BETTY LAVETTE / CAROL FRAN "Bluesoul Belles" - The Complete Calla, Port, & Roulette Recordings

The stellar Bluesoul Belles: The Complete Calla, Port & Roulette Recordings spotlights Betty Lavette and Carol Fran, two of the more criminally underrated singers from soul music's mid-'60s golden era. Unearthing two dozen tracks from the Calla, Port, and Roulette vaults, many of them previously unreleased alternate takes, the set offers a persuasive argument that, while never earning the critical respect or commercial kudos of their contemporaries, both women deserve consideration alongside the greats of the period. Lavette's opening "Let Me Down Easy," a staple of the Northern soul scene and the countless anthologies it's yielded, is far and away the most recognizable cut here -- the song is her masterpiece, a blisteringly poignant requiem for romance gone bad distinguished by its unique, tango-like rhythm and sweeping string arrangement. The remaining seven tracks don't reach the same peaks, but from the Motown-inspired stomp of "What I Don't Know (Won't Hurt Me)" to the gospel-inflected "Cry Me a River," Lavette's versatility and raw power ring through loud and clear. Although Lavette receives top billing, Fran's contributions comprise fully two-thirds of the disc; best known for her latter-day blues efforts with guitarist husband Clarence Holliman, the aching beauty of her mid-'60s soul sides is revelatory. Though rooted in the blues, her crystalline vocals were nevertheless ideally suited to the uptown style and sophistication of her Port dates; the chart failure of these recordings is baffling, and in particular the remarkable "Any Day Love Walks In" merits the label of lost classic. (by Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide)

trax:
Bettye LaVette
1. Let Me Down Easy 2. Only Your Love Can Save Me 3. Stand Up Like A Man 4. What I Don't Know (Won't Hurt Me) 5. Cry Me A River (Take 1) 6. She Don't Love You Like I Love You (Take 5) 7. I Feel Good All Over (Take 1) 8. I'm Just A Fool For You (Take 2)
Carol Fran
9. A World Without You 10. It's My Turn Now 11. Just A Letter 12. Any Day Love Walks In 13. C'Mon Let's Make Up 14. So Close 15. Roll With The Punches 16. My Runaway Heart 17. You're My Pleasure 18. A Woman In Love 19. I Was Such A Fool 20. Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind 21. You Can't Stop Me 22. I Know 23. I'm Gonna Try 24. Crying In The Chapel
...served by Gyro1966...

MARVA WHITNEY "It's My Thing" 1969

Like any disc produced by James Brown and featuring the mighty JB's as a backing group, It's My Thing is a stone-cold funky record. Marva Whitney sang in the James Brown Revue from 1967 to 1969, and in 1969 she released this record. Not only did Brown produce but he wrote or co-wrote most of the tracks and it basically sounds like a James Brown record with a female singer. A tough, aggressive female singer. Marva sounds like she could take any comers and leave them shaking in their go-go boots. From the opening blast of "It's My Thing, Pt. 1 and "Pt. 2," a rewrite of the Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing, she shouts, exhorts, wails, and basically lets it all hang out as the band lays down groove after groove. Thankfully after four exhausting tracks, Marva slows it down with "If You Love Me," an Otis Redding-style broken-hearted ballad. After an instrumental break she jumps right back into the funky fray with "Unwind Yourself," which features a classic horn line and some gritty vocalizing from Marva. The rest of the record follows this pattern of a couple of stompers and a ballad. The highlight of the record is "I'm Tired I'm Tired I'm Tired (Things Better Change Before It's Too Late)," a funky (yes, every track on this disc is funky) lament that details just how tired Marva is of society putting her down. Check out Brown going wild in the background about halfway through the song. The disc has five bonus tracks added to the original album, including the slow-burning "I Made a Mistake Because It's Only You, Pts. 1 & 2" and a duet with James Brown on "Sunny." This is a great record and it is a pity that it is on such a tiny label and not one of the major reissue labels because Marva deserves wider recognition. By all means seek this one out.trax:
01 It's My Thing (Pt 1) 02 It's My Thing (Pt 2) 03 Things Got to Get Better (Get Together) 04 What Kind of Man 05 If You Love Me 06 In the Middle (Instrumental) 07 Unwind Yourself 08 You Got to Have a Job (If You Don't Work, You Can't Eat) 09 I'll Work It Out 10 Get Out of My Life 11 I'm Tired I'm Tired I'm Tired (Things Better Change Before It's Too Late) 12 Shades of Brown (Instrumental) 13 I Made a Mistake Because It's Only You (Pt 1) 14 I Made a Mistake Because It's Only You (Pt 2) 15 What Do I Have to Do to Prove My Love to You 16 He's the One 17 This Girl's in Love with You 18 Sunny (with James Brown)
...served by Gyro1966...

DAN PICKETT & TARHEEL SLIM "DAN PICKETT & TARHEEL SLIM" - 1949

New York City was never a great town for blues and R&B. Audiences here tended to think of themselves as more sophisticated and uptown they bought mostly jazz and gospel, downtown it was show tunes and pop singers, but that doesn't mean there were no blues or R&B recorded here, in fact there was a thriving blues scene, much of it centered around a group of players who had grown up in the North Carolina area and included Sonny Terry, Brownie and Stick McGhee, and today's subject-- Allen Bunn, aka Tarheel Slim. Born Alden Bunn in the country side outside of Rocky Mount, North Carolina in 1924, Bunn is rarely written about these days, which is suprising and sad since he made quite a few good records, one certified two sided masterpiece, not to mention a couple of almost hits. Somebody must have bought his records since he kept making them, recording for over 21 years, and they're all fairly easy to find today which means they pressed plenty of copies.
So who was Allen Bunn/Tarheel Slim, and why should we care?
Bunn grew up in the countryside, working in the tobacco fields and listening to his mom's Blind Boy Fuller 78's. Eventually he learned to play guitar, and was heard singing and playing in church by Thurman Ruth, the leader of a local gospel quartet called the Selah Jubilee Singers (they'd soon drop the Jubilee part of their name). Ruth recruited Bunn into his group (putting off his debut until tobacco season was over) and for the next eight years he sang baritone and played guitar with the Selah Singers, who also recorded secular material as the Larks, the Four Barons, and possibly a few other names. As the Larks they cut some nice sides for the Apollo label, and Bunn's lead vocals and guitar can be heard on their 1951 single My Little Sidecar… - more great info about Tarheel Slim here: The Hound Blogtrax:
Dan Pickett
1. Baby How Long 2. You Got To Do Better 3. Ride To A Funeral In A V-8 4. Decoration Day 5. Drivin' That Thing 6. That's Grieving Me 7. 99 1/2 Won't Do 8. Baby Don't You Want To Go 9. Chicago Blues 10. Something's Gone Wrong 11. Early One Morning 12. Lemon Man 13. Number Writer 14. Drivin' That Thing #2 15. I Can Shake It
Tarheel Slim
16. Somebody Changed The Lock 17. You're A Little Too Slow 18. I Have Found No Friend - 1 19. Get On The Road To Glory - 1
...served by Gyro1966...

TED TAYLOR "The Complete Jewel & Ronn Solo Singles A's & B's"

Born Austin Taylor, 16 February 1934, Okmulgee, Oklahoma, USA Soul-blues singer Ted Taylor unleashed his stratospheric, falsetto-driven voice on a wide variety of material during the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, his gospel heritage never far from the surface. He was a veteran of several spiritual groups including the Mighty Clouds Of Joy and the Santa Monica Soul Seekers. This latter group then crossed over to R&B, where they worked a dual career both as the Cadets and the Jacks. By the late '50s, Taylor was signed to Ebb, and a myriad of other imprints soon followed (notably Duke, where he waxed his first version of the ballad 'Be Ever Wonderful'), Okeh (his sides for the Columbia subsidiary were done in Chicago and Nashville), and Ronn, where he spent nearly a decade. A car wreck claimed his life in 1987. (Bill Dahl, All Music Guide)trax:
disc 1
01 Strange Things Happening 02 Little Boy How Old Are You? 03 Very Truly Yours 04 Days Are Dark 05 Close Your Eyes 06 You've Been Crying 07 Keep Walking On 08 Everywhere I Go 09 Miss You So 10 I'm Gonna Get Tough 11 I Need Your Love So Bad 12 Ollie Mae 13 Without A Woman 14 Honey Lou 15 Strangest Feeling 16 You Got To Feel It 17 Long Ago 18 I'm Gonna Send You Back To Oklahoma 19 It's Too Late 20 The Road Of Love 21 If I Thought You Needed Me 22 I'm Lonely Tonight 23 I Feel A Chill 24 The Loving Physician 25 Something Strange Is Going On In My House 26 Funky Thing
disc 2
01 It's A Funky Situation 02 I'm Glad You're Home 03 Can't Take No More 04 Singing Man 05 How's Your Love Life Baby 06 This Is A Troubled World 07 Only The Lonely Knows 08 How Do You Walk Away From Fear 09 (I'm Just A Crumb In Your) Bread Box Of Love 10 Houston Town 11 I Want To Be A Part Of You Girl 12 Going In The Hole 13 Make Up For Lost Time 14 What A Fool 15 Fair Weather Woman 16 Break Of Day 17 Ready For The Heartbreak 18 She Loves To Do It As Well A You 19 For All The Days Of My Life 20 I've Got To Find Somebody New 21 Cummins Prison Farm 22 I Love You Just The Same 23 Be Ever Wonderful
...served by Gyro1966...

