BEN E. KING - Anthology 1 "Spanish Harlem"

A close look at this album reveals just how ambitious Atlantic Records could be in the early 1960s, in generating LPs. Technically speaking, Ben E. King's debut long-player is a concept album -- or, at least, a thematic album. Put together in the wake of his first solo hit, "Spanish Harlem," a Latin flavor and beat run all the way through this 12-song platter, which, at times, is really more of a pop record than a soul record. The dense, busy string section that characterized most of King's work of this era is present, and a lot of his singing may recall more the work of Sammy Davis, Jr. than that of any R&B artist one might think of from this period. And apart from the Jerry Leiber/Phil Spector co-authored title hit, most of what is here dates from a decade or more (sometimes several) earlier -- "Frenesi," "Besame Mucho," and "Perfidia" were standards during the big-band era, and most of the rest is of similar or even older vintage. All of which doesn't mean that it is bad -- King's version of "Besame Mucho" is a very successful reinterpretation in a Latin soul vein, and "Perfidia" never sounded better than it does in his hands, even if it and a lot of the rest is a long way from what most of us define as "soul." And for better or worse, the production is first-rate within the context of King's established sound, with a phenomenal string section and a percussion section to die for. (Bruce Eder, Allmusic)

trax:

01 Amor 02 Sway 03 Come Closer To Me 04 Perfidia 05 Granada 06 Sweet And Gentle 07 Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps 08 Frenesi 09 Souvenir Of Mexico 10 Besame Mucho 11 Love Me, Love Me 12 Spanish Harlem 13 How Often (with La Vern Baker) 14 A Help Each Other Romance (with La Vern Baker) 15 Tell Daddy 16 Too Bad 17 Walking In The Footsteps Of A Fool 18 Gloria Gloria 19 Auf Wiedersehen My Dear 20 How Can I Forget

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