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Earshot 15
page3
the last goodbye
willie mitchell - born 23 March 1938 in Ashland, Miss. Moved to Memphis with his family aged 2. He learned to play trumpet while studying at Rust College in Holly Springs and later developed as a keyboardist/ composer/ arranger/ producer. His early inspirations were jazzmen Clifford Brown, Roy Eldridge, Harry James, the bands of Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton but his interests took him on the R&B route and he formed a band of his own with Tuff Green and Al Jackson. After two years military service Willie returned to Memphis where he led the orchestra at the Manhattan Club. He cut some records as Willie Mitchell & the Four Kings and joined the Home Of The Blues label where he led the house band and began producing Roy Brown and the Five Royales. Mitchell’s band was often hired by Elvis for a number of his private parties. He moved over to Hi Records as a performer in 1962 and got his first hit with ’20-75’ (#31 US R&B) in August ’64. Mitchell revisited the singles charts seven times throughout the sixties most notably with ‘Bad Eye’, ‘Prayer Meeting’ and his biggest hit ‘Soul Serenade’ (#10 R&B Singles March ’68) a new version of the King Curtis classic and his following album of the same name went to #22 on R&B LPs the following May. His On Top album also did well reaching #28 in March ’69. During this period he developed his studio skills at Royal and following the death of owner Joe Cuoghi in 1970, Willie became Vice President of Hi Records. Mitchell created the instantly recognizable Hi/ Memphis sound that brought in many singers other than those on the label roster. He produced records for Ann Peebles, OV Wright, Syl Johnson Denise LaSalle, Jimmy King and Preston Shannon. In 1968 Mitchell appeared on the same bill as Al Greene & the Soul Mates, who had a top 5 hit the previous year with ‘Back Up Train’. Greene came from a strong gospel background and had first performed with his family group the Greene Brothers, he made his first solo record ‘Never Had A Chance’ for Fargo in ’59 then formed the Soul Mates with Lee Virgins and brother Robert. Mitchell brought Green to Memphis and together they created one of the most successful Soul stars of all time. This team went on to produce 24 hit R&B/Pop singles throughout the ‘70s including a run of 12 top 5 hits, 8 of which struck gold, many written by Green ‘Tired Of Being Alone’, ‘Let’s Stay Together’, ‘I’m Still In Love With You’ etc. Towards the end of this remarkable run, Hi was acquired by Creem Records and although he retained ownership of the Royal Studios Willie quit the label. Green answered the call back to Gospel and Willie formed Waylo Records creating a roster that included Otis Clay, Ann Peebles,
Jackie Ross, Lynn White and Billy Always. Mitchell also freelanced producing hit albums with Wet, Wet, Wet (The Memphis Sessions ’88) and Marti Pellow’s (Moonlight Over Memphis ‘06).
Al Green returned from the wilderness in 2003 and the team reunited once again to create his first secular album for 20 years I Can’t Stop (Blue Note) then again with Eveything’s OK (’05).
Memphis honoured Willie in 2004 by naming the street on which Royal Studios stood – Willie Mitchell Boulevard and in 2008 he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Grammy. He passed the daily running of Royal over to his grandson Lawrence but still constantly worked there – his most recent project being an album with Solomon Burke that remains uncompleted because he broke his hip in a fall in September 2009. Then had a heart attack in December and died 5 January 2010 at Methodist University Hospital in Memphis aged 81.
bobby charles - born Robert Charles Guidry on 21 February 1938 in Abbeville, Louisiana.
Singer/ songwriter most famously penned ‘See You Later Alligator’. As a teenager had his own group the Cardinals. Legend has it that Leonard Chess signed Bobby after hearing him sing on the phone. He toured America with many of his heroes including Chuck Berry, Little Richard and the Platters etc but after two initial hits in 1956 ‘See You Later Alligator’ (#14 R&B) and ‘Time Will Tell’ (#11 R&B) his records on Chess, Imperial, Farie, Hub City, Jewel and Paula did not sell well. It was as a songwriter that Bobby excelled. He wrote ‘Walking To New Orleans’ for Fats Domino, ‘This Should Go On Forever’ (Rod Bernard), ‘I’m A Fool To Care’ (Joe Barry) ‘The Jealous Kind’ (Joe Cocker, Etta James, Ray Charles), and ‘But I Do’ Clarence ‘Frogman’ Henry. He fell off the radar in the mid ‘60s but re-emerged in 1972 with a Swamp Pop album made with Rick Danko & the Band, Dr John etc and recorded at Bearsville in Woodstock. This album, now seen as his career highlight, featured ‘Small Town Talk’ and ‘Before I Grow Too Old’. His releases spluttered on with ‘Wish You Were Here Right Now’ (’95) and ‘Secrets Of The Heart’ (’98). Proper issued the retrospective CD of his greatest songs Last Train To Memphis in 2004 that he first issued on his own Rice ‘n’ Gravy label. Following the destruction of his house on the Gulf of Mexico by Hurricane Rita in 2005, he returned to Abbeville. Diabetes aggravated poor health in recent years and a kidney cancer operation took its toll. Bobby died 14 January 2010 aged 71
charlie gillett - born 20 February 1942 in Morecombe, Lancashire and grew up in Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland. Charlie was an athlete and a fitness fan. He was mesmerized when he saw Buddy Holly & the Crickets on their UK tour in 1958 convincing him that he must find a way to work in music. Charlie studied economics at Peterhouse, Cambridge then in ’65 he studied for an MA at Columbia University. His thesis the History of Rock & Roll was later developed and published as his first book ‘The Sound Of The City’. Gillett returned to London with his family in 1966 and took a teaching post at Kingsway College where he taught film and social studies. He began writing for several music magazines and fanzines including Record Mirror, Cream and Shout. After the successful publication of ‘The Sound Of The City’ in USA and the UK in 1970 he published further volumes of ‘Rock File’ (with Simon Frith), ‘Making Tracks’ – a history of Atlantic Records (with Panther). Charlie landed his own radio show ‘Honky Tonk’ on Radio London that was on the air between 1972 – 78. He turned down an offer to host ‘The Old Grey Whistle Test’ instead becoming a consultant to ‘The Story Of Pop’ (Radio 1) and he was one of the ‘Let It Rock’ magazine founders in 1972. The same year in partnership with neighbour Gordon Nelki he managed Ian Drury’s Kilburn & the High Roads (not something that they enjoyed much), started a publishing company and their own label Oval Records that he launched with a compilation of Cajun Music entitled Another Saturday Night. They had success with Lene Lovich, Local Heroes and Paul Hardcastle and encouraged Dire Straits, Elvis Costello and Graham Parker. Oval went independent in 1979, their first release being The Honky Tonk Demos an eclectic collection of tracks Charlie had highlighted on his radios show. Gillett moved from the BBC to Capital Radio and began his mission to bring World Music to a wider audience. His popularity grew and when he was sacked in ’83 public demand brought him back where he stayed until 1990. He was presented with the Sony Gold Lifetime Achievement Award the following year. Five years later he was back on GLR and began his World Service series in ’99. Gillett was passionate about the music he loved, energetic and encouraging about others creative desires. We first met way back in the early ‘70s at a Drifters press conference. He used me on a Drifters BBC TV documentary ‘Sounding Out’ that he was directing for producer Tony Cash a short time later (sadly my scenes with Johnny Moore were never used. I wish I could get my hands on them). We’d meet from time to time at events but the last time we worked together was when he interviewed me for his radio series ‘Soul Pioneers’ (on Curtis Mayfield) at the BBC in May 1999. There is an interesting Cherry Red TV interview with him available on You Tube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCGdj6BAU4Q that is well worth watching. He was given the John Peel Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music Radio by the Radio Academy. Sadly Charlie contracted autoimmune system disease Churg-Strauss syndrome that forced him into early retirement in 2006 and proved to be a long debilitating illness that caused a stroke. Then he died 17 March 2010 from a heart attack aged just 68.
