodding band and stilted drumming. Still,
when she sinks into a tune like Bobby Bland's I'll Take Care Of You
, aided by Ron Levy's piano, there are few who can touch her. (JM)
|
| IRMA THOMAS |
Rounder 2110 |
Simply The Best - Live |
● CD $15.98 |
|
| IRMA THOMAS |
Rounder 2117 |
True Believer |
● CD $15.98 |
Last year's Grammy-nominated Simply The Best, Live
(Rounder 2110) let the world know what New Orleans has been saying for a
long time - Irma Thomas is still a great soul singer. With this, her
fourth effort for Rounder, the evidence continues to mount. Exhibits A and
B are her covers of Jackie Wilson's I'll Be Satisfied, written by
Berry Gordy, and Allen Toussaint's Sweet Touch Of Love. But the two
Dan Penn numbers, Smoke Filled Room with the somber sax of Bill
"Foots" Samuel, and the new Trying To Catch A Cab In The Rain
are what really convict her of being talented as charged. And if the
upbeat Big Talk isn't slated for radio play, it sure should be.
Other memorable moments include Heart Full Of Rain, with horn
charts by Alvin "Red" Tyler, and the powerful title track. (JC)
|
| IRMA THOMAS |
Rounder 2149 |
The Story Of My Life |
● CD $15.98 |
11 tracks, 43 min., recommended. A 1997 effort by this
outstanding New Orleans soul singer, and just one more disc that leaves no
doubt at all that she's still got what it takes to put across both ballads
and jumps with deep rooted conviction. It's hard to think of a female
voice more rich and warm than hers. The numbers that she makes her own
this time around include No Use Talkin', The Story of My Life,
I Count the Teardrops, Love Don't Get No Better Than This, Get
Here, Keep the Faith, and even a more-than-convincing version
of Aretha Franklin's classic Dr. Feelgood, though the bouncy,
independent-woman spirit of I Won't Cry for You is the highlight
performance for me. This is the good stuff. (DH)
|
| IRMA THOMAS |
Rounder 2163 |
My Heart's In Memphis |
● CD $15.98 |
The great R&B and soul singer Irma Thomas singe the song
of great R&B and soul songwriter Dan Penn. The set includes nine new
compositions and four Penn classics.
|
| JOE THOMAS |
Blue Moon BMCD 1051 |
The Complete Recordings, 1945-50 |
● CD $16.98 |
Thomas, long time Jimmy Lunceford vet (he even led the orch.
after Jimmy's death) started a wild R&B band in '48 and became one of
the earliest screamin' saxes.
|
| RUFUS THOMAS |
Alligator 4769 |
That Woman Is Poison! |
● CD $13.98 |
|
| RUFUS THOMAS |
Atlantic 82254 |
Walking The Dog |
● CD $11.98 |
CD version of an album originally released in 1963 as Stax
LP 704 to capitolize on Thomas' unlikely dance hit. Not only did he follow
up The Dog with Walkin' The Dog but he followed both up with
the outrageous concept of Can Your Monkey Do The Dog . Rufus keeps
the dancers on the floor with some good covers of Mashed Potatoes
and Land Of 1000 Dances as well as versions of Lee Dorsey's Ya
Ya and Jessie Hill's Ooh-Poo-Pah-Doo . Good clean fun by the
world's oldest teenager. (AE)
|
| RUFUS THOMAS |
Rhino 72410 |
Do The Funky Somethin' - The Best Of Rufus
Thomas |
● CD $16.98 |
|
| RUFUS THOMAS |
Stax 8569 |
Can't Get Away From This Dog |
● CD $12.98 |
These 20 unreleased songs from the world's oldest teenager
comprise another fine release of Stax treasures. Recorded between 1963-67,
the selections are heavy on the R&B dance music that made Thomas
famous - Walking The Dog being the best known. An alternate version
of that hit is here, along with other doggie songs like Can Your Monkey
Do The Dog/ Stop Kicking My Dog Around and the title track. The latter
is not only the best cut but was, according to Rufus, written by Sam
Cooke. Of the three duets with daughter Carla, the best is their version
of Don't Mess Up A Good Thing, though Reconsider Baby is no
slouch. The backing band is none other than Booker T & The MG's and
the Mar-Key Horns (Wayne Jackson and Andrew Love, later known as The
Memphis Horns). (JC)
|
| RUFUS & CARLA
THOMAS |
Stax 4124 |
Chronicle: Their Greatest Stax Hits |
● CD $12.98 |
15 soul duets and solo outings, including Rufus's hits Do
The Funky Chicken/ Push And Pull/ Sixty Minute Man/ The Breakdown/ Do The
Funky Penguin.
|
| SONNY TIL |
Sequel NEMCD 737 |
Solo - Featuring Edna McGriff |
● CD $16.98 |
25 tracks, 71 min., recommended Even while he was leading
the preeminent vocal group of the late 40's and early 50's, Sonny Til was
encouraged by his label to record both solo numbers and, for one session
in 1952, duets with Edna McGriff, whose popular recording of Heavenly
Father had brought her to public attention. And you can rest assured
that Til is still the epitome of silky smoothness even when he lacks the
backing of the rest of the Orioles. Highlights of the program here include
My Prayer, Fool's World, Blame It One Yourself, The
First of Summer, and Panama Joe as solos, and Once in a
While and Pic-A-Dilly as duets. It's delightful music,
presented with Sequel's normal high production values, but be forewarned:
If you already own the Orioles Bear Family boxed set, you already have
every track here. (DH)
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