RHYTHM
& BLUES, SOUL & DOO-WOP
Bobby
Hall -> The Hurricanes
BOBBY HALL & THE
KINGS |
Famous Groove 971013 |
Bobby Hall And The Kings |
● CD $18.98 |
29 tracks from excellent and under-rated Baltimore, MD
group.
|
THE HALOS |
Collectables 5580 |
Package |
● CD $13.98 |
16 tracks, 38 min., recommended
Their 1962 album on Warwick
is very rare indeed, so if you've been yearning to hear the Halos output
in a manner that your spouse would regard as fiscally responsible, this is
your chance. Most tracks are upbeat, with at least something of the gritty
feel of their one hit, the title track here. Other cuts include Zoom
Zoom Zoom, Mean Old World, Crazy Bells, L-O-V-E, For
Your Precious Love (a rare ballad), What'd I Say, If I Had
Known, and Oh What a Night. Sound quality, notes, and cover art
are all to Collectables new, higher standards. (DH)
|
ROY HAMILTON |
Collectables 8823 |
Anthology |
● CD $26.98 |
2 CD set - 36 tracks.
|
CLAY HAMMOND/ Z.Z. HILL |
Kent CDKEND 188 |
Southern Soul Brothers |
● CD $18.98 |
CLAY HAMMOND: Do Right Woman/ I Got A Letter
This Morning/ I'll Make It Up To You/ I'm Gonna Be Sweeter/ I'm So Glad
You're Mine/ Love Made The Whole World Multiply/ My Jealous Girl/ My Sweet
Baby Is Coming Home/ Something Better/ Suzy Do It Better Than You/ Take Your
Time/ The Good Side Of My Girl/ Togetherness/ You Brought It All On
Yourself/ You Messed Up My Mind/ You Threw Out Your Lifeline/ Z.Z. HILL:
Don't Make Promises (you Can't Keep)/ Everybody Needs Somebody/ Gimme Gimme/
I'm Gonna Love You/ My Girl Has Gone Away/ Please Take Me Back/ The Greatest
Love/ What Am I Living For?/ Where She At/ You've Got Me Chained To Your
Love
|
THE HARPTONES |
Collectables 5401 |
The Goldner Recordings 1956-57 |
● CD $13.98 |
All you ever wanted to hear by this legendary New York
street corner quintet, led by the velvet voice of Willie Winfield,
excluding the ever popular Sunday Kind Of Love, Life Is But A
Dream, and My Memories Of You. The Harptones conveyed a smooth
pop-oriented, polished style much revered by the East Coast Doo-Wop fans.
Their unique treatment of romantic ballads like The Masquerade Is Over/
The Shrine of St. Cecelia (both included) thrilled Apollo Theatre
audiences in 1957. Much praise is due to Raoul Cita, the group's pianist
and arranger. This album features 14 tracks recorded for George Goldner in
1956 & '57, first reissued on Murray Hill 1098. For those who like the
sweet and mellow. (OLN)
THE HARPTONES: Cry Like I Cried/ Is This Really The
End/ On Sunday Afternoon/ Oo Wee Baby/ Shrine of St Cecilia/ So Good, So
Fine, You're Mine/ That's The Way It Goes/ That's the Way It Goes/ The
Masquerade Is Over/ Three Wishes/ Until the Real Thing Comes Along/ What Did
I Do Wrong/ What Is Your Secret/ When Will I Know
|
THE HARPTONES |
Collectables 6074 |
Life Is But A Dream - Very Best Of The
Harptones |
● CD $13.98 |
18 track collection of their Old Town recordings including
several previsouly unissued alternate takes and accompaniments to Peggy
Farmer and Ruth McFadden.
|
THE HARPTONES |
Relic 7021 |
Sunday Kind Of Love |
● CD $14.98 |
Willie Winfield and Central Harlem's Harptones never enjoyed
instant million copy sales of their records when they were issued during
the 50's, yet their fame and legendary reputation are spread far and wide.