chris bartley – born 17 April 1947 in Harlem NY. Bartley joined a school group the Soulful
Inspirations aged 12. This group morphed into the Mindbenders over time. Chris and other group member Ronald Marshall formed a duo who came to the attention of writer/ producer Van ‘The Hustle’ McCoy who offered Bartley a solo spot on his new Vando label. His debut ‘The Sweetest Thing This Side Of Heaven’ gave Chris his only hit single (#10 R&B July ’67) but his album didn’t take off despite a nationwide and Euro tour. He cut four more singles with McCoy including ‘Baby It’s Wonderful’, and the great ‘I Found A Goodie’ before Van closed down the label. Bartley moved over to Buddah but was gone after just two releases ‘Baby I’m Yours/ I’ll Take The Blame’ and ‘One Wonderful Girl/ I Know We Can Work It Out’. A later record on Musicor ‘A Man A Woman/ Tomorrow Keeps Shining On Me’ made no chart appearance despite a rousing arrangement from Bert DeCoteaux. Chris joined the Ad-Libs in 1975 who were also managed by his manager (Bill Downs) and made records with them ‘I Don’t Need No Fortune Teller/ Spring & Summer’ (Passion ’82) and four more releases on Johnnie Boy Records including ‘The Tide Has Turned’ and ‘Close To Me’ (’88). Chris later sang with the Ray Alexander Techniques but doesn’t seem to have made any more solo recordings. died 26 October 2009 of kidney failure aged 62
robert lester - born in McComb, Miss, (1942), educated at Hyde Park High in Chicago. As a child he gained the nickname “Squirrel” due to his tree climbing talents. Lester first sang with the Chanteurs, who also included Eugene Record and Clarence Johnson. Marshall Thompson and Creadel "Red" Jones from the Desideros joined them to create the Hi-Lites, who signed to Daran in 1963. Johnson left and when this group moved to the Blue Rock, parent label Mercury already had a Hi-Lites under contract, so they added a “C” to their name and became the Chi-Lites. They linked up with producer Carl Davis at Brunswick in ’69 and scored their first hit ‘Give It Away’ (#10 USR&B). They had 27 further hit singles on Brunswick including the internationally famous ‘Have You Seen Her’, ‘Oh Girl’, ‘Give More Power To The People’, ‘The Coldest Days Of My Life’, ‘Homely Girl’ and ‘You Don’t Have To Go’. As a writer/ producer Record was prolific and eventually opted for a solo career in 1976. The Chi-Lites did better than he did and eventually he returned to their line up and they reconnected with Carl Davis at Chi Sound where chart success continued with ‘Heavenly Body’, ‘Me & You’ and ‘Hot On A Thing Called Love’. In 1988 Record left again in answer to a Gospel calling. The Chi-Lites signed to Ichiban then Copper Sun but had no further chart action. The ‘90s saw a new generation covering and sampling their songs and Record once again returned to their ranks.
Thompson is now the only remaining survivor of the original Chi-Lites as Jones died in 1994 at the age of 54 and Record their star writer and lead singer passed in 2005 aged 64. Robert Lester died 22 January 2010 from cancer at Roseland Hospital Aged 67.
bob keane – born Robert Kuhn 5 January 1922. Los Angeles record label owner Bob Keane, musician and producer is best remembered for breaking Sam Cooke as a solo artist in mid 1957 with ‘You Send Me’ (Keen 4013) and releasing a series of great singles ‘For Sentimental Reasons’, ‘Love You Most Of All’, ‘Win Your Love For Me’, ‘Only Sixteen’, ‘Everybody Likes To Cha Cha Cha’, ‘Wonderful World’ etc as well as the Encore, Tribute To A Lady and Hit Kit albums. He was squeezed out of the label by co-owners John and Alex Siamas. Keane later discovered Richie ‘La Bamba’ Valens, and the Bobby Fuller Four, created the Del-Fi label and was influential in the careers of Barry White, Arthur Lee, Glen Campbell and Frank Zappa. – has died 28 November 2009 aged 88.
teddy pendergrass - born Theodore DeReese Pendergrass 26 March 1950 in Kingstree SC where he was raised by his mother Ida. Teddy began singing in church at an early age. His mother worked at Sciolla’s Supper Club and as a young boy he often watched singers of the day perform there. Teddy was ordained as a church minister at the age of ten. He was a self taught drummer and began singing with a number of local groups including the Cadillacs after being inspired by Jackie Wilson at the Uptown Theatre, Philadelphia. He joined Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes ion 1969 who soon signed to Gamble & Huff’s Philadelphia International Label. Graduated to lead singer after being heard by Leon Huff. With Teddy on lead the Blue Notes hit the charts with ‘Miss You’ in June 1972 reaching #7 R&B swiftly followed by their best known hits ‘If You Don’t Know Me By Now’ (#1 R&B/ #3 H100) and ‘The Love I Lost (Pt 1)’ (#1 R&B/ #7 H100). After several more big hits with Melvin & the Blue Notes, Teddy left in 1976 after a falling out but stayed with Gamble & Huff on PI and his ‘I Don’t Love You Anymore’ became his first solo hit (#5 R&B/ #41 H 100) in April ‘77. His career hit ‘Close The Door’ took him to #1 R&B/ #25 H 100 and a dozen more big hits followed including ‘Turn Off The Lights’, ‘Can’t We Try’, ‘Love TKO’ and ‘Two Hearts’ (with Stephanie Mills). His first 3 albums all went platinum and Pendergrass was 5 times Grammy nominated before in 1982 he was seriously injured in a car crash that threatened both his career and his life. Teddy was paralyzed below the waist and spent the rest of his life in a wheelchair. After extensive physiotherapy he began to sing again and in 1984 returned to recording and Asylum issued his Love Language album after ‘Hold Me’ a duet with Whitney Houston went to #5 on the R&B singles chart. He had more hits with Asylum and they issued Workin’ It Back in 1985. After ‘Joy’ hit #1 R&B in ’88 he moved over to parent label Elektra and they issued the Joy album striking gold again. The last Pendergrass top 5 album was Truly Blessed in ’91 the same year ‘It Should’ve Been You’ was on the R&B singles chart. Teddy made few live appearances after his accident but did appear with Al Green, Chuck Jackson and Ben E King in a televised concert at the Apollo in New York. His final records were made on Surefire in the late ‘90s and he retired in 2006. But came back to celebrate ‘Teddy 25’ in Chicago a year later to raise money for his charitable foundation TPA (The Teddy Pendergrass Alliance) in a show that documented his very successful career. Teddy died 13 January 2010 from colon cancer at Byn Mawr Hospital aged 59
luther dixon - born 7 August 1931 in Jacksonville, FL. Did his earliest singing in church but later joined the Four Buddies where he and lead singer Larry Harrison formed a good songwriting partnership and Bobby Darin, Pat Boone and Elvis Presley recorded their songs. He also co-wrote ’16 Candles’ a huge pop hit for the Crests in January ’59. Luther really came to prominence as in house producer/ songwriter for the Scepter/ Wand and had major success with roster artists the Shirelles and Goffin & Kings ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ and his own compositions (as Barney Williams) with ‘Mama Said’ and ‘Soldier Boy’. He cut ‘I Don’t Want To Cry’, ‘In Real Life’ and ‘The Prophet’ (Chuck Jackson) and ‘Human’, ‘The Biggest Man’, ‘Oh Lord What Are You Doing To Me’ (Tommy Hunt). Dixon left label owner Florence Greenberg for Capitol and his own label Ludix in 1962 but other than ‘Soul Serenade’ (that he co-wrote and produced for King Curtis) Luther had little commercial success there. He went freelance and hit the charts with Musicor/ Dynamo acts Inez & Charlie Foxx and the Sonny Turner led Platters. Dixon married Inez and together they wrote ‘I Love You a 1000 Times’ a #6 R&B/31 Pop hit single for the Platters in May ’66. ’16 Candles’ bought him some late recognition in 1973 when it was used on the soundtrack of ‘American Graffiti’ then again in John Hughes movie ’16 Candles’ (’84). Dixon retired back to Jacksonville. ‘Baby It’s You’ a musical based on the romance Luther had with Florence Greenberg opened in California 2009 and he was nominated for a place in the Songwriters Hall of Fame that same year. died 22 October 2009 Jacksonville FL Aged 78
aaron schroeder – born 7 September 1926. Found success as a songwriter and famously wrote half a dozen big hits for Elvis Presley including ‘It’s Now Or Never’, ‘A Big Hunk O’ Love’ and ‘Stuck On You’. He was the co-founder of Musicor Records, signed Barry White, Jimmy Radcliffe and Randy Newman to publishing deals and penned songs for Nat King Cole, Roy Orbison, Frank Sinatra, Gene Pitney, Rosemary Clooney, Tony Bennett, Dionne Warwick, Chaka Khan and very many more - has died 2 December 2009 aged 83.