BOBBY BYRD "Bobby Byrd Got Soul" - The Best Of Bobby Byrd

As is the case with the JB's and other James Brown protégés, Bobby Byrd's legacy is spread over numerous out-of-print, difficult-to-find vinyl records. So this 22-song retrospective, which gathers numerous singles, and a couple of previously unreleased tracks spanning 1964 to 1973, is a welcome consolidation of his most significant work into one package. Solid stuff, covering both standard soul from the '60s and hard funk (usually featuring the JB's) from the early '70s, though it sounds a lot more like a James Brown record with a different vocalist than a Bobby Byrd record that happens to benefit from James Brown's backing crew. Brown produced (and occasionally contributed to) all of the recordings here, and duets with Bobby on the 1968 single "You've Got to Change Your Mind." (by Richie Unterberger, AMG)

trax:
01 I Know You Got Soul 02 Keep On Doin' What Your Doin' 03 I Need Help (I Can't Do It Alone), Pts. 1 & 2 04 If You Got A Love You Better (Hold On To It) 05 I'm Not To Blame 06 Hot Pants - I'm Coming, I'm Coming, I'm Coming 07 Sayin' It And Doin' It Are Two Different Things 08 You've Got To Change Your Mind (With James Brown) 09 When Something Is Wrong With My Baby 10 I'm Lonely 11 We're In Love 12 Funky Soul, Pts. 1 & 2 13 No One Like My Baby 14 Baby Baby Baby (With Anna King) 15 I Love You So 16 Hang Ups We Don't Need (The Hungry We Got To Feed) 17 Signed, Sealed & Delivered 18 If You Don't Work You Can't Eat 19 Fight Against Drug Abuse 20 I'm Just Nobody, Pts. 1 & 2 21 Never Get Enough 22 I Need Help (I Can't Do It Alone) (Live In Paris)
...served by Gyro1966...

CROWN PRINCE WATERFORD "Classics 1946-1950" The Chronological

Born Charles Waterford, 21 October 1919, Jonesboro, ArkansasThe Kansas City jazz scene between the two world wars was a fertile breeding-ground for musical invention and innovation. Count Basie, Charlie Parker, Big Joe Turner and Pete Johnson, Hot Lips Page, Andy Kirk and Mary Lou Williams were just a few of the local musicians whose contributions were to enrich future American music. Another, Jay McShann, also led a band that carried more than its fair share of talent, having a concurrent effect on the slowly dividing jazz and blues fields; Charlie Parker would eventually take his futuristic jazz ideas to New York City with the group, while the band's unique blues singers would bring fame and fortune with the ordinary folk and the next generation of jump and r&b singers.
Charles Waterford was from Jonesboro, Arkansas, born there on 21st October 1919 to musical parents who encouraged young Charlie in his singing career. According to his King publicity file, his first professional job was with Andy Kirk's 12 Clouds Of Joy at the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago, but he was also known to have fronted the KC-based Leslie Sheffield's Rhythmaires at Oklahoma City's Ritz Ballroom as far back as 1936, where he shared the bandstand with a rhythm section comprising Charlie Christian, Abe Bolar and Monk McFay. Sometime around early 1945, Waterford, by now billing himself as "The Crown Prince Of The Blues", scored a top job with Jay McShann's Orchestra as a replacement for the unreliable Walter Brown. Waterford was a blues-shouter in the modern post-war mould; emotional and expressive. He stayed less than a year, recording just three songs with McShann's new sextet during the summer of 1945 (cf: Classics 966) before striking out alone. For the rest of the 1940s he was subjected to a series of one-shot recording sessions (for Freddie William's Hy-Tone label; for Aladdin, backed by Gerald Wilson's powerful orchestra; and for Capitol, with an all star quintet led by Pete Johnson). By the end of the decade he had joined King Records, which seems to have been the label of choice for all the best blues shouters, recording just two contrasting sessions with Harold Land's bop sextet and with Joe Thomas' jump combo. After being dropped by King in 1950, apart from Bob Sutton's Dallas-based Torch label unearthing a couple of old West Coast recordings with Jay McShann in 1952, he had to wait many years for his next release on Ernie Young's Excello Records (1955) and for subsequent releases on Orbit (1959 and 1962) and Stampede (1965). By the late 1950s and early 1960s, his sophisticated, jazzy style was sadly out of favour with the buying public and he had long since lost his crown, so he left the devil's music behind and began dedicating his powerful voice to the almighty. Last reports confirm that he is still alive and well and known as the Reverend Charles Waterford.
This CD features Waterford's entire 1946-50 post-McShann recordings and although he never enjoyed any r&b chart hits, he was a distinctive blues shouter who comes across well on both uptempo shouts ("Coal Black Baby","Pow Wow Boogie" etc.) and slower blues ("Undercover Blues", "Weeping Willow" etc.). His "You Turned Your Back On Me" obviously made something of an impact, as it was recorded several times in the 1950s - notably by Wynona Carr (as "Now That I'm Free"); Waterford himself had stolen the song from his old boss, who had recorded the song the previous year for Down Beat with Lois Booker! - Dave Penny - September 2001
(Liner notes for Classics CD 5024, "The Chronological Crown Prince Waterford, 1946-1950". Reproduced with Dave's permission.)

trax:
01 Girl Friend Blues 02 Satisfied Blues 03 The "Prince" Strikes Back 04 Washboard Blues 05 Whistler's Blues 06 Undercover Blues 07 Move Your Hand, Baby 08 L.A. Blues 09 Coal Black Baby 10 Weeping Willow Blues 11 Strange Woman's Boogie 12 P.I. Blues 13 Crown Prince Blues 14 Leaping Boogie 15 Eatin' Watermelon 16 Love Awhile 17 All Over Again 18 You Turned Your Back on Me 19 Get Away from My Door 20 Pow-Wow Boogie 21 I'm Sweet on You 22 Kissing Bug Boogie 23 Hard Driving Woman 24 Time to Blow
...served by Gyro1966...

JOHNNY MOORE'S THREE BLAZERS w/Oscar Moore "Los Angeles Blues" - Complete RCA Recordings 1949-1950

This double-disc anthology gathers all of the sides that Johnny Moore's Three Blazers documented during their brief tenure on RCA Records. The outfit featured here had evolved out of Nat King Cole's enormously successful King Cole Trio -- featuring Oscar Moore (guitar). Oscar's brother Johnny Moore (guitar) and Eddie Williams (bass) -- who wanted to create a derivative of Cole's laid-back and suave synthesis of jazz with R&B. The aggregate was solidified with the addition of Charles Brown (piano/vocals) as his unique and personalized style was rooted more deeply in the blues, yielding a notable distinction and separating them from their contemporaries. After some unpleasant business dealings resulted in Oscar Moore leaving Cole in 1947 to join his sibling's act, less than two years later Brown signed a solo deal and Williams formed his own band. From the remnants, the Moore brothers, Johnny Miller (bass) -- another King Cole Trio renegade -- as well as Lee Barnes (piano/vocals) began cutting platters for RCA Records in February of 1949, most notably "A New Shade of Blues" and "What Does It Matter." Also included are the previously unissued titles "Rosamay," "I Was Wrong" and "Fire, Fire, Fire" from this specific incarnation. Barnes would be replaced by a Charles Brown sound-alike -- although far less captivating -- named Billy Valentine. While certainly not on par with some of the Blazers' earlier recordings, there are a few standout selections, such as the incendiary instrumental "Shuffle Shuck," and some above-average overhauls of songs from their heyday with Brown, in the form of "So Long" and the Blazers' biggest hit "Driftin' Blues." Among the unreleased material from the latter outfit are "Los Angeles Blues," "Three Handed Woman," "Competition Blues" and "Wrackin' My Brain Over You." Valentine's departure in the fall of 1950 effectively marked the end of Johnny Moore's Three Blazers' -- however, packages like these are a testament to the combo's resilience. (by Lindsay Planer, AMG)trax:
disc 1
01 How Blue Can You Get? 02 How Could I Know? 03 Rosamay 04 What Does It Matter? 05 Blues For What I've Never Had 06 I Was Wrong 07 Fire, Fire, Fire 08 This Is One Time, Baby (You Ain't Gonna Two Time Me) 09 A New Shade Of Blues 10 When I Meander In The Meadow 11 Bop-A-Bye Baby 12 Citation 13 Forever 14 What Am I Gonna Do This Christmas? 15 Walkin' Blues 16 You Can Go Feed Yourself
disc 2
01 Rock With It 02 Johnny's Guitar Blues 03 Driftin' Blues 04 Shuffle Shuck. 05 Cut Off The Fat (Take Out The Bone) 06 So Long 07 Misery Blues 08 Los Angeles Blues 09 The Jumping Jack 10 Rain-Chick 11 Melody 12 Three Handed Woman 13 Someday You'll Need Me 14 Competition Blues 15 Wrackin' My Brain Over You
...served by Gyro1966...