Sunday Kind Of Love/ My Memories Of You (both included) are
standards today in every hallway harmonist's songbook, and their style set
a trend in five-part harmony. Willie's clear and impassioned voice fronted
wavering harmonies on Raoul Cita's expert musical arrangements. Charts
include Since I Fell For You/ I Almost Lost My Mind/ Loving A Girl Like
You/ Why Should I Love You. Exhaustive sleeve notes by Don Fileti plus
rare pics and trade journal clips. Twenty cuts, including live tape from a
1955 concert.If you like The Five Keys you'll like The Harptones. (OLN)
THE HARPTONES: Forever Mine/ High Flying Baby/ I
Almost Lost My Mind/ I Depended On You/ I'll Never Tell/ It Wasn't Just For
Laughs/ Loving A Girl Like You/ Mambo Boogie/ Mambo Boogie/ My Memories Of
You/ Oobidee.. Oobdee.. Oo/ Ou Wee Baby/ Since I Fell For You/ Sunday Kind
Of Love/ What Is Your Decision
|
THURSTON HARRIS |
Plaza 502 |
Little bitty Pretty One - Complete Early
Recordings |
● CD $18.98 |
35 tracks, 77 min., highly recommended
Thurston Harris began
his singing career as lead singer for the Lamplighters on the Federal
label, but this near maximum length disc, featuring his "complete
early recordings," takes a comprehensive look at his work as a solo,
beginning with his successful 1957 cover of Bobby Day's Little Bitty
Pretty One and ending some seven years later. Other featured numbers
include Fine Fine Frame, I'm Out to Getcha, Do What You
Did, Cross My Heart, I'm Asking Forgiveness, Tears
from My Heart, Runk Bunk, In the Bottom of My Heart, Send
Me Some Lovin', Moonlight Cocktail, Quiet as It's Kept,
and Mr. Satan. All in all, a fine and pleasantly-varied program,
mixing tempos and, to some extent, styles, and featuring a nice cover
photo of the artist, solid sound quality, and informative notes. (DH)
|
WYNONIE HARRIS |
Ace CDCHD 457 |
Women, Whisky And Fish Tails |
● CD $18.98 |
21 tracks, 53 min., recommended
Well aware of the fact that
there are already several Harris discs on the market, Ace wisely decided
to focus their reissue on his later King sides, recorded between 1953 and
1957. This period of time falls after his period of regularly making the
charts, but all of the material is strong and interesting nonetheless. And
almost all of the titles are new to CD. Among them are Greyhound/
Christina/ Fish Tail Blues/ Shotgun Wedding/ Bring It Back, and I
Don't Know Where to Go. Not a last gasp, but a last flash of brassy
blues brilliance. All with Ace's usual high standards in sound quality,
graphics, and liner notes. (DH)
|
COUNT
"RED" HASTINGS |
Collectables 5323 |
With Danny Turner & Eddie Wood |
● CD $11.98 |
CD issue of Krazy Kat 823. Big sax sound from the Gotham
vaults. 10 of the 14 tracks are by Lowell Hastings, who spent most of his
year as sideman and session man, including long stints with Earl Bostic,
Louis Jordan (on X and Aladdin), as well as having his big tenor on dozens
of King/ Deluxe sides in the late 50s. These cuts are from the only 2
sessions done under his own name. One each in '48 & '50, including his
hits Begin The Beguine & Sugar Cane , plus never before
issued alternates of Patches & Miner In The Diner . The
set is completed by 2 each by tenor Danny Turner, previously heard on
Krazy Kat/ Gotham with Panama Francis All Stars, and since '75 a member of
the Basie Orchestra, and unknown Eddie Woodland.