ralph martin – born 12 February 1935 in Harlem, NY. Tony Middleton emailed me (March 26) that Ralph had passed away. Ralph and twin brother Joe (who died 5 years ago) along with Richard Davis formed a vocal group they called the Dovers in 1951 while students at the Chelsea Vocational High School. After Middleton joined a short time later they changed their name to the 5 Willows. Early on a number of singers passed through their ranks but it was bassman John ‘Scooter’ Steele who finally anchored the quintet. Their earliest recording cut in the spring of 1953 was ‘My Dear, Dearest Darling’ on Allen Records. Further releases on PeeDee and Herald were issued but it wasn’t until early 1956 that the group (now called the Willows) cut their career single and Doo Wop classic ‘Church Bells May Ring’ on Melba. It went to #11 on the US R&B singles chart in April ’56 and reached #62 on the Hot 100 by which time Freddy Donovan had replaced Steele. Later records on Club, El Dorado and Gone could not repeat this success and after Middleton went solo in 1957 and Davis was called up, the Willows temporarily disbanded. They reformed with Joe’s wife Dotty Martin taking lead spot in 1959, recut ‘My Dear, Dearest Darling’ on Warwick and after Davis rejoined, it was this line up that recorded their final session for the Atlantic subsidiary Heidi in 1964, who issued two singles. Their early back catalogue was reissued Lost Nite and Allen released a CD Best Of The Five Willows. Over the years the Willows reformed for a number of oldies tours, concerts and special appearances and finally called it quits circa 1990. Tony, who appeared many times with the Willows even after going solo, is in the process of putting together a new line up. Ralph died 25 March 2010 of complications from colon cancer in Bronx Lebanon Hospital Centre. He was 75.
reviews
cd albums
Drifters – All The Singles 1953-58 + 20 Bonus Tracks – Jasmine 2CD
This compilation produced by Bob Fisher and myself covers all the Drifters 1 tracks recorded before they were dismissed and replaced by the Crowns in 1958. Disc 1 contains all seven Clyde & the Drifters singles (A&B sides) plus an alternative version of ‘Gone’ and two versions of the great ‘Let The Boogie Woogie Roll’. The five Drifters cuts that Atlantic issued as McPhatter solos as well and four sides that Bill Pinkney and the Thrasher brothers cut with Ruth Brown as the Rhythmakers (‘Please Don’t Freeze’, ‘Oh What A Dream’, ‘Somebody Touched Me’ and ‘Ol’ Man River’). Disc 2 picks up after McPhatter’s departure and contains the six Johnny Moore led singles (A&B sides) plus the Bobby Hendricks led ‘Drip Drop’ and flipside ‘Moonlight Bay’. The Bonus tracks here contain ‘Honey Bee’, the only side led by David Baughan, Bill Pinkney led cuts ‘No Sweet Lovin’’, ‘I Should Have Done Right’ and ‘Honky Tonky’. Plus two Moore sides ‘Sadie My Lady’, ‘Souvenirs’, an alternative version of ‘Drip Drop’ and the Hendricks/ Tommy Evans duet ‘Suddenly There’s A Valley’. Added as an extra bonus is the Hendricks/ Pinkney combo Flyers single ‘My Only Desire/ On Bended Knee’, a rare issue by Atco from 1956. This 50-track Drifters feast contains all the pre Crown recordings in one package. Though they meant little outside America at the time, the McPhatter sides were very influential in the development of Rock ‘n’ Roll, they inspired Presley and set the blueprint for the Twist. After Clyde went solo Moore established a mellow mood and their early teaming with Leiber & Stoller provided soulful classics ‘Ruby Baby’, ‘Adorable’, ‘Fools Fall In Love’ and after Johnny was called up ‘Drip Drop’ (that later became a million seller for Dion as did ‘Ruby Baby’). These historic tracks blazed a groove that proved influential on many records yet to come in the ‘60s soul era and as you will hear drew inspiration from gospel, R&B, jazz and pop.
Various – London American Label 1961 – Ace
The second issue of the London American Label series contains releases from 1961 and brings together a 28 track varied selection ranging from Jerry Lee Lewis’ version of the Ray Charles classic ‘What’d I Say’, Ben E Kings’ ‘Spanish Harlem’ the country soul of Solomon Burkes’ ‘Just Out Of Reach’ the Drifters ‘Sweets For My Sweet’ and the Mar-Keys ‘Morning After’. Rock & Rollers featured are Johnny Burnette ‘Girls’, Buddy Knox’s ‘Lovey Dovey’ a limp cover of the Clovers R&B hit from 1954 that didn’t improve with age and is typical of the kind of rebranding that went on in America for the white market. ‘Weekend’ became another hit for Eddie Cochran after he wasn’t around to enjoy it and Bobby Vee had a bigger UK hit with the Crickets ‘More Than I Can Say’ than at home, which for him became more common than not. Instrumentals featured well on the charts of 1961 as represented here ‘Riders In The Sky’ from the Ramrods (I miss Frankie), and ‘The Magnificent Seven’ by Al Caiola & His Orchestra, ‘Ring Of Fire’ by Duane Eddy, ‘Ram Bunk Shush’ by the Ventures and ‘Get With It’ by drummer Sandy Nelson. The early ‘60s saw Chubby Checker turn Hank Ballard’s ‘The Twist’ into an international dance phenomenon and pretty much everyone from Bill Haley & the Comets (here with ‘Spanish Twist) to Sam Cooke (not here with ‘Twistin’ The Night Away’) tried it on for style. ‘Twist Her’ Bill Black’s Combo didn’t make much impact at the time but Joey Dee did with ‘The Peppermint Twist’ and so did Danny Peppermint and the Jumpin’ Jacks apparently. Highlights not yet mentioned are Timi Yuros’ torturous ‘Hurt’, Roy Orbisons’ classic ‘Cryin’ and an early attempt to chart from New Orleans music genius Allen Toussaint, who had already failed solo as Naomi Neville and was currently calling himself Al Tousan - ‘Naomi’ didn’t earn him any chart points either but fortunately he kept on trying. This series is a national treasure trove.