MACEO & ALL THE KING'S MEN "Doing Their Own Thing"

In 1970, when JB's band WALKED (later to come back), Maceo formed his own group carrying on the JB group, but with himself at the helm... In my opinion the group and production is sometimes a bit tighter than the PEOPLE recordings with JB at the helm (even more imaginative at times) though the absence of JB's groans and grunts and direction are definitely missing... that said the rhythm section no doubt is as tight as tight gets, I think a noticable difference is that the horns are a lot more together, while the rhythm section maybe a bit (just a bit) looser (more relaxed?) than on the JB recordings... still tight and sticky in the Tower of Power sense of the word... however, a bit Jazzy too. All in all this great in and out of print recording is well worth having... Today Maceo stands on his own as a leader, but back then he was definitely JB's ever faithful sideman... and this album is one of the first times the serious question was ever asked... could Maceo make it on his own without JB? (In answer to the question, All The King's Men would eventually fall apart and he'd go back... Maceo would eventually join the P-Funk organization, but it wouldn't be until about 20 years that he was able to stand stage center and do his thing... the irony being that the entire roots of his sound of today can be heard on this album just as good and fresh.) If you like this album be sure to read Fred Wesley's bio - - some great behind the scenes stories about the whole sound, era and experience ! (Eddie Landsberg, Amazon) I love funk music, especially anything having to do with James Brown. This album is the funkiest album of all time! It is so greasy that you could fry bacon off it. I heard that JB himself was so jealous that he payed DJs not to play it! Bernard Odum and Melvin Parker are one of the baddest rhythm sections ever. This record is a must own. (El Loco)trax:
01 Maceo 02 Got To Getcha 03 Southwick 04 Funky Women 05 Shake It Baby 06 Better Half 07 Don't Waste This World Away 08 Mag Poo 09 I Remember Mr Banks 10 Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself Again
...served by Gyro1966...

THE FANTASTIC JOHNNY C "Boogaloo Down Broadway" 1968

I really initially bought this CD only knowing 'Boogaloo Down Broadway', but soon realized that my favorite song on the CD was 'Hitch It To The Horse'. Apparently, the transfer of the Fantastic Johnny C's album to CD has been anticipated by many collectors for several years. If you are a collector of 60's soul music, you need this in your collection. Pure dancable energy, great beats, and full of smokin' attitude! Highly recommended!! (Amazon)The Fantastic Johnny C was born Johnny Corley on April 28, 1943, in Greenwood, SC. He joined the armed services at an early age, leaving Brewer High in Greenwood before graduating to enlist. When his military duty ended, he moved to Norristown, PA, a small city 18 miles from Philadelphia, and found work as a heavy-equipment operator while becoming increasingly unable to resist the temptation to sing professionally. R&B producer Jesse James attended the same church as Corley and quickly spotted his talent. James made a career out of transforming gospel singers into secular performers; he discovered Cliff "the Horse" Nobles a short time later at the same church. James became Corley's manager and wrote songs for him -- one of them, "Boogaloo Down Broadway," convinced Corley to give pop music a serious try. "Broadway" became a big hit, hitting number five on the R&B charts and number seven on the pop charts. The follow-up, "Got What You Need," didn't surpass or equal "Broadway," but it did chart, while "Hitch It to the Horse" bounced onto the R&B charts, and even crept into the pop Top 40, in 1968. His stage name came about when some acquaintances of both James and Corley stated almost in unison, "That's fantastic -- what are you going to call him?" after hearing "Boogaloo Down Broadway." Hearing their response, James first came up with the Fantastic Johnny Corley before shortening it to the Fantastic Johnny C. His first gig was at the Uptown Theater in Philadelphia, sharing a bill with Sam & Dave, the Vibrations, and Joe Simon. Phil La of Soul released his only album, Boogaloo Down Broadway, a mini-masterpiece of gritty soul containing the deep soul cuts "Warm and Tender Love," "Shout Bamalama," and many dance tunes: "Cool Broadway," "Barefootin'," "The Bounce," and "Land of a Thousand Dances." Corley continued to sing in church while recording secular music. When he scored his first hit, he stated that his goal was to be the "number one soul brother," and, while he failed to achieve that lofty title, he did land among the stars for brief period courtesy of his explosive recordings. (by Andrew Hamilton, AMG)trax:
01 Boogaloo Down Broadway 02 Cool Broadway 03 Barefootin 04 The Bounce 05 Land Of 1000 Dances 06 Shout Bamalama 07 Got What You Need 08 Baby I Need You 09 (She'S) Some Kind Of Wonderful 10 Stand By Me 11 New Love 12 Warm & Tender Love 13 Hitch It To The Horse 14 Look What Love Can Make You Do
...served by Gyro1966...

WALTER BROWN / CROWN PRINCE WATERFORD "Blues Everywhere" The Queen & King Recordings

West Side Records presents a duple tribute to vocalists Walter Brown and Charles "Crown Prince" Waterford, two of the postwar King label's star bluesmen. Brown, who rose to prominence with the Jay McShann orchestra, is heard on the first 16 tracks, recorded in New York on December 19 and 20, 1945, and in Cincinnati on July 11, 1946. The eight remaining selections were recorded by rocking R&B shouter Crown Prince Waterford in Los Angeles on June 3, 1949 (see tracks 17 through 20, featuring 20-year-old tenor saxophonist Harold Land) and in Cincinnati on March 15, 1950. There's nothing profound or complex going on here. These records were intended as simple background amusements to be enjoyed by regular working people while relaxing, drinking, and dancing; the subject matter is all drawn directly from real-life relationships. If this little taste drives you wild and you must have more, go directly to the Classics Blues & Rhythm Series, wherein the complete works of both Walter Brown and Crown Prince Waterford have been carefully reissued in chronological sequence. (All Music Guide)

trax:
Walter Brown
1. I´m Glad To Be Back 2. Mean Old World 3. (I Love My Baby) I´m A Liar If I Say I Don´t 4. It´s A Good Deal Mama 5. Susie May 6. Mary B 7. Blues Everywhere 8. Confessin´ The Blues 9. I´ve Come Back To Get You 10. Fine Brown Lady 11. My Baby´s Boogie Woogie 12. Gonna Open Up A Business 13. Stop Light 14. What Did You Do Last Night 15. New Four Day Rider 16. I´m Through Confessin´ The Blues
Crown Prince Waterford
17. (If I Had My Life To Live) All Over Again 18. You Turned Your Back On Me 19. Get Away From My Door 20. Pow Wow Boogie 21. I´m Sweet On You 22. Kissing Bug Boogie 23. Hard Driving Woman 24. Time To Blow
...served by Gyro1966...

WILLIE MABON "Classics 1949 -1954"

The Chronological Willie Mabon Willie Mabon's harp-blowing, talk-singing stripe of piano blues, with honking horns, stop-start rhythms, and loads of cocky, cranky humor, came together in one of the biggest R&B hits of 1952: "I Don't Know." Topping the charts for eight weeks, Mabon's song even crossed over to the pop field via a Top 20 rendition by Buddy Morrow. Mabon followed up "I Don't Know" with the very similar "I'm Mad" and reached the number one spot once again. When copycat singles such as "Would You Baby?" failed to move, Mabon broke out with "Poison Ivy," his final hit, which features a stomping rhythm and straightforward singing. 1949-1954 collects Mabon's three hits and 17 other cuts originally recorded for Apollo, Parrot, and Chess Records that reveal Mabon to be more versatile than "I Don't Know" and "I'm Mad" might suggest. He serves up a variety of loping boogies ("Bogey Man"), urban blues jams ("Night Latch" and "Cruisin'"), raucous shouters with call-and-response vocals ("Say Man"), and the occasional slow blues. Anyone compiling the biggest R&B hits of the early '50s would be certain to encounter Mabon, and 1949-1954 rounds up his hard-to-find hits and misses in a chronological package with good sound quality and session information but not much in the way of liner notes. (Greg Adams, AMG)

trax:
01 Bogey Man 02 It Keeps Raining 03 Worry Blues 04 I Don't Know 05 I'm Mad 06 Got To Have It 07 Beggar Or Bandit 08 Night Latch 09 You're A Fool 10 Monday Woman 11 I Got To Go 12 Cruisin' 13 I'm Tired 14 Would You Baby? 15 Late Again 16 Come On Baby 17 Lonely Blues 18 Willie's Blues 19 Poison Ivy 20 Say Man
...served by Gyro1966...