|
SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS |
Bear Family BCD 15530 |
Spellbound 1955 - 1974 |
● CD $41.98 |
Double CD of Screamin' Jay rantings done for Wing (8 from
1955 - 2 previously unissued), Decca (8 from 1966 - 4 previously
unissued), Philips (24 from 1969) and RCA (2 from 1974). With the
exception of 8 cuts from 1955, most of these 48 tracks are pretty silly
(wait - green flourescent bats begin to flutter menacingly - I didn't mean
it really!). Included is a 1966 remake of his monsterpiece I Put A
Spell On You and from 1972 we have the demented You Put A Spell On
Me. The 1955 sessions, recorded for Mercury/Wing with the Leroy
Kirkland band, are generally more straight ahead R&B efforts, yielding
the classic She Put The Whamee On Me. The Phillips tracks cover all
bases ranging from Jay's own takes on pop ballads, blues, R&B and his
epic Constipation Blues which gives new meaning to the phrase
"anal retentive". The 36 page booklet features extensive notes
by the Bill Millar and a host of crazed photos. (MB/FS)
|
SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS |
Bear Family BCD 16687 |
Screamin' Jay Rocks |
● CD $24.98 |
31 tracks, 78 mins, highly recommended
Screamin' Jay Hawkins' catalog has long suffered from sloppy, second-rate
collections, so having Bear Family come in and do a topnotch job like this
one is a real treat. This captures the best of his '50s & '60s work, with
few surprises in the track listing and only an alternate version of
Knock-Kneed Nana making its first appearance here. You get all of the
classics -- I Put A Spell On You/ Little Demon/ Baptize Me In Wine/ (She
Put The) Whammy (On Me,)/ I Is, -- and many, many more. Plus less often
compiled tracks that are fantastic, like $10,000 Lincoln Continental/
Armpit #6, and Mountain Jive, etc. The real key here is the
beautiful sound and outstanding presentation. There is a thick booklet with
all kinds of rare photos, plus brand new, extensive notes by Bill Millar
and, on top of that, a deeply detailed Discography covering all of Screamin'
Jay's recordings from 1952 - 1970. This is easily the best Screamin' Jay
Hawkins compilation, even better than the great set Rhino put out about 20
years ago. Get rid of all of your other Hawkins' comps (except maybe the one
recently from Rev-Ola) and get this right away (or at least before
Halloween)! (JM)
SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS: $ 10,000 Lincoln Continental (take
2)/ (She Put The) Wamee (On Me)/ All Night/ Alligator Wine/ Armpit No. 6/
Baptize Me In Wine/ Do You Really Love Me/ Frenzy/ I Is/ I Put A Spell On
You/ In My Front Room/ Just Don't Care/ Knock-Kneed Nana (take 7)/ Little
Demon/ Little Demon (alt. take)/ Mountain Jive/ Not Anymore/ Party Doll/
Person To Person/ Please Don't Leave Me/ Strange/ Take Me Back/ Talk About
Me/ There's Something Wrong With You/ This Is All/ Well I Tried/ Whammy/
What That Is/ Yellow Coat/ You Ain't Foolin' Me/ You Made Me Love You
|
SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS |
Edsel 414 |
Portrait Of A Man |
● CD $17.98 |
Reissued in the wake of Jay's recent death this is 25 track
retrospective of his recording career ranging from his first solo
recording of Baptize Me In Wine as Jalacy Hawkins for Timely in
1954 to 1994's Scream The Blues with Jay still shouting and
screaming the blues in fine form with a blues-rock band. Along the way we
hear two versions of his classic I Put A Spell On You - the
original 1956 Okeh version and a crazed and very different version from
1979 with Keith Richard on guitar. We also hear the totally demented I
Hear Voices from 1962, the powerful and soulful Portrait Of A Man
from 1972 and more. Curiously it omits his other OKeh hit the fine Allligator
Wine and fortunately (or not depending on your viewpoint) also omits Constipation
Blues.
|
SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS |
Epic 47933 |
Cowfingers & Mosquito Pie |
● CD $11.98 |
This is basically a reissue of Jay's classic
"At Home With Screamin' Jay Hawkins" LP that was never reissued to the best
of my knowledge, with some welcome additions. We not only get the drunken
blaster I Put A Spell On You but enough Hawkins mayhem to raise the
dead on Little Demon , the surrealistic tale of Screamin' Jay's Yellow
Coat (amazing lyrics), a campy pseudo-Oriental Hong Kong , and
nutty versions of I Love Paris and Take Me Back To My Boots
& Saddle . Alligator Wine and the flip There's Something
Wrong With You are added as well as another Okeh single Frenzy
and the flip. And if that ain't enough to have you reaching for a glass of
"Bulldog spine wine" how about 4 prime alternate takes including
I Put A Spell On You and Alligator Wine ? Like snowflakes,
no two Screamin' Jay screams are the same.