Various – Classic Detroit Style R&B Volume 2 – Sampler
Guaranteed to get your toes a tappin’ is the new album Classic Detroit R&B Volume 2 that is just about to be released. This 4 track sampler that writer, arranger, producer Tim King has sent me highlights Funk Factors’ ‘Here We Come’ and ‘Come Inside’ plus Forte’s ‘Perfect Mix’ and ‘Anytime You Need Love’ (Forte w/ Jose Hamilton). These Classic Detroit R&B tracks sizzle with expectation for a fun time on the dancefloor. They have energy and enthusiasm to burn, the atmosphere is positive and a good time is on the cards. If the rest of the album is as good as this Tim King might have a hit on his hands. But remember folks, with this kind of music you’ve got to get down to get up. I’ll probably review the album next time.
David Crawford - Shangri La – Jazzer Inc
Medium cool jazz flutist and keyboard man David Crawford’s album Shangri La is an easy listen. In the past he has played with Ahmad Jamal, Isaac Hayes, Stevie Wonder and has arranged for Patti Labelle, Gladys Knight, Mary J Blige and the Whispers. It’s a balmy evening stroll through ‘Caribbean Nights’, ‘Brazilian Sunrise’, ‘Jazz Me’ and title track ‘Shangri La’. There are no surprises on ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ an instrumental version of the Gloria Gaynor smash (revived later by the Jacksons and Isaac Hayes) minus the angst of the original it’s an all together different perspective here. The mood of the album is mellow and ‘Renaissance’, that was released as a single, keeps that groove going through to ‘Caribbean Swing’ that bookends with the intro track in a reprise with a vocal rap that edges the mood a touch. But generally the slow burning groove that pervades this set is a sanctuary worth returning to.
Various - Complete Goldwax Singles Volume 2 - Ace 2CD
Various - Complete Goldwax Singles Volume 3 - Ace 2CD
These remaining two volumes of the Goldwax singles complete this great series. James Carr’s ‘You Got My Mind Messed Up’ begins Volume 2 but I have to skip through the Country tracks from Leroy Daniel and Oboe and the instrumental by Gene ‘Bowlegs’ Miller before my interest engages again with the Ovations and ‘I Believe I’ll Go Back Home’. These guys are real good but listening to them I sometimes wonder if when Louis Williams looks in the mirror he sees Sam Cooke looking back out at him - ‘Me & My Imagination’ is also a fine track. Somehow Ivory Joe Hunter seemed a little out of place at Goldwax but ‘Every Little Bit Helped Me’ and the Veep single ‘Don’t You Believe Him’ sound just fine. Other highlights on Volume 2 include Spencer Wiggins ‘Take Me Just As I Am’ and ‘Old Friend’, James Carr’s ‘Love Attack’, ‘Pouring Water On A Drowning Man’ and ‘A Losing Game’, George & Greer’s ‘You Didn’t Know It But You Had Me’ and the Lyrics ex lead Percy Milems’ ‘Crying Baby Baby Baby’. The notes tell me ex Stax man Eddie Jefferson only cut 2 singles but ‘When You Look In The Mirror’ and ‘Some Other Time’ sound like two ‘A’ sides to me. Following the success of James Carr’s exceptional ‘Dark End Of The Street’ (tagged here as “Certified Soul Perfection”), Dan Penn’s beautiful songs were taken up by some other singers on the Goldwax roster - with great results. Spencer Wiggins ‘Uptight Good Woman’, the Ovations ‘I’ve Gotta Go’ even ‘The Wife Of The Life Of The Party’ by Kathy Davis (I wonder what a soul version of that one would sound like) and Carr’s unlikely follow up to ‘Dark End…’ ‘Let It Happen’ though a flop is well worth a listen.
Volume 3 bookends with Percy Milem and a Don Covay ballad ‘I Don’t Know What You’ve Got’ backed by a good uptempo version of Sir Douglas Quintets only hit ‘She’s About A Mover’. Ivory Joe Hunters’ version of Carmol Taylors’ ‘Did She Ask About’ is reminiscent of ‘She Thinks I Still Care’ or ‘Funny How Time Slips Away’. Timmy Thomas’ made a useful contribution with ‘It’s My Life’ but nothing he ever recorded could match his 6 million selling ‘Why Can’t We Live Together’. Wee Willie Walker made a good version of Lennon/ McCartney’s ‘Ticket To Ride’ and follow up ‘You Name It, I’ve Had It’ plus flipside ‘You’re Running Too Fast’ were both cut at Fame Studios. His next single ‘From Warm, To Cool To Cold’ was leased to Checker. All the best tracks on this 6th CD of the series fall to the usual suspects - James Carr’s ‘I’m A Fool For You’ has the added bonus duet from Betty Harris and flipside ‘Gonna Send You Back To Georgia’ was a great revival of Timmy Shaw’s ‘64 hit. The soulful ‘A Man Needs A Woman’ was his last R&B top 20 hit. ‘Stronger Than Love’ was also great and though ‘Freedom Train’ fell short of expectations - it should have been a huge hit. And the exquisite flipside ‘That’s The Way Love Turned Out For Me’ will remain one of his finest sides. In an attempt to pull down some sales James cut the Bee Gees ‘To Love Somebody’ but the absolute compilation highlight for me is his superb ‘Life Turned Her That Way’. Great Wiggins tracks include ‘Power Of A Woman’, ‘Lonely Man’, ‘That’s How Much I Love You’, ‘Poor Man’s Son’ and ‘Once In A While Is Better Than Never At All’. He also cut an interesting version of Aretha’s ’67 blockbuster ‘I Never Loved A Woman (The Way I Love You)’, This final Golwax roundup features ‘I Slipped A Little’, Percy Milem’s other bookend. There you have it the Complete Goldwax singles compiled and annotated by Tony Rounce and Dean Rudland.
Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters 1953-58 - Money Honey – GVC
Another great collection of legendry Drifters 1 tracks coupled with Clyde McPhatter’s early Atlantic solos and the four cuts that Bill Pinkney and the Thrasher brothers backed Ruth Brown on as the Rhythmakers. GVC managed to squeeze 55 tracks onto this fine compilation. Clyde & Ruth were tight when he returned to New York on leave from the Army to record ‘Love Has Joined Us Together/ I Gotta Have You’ in duet with her and she produced a son 9 months later. (Ron now sings lead with the Original Drifters). Also featured are the Johnny Moore led Drifters hits ‘Ruby Baby’, ‘Adorable’, ‘Fools Fall In Love’ etc and Gerhart Thrashers two leads ‘Drifting Away From You’ and ‘Your Promise To Be Mine’. The rarest tracks at this time however are the McPhatter solos. Good sleeve notes from I. Moulden-Grey, soul cousin to our own Holden Grey.