HAL SINGER "Classics 1948 -1951"

The Chronological Hal Singer Tenor sax player Hal "Cornbread" Singer spent his career moving with ease between jazz, R&B and early rock & roll, and his hard, muscular sax sound is unmistakable, practically defining the words "searing" and "scorching" on key instrumentals like "Cornbread" (his first big solo hit) and its follow-up, "Beef Stew." Both tracks are included here in this collection of his earliest solo sides for Savoy Records, along with two late-'40s sessions with pianist Sir Charles Thompson and Chicago shouter Carl Davis, Singer's first side with Coral Records, and "Spo-Dee-O-Dee," his lone Mercury Records recording. Singer was never wilder or more dynamic than on these wonderful sides, and he shows remarkable versatility on pieces like "Disc Jockey Boogie" and his slightly slowed version of "Rock Around the Clock," even though his attack mode is roughly the same. The horn-blasts during the breaks in the latter song are nothing less than a force of nature, while his rough-hewed gentleness on "Blue Velvet," the final track here, is full of a kind of rugged beauty. This is a marvelous compilation, and an ideal introduction to an important sax man. (Steve Leggett, AMG)

trax:
01 Swanee River 02 Plug For Cliff 03 Cornbread 04 Rent Party 05 Singer Song 06 Rice And Red Beans 07 Swing Shift 08 Cooking With Cookie 09 Blue Monday Caravan 10 Jiblets 11 Disc Jockey Boogie 12 Teddy's Dream 13 Beef Stew 14 One For Willie 15 Neck Bones 16 Happy Days 17 Midnight Jump 18 Hot Bread 19 Loose Riff 20 Travelin' Shoes 21 I Feel So Good 22 Rock Around The Clock 23 Fine As Wine 24 Buttermilk And Beans 25 Blue Velvet
...served by Gyro1966...

BILLY FURY "The E.P. Collection"

In the early days of British rock & roll, there were dozens of contenders for stardom: Tommy Steele, Cliff Richard, and Marty Wilde were among the players who rose to the challenge for at least a few years. Billy Fury, by contrast, was the real article from day one, and never really surrendered the title. He was also the most prodigiously talented of his generation of British rock 'n roll singers, a songwriter of considerable ability, and a decent actor as well. (Bruce Eder, AMG)

trax:
01 Turn Your Lamp Down Low 02 Don't Walk Away 03 You're Having The Last Dance With Me 04 Wonderous Place 05 What Am I Living For 06 That's Enough 07 You Got Me Dizzy 08 Saved 09 Keep Away 10 My Christmas Prayer 11 I Can Feel It 12 I Love How You Love Me 13 Would You Stand By Me 14 Margo 15 Play It Cool 16 Don't Jump 17 Please Don't Go 18 What Did I Do 19 I'll Never Quite Get Over You 20 Nobody's Child
...served by Gyro1966...

Geechie Smith / Crown Prince Waterford "Swingin' Small Combos Kansas City Style" Vol. 2

Featuring: Geechie Smith, CrownPrince Waterford, Joe Lutcher, Maxwell Davis, Buddy Floyd, Pete Johnson, Jay McShann, Fletcher Smith, Tiny Webb, Lucky Enois, Billy Hadnott, Jesse PriceUnlike more commercial swing, Kansas City jazz was built upon head arrangements - musical ideas or riffs that were rarely written down, but provided the foundations for Kansas City musicians to improvise all night long. Kansas City musicians did not play the blues so much as stomp them, Albert Murray wrote: "Kansas City singers did not sing the blues, they shouted them."
Vernon "Geechie" Smith was a trumpeter/vocalist from the Tulsa, Oklahoma, aera. He played early on with Ernie Fields Orchestra, and one of his first Capitol sides was called "T-Town Jump", that might serve as an evidence. He was a KC stalwart, spent many years in Kansas City and played in countless KC styled bands. He moved to L.A. where he joined Joe Lutcher's band. He took many of his colleagues with him, namely guitarists Lucky Enois and Louis Speiginer, tenorman Freddie Simon, pianist Fletcher Smith and drummer Jesse Price. After recording under his own name for the Bihari Brother' Modern subsidiary Colonial in 1950 and for the obscure Kicks label in 1954, he drifted into obscurity.
Charles "Crown Prince" Waterford was from Jonesboro, Arkansas. He sang with Leslie Sheffield's Rhythmaires and Andy Kirk's Twelve Clouds of Joy (with Charlie Christian and Abe Bolar) before beginning his career as "The Crown Prince of the Blues" in Chicago in the 1940s. Waterford shouted the blues in the then very popular manner and continued his recording career for labels like Hy-Tone, Aladdin and Capitol. In 1947, he participated in a historic Battle of the Blues at the Elks hall on Central Avenue in L.A.; the line-up was Crown Prince Waterford vs. Big Joe Turner vs. Wynonie Harris vs. Clarence Samuels vs. Jimmy Witherspoon. In 1949, he joined the King stable. In the 1950's he recorded for small companies and later dedicated his life to the Church and became known as Reverend Charles Waterford. (Absolute)

trax:
Geechie Smith
1. Kaycee Kid 2. T-Town Jump 3. Let Your Pride Be Your Guide 4. Big Fine Girl 5. Got You On My Mind 6. Let The Good Times Roll 7. What's The Matter With The Stove 8. Frog Song (Him Ain't Got No Tail) 9. Wild Mild And Mellow 10. And I Wants To Thank You 11. Daddy Does It Just For You 12. I Ain't No Fool 13. I Want A Little Girl 14. Geneva Sue
Crown Prince Waterford
15. Move Your Hand Baby 16. Move Your Hand Baby-2 17. L.A. Blues 18. Coal Black Baby 19. Weeping Willow Blues 20. Strange Woman's Blues 21. P.I. Blues 22. Crown Prince Blues 23. Leaping Boogie 24. Eatin' Watermelon 25. Lovin' Awhile
...served by Gyro1966...

LITTLE BUSTER "The Complete Jubilee & Josie Sessions"

I finally got to listen to the Little Buster import album that Al Kooper recently recommended. It doesn't disappoint.
He reminds me of a cross between a Stax artist(a poor man's Otis Redding comes to mind) and Ray Charles. Buster's excellent. But then those other two guys are beyond excellent, so that should in no way be construed as a putdown.
My personal favorite cuts are "Lookin' For A Home", "Young Boy's Blues" and "Cry Me A River".
This is a must-have for fans of Stax and all other soul/blues artists. It's guitar based with a nice greasy dollop of Memphis Horns thrown in. In short, Buster's the real deal! (Amazon)Anyone lucky enough to stumble across Little Buster's 1995 debut album for Bullseye Blues might well have been asking themselves, "Where's this guy been all this time?" The answer: for the last three decades or so, the blind guitarist has been serving up his soulful brand of blues around his adopted home of Long Island, NY, with his band, the Soul Brothers.
Edward "Little Buster" Forehand was born on September 28, 1942 in Hereford, NC. He left the North Carolina School for the Deaf and Blind when he was 16 years old, moving to New York and breaking into the local R&B scene almost immediately. Buster recorded sparingly during the '60s, waxing the Doc Pomus-penned "Young Boy Blues" for Jubilee in 1967. But the world-at-large remained ignorant of Buster's impressive command of the soul and blues lexicons until 1995, when Right on Time! blew onto the contemporary scene like an unexpected breath of fresh air. Looking for a Home followed in 1997. While his recorded output has unfortunately been sparse, Buster continues to tour consistently playing clubs and festivals throughout the world. (Bill Dahl, AMG)

trax:
01 Lookin' For A Home 02 I Think I'm Falling 03 It'S Loving Time 04 All Night Worker 05 I Got A Good Thing Going 06 I Proved I Love You 07 But I Do 08 I'm So Lonely 09 Young Boy Blues 10 Cry Me A River 11 You Were Meant For Me 12 River'S Invitation 13 Whole Lot Of Lovin' 14 He'S Gone 15 I Knew It All The Time 16 T C B 17 I Love You Yes I Do 18 I'Ve Got Tears In My Eyes 19 Just A Letter 20 What A Fool I'Ve Been 21 Why Did It Have To Be Me 22 All I Could Do Was Cry (Part 1) 23 All I Could Do Was Cry (Part 2) 24 Any Day Love Walks In 25 I Think I'm Falling In Love
...served by Gyro1966...

Billy Fury & The Tornadoes "We Want Billy!" 1963

I think the live tracks on your album are taken from the "We Want Billy" album, an album recorded together with the Tornados as backing band. Well if you're interested in the full album - recorded in 1963 - here it is! Despite of the ultra-vintage LP sleeve by littletriggers from flickr, the soundfiles are from a two LP on one cd album. enjoy! A couple of - how do you say over in Germany - "Kuschelrock" songs, but the Johnny-and-The-Hurricanes-like-organ on "That's all right" is definitely unbeatable. ahoi TheBlackSeaSurfer

trax:
01 Sweet Little Sixteen 02 Baby Come On 03 That's All Right 04 Wedding Bells 05 Sticks and Stones 06 Unchain My Heart. 07 I'm Moving On 08 Just Because 09 Halfway To Paradise 10 I'd Never Find Another You 11 Once Upon A Dream 12 Last Night Was Made For Love 13 Like I've Never Been Gone 14 When Will You Say I Love You
...served by THE BLACK SEA SURFER...