(AE)
|
SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS |
Evidence 26003 |
Live And Crazy |
● CD $12.98 |
11 tracks, 50 min., recommended. The title tells you all you
need to know here. Recorded live in Paris in 1988 before an enthusiastic
crowd, Jay peforms favorites like The Whammy/ Yellow Coat/ Alligator
Wine/ I Put A Spell On You/ Constipation Blues plus rock tunes like Tutti
Frutti/ Lawdy Miss Clawdy/ Ain't That A Shame. Good sound quality and
an energetic performance.
(PG)
|
THE
HEARTBEATS/ SHEP & THE LIMELIGHTS |
Collectables 8805 |
For Collectors Only |
● CD $24.98 |
Most of the material here was reissued years ago on Vol. 2
of Roulette's Echoes Of A Rock Era series (RE-115), but
Collectables has added a generous portion of extra Heartbeats cuts from
the Rama, Hull, Roulette, and Gee labels, recorded in the mid to late
1950s. Perhaps of greatest interest to collectors are the 4 unreleased
tracks, Stars In The Sky/ Be Mine, Be Mine/ Tell Me/ Hydromatic Love,
all uptempo rockers and somewhat atypical for a group known for its smooth
sound. Also included are the fast and slow versions of People Are
Talking. The Shep & The Limelites tracks, yet another reissuing of
their Hull LP from 1962, include Daddy's Home/ Our Anniversary/ Three
Steps From The Altar/ This I Know, and 6 others. Two CDs, 40 songs,
great music, decent notes, cheap price. (JC)
THE HEARTBEATS: 500 Miles To Go/ A Thousand Miles Away/ After New Years
Eve/ Be Mine, Be Mine (unreleased)/ Crazy For You/ Darling How Long/ Down
On My Knees/ Everybody's Somebody's Fool/ Hands Off My Baby/ Have Rock
Will Roll/ Hurry Home Baby/ Hydromatic Drive (unreleased)/ I Found A Job/
I Want To Know/ I Won't Be The Fool Anymore/ It's Allright With Me/ Lonely
Lover/ Lovin' Sickness/ Oh Baby Don't/ One Day Next Year/ People Are
Talking/ People Are Talking (alternate version)/ Rockin' &Rollin',
Rhythm &Bluesin'/ Sometimes I Wonder/ Stars In The Sky (unreleased)/
Tell Me (unreleased)/ Wedding Bells/ When I Found You/ Your Way/ SHEP
& THE LIMELIGHTS: Daddy's Home/ Gee Baby, What About You/ One Week
From Today/ Our Anniversary/ Ready For Your Love/ Remember Baby/ This I
Know/ Three Steps From The Altar/ What Did Daddy Do?/ Why, Why Won't You
Believe Me/ SHANE SHEPPARD: Two Loving Hearts
|
THE HEARTBEATS |
Rhino 70952 |
The Best Of The Heartbeats |
● CD $11.98 |
20 track compact disc. The best known
songs of The Heartbeats recorded between 1955 and 1960 plus sides by Shep
& The Limelites which was the group formed in 1961 by lead singer
James Sheppard after the Heartbeats split up.