Coasters - Singles As & Bs 1955-59 – Jasmine
Here come the Coasters again, this time with a great collection of singles (As & Bs). As compiler Bob Fisher tells us in his notes, the first 12 tracks made up from the 6 singles issued by the youthful Leiber & Stoller on their Spark label when the group were still known as the Robins, before L&S moved from LA to New York. Not all the Robins wanted to move East, so Jerry & Mike brought Carl Gardner and Bobby Nunn with them and created the Coasters with the addition of Billy Guy and Leon Hughes. Atco issued these early tracks as the Coasters anyway but the first track actually cut by the Coasters was in January ’56 in Los Angeles at Master Recorders where ‘Brazil’, ‘Down In Mexico’, ‘One Kiss Led To Another’ and ‘Turtle Dovin’ were laid down. It would be another year before ‘Searchin’’ and ‘Young Blood’ were recorded and 18 months before Leiber & Stoller finally made the move to New York. The first 7 Coasters hit singles are here ‘Searchin’’ made #1 on the R&B charts (and flipside ‘Young Blood’ made #2 R&B a week later in May ‘57). ‘Yakety Yak’ was their first double #1 and ‘Charlie Brown’ hit #2 on both charts. But most of these Coasters singles had big pop success and many were international hits. They were a singles group and though they still perform today, their span on the charts lasted less than 10 years. Most of their biggest hits are here on this great compilation.
Artur Bayramgalin – Interro Island
Artur Bayramgalin hails from Ufa, Russia where his debut album Interro Island was recorded at Breezz Studios. He is a multi instrumentalist and virtual one-man band who features other musicians on 8 of the 10 self-penned tracks. This contemporary jazz set is an entertaining visit
to ‘Interro Island’ and a rewarding journey that reveals the composers interests in jazz and the blues. ‘Black Coffee’ may have kept him awake ‘In The Middle Of The Night’ but now he’s ‘Joyriding’. It is Bayramgalin’s guitar that articulates his voice with most clarity and it’s an engaging conversation albeit in a French accent on ‘Café Rendez-Vouz’ promoted by Ainur Fatihov chromatic accordion (bayan), a wistful focus on ‘Looking At The Sky’ beautifully complimented by Murat Arslanbekov’s saxophone or a funky retort on ‘Jazz Do It’. The return ‘Leaving The Island’ is just as engaging if a little short – but the return often seems shorter. Even after the journey’s over the rich texture of Artur’s music stays with you. He is a unique talent that I’m sure we will be hearing much more fine music from him in the near future.
Various - Bert Berns Story Volume 2 1964-67 - Ace
The second part of the sensational Bert Berns Story rewards us with another 26 superb tracks written and fashioned by one of the truly great ‘60s writer/ producers. Beginning with Tami Lynn’s ‘I’m Gonna Run Away From You’ this CD rolls through one great track after another including the best version of the much-recorded ‘Everybody Needs Somebody To Love’ by Solomon Burke. ‘Come Home Baby’ is practically a duet between Wilson Pickett and Cissy Houston though she got no mention on the label. One of my all time favourites the superb ‘It Was Easier To Hurt Her’ by Garnet Mimms did not chart and the equally wonderful ‘I’ll Take Good Care Of Her’ only reached #15 R&B/ 30 Pop both taken from Garnets’ first album without the Enchanters. Berns had already cut ‘Come On Girl’ with the Jarmels but Diggs and Dunbar - the Knight Brothers gave it a whole new dimension. One of the many great tracks Bert made with the Drifters was flipside to ‘Under The Boardwalk’ (and so sold a million anyway) ‘I Don’t Want To Go On Without You’ a torch ballad that he co-wrote with Jerry Wexler. As legend has it Drifters lead Rudy Lewis died the night before the session that was booked into Atlantic Studios and (according to Wexler) it was too late to cancel, so the recordings went ahead. Both songs were scheduled for Lewis but Johnny Moore took the lead on ‘Boardwalk’ and Charles Thomas gave one of the performances of his life on ‘I Don’t Want To…’ based closely on the rehearsal given at an earlier date by Rudy. Berts’ work with ex Drifter Ben E King is also much celebrated and ‘Cry No More’ is one of the many highlights on this CD. The irrepressible sound of the Exciters on ‘Run Mascara’ through Brenda Reid’s exceptional vocals, did not chart as often as they should but then nor did the exquisite Barbara Lewis who cut ‘Better Not Believe Him’ with Berns, or Bobby Harris despite his ‘Mr. Success’ title. Freddie Scott was the most successful on the Shout roster and ‘No One Could Ever Love You’ was the last time Berns produced him. Sadly Scott couldn’t come close to this kind of success without him. The other big success on Shout was of course Erma Franklin’s ‘Piece Of My Heart’ that also became a latter day classic. It’s no surprise that Otis Redding recorded the McCoys ‘I Got To Go Back…’ as ‘Look At That Girl’ but it is a little puzzling that it took so long for this previously unissued take to find its way onto CD. ‘Heart Be Still’ adapted from the gospel classic ‘Peace Be Still’ is a superb way to conclude this great compilation. Lorraine Ellison had the right background to execute this beautiful song perfectly and she really does it credit. This is another Ace series that still has a lot of mileage.
Four Tops – Something To Remember- Casablanca Sessions – Shout
This twofer combines the Four Tops Casablanca albums Tonight and One More Mountain kicking off with their ‘When She Was My Girl’ #1 hit from 1981 that was also big for them internationally. Even after their incredible Motown success over a 20-year period the Tops continued to make sensational records for a number of labels. Here they sound as great as they ever did. ‘Don’t Walk Away’ was a UK top 20 hit and ‘Tonight I’m Gonna Love You All Over’ despite being a slower cut, still found Top 40 UK success. (Let’s face it Levi could sing the yellow pages and make it sound good). This album sold well in America peaking at # 5 on the US R&B Album chart of September ’81 with ‘Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong’ and ‘From A Distance’ being the strongest tracks – but it’s all good. A year later One More Mountain did not sell so well but opening track ‘Sad Hearts/ I Believe In You’ had top 40 R&B success at the end of ’82. Though sales of …Mountain must have been disappointing at the time - the music is consistently good. Though these two albums conclusively prove that the Tops were capable of doing well without the Motown machine, however they did return to the label after their time with Casablanca to score two more hit singles before moving to Arista in the late ‘80s. Sadly three of the four are gone now and Abdul ‘Duke’ Fakir leads a new Tops. Their legacy remains, this CD fits comfortably alongside their best work and is truly Something To Remember.
Various - Shake Rattle & Roll, R&Bs Greatest Hits 1953-58- Jasmine 2CD
Another amazing hits collection from Jasmine- this time it’s R&B. No less than 50 hit records on this great 2CD compilation. Disc 1 starts with Ruth Brown’s ‘Mama He Treats Your Daughter Mean’ and rolls on through Big Mama’s ‘Hound Dog’, Faye Adams ‘Shake A Hand’ and Big Joe Turner’s title track. There are great cuts by the Drifters, the Midnighters and the Platters doing just what you might expect. Hits from Chicago include Bo Diddley (‘Bo Diddley’) Little Walter and his Jukes (‘My Babe’) and Chuck Berry (‘Maybellene’). Little Richard ‘Rips It Up’ with ‘Long Tall Sally’ and the Fat Man sings ‘I’m In Love Again’ and ‘Ain’t That A Shame’. Disc 2 begins with Shirley & Lee’s ‘Let The Good Times Roll’ and more Fats Domino classics ‘Blueberry Hill’, ‘I’m Walkin’’ and ‘Blue Monday’. There are 3 from the Coasters, early Sam Cooke, Bobby ‘Blue’ Bland, Larry Williams and Chuck Willis. Clyde McPhatter is well represented with and without the Drifters, inclusions being ’Treasure Of Love’, ‘Long Lonely Nights’ and ‘A Lover’s Question’.