BILLY FURY "The Rocker"

Billy Fury was one of England's top rock & rollers of the pre-Beatles era, as well as the first rock & roll star ever to emerge from Liverpool, but it isn't always easy to isolate his rock & roll sides -- apart from the unique rockabilly-flavored Sound of Fury album, most of his LPs followed the pattern of the time, and were "balanced" efforts, divided between rock & roll and the softer, romantic ballad sound that most producers and managers assumed artists such as Fury were growing into. This compilation draws from Fury's whole history with Decca Records, pulling together A-sides, B-sides, album tracks, and EP sides across six years that qualify as hard rockers, based on their tempo, singing, or wattage, with various backing bands. The best of the stuff is from around 1960, with Joe Brown, a rockabilly specialist from London, playing behind him on numbers such as "Turn My Back on You" (a track worthy of the Stray Cats) and "My Advice." This includes a surprising number of originals by Fury that aren't bad, among them the brooding "Don't Jump" and Everly Brothers-like "Colette." He also nicely covers some familiar songs, including "Bumble Bee," "Nothin' Shakin' (But the Leaves on the Trees)," and "Kansas City," and doesn't do badly with his version of the Dave Clark Five's "Glad All Over." Fury always sounded a lot like Elvis Presley, but he's at his most extraordinary when he manages to emulate Elvis' sound from his Sun recordings, which could scarcely have been well known in England in the early '60s (a few stray songs issued by way of RCA to fill out early LPs and EPs would have been as far as they got in the U.K.) -- on "My Advice" and a handful of other cuts, he sounds like the Elvis of 1954, not 1957. The producers have even reached out to Fury's live album We Want Billy!, cut with the Tornados of "Telstar" fame, for the last five tracks -- Fury's renditions of "I'm Moving On," "Sweet Little Sixteen," "Sticks and Stones," "Just Because," and "That's All Right" show the efforts that he and the better pre-Beatles rockers made to generate an exciting sound on-stage, within the limits of the available musical talent surrounding them. The Tornados were a first-rate band, and their guitar/bass/organ-dominated sound had a lot of vitality and credibility on-stage through 1963, but it's also clear that breathing down their necks in 1963 were the younger, freer, wilder players (with more guitar-focused sounds) such as the Beatles, the Hollies, et al.; the seams and the weak points were starting to show in what should have been a plain exciting performance. (Bruce Eder, AMG)

trax:
01 You're Having The Last Dance With Me 02 Don't Knock Upon My Door 03 Kansas City 04 The Hippy Hippy Shake 05 Nothin' Shakin' (But The Leaves On The Trees) 06 Don't Jump 07 Glad All Over 08 Turn My Back On You 09 The Twist Kid 10 Colette 11 Gonna Type A Letter 12 Play It Cool 13 Bumble Bee 14 My Advice 15 That's Love 16 I'm Moving On 17 Sweet Little Sixteen 18 Sticks And Stones 19 Just Because 20 That's All Right
...served by Gyro1966...

THE ATLANTICS "The Complete CBS Recordings" Vol. One + Two

One of the greatest instrumental surf groups did not even hail from America. The Atlantics, despite their name, were an Australian combo who not only emulated the sound of California surf music, but ranked among its very best practitioners. Featuring a reverb-heavy, extremely "wet" sound, the Atlantics attacked original material, standards, and movie themes with a nervy blend of precision and over-the-top intensity. As in Dick Dale's music, touches of Middle Eastern influences can be detected in the rhythms of melodies (some members of the group claimed Greek and Egyptian heritage). Their second single, "Bombora," went to the top of the Australian charts in 1963, and the follow-up, "The Crusher," was also a big hit. But Beatlemania spelled commercial death for the Atlantics, as it did for U.S. surf combos, in 1964 and 1965. After several albums and a few more equally fine instrumental singles, the Atlantics became a vocal group in the last half of the '60s, but are most renowned for their instrumental recordings. by Richie Unterberger, AMGtrax:
vol 1
01 The Boys 02 Moon Man 03 Dark Eyes 04 Bombora 05 Greensleeves 06 Adventures in Paradise 07 The Gremlin King 08 Glassy Walls 09 Turista 10 Surfers Paradise 11 Blue Bottles 12 The World Is Waiting for the Sunrise 13 Free Fall 14 The Crusher 15 Hootenanny Stomp 16 Coral Island 17 Tequila Stomp 18 Tahitian Waters 19 The Teddy Bears' Picnic Stomp 20 The Gremlin from the Kremlin 21 Shark Attack 22 SOS (Stomp On Stomp) 23 Stompede 24 Arabian Surf 25 Stomping Time
Vol 2
01 War Of The Worlds 02 The Bow Man 03 Dimitrius 04 Express To Bagdad 05 Secret Love 06 The Sheriff Of Nottingham 07 Cherry Pink And Apple Blossom White 08 The Lost Legion 09 Windward 10 Rondo A La Turk 11 On The Rampage 12 Three Coins In The Fountain 13 Rumble And Run 14 The Wild Ones 15 Teensville 16 Boo Boo Stick Beat 17 Giant 18 Mirage 19 Goldfinger 20 Bumble Boogie 21 Peter Gunn 22 Chief Wooping-Koff 23 Whirlpool 24 Then I'll Know It's Love 25 Teensville (unreleased)
...served by Gyro1966...

"CHICAGO TWINE TIME" Rare Soul Uncovered from MAR-V-LUS Records

The excellent Chicago Twine Time is the first in a series of compilations spotlighting the output of One-derful and its subsidiaries Mar-V-Lus and M-pac, the family of soul labels founded in late 1962 by producer George Leaner. A product of Mississippi, Leaner's tastes reflected an earthier, more distinctively southern flavor than the uptown soul approach favored by his labels' Windy City rivals -- the result was a string of superb raw soul singles that remain favorites at Northern soul clubs to this day, decades after Leaner closed up shop in 1968. At 28 tracks Chicago Twine Time includes roughly half of Mar-V-Lus' total output, including Alvin Cash's cult-classic "Twine Time," Cicero Blake's "Sad Feeling," and Josephine Taylor's "Ain't Gonna Cry No More." Sound quality varies wildly, with original vinyl copies obviously sourced for some entries -- also, given that Mar-V-Lus issued only 21 total singles during its existence, it's a shame Charly didn't just opt for an all-inclusive, two-disc set, especially since a few cuts here first appeared on Leaner's other labels. Still, the music is consistently excellent, and aficionados of rare soul are advised to check this out regardless of its flaws. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

trax:
1. Twine Time - Alvin Cash 2. With Out You - The Ultimations 3. What Is Love? - Joséphine Taylor 4. Joey - The Young Folks 5. Shake A Tailfeather - The Five Du-Tones 6. Please Forgive Me - The Du-Ettes 7. The Barracuda - Alvin Cash 8. Ain´t Gonna Cry No More - Joséphine Taylor 9. You Told A Lie - Johnny Sayles 10. Every Beat Of My Heart - The Du-Ettes 11. Your Love Has Got Me Down - The Blenders 12. Tell Me Where I Stand - Johnny Sayles 13. Lonely Girl - The Young Folks 14. I Still Can´t Get You - Joseph Moore 15. Sad Feeling - Cicero Blake 16. Don´t Your Back On Me - Johnny Sayles 17. Love Is A Good Thing Goin´ - The Blenders 18. Ordinary Guy - Joséphine Taylor 19. You Did Me Wrong - Johnny Sayles 20. My World - The Five Du-Tones 21. The Girl I Love - Johnny Sayles 22. Please Change Your Mind - The Five Du-Tones 23. I´m Lost Without You - Joseph Moore 24. Behave Yourself - Miss Madelaine 25. Would I Do It Over - The Ultimations 26. Got You On My Mind - Johnny Sayles 27. I´m Gonna Love You - The Du-Ettes 28. Outside The Record Hop (Trying To Get In) - The Five Du-Tones
...served by Gyro1966...

"WINDY CITY SOUL" - Rare Soul Uncovered From One-derful Records

The follow-up to Charly's Chicago Twine Time continues its exploration of One-derful, Mar-V-Lus, and M-pac, the family of soul labels founded in late 1962 by producer George Leaner. A product of Mississippi, Leaner's tastes reflected an earthier, more distinctively Southern flavor than the uptown soul approach favored by his labels' Windy City rivals -- the result was a string of superb raw soul singles that remain favorites at Northern soul clubs to this day, decades after Leaner closed up shop in 1968. Focusing primarily on the One-derful output, Windy City Soul suffers from the absence of material by the great McKinley Mitchell, including the extraordinary "The Town I Live In" -- while Mitchell's singles are scheduled to appear on a subsequent volume in the series, the effect is roughly that of leaving Elvis Presley off a Sun Records retrospective, and the disc seems sadly incomplete as a result. That said, the material that is included here is, well, wonderful, highlighted by Betty Everett's scorching deep blues effort "Your Love Is Important to Me," Lucky Laws' exuberant "Who Is She?," and the Accents stomper "Who You Gonna Love?." As on the first volume, sound quality varies wildly, with original vinyl copies obviously sourced for some entries -- still, the music is consistently excellent, and aficionados of rare soul are advised to check this out regardless of its considerable flaws. by Jason Ankeny, AMG

trax:
1. Do The 45 - The Sharpees 2. I'm Satisfied - Otis Clay 3. I Testify - Otis Clay 4. New Girl - The Accents 5. Where Will You Be Boy? - Beverly Shaffer 6. Tired Of Being Lonely - The Sharpees 7. That'S How It Is (When You'Re In Love) - Otis Clay 8. Wait Til I Get To Know You - The Admirations 9. Please Love Me - Betty Everett 10. I'Ll Be There - Betty Everett 11. Who You Gonna Love - The Accents 12. Even The Score - Beverly Shaffer 13. Show Place - Otis Clay 14. One Man'S Poison - Liz Lands 15. I'Ve Got A Secret - The Sharpees 16. The Power Of Love - Mary Silvers 17. A Flame In Your Heart - Otis Clay 18. I'Ve Got A Claim On You - Betty Everett 19. I Don'T Know What To Do - Otis Clay 20. You Better Think Again - The Accents 21. Who Is She - Lucky Laws 22. Don'T You Worry - Joe Mack 23. A Lasting Love - Otis Clay 24. Just To Please You - The Sharpees 25. Your Love Is Important To Me - Betty Everett 26. Don'T Shut Me Out - Liz Lands 27. Don'T Leave Me - The Admirations 28. Got To Find A Way - Otis Clay
...served by Gyro1966...

