"The Spark Records Story" (Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller Present) 1954-1955

Before becoming fully established as national hit songwriters and producers with the Coasters, Elvis Presley, and others in the late '50s, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were two of the five partners in Los Angeles R&B indie label Spark…...This collects 30 of the mid-'50s sides issued by the company, many of which were written and produced by Leiber and Stoller. In fact, this comprises the majority of Spark's output; it put out only 22 singles in all. Only three of these songs will be well-known: the Robins' classic comic R&B/rock numbers "Riot in Cell Block #9" and "Smokey Joe's Cafe," and Willy & Ruth's "Love Me," the original version of a song covered with considerable success by Presley in 1956. Just because the rest is damned obscure, however, doesn't mean it isn't worth checking out. Indeed, although Leiber and Stoller's talents had yet to blossom, this is a couple cuts above the norm for a mid-'50s R&B compilation. That's mostly because there's so much more humorous verve on this stuff than there was on much R&B and early rock that was immediately forgotten. The half-dozen cuts by the Robins (who, of course, evolved into the Coasters) are still the highlights, but there are exuberant jump blues and R&B novelties by the likes of the Honey Bears, Big Boy Groves & Band, and the Sly Fox (a raw bluesy cat by Spark's standards, or anyone's standards). Some routine ballads and straight R&B tunes are interwoven as well, but this is still recommended to both fans of Leiber and Stoller, and to R&B specialists looking for something that offers pleasure as well as scholarly insight. Blues harmonica player Garland the Great's "Strike a Match" was previously unreleased, and marks the first-ever appearance of this Leiber-Stoller composition.(Richie Unterberger, Allmusic)

trax:

1. Riot In Cell Block #9 - The Robins 2. Love Me - Willy & Ruth 3. One Bad Stud - The Honey Bears 4. King Solomon's Blues - Gil Bernal 5. I Gotta New Car - Big Boy Groves And Band 6. Bring It On Back - Mister Ruffin 7. I'm Tired Of Beggin' - Sly Fox 8. Loop De Loop Mambo - The Robins 9. Farewell - Willie & Ruth  10. Easyville - Gil Bernal 11. Hoo-Doo Say - Sly Fox 12. I Shall Not Fail - The Honey Bears 13. Whadaya Want? - The Robins 14. A Touch Of Heaven (Just Around The Corner) - Mister Ruffin 15. Midnight Special - Big Boy Groves And Band 16. My Four Women - Sly Fox 17. Just Say The Word - Frankie Marshall 18. Soft Winds - Ernie Andrews 19. I Must Be Dreamin' - The Robins 20. No One Else Will Ever Know - Frankie Marshall 21. Alley Music - Sly Fox 22. Wobble Lou - Ray Agee 23. Strike A Match - Garland The Great 24. The Hatchet Man - The Robins 25. Another Fool [Sings The Blues] - Ray Agee 26. Tree Stump Jump - Garland The Great 27. It's Hot - Gene And Billy 28. In The Still Of The Night - Ernie Andrews 29. Zerlene - Gene And Billy 30. Smokey Joe's Cafe - The Robins

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