Notes by Bob Fisher cover the salient facts on this great value comp.
Soul Children - There Always - Epic Southern Soul - Shout > 19
The Soul Children debuted on Stax in the late ‘60s but despite cutting great records with
Hayes & Porter they didn’t crack the R&B top ten until ‘The Sweeter He Is’ in September ’69.
‘Hearsay’ was bigger (at #5) in March ’72 and their greatest hit came with ‘I’ll Be The Other Woman’ in December ’73. This quartet featuring Norman West, Anita Louis, John Colbert and Shelbra Bennett and had 12 chart singles with Stax but as the label began to self-destruct in ’75 Bennett left and the remaining trio signed to Epic and Don Davis produced their first album
Finders Keepers. ‘Highway’ the self-penned medium tempo intro announces a new beginning,
this albums 9 tracks contain strong performances such as ‘If You Move I’ll Fall’ which was their second and best Epic single to chart in June ’76 and the title track that had already gone to #49 in February. Highlights here include ‘I’m Just A Shoulder To Cry On’, ‘We Got To Get Our Thing Together’, ‘Midnight Sunshine’ and ‘One Broken Home For Sale’. On vinyl this album found mid LP chart success in April ’76. The Soul Children tempted their ex-producer David Porter back to steer proceedings on Where Is Your Woman Tonight? starting well with ‘Head On Collision’ and Anita excelled on ‘If You Want A Woman This Time’. Album II highlights include ‘(You’re A) Diamond In The Rough’, the only single to chart from this set -‘Where Is Your Woman Tonight’, ‘You Don’t Need A Ring’ and ‘There Always’. Sadly it did not sell as well as Finders Keepers though it’s just as good. The Soul Children re-signed to Stax in ’77 and their ‘Can’t Give Up A Good Thing’ went into the R&B Top 20 in May ’78 - but that’s just what they did because the trio broke up. Colbert was the only one to stay in mainstream music as J. Blackfoot. This Shout 2fer contains the best of the Soul Children’s later work, a great compilation with good notes by Clive Richardson.
Jerrold Dubyk Quartet – The Maverick – Death Defying
The Canadian based Jerrold Dubyk Quartet knock out a great set for The Maverick album that was released last year. Tenor saxophonist Dubyk leads the band with an energy and enthusiasm that inspires them and keeps the listeners’ attention throughout. Producer Brad Turner also contributes some fine trumpet on the lengthy ‘Maverick’ (the Maverick is a yellow ’74 Ford saloon featured on the cover) and elsewhere. Both Jesse Cahill on drums and Chris Gestrin on Organ (Hammond B-3) give good support and enjoyable solos on this entertaining and exciting journey. From ‘Gotham’ the Maverick takes the ‘Low Road’ via ‘Breakfast On Me’, ‘Time Spent’, ‘Intrepid Norris’ to ‘You Take Care Of Me’. It’s a smooth ride and if, like me, this fine album leaves you ‘Hot n’ Ready’ to take another spin with these guys, they made an earlier album (I’ve not yet heard) The Way You See It, so get on board and bon voyage. Volcanic ash won’t slow this baby down.
Rita Shelby – A Date With A Song – SB Music
I have not encountered singer/ songwriter Rita Shelby before. She has a background in the church, later on LA Radio and was first on air with Armed Forces Radio. Rita is also an actress and has appeared in several TV and Movie projects including Oliver Stone’s ‘South Central’, ‘A Different World’, ‘Martin’ and ‘Walk By Faith’. For 9 years Ms Shelby hosted the ‘Starlight Jazz Serenade’ a benefit concert at Los Angeles Academy of TV Arts & Sciences, where her performances brought high praise from LA Times Jazz critic Don Heckman. Rita’s style and approach is refreshing and the 2 jazzy crew give her great support. All the albums songs from ‘Holding Down This Forty’, ‘Sour Citrus’, ‘Old Man’s Girl’, ‘Drink U Some Act Right’ to ‘Draw The Line’, ‘Cherish The Moment’, ‘A Date With A Song’ and ‘Try Love On For Size’ are different and take on a unique perspective. All but one of them come via the creative talents of Rita and partner in song Willie Daniels, who takes care of most of the production and plays keys on quite a few tracks. A couple of plays won’t give you all that’s here, it will take a little longer. As a debut set A Date With A Song is very accomplished, Rita’s vocals are strong and confident and I don’t think bare any comparison to anyone else. I find her songs intriguing and look forward to hearing more from her real soon.
Various – Berry Gordy Motor City Roots – Jasmine
Motown fans who have an interest in the pre-history of possibly the most famous label so far will want this one. It’s a clever compilation that covers the early years of Berry Gordy’s influence as a songwriter and producer. We begin with his earliest famous recording Jackie Wilson’s ‘Reet Petite’ written with the late great Billy Davis. Jackie had a big influence on many singers in Detroit, some of who emulated the master. Listen to Al Kent on ‘That’s Why’, Kenny Martin on ‘My Love Is Coming Down’, Bob Kayli on ‘Everyone Was There’, Eddie Holland ‘Little Miss Ruby’ and brother Brian on ‘In Nature Boy’. Of course the Holland brothers would carve out careers as the finest writer/ producers at Motown in the years to come. Smokey & the Miracles would become indelible in the labels roster and Robinson would become vice – president. Marv Johnson would have his hits just prior to Motown’s formation and Billy ‘Roquel’ Davis went to Chess in Chicago to write and produce many hits for the label. This fascinating CD will open a lot of eyes and ears of the Motown faithful.
Richard Smith – Sleight Of Hand
If you haven’t heard the amazing guitar sound of Richard Smyth you’ll be in for a very pleasant surprise. His sound gets you right from track one ‘Vicky’s Birthday’ and takes you via ‘Big Bertha’, ‘Brother Ray’, ‘5 Digit Password’ and on through all 10 tracks. Smyth has written all the songs, which he arranged with Mark Shannon (who was the Producer and also played bass and additional keyboards). There’s not much info on the Sleight Of Hand sleeve but a trawl on the net reveals that this guitarist extraordinaire is based in Toronto, he studied at Canada’s premiere music school Humber College and graduated with distinction. Today he spreads his musical talents between songwriting, composing, studio session work, a constant stream of live gigs and teaching through improvisational workshops. Smyth’s 30 years experience has given him an encyclopedic cache of guitar styles that has extended his technical range wide and deep. If the guitar is your chosen passion I suggest you give this phenomenal musician a listen.