"R&B CONFIDENTIAL No. 1" - The Flair Record Label

Compilations don't get much better than this -- 22 of some of the best songs ever made for Joe Bihari's Flair label, founded in 1953 as a subsidiary of Modern Records. Flair was only in existence for two years, mostly as a means of handling overflow from the sister labels Modern, Meteor, etc. The artists featured include a pair of Joe Turner-style rockers, "Romp & Stomp Blues" by pianist Mercy Dee Walton; the Roy Brown-influenced "Baby Beat It" and "Hey Doctor Kinsey" (which manages to be both amazingly raunchy and topical at the same time, and which could only have come out of R&B at the time) by Big Duke Henderson and His Orchestra; the naturally searing guitar-dominated workout "Please Find My Baby," by Elmore James & His Broomdusters; and, representing the fairer sex, "Send Him Back" by Shirley Gunther with Montroe Tucker & His Orchestra (Gunther has three more numbers here, fronting the singing group the Queens). Richard Berry, a mainstay for Flair in his pre-"Louie Louie" days, is officially represented by "Next Time," although he also shows up on upward of a third of the records included here, working within several backing groups. The otherwise unknown Dixie Blues Boys' "My Baby Left Town" borrows a bit from the old blues chestnut "Down In the Bottom." Future Sugar Pie DeSanto sideman Pee Wee Parham gets a superb vocal and guitar workout on "People Are Wonderin'." Ex-jazz guitarist Saunders King provides some smoother R&B on "Quit Hangin' Around Me." And Ike Turner, mainstay of the label's Memphis operation, turns up on the sultry yet brittle guitar instrumental "Cuban Getaway," plays behind Billy Gale on "Night Howler," and leads the band behind Matt Cockrell on "Baby Please." The sound quality is excellent, and the notes are extremely informative. (Bruce Eder, AMG)

trax:
1. Romp And Stomp Blues - Mercy Dee 2. Blow Robbie Blow - Robbie Robinson w/The Blinky Allen Orchestra 3. Baby Beat It - Big Duke Henderson & His Orchestra 4. Send Him Back - Shirley Gunter w/Monroe Tucker & His Orchestra 5. Cuban Getaway - Ike Turner's Orchestra 6. Hey Dr. Kinsey - Big Duke Henderson & His Orchestra 7. Please Find My Baby - Elmore James & His Broom Dusters 8. You Better Hold Him - James Reed 9. People Are Wonderin' - Baby Pee Wee Parham 10. Baby Please - Matt Cockrell 11. Quite Hangin' Around Me - Saunders King 12. Next Time - Richard Berry 13. Night Howler - Billy Gale 14. Hard Times - Johnny Fuller 15. Baby, I Love You So - Shirley Gunter & The Queens 16. Chop House - Blinky Allen 17. What Difference Does It Make - Shirley Gunter & The Queens 18. Oop Shoop - Shirley Gunter & The Queens
...served by Gyro1966...

HOWLIN' WILF & The Vee-Jays "Cry Wilf!" 1986

Howlin' Wilf and the Vee-Jays, led by James Hunter (of People Gonna Talkfame), came onto the scene in the mid-1980s and was together for only a brief time before disbanding. A pity, since their strong, polished homage to blues, early rock, and soul really shines on Cry Wilf! from 1986. Hunter plays blues harp, guitar, and sings, while guitarist Dot and bassist Tony Hilton round out the crew.
Cry Wilf! is basically a cover album with a few original tunes thrown in; the reverse of what Hunter would include on his three solo albums ...Believe What I Say (1996), Kick It Around(2001), and People Gonna Talk(2006), including songs by Lee Dorsey (Ya Ya), Barbara Lewis (Hello Stranger), Ike Turner (Get Over It Baby), Walter Jacobs (Boom Boom), and Willie Dixon (Mellow Down Easy). The original songs Got A Thing For You, Same Old Nuthin', Can't Stand It No More and Shake It hold up well compared to the established classics in their fidelity to retro songwriting and instrumentation.
Hunter plays a mean blues harp, a talent which I didn't know he possessed based on his later solo work and stints with Van Morrison. His guitar chops are also solid, at times borrowing from established bluesmen, at times straying into Chuck Berry territory and even a touch of surf guitar. Hunter's raspy, soulful voice is perfectly suited to these tales of hard living (and loving), and his band is tight (the only welcome addition would be keyboards/Hammond organ).
Hunter is more guttural, more emotional, and less composed than on his solo albums, where he spends more time cultivating a soul blues persona a la Sam Cooke, and I found this grittier, soulful side of James a pleasant departure from his carefully crafted ballads such as Mollena on more recent releases. It's amazing to hear him when he was just starting out on his musical career; not bad for a boy from Colchester, England who grew up in a trailer in an onion field and worked on the railroad before pursuing his passion for retro soul, blues, and R&B full-time. This is some amazing stuff that deserves a listen, particularly if you're a fan of vintage '50s-'60s blues, R&B, and retro soul. (Amazon)

trax:
01 Got A Thing For You 02 Same Old Nuthin' 03 Ya Ya 04 I Got My Eyes On You 05 Hello Stranger 06 Get It Over Baby. 07 Wilf's Wobble 08 Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights) 09 Summertime 10 Mellow Down Easy 11 Don't Let It Be In Vain 12 Farther Up The Road 13 Can't Stand It No More 14 Shake It
...served by Gyro1966...

THE JIVE FIVE (Featuring Eugene Pitt) "My True Story"

From Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA, the Jive Five were one of the last doo-wop groups to have a national hit and one of the few to make a successful transition to the soul era. The group members were Eugene Pitt (6 November 1937; lead), Jerome Hanna (first tenor), Richard Harris (second tenor), Billy Prophet (baritone) and Norman Johnson (d. 1970; bass). Their biggest hit was ‘My True Story’ (number 1 R&B, number 3 pop) from 1961, which was something of a neo-doo-wop sound. A particularly outstanding feature of the group’s approach was the counterpointing exchanges between lead Pitt and bass Johnson. Continuing with the same sound, the group had lesser hits during the next two years with ‘Never Never’ (number 74 pop), ‘What Time Is It’ (number 67 pop) and ‘These Golden Rings’ (number 27 R&B). By 1964 the group had developed a soul sound and had joined United Artists Records. At this point Pitt and Johnson were supported by new members Casey Spencer (second tenor), Beatrice Best (baritone), and Webster Harris (first tenor). The group found success in 1965 with ‘I’m A Happy Man’ (number 26 R&B, number 36 pop), and followed with ‘A Bench In The Park’, which received good airplay in Washington, DC, but nowhere else. The group left United Artists Records in 1966, and their last chart record was in 1970, for Decca Records. In the 80s Eugene Pitt And The Jive Five made two fine albums for Ambient Sound, who were unable to break the group out of the limited audience for doo-wop harmony.The Encyclopedia of Popular Music by Colin Larkin.

trax:
01 My True Story 02 When I Was Single 03 Rain 04 Johnny Never Knew 05 Hurry Back 06 The Girl With The Wind In Her Hair 07 I Don't Want To Be Without You Baby 08 These Golden Rings 09 Do You Hear Wedding Bells 10 What Time Is It 11 Lily Marlane 12 Beggin' You Please 13 Hully Gully Callin' Time 14 Never Never 15 People From Another World 16 No Not Again 17 You Know What I Would Do 18 She's My Girl 19 My True Story 20 Never Never Never
...served by Gyro1966...

THE DOWNLINERS SECT "The Definitive Downliners Sect" - The Singles A's & B's

Of all the British R&B bands to follow the Rolling Stones' footsteps, the Downliners Sect were arguably the rawest. The Sect didn't as much interpret the sound of Chess Records as attack it, with a finesse that made the Pretty Things seem positively suave in comparison. Long on crude energy and hoarse vocals, but short on originality and songwriting talent, the band never had a British hit, although they had some sizable singles in other European countries. Despite their lack of commercial success or appeal, the band managed to record three albums and various EPs and singles between 1963 and 1966, with detours into country-rock and an EP of death-rock tunes. Although they recorded afterwards, it is the Sect's early work that continues to attract connoisseurs of '60s garage and punk. -Allmusic-

trax:
01 Cadillac 02 Roll Over Beethoven 03 Beautiful Delilah 04 Shame, Shame, Shame 05 Green Onions 06 Nursery Rhymes 07 Baby What's Wrong 08 Be A Sect Maniac 09 Little Egypt 10 Sect Appeal 11 Find Out What's Happening 12 Insecticide 13 Wreck Of The Old 97 14 Leader Of The Sect 15 I Want My Baby Back 16 Midnight Hour 17 Now She's Dead 18 I Got Mine 19 Waiting In Heaven Somewhere 20 Bad Storm Coming 21 Lonely And Blue 22 All Night Worker 23 He Was A Square 24 Glendora 25 I'll Find Out 26 The Cost Of Living 27 Everything I've Got To Give 28 I Can't Get Away From You 29 Roses
...served by Gyro1966...

"FREAKBEAT FREAKOUT"

Totally killer comp of 60's UK garage gems!trax:
1. Feels Like A Woman - The Troggs 2. Baby I Go For You - The Blue Rondos 3. Let Me In - The Sorrows 4. (We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet - The Spectres 5. Leave My Kitten Alone - First Gear 6. I'm A Lover Not A Fighter - The Brand 7. Hungry - The 5 A.M. Event 8. Fortune Teller - Tony Jackson & The Vibrations 9. I Wonder If She Remembers Me - Simon Raven 10. It Must Be Love - The Sheffields 11. We Didn't Kiss, We Didn't Love, But Now We Do - The Clique 12. You Said - The Primitives 13. That's Alright - Jimmy Powell 14. It's All For You - The Meddyevils 15. Scratch My Back - Jan Panter 16. Got The Blame - The Worrying Kynde 17. That's When Happiness Began - The Montanas 18. Jump And Dance - The Carnaby 19. You've Got What I Want - The Sorrows 20. Roses - Don Craine's New Downliners Sect 21. Baby You've Got It - The Truth 22. Tell Her - The Movement 23. Help Me - The Primitives 24. Ma's Place - The Meddyevils 25. She Ain't No Good - The Clique 26. Plenty Of Love - The Sheffields 27. She's Too Way Out - Tony Dangerfield & The Thrills 28. Walk, Baby Walk - Johnny Neal & The Starliners
...served by Gyro1966...

"NAME OF THE GAME" Hi Records

There's plenty or rare and unreleased tracks from the Hi Records vaults on this compilation. Read all about Hi Records label here: http://www.hirecords.com/history.html

trax:
1. Ride Sally Ride - Al Green 2. Trouble Is My Name - Don Hines 3. Aretha, Sing One For Me - George Jackson 4. Belle - Al Green 5. Mack The Knife - Bobby Emmons 6. Patricia - George Jackson 7. Judy - Al Green 8. Buster Browne - Willie Mitchell 9. She's Miss Wonderful - Bobby McClure 10. Jesus Is Waiting - Al Green 11. Teenie's Dream - Willie Mitchell 12. Sunshine (Isn't That Your Name) - Darryl Carter 13. Georgia Boy - Al Green 14. Please Mr. Foreman - Joe L. 15. Amazing Grace - Al Green 16. Mr. Chann - Reggie Young 17. Charlie Tuttle - Sam Mosley 18. Mimi - Al Green 19. Miss Betty Green - Big Lucky Carter 20. Doctor Love Power - Ann Peebles 21. Eli's Game - Al Green
...served by Gyro1966...

"BED SPRING POKER" - Meat In Motion 1926-1951

Long before CDs were obliged to carry parental advisory stickers or the BBC banned anything it considered 'iffy', records regularly contained smutty, 'nudge-nudge, wink-wink' lyrics. This was certainly true of the Blues, where double-entendre and innuendo have long played a major role. Indeed, one glance at the songs featured herein leaves little doubt as to their true meaning, as titles such as 'I Want A Bowlegged Woman', 'I Found Your Keyhole', 'I Want My Fanny Brown', 'Let Me Squeeze Your Lemon', 'You Got To Give Me Some Of It' and 'It Ain't The Meat, It's The Motion' clearly indicate. Champion Jack Dupree certainly wasn't auditioning for Holby City when he sang"I operates on women and I don't fool around with men, I said turn over baby and let me stick my needle in." 48 tracks of sheer genius. (Bluebeat Music)trax:
disc 1
1. Let Me Play With Your Poodle - Lightnin' Hopkins 2. Kitchen Man - Bessie Smith 3. Lemon Man - Dan Pickett 4. Stinging Snake Blues - Madelyn James 5. Pig Meat Papa - Lead Belly 6. How You Want It Done - Big Bill Broonzy 7. I Want Plenty Grease In My Frying Pan - Margaret Carter 8. She's Got Good Dry Goods - Little Buddy Doyle 9. Bed Spring Poker - Mississippi Sheiks 10. I've Got Ford Movements In My Hips - Cleo Gibson 11. She Want To Sell My Monkey - Tampa Red 12. You Got To Give Me Some Of It - Buddy Moss 13. Butcher Shop Blues - Bernice Edwards 14. The Best Jockey In Town - Lonnie Johnson 15. I'm A Rattlesnakin' Daddy - Blind Boy Fuller 16. Keep On Eatin' - Memphis Minnie 17. That Stuff You Sell Ain't No Good - Walter Davis 18. Comb Your Kitty Cat - Ralph Willis 19. Shave 'em Dry - Lucille Bogan 20. Lead Pencil Blues - Johnny Temple 21. Mouse's Ear Blues - Cliff Carlisle 22. Crawlin' King Snake - Tony Hollins 23. I'm A Mighty Tight Woman - Sippie Wallace 24. My Baby's Playground - Roosevelt Sykes
disc 2
1. Sarah Jane - Bill "Jazz" Gillum 2. My Daddy Was A Jockey - John Lee Hooker 3. I Let My Daddy Do That - Hattie Hart 4. I'm Gonna Shave You Dry - Walter Roland 5. Carpenter Man Blues - Lee Brown 6. Get Up Off Your Knees - Ethel Waters 7. Catfish Blues - Bobo Thomas 8. Bed Springs Blues - Jimmie Gordon 9. Love Operation - Barrelhouse Annie 10. Let Me Squeeze Your Lemon - Charlie Pickett 11. Sam - The Hot Dog Man - Lil Johnson 12. I Found Your Keyhole - Al Miller 13. Eight Hour Woman - Edith Johnson 14. I Think You Need A Shot - Champion Jack Dupree 15. Good Cabbage - Victoria Spivey 16. Don't Give My Lard Away - James "Stump" Johnson 17. Ain't Got Nobody To Grind My Coffee - Clara Smith 18. Bread Pan - Roosevelt Sykes 19. Dirty Butter - Minnie Wallace 20. Cigarette Blues - Bob C Carter 21. I Want My Fanny Brown - Wynonie 'Mr Blues' Harris 22. Mountain Oysters - Eddie Davis 23. I Want A Bowlegged Woman - Bull Moose Jackson 24. It Ain't The Meat - The Swallows
...served by Gyro1966...

THE CROWS & THE WRENS "Strictly For The Birds" Rama & Gee 1953-1957

For the first time on CD, this brings together all the extant recordings by both the Crows and the Wrens -- their complete output for George Goldner between 1953 and 1956. This 30-track collection, split evenly between the two groups, also includes five never before available alternate takes. The Crows were simply one of New York's seminal doo wop groups, and tracks like "Gee," "I Love You So," "Untrue," and "Miss You" are utterly charming in their basic crudity. The Wrens were more urbane and their takes on "Come Back My Love" and "Eleven Roses" are two of the many highlights in Goldner's vocal-group crown. As an absolutely essential piece of vocal group -- and rock & roll -- history, this is the real thing and then some. (Cub Koda, AMG)

trax:
1. Gee - The Crows 2. I Love You So - The Crows 3. No Help Wanted - The Crows 4. Seven Lonely Days - The Crows 5. Parfidia - The Crows 6. Call A Doctor - The Crows 7. Heartbreaker - The Crows 8. Untrue - The Crows 9. Baby - The Crows 10. Miss You - The Crows 11. I Really Really Love You - The Crows 12. Baby Doll - The Crows 13. Sweet Sue Just You - The Crows 14. Mambo Shevitz (Man Oh Man) - The Crows 15. Baby - The Crows 16. Love's Something That's Made For Two (Version 1) - The Wrens 17. Beggin For Love - The Wrens 18. Come Back My Love - The Wrens 19. Eleven Roses (And The Twelfth Is You) - The Wrens 20. Love's Something That's Made For Two (Version 2) - The Wrens 21. Serenade Of The Bells - The Wrens 22. Betty Jean - The Wrens 23. (She's My) Everything - The Wrens 24. What Makes You Do The Things You Do - The Wrens 25. I Won't Come To Your Wedding - The Wrens 26. Ces't La Vie - The Wrens 27. Reckless - Bobby Mansfield & Group 28. House Of Cards - Bobby Mansfield & Group 29. Hey Girl - The Wrens 30. Eleven Roses (And The Twelfth Is You) - The Wrens
...served by Gyro1966...