Shirelles – Swing The Most/ Hear & Now – Ace
The Shirelles were still having legal wrangles with Scepter owner Florence Greenberg when these two albums were first released. This was all very damaging to their brilliant careers that initially had started so brightly. They had been the first female group to top the Hot 100 and had scored a further five top three hits with huge pop crossovers. Shirley said that the rot set in when their producer/ songwriter Luther Dixon left Scepter (& Greenberg) in mid 1962 to set up his own label with Capitol. He had co written and produced ‘Tonight’s The Night’, their career hit ‘Will You Love Me Tomorrow’ and follow on smash hits ‘Mama Said’ and ‘Soldier Boy’, teaming with Bacharach to create ‘Baby It’s You’. It was a short time later that the girls discovered that there was no money in the bank and the legal wrangles began. Though they refused to record any more new songs, Dixon had left plenty of material in the can, so their embargo was not as effective as it might have been. Their last significant hit had been ‘Foolish Little Girl’ back in April ’63 and since then sales had dwindled. ‘What Does A Girl Do?’ had only reached the low 50s and their soundtrack single had just crawled in at #92 and after ‘Tonight You’re Gonna Fall In Love With Me’ failed, the downturn became permanent. Greenberg cynically compiled these albums from existing releases previously rejected tracks. She stole from the Shirelles then trashed their career. Great singles like ‘Don’t Say Goodnight And Mean Goodbye’, ‘Sha-La-La’, and ‘What Does A Girl Do?’ were put out again on these budget label albums. Listening to them again now most of these songs sound great today. It’s tragic that a group this good got such a bad deal, they deserved much better. One more issue to come in this series should contain a lot of good music that we didn’t get to hear at the time.
Chuck Berry – Rock ‘n’ Roll Music – Ultimate ‘50s singles (As & Bs) – Jasmine
Here’s a great budget price Chuck Berry compilation that contains 28 of his best tracks and includes ‘Mabellene’, ‘Roll Over Beethoven’, ‘Brown Eyed Handsome Man’, ‘Schoolday’, ‘Rock & Roll Music’, ‘Sweet Little Sixteen’, ‘Reeling & Rocking’, ‘Johnny B Goode’, Around & Around and Carol as well as some less well known tracks that are equally worth a listen. Chuck hailed from St Louis but the fame he found on Chicago’s Chess Records took his sides onto the charts all over the world. His influence on groups and guitarists was indelible and had he been white he would have rivaled Presley. In case you’re wondering, these are all the bona fide tracks recorded in the most creative years of Berry’s amazing career and compiled in the order of their original releases.
Tymes – Grace & Savour – Shout
Shout compiled this twofer (combining the Tymes Trustmaker and People albums) from the Tymes mid ‘70s period with RCA. The group had originally formed in Philadelphia in 1956 (were previously known as the Latineers) and they had two female singers in the line up during the early ‘70s. Career hit ‘So Much In Love’ came in ’63 and they scored two further hits on Parkway. A make over of Barbara Streisand’s ‘People’ took them to #33 R&B and the Top 40 Pop charts in late ’68 on Columbia. In the mid ‘70s they resurfaced on RCA and had international success with ‘Ms Grace’ that became their biggest and best-known seller. Often considered a little MOR by many soul fans, the Tymes recorded a series of retreads on hits made popular by other artists. They were technically competent but not very original. Probably the reason that they lasted as long as they did. On Trustmaker they trashed their first hit ‘So Much In Love’, generally for me the slower ballads seem to wear best and ‘The Sha La Bandit’, ‘For The Love Of Ivy’ and ‘God Bless The Child’ are a lot easier on the ear than most of the other tracks. ‘You Little Trustmaker’ the #20 R&B hit single (#18 UK Pop) still sounds good and if you like show-tunes and makeovers this ones for you.
Brenda Holloway – Early Years – Ace
After listening to this interesting compilation of Brenda Holloway’s early recordings, I’ve decided I much prefer the mellow side of her catalogue to the wailer/ screamers like ‘I Never Knew You Looked So Good…’, ‘I Want A Boyfriend’, ‘I Ain’t Gonna Take You Back’, ‘The Nursery’ etc. If my maths are right, most of these singles were cut when she was really young – 15 or so, if as compiler and annotator Mick Patrick says Brenda was just 17 when she cut ‘Every Little Bit Hurts’. For me she never really got past ‘…Hurts’ it was both her first hit and an unrepeatable classic. Sure she had five more hits with Tamla and ‘When I’m Gone’ was her career hit – but everyone remembers ‘Every Little Bit Hurts’ and there’s an interesting demo of it tagged on the end of this collection. The best cuts for me are ‘I’ll Give My Life’, ‘Echo’, ‘He’s Gone’ and ‘You’re My Only Love’. Good Duets include ‘Gonna Make You Mine’ (with Jess Harris) and ‘It’s You’ (Hal & Brenda) with an arrangement closely based on the Flamingo’s ‘I Only Have Eyes For You’. An interesting curio is ‘Do The Dell Viking’ Pt1 written by Brenda and sister Patrice that was issued on Taste in 1963. I read her complaints about how Motown treated her and while I have some sympathy, there were many talented singers who never got close to the breaks she had. All the singles featured here before she was 17 then there was Motown and beyond. Ain’t fame a bitch!
Various – Birth Of Soul: Special Chicago Edition – Kent
I happen to believe that Chicago was the birthplace of Soul Music and that ‘For Your Precious Love’ is a major contender as the very first Soul record. The version included on this excellent compilation is a rarity because it’s the demo that the Impressions made before they got their deal with Vee-Jay records and has not been available until now – even in America. It was originally entitled ‘Your Precious Love’ and had been cut at Bandera Records, a small Chicago label that were helping the quintet get a record deal and only featured their voices and the guitar of Curtis Mayfield. Curtis along with Carl Davis, Jerry Butler, Johnny Pate, Riley Hampton and a few other artists were responsible for creating the ‘Chicago Sound’. Mayfield wrote ‘Phyllis/ I’ve Got A Girl’ for Major Lance, another rarity that features the early Impressions sound in the background (they had recorded the original ‘I’ve Got A Girl’ on their first demo tape). The Chicago Sound would not appear fully fledged until Major’s third single and career hit ‘Monkey Time’ - also written by Curtis and featuring a cleaner background sound from the three Impressions and Johnny Pate. The bluesy ‘I’ll Weep No More’ features Betty Everett’s beautiful voice but her style had not really developed until her work on VJ with Calvin Carter, whereas Jan Bradley had the benefit of Mayfield’s guidance from early on. ‘Behind Curtains’ was an ambitious song confidently presented. She was soon to get her biggest hit with Curtis on ‘Mama Didn’t Lie’ but bad luck prevented their further partnership blossoming when Chess acquired her masters and Mayfield declined further involvement. Bradley really deserved to be a much bigger star. Another unusual Mayfield song ‘Isle Of Sirens’ by Jerry Butler was cut with Carter at VJ and based on the Greek myth of beautiful female voices luring unsuspecting sailors to their deaths in the perilous seas surrounding their Isle. Curtis’ first lead ‘A’ side after Butler left the Impressions was the Latin flavoured ‘Senorita I Love You’ also featured here.
While I had read about most of these artists, I must confess I hadn’t heard the Accents ‘Enchanted Garden’ or the stunning Don & Bob’s ‘Good Morning Little Schoolgirl’ (had the Yardbirds for years) even the Radiants’ Smokey influenced ‘Father Knows Best’ but I’m glad I have now. Eugene Record’s Chanteurs echo shades of the early Drifters on ‘You’ve Got A Great Love’ and the insistent Kavetts, who later appeared on OKeh were practically unheard outside Chicago on ‘I’ve Got A Story To Tell You’. There are some superb rarities included here, Gerald Sims certainly made valuable contributions to Chicago Soul behind the scenes and also made a couple of records out front too, such as ‘Cool Breeze’ with the Daylighters. Running out of road now but I just want to say that there are so many great tracks on this collection by Barbara Lewis, the Mighty Mighty Dells, Gene Chandler, Dee Clark and others that I haven’t the space to review. Tony Rounce’s excellent compilation and Bill Dahls’ comprehensive notes make this fine 24 track CD mandatory for any soul music fan who I’m sure will find it a fascinating and informative trawl through the early days of Chicago Soul.