LOUIS JORDAN "One Guy Named Louis"

It is a strange fact that as rock & roll began to catch on, one of the artists who helped influence its birth was dropping rapidly in popularity. Singer/altoist Louis Jordan, who had had dozens of hits with his Tympani Five while on Decca, recorded 21 songs for Aladdin in 1954 (all of which are included on this CD) and none of them sold well. The strange part is that there is nothing wrong with the music. It compares quite well artistically with his earlier performances; it was just out of style. That fact should not trouble latter-day Jordan fans, for the formerly rare music on this set is witty, swinging and eternally hip. (Scott Yanow, All Music Guide)When Louis Jordan left DECCA records in late 1953, his career was already on the decline. After dozens of hit releases, Jordan's brand of swing was simply out of pace with the coming musical phenomenon: R&B influenced rock & roll. When Bill Haley & the Comets arrrived at Louis' old label around the time Jordan left, his old producer, Milt Gabler, showed Haley all of the Tympany Five's tricks, which is how "Shake Rattle & Roll" and "Rock Around The Clock" came into existence.
While with the small independent label, ALADDIN, Jordan waxed these 21 sides in two separate 1954 sessions. Nine singles were issued on an almost monthly basis, as well as an LP. None sold very well-- this is no reflection on the music's quality; Jordan's time had simply passed. It happens to the best of them.
For any fan of swing, ONE GUY NAMED LOUIS is a must have. Sound quality is superb, performances too. Includes eight pages of liner notes. (Amazon)

trax:
01 Whiskey Do Your Stuff 02 Dad Gum Ya Hide, Boy 03 Gal, You Need A Whippin' 04 Time Is A Passin' 05 It's Hard To Be Good Without You 06 The Dripper 07 Till We Two Are One 08 Ooo Wee 09 I Seen What'cha Done 10 Fat Back And Corn Liquor 11 Put Some Money In The Pot, 'Cause The Juice Is Running Low 12 Private Property (No Tresspassing) 13 Gotta Go 14 For You 15 Messy Bessy 16 Louis' Blues 17 I'll Die Happy 18 If I Had Any Sense I'd Go Back Home 19 Hurry Home 20 A Dollar Down 21 Yeah, Yeah, Baby
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ROBERT PARKER "The Wardell Quezerque Sessions" (Nola Records 1966/67)

Despite the huge number of quality soul, funk and R&B sides to come out of New Orleans studios in the 1960’s, there weren’t too many that made a serious dent on the national charts (let alone the national consciousness). Whether this had to do with the uniqueness of Crescent City musicians or producers, or inherent problems with the taste of America’s radio listeners (probably a combination of both), few New Orleans soul sides are as well remembered as Robert Parker’s 1966 hit ‘Barefootin’.
Born in New Orleans in 1930, Parker was a seasoned live and studio musician by the time he hit the charts. He had gigged and recorded with Professor Longhair, Huey Piano Smith (who’s band was like a finishing school for Nola singers and musicians) and Earl King among others. He recorded his first sides as a leader for the Ron label in 1959, and over the next four years had records released by Imperial and Booker among others.
It wasn’t until he hooked up with NOLA Records in 1966 that he would cement his place in Soul history. Working with master New Orleans producer/arranger Wardell Quezerque, Parker would record eleven 45’s and one LP (the only LP release by the label) from 1966 to 1968.
His first, ‘Barefootin’ b/w ‘Let’s Go Baby (Where the Action Is)’ (Nola 721) was a huge hit by any standard (especially in New Orleans) making it to #2 R&B and #7 pop in the summer of 1966. Both sides were upbeat dancers and remain popular with the Northern Soul crowd. Marked by Parker’s smooth tenor and twangy guitar by New Orleans legend George Davis, ‘Barefootin’’ has been covered dozens of times since it’s initial release and has been utilized as a commercial jingle. The single was the biggest success that NOLA Records had seen (or would ever see) and their discography seems to indicate that they were pinning their hopes for continued national success on Parker.
Ironically, ‘Barefootin’, which was recorded in 1965 sat in the can for a year because of ambivalence by NOLA. The success of the record was enough that parker toured the UK in 1966, playing at the legendary Tiles club among others.
Sadly this success was not to materialize. That isn’t to say that Parker was without artistic success. Though he wasn’t the most distinctive vocalist plying his wares in New Orleans, he managed (in combination with Quezerque and the cream of New Orleans musicians) to make some excellent (and unjustly obscure) soul 45s on the NOLA label.
The ‘Barefootin’’ LP has a surprising number of tracks that do not appear on 45, including a number of covers. Parker does fairly good versions of Otis Redding’s ‘I’ve Been Loving You Too Long’ and ‘Mr. Pitiful’ as well as a cool cover of ‘In The Midnight Hour’. The fact that NOLA decided to record/issue their only LP (and a long string of 45s) with Parker says a lot about how they hoped to capitalize on the success of that first 45.
Parker’s next 45, ‘Ring Around The Roses’ b/w ‘She’s Coming Home’ (NOLA 724) has so far eluded me, and if anyone has a copy they can tape/burn for me I would be greatly appreciative.
‘Happy Feet’ b/w ‘The Scratch’ (NOLA 726) is one of those 45s where the record company clearly decided that the only way to follow up a hit was to make an outright clone. This isn’t to say that ‘Happy Feet’ isn’t an enjoyable record, but that it appears to be made from the same piece of cloth as ‘Barefootin’. It’s flip side, ‘The Scratch’ is a more hard driving version from the same template.
‘Tip Toe’ b/w ‘Soul Kind of Loving’ (NOLA 729) was Parker’s only other chart success for NOLA (but to a much smaller extent). ‘Tip Toe’ (which was covered by UK reggae/soul singer Norman T. Washington on the Pama label) is a storming dancer with a great bass line. ‘Soul Kind of Loving’ is a bluesy ballad. (Funky 16 Corners)

trax:
01 Barefootin' 02 Let's Go Baby (Where The Action Is) 03 Mr. Pitiful 04 I've Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now) 05 Soul Kind Of Loving 06 C.C. Rider 07 The Scratch 08 Happy Feet 09 In The Midnight Hour 10 Directly From My Heart 11 Heading For A Fall 12 I Can't Help Myself 13 Tip Toe 14 Secret Service 15 Yak Yak Yak 16 Everybody's Hip Huggin 17 Foxy Mama 18 Holdin' Out 19 I Caught You In A Lie 20 Barefootin' Boogaloo 21 Soul Sister 22 Bow Legs 23 Boss Lovin' 24 Funky Soul Train
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"HELLBOUND HONEYS" VA

Modern day girl garage/rock comp featuring: LAS CURVETTES (Argentina), THE BOOBY TRAPS (Australia), THE DIRTY BURDS (UK), THE CHERRYPOPS (Germany), THE SHIMMYS (Australia), THEE GIRLFRIENDS (Spain), THEE MINKS (USA). 2 songs from each band gives you a 14 track blast of lipstick rock action!!

trax:
1. Hit Me - Las Curvettes 2. Sha La La - The Booby Traps 3. Too Short - The Dirty Burds 4. Gotta Guy - The Shimmys 5. Rock & Roll - Thee Girlfriends 6. Cheat - Thee Minks 7. Ohne Kopf - The Cherry Pops 8. Shake It - Las Curvettes 9. Ms. Fireball - The Booby Traps 10. One Way Street - The Dirty Burds 11. Saturday Date - The Shimmys 12. Knocking On My Door - Thee Girlfriends 13. Shiver - Thee Minks 14. Wolken Zucker Himmel - The Cherry Pops
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"ROCK & ROLL SERMON"

Rock and Roll Sermon is a collection of some of the finest sanctified music recorded between 1946-56. If you're not familiar with sanctified music,and you like the blues and dazzling guitars, pumping piano, and true-testifying, then you owe it to yourself to listen to this compilation. Unfortunately, this great music has largely been ignored by the general public and by music critics. Perhaps it is because these are songs of praise to the Lord, and many prefer to keep their musical and religious tastes seperated. After all, when was the last time you listened, outside of church, to selections from the Common Service Hymnal? While this is not blues music, many of the "blues forms" are utilized. Only the message has been changed. This is intense, dynamic, inspirational, and incredible music. Enjoy and Rejoice!!! (Amazon)

trax:
1. Rock And Roll Sermon - Elder Beck 2. I Got Two Wings - Rev. Utah Smith 3. I Want To Live (So God Can Use Me) - Brother Willie Eason & His Gospel Guitar 4. Do Lord Remember Me - Evangelist Sister Rosetta Winn 5. Go Devil Go - Sister Iramae Littleton 6. God Don't Like It - Rev. A. Johnson 7. How Long - Blind Charles White 8. Better Get Ready - Elder R Wilson & Family 9. Sister Matthews - Sister Matthews 10. I Am So Happy - Elder Lightfoot Solomon Michaux & His Happy Am I Choir and Orchestra 11. Storm Passing Over - Evangelist Sister Myrtle Miller & Sister Ella Friday 12. Watch Your Step - Sisters Of Song 13. I Made A Vow To God - Rev. Steward & Family 14. If I Never See You Anymore - Two Gospel Keys 15. Dead Cat On The Line - Sister Lillie Mae Littlejohn
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