Various – Bless You California: More Early Songs of Randy Newman – Ace
Ace issue a second spectacular volume of Randy Newman’s early songbook that reveals another wonderful collection of his unique songs. Where better to start than with Irma Thomas’ superb version of ‘Anyone Who Knows What Love Is’. The song was recorded when both Irma and Randy were at Liberty (who had merged with Imperial - her label of the time). It went to #52 on the R&B singles chart in July ’64. Irma cut a few of Newman’s song including ‘While The City Sleeps’ and ‘Baby Don’t Look Down’. One of his most popular songs with other artists is ‘Let’s Burn Down The Cornfield’ and here with a fine version is the late Lou Rawls. Lou had the perfect voice for this unusual song. Linda Ronstadt rocked up ‘Bet No One Ever Hurt This Bad’ that in the authors’ hands was a much gentler refrain. ‘Leave Me Alone’ by Peggy March has such a strong storyline it might have been a show song. Newman’s mature lyrics make so many of the songs of that time seem like superficial empty vessels. The Fleetwoods, who had 9 Top 40 hits in the US also cut a four of Randy’s songs and contained here is one of their finest examples ‘Ask Him If He’s Got A Friend For Me’. When Bobby Darin was deep into his Sinatra phase he and Newman co-wrote ‘Look At Me’ for his album From Hello Dolly To Goodbye Charlie. Until now I’d never heard the Everly Brothers version of ‘Illinois’ (nor any others come to that) – it was an unusual choice for them but nevertheless a great result. An intriguing version of ‘Wait Till Next Year’ by Eric Burdon (& the Animals) was cut in New York with two more Newman songs on the Eric Is Here album. Rick Nelson also recorded this one. Harpers Bizarre cut more of Randy’s songs on their first 3 albums than anyone except Nilsson, ‘Happyland’ was arranged by Newman but has a sound I would associate with veteran weirdo Van Dyke Parks. PJ Proby didn’t do as well in the USA as he did in the UK where he scored a dozen hit singles and was particularly popular with trouser manufacturers. ‘Straight Up’ comes from his Phenomenon album (Liberty) produced by Calvin Carter in 1967 that also contained ‘Mama Told Me Not To Come’. ‘Cowboy’ comes from the album Nilsson Sings Newman - the singer honoured Randy by recording a whole album of his songs. Such was his success that even Jazz royalty acknowledged Newman’s songwriting brilliance when Ella Fitzgerald recorded ‘I Wonder Why’ for her Richard Perry produced Ella album in 1969 on which she also sang a version of his ‘Yellow Man’. At the other end of the musical spectrum the Doobie Brothers gave an early Newman composition another lease of life in 1971 when they cut ‘The Beehive State’ three years after Randy had recorded the song himself on his debut album Randy Newman. Though this album was a critical success it was a commercial failure - but it did put 11 songs on the market, most of which were eagerly recorded by other artists and six of them are included on the two Ace early Randy Newman compilations. Here’s hoping they extend this series to take in some of his later compositions.
Various – The Rise Of Instrumental Rock – Jasmine
Twenty-five memorable rockin’ instrumental tracks make up this fine Jasmine compilation that features such luminaries as Bill Doggett and it’s his big hit ‘Honky Tonk’ (Pts1 & 2) that opens up the running. Though there are many tracks that you might expect like ‘Raunchy’ by Bill Justis, ‘Tequila’ (the Champs), ‘Rebel Rouser’ (Duane Eddy) and ‘Topsy’ (Cosy Cole). But there are a few great cuts that you may have forgotten like toe tappin’ ‘Cerveca’ by Boots Brown and his Blockbusters (who according to the notes are none other than Shorty Rogers and his band), ‘Manhattan Spiritual’ by the Reg Owen Orchestra and ‘Green Mosquito’ by the Tune Rockers. It’s great to hear some of these great instrumentals once again – they stand up well and a few, especially ‘Tequila’ are considerably better than I remember.
book
Rage To Survive – The Etta James Story – Etta James and David Ritz – Da Capo 1998
Ritz does a first rate job, it’s as if Etta is speaking directly to the reader as she tells the rip roaring story of her life – a very much warts and all confession. There is quite a bit about her music (though perhaps not quite enough for completist like me) during her years on the road Etta must have met them all but among her closest friends she counted Johnny ‘Guitar’ Watson, Ray Charles, Jessie Belvin, Otis Redding, Jackie Wilson, Esther Phillips and many more. Etta’s early hits on Modern included ‘The Wallflower’ (covered by Georgia Gibbs as the million selling ‘Dance With Me Henry’) and ‘Good Rockin’ Daddy’. Five years later she reappeared on the charts with ‘All I Could Do Was Cry’ on Argo. Though Leonard Chess was very good to Etta, he never paid her a dime in royalties for the 30 hits she had on his labels, the biggest being ‘If I Can’t Have You’ (a duet with Harvey Fuqua), ‘My Dearest Darling’, the classic ‘At Last’, ‘Trust In Me’, ‘Don’t Cry Baby’, ‘Something’s Got A Hold On Me’, ‘Stop The Wedding’, ‘Pushover’ and ‘Tell Mama’ - she cut a lot of sides there on Argo, Chess and Cadet.
I found it hard to have much sympathy for Etta’s plight as she ran from gig to gig screaming at the rest of the world for most of her life. It seemed to take her an awfully long time to grow up from the street urchin with a deep dependency on heroin – whose main obsession in life was to score her next fix. Like the many men that passed through - beating, cheating, stealing, she never seemed to learn from her mistakes. By the age of 30 she had lived a dozen lives as a desperado and by her own admission was moody, cranky, stubborn and defiantly proud of being so. After several attempts to kick in various hospitals and rehabs, her life of constant touring on the road all over America, Mexico, Alaska and Europe drew her back again and she would get dirty in the gutter with all the pimps, whores, drag queens she hung out with. It was this emotional pain and turmoil that fuelled her performances – a hi price to pay. Drugs make you talk fast and think slow (if at all) and Etta talks her way out of one fuck up after another. Being a junkie allowed her the freedom to avoid her responsibilities and time after time she would end up broke and busted having to be bailed or rescued by friends who she would eventually scam and steal from to feed her habit. Etta would be reduced to several terms in jail (a cell on Rikers Island had her name on it) on her journey through American music.
After many years of struggle and therapy the love-hate relationship with her mother Dorothy and the obsession to find out just who her father was (she believed he was Minnesota Fat’s the famous pool king) she laid the blame for all her woes at the feet of her mother and her absent father. Her two sons came through her maelstrom remarkably unscathed (as far as anyone can tell) and it’s a wonder she survived it all. The emotional scars, many of them self inflicted, are graphically reflected in her body of exceptional music - Among her best albums were Deep In The Night (Rounder) and The Right Time (Rounder) with Jerry Wexler, Seven Year Itch (Island) and Stickin’ To My Guns (Island) with Barry Beckett, Mystery Lady: The Songs Of Billie Holiday (Private Music) and the best compilations I’ve heard are Tell Mama (Roots) and The Complete Modern & Kent Recordings (Ace). ‘Rage To Survive – The Etta James Story’ won the Ralph J Gleason Music Book Award.
© earshot (peter burns) june 2010