THE HEARTBEATS: 500 Miles To Go/ A Thousand Miles Away/ After New Year's
Eve/ Crazy For You/ Daddy's Home (Shep &the Limelites)/ Darling How
Long/ Down On My Knees/ Everybody's Somebody's Fool/ I Found A Job/ I Want
To Know/ I Won't Be the Fool Anymore/ Lonely Lover/ One Day Next Year/
People Are Talking/ Sometimes I Wonder/ Your Way/ SHEP & THE
LIMELIGHTS: Our Anniversary/ Ready for your Love/ Three Steps From the
Altar/ What Did Daddy Do
|
THE HEARTS |
J&S 955 |
Lonely Nights |
● CD $18.98 |
27 tracks, 67 min., highly recommended
A gem of a
collection, offering the tracks recorded by this stellar girl group for
both the Baton and J & S labels. Groups members included Jeanette
"Baby" Washington, Johnny Louise Richards of Johnny and Joe, and
Rex Garvin, the group's bass singer and lone male. The program here opens
with the group's biggest hit, Lonely Nights from 1955, then moves
onto All My Love Belongs to You, Talk About Him Girlie, Until
the Real Thing Comes Along, Disappointed Bride, Dancing in a
Dreamworld, So Long Baby, I Want to Be Free, Thousand
Years from Today, You or Me Has Got to Go, and I Couldn't
Let You See Me Crying. Solid New York doo-wop, presented here with
fine sound quality, brief notes, and a great vintage cover photo of the
group. (DH)
THE HEARTS: All My Love Belongs To You/ Dancing In A Dreamworld/
Disappointed Bride/ Going Home To Stay/ Gone, Gone, Gone/ Goodbye, Baby/ I
Couldn't Let You See Me Crying/ I Had A Guy/ I Want To Be Free/ I Want
Your Love Tonight/ If I Had Known/ Like, Later Baby/ Lonely Nights/ My
Love Has Gone/ Oo-Wee/ She Drives Me Crazy/ So Long Baby/ Talk About Him
Girlie/ There Are So Many Ways/ There's No Love At All/ Thousand Years
From Today/ Until the Real Thing Comes Along/ Where Are You Tonight/ You
Needn't Tell Me, I Know/ You Or Me Has Got To Go/ You Say You Love Me/ You
Weren't Home
|
THE HESITATIONS |
Official 56701 |
Let's Groove |
● CD $18.98 |
23 tracks from late 60s by Cleveland soul group including
their big hit - a wild gospel flavored treatment of Born Free. Also
includes Love Is Everywhere/ I've Gotta Find Her/ Push A Little Bit
Harder/ I Believe In Love/ We Can Do It/ Who Will Answer/ Somewhere,
etc.
|
AL HIBBLER |
Blue City 818 |
26 Best of Al Hibbler |
● CD $17.98 |
Selections include After The Lights Go Down (original
version and hit version) / Unchained Melody/ Fat and Forty/ A Tree in the
Meadow/ Honeysuckle Rose + 20.
|
THE HI-LITES/THE
CASTALEERS |
Rhythm Records RHY 1002 |
The Hi-Lites Meet The Castaleers |
● CD $16.98 |
Features 12 tracks by the Hi-Lites and 9 by the Castaleers.
THE CASTALEERS: Come Back/ I'll Be Around/ Lonely Boy/ Lonely Boy/ My
Baby's All Right/ My Bull Fightin' Baby/ My HiFi Baby/ That's Why I Cry/
You're My Dream/ THE HI-LITES: Everybody's Somebody's Fool/ For
Sentimental Reasons/ For Your Precious Love/ Gloria, My Darling/ I'm
Fallin' In Love/ Maybe You'll Be There/ Moonlight/ Pretty Face/ To The
Aisle/ Walkin' My Baby Back Home/ Zoom Zoom/ Zoop
|
JOE HICKS/ JIMMY HUGHES |
Stax 88011 |
Mighty Joe Hicks/ Something Special |
● CD $17.98 |
22 tracks, 76 min., recommended Two albums on one CD. The
first, Joe Hicks "Mighty" (originally Enterprise 1028 from
1973), is original soul 'n' blues with covers of Nobody Knows You When
You're Down And Out/ Rock Me Baby thrown in. He sounds best--which is
pretty good--on his own The Team/ Rusty Ol' Halo
Just Ain't As Strong As I Used To Be/ Did You Forget. No notes. (JC)
|
LORENZO HOLDEN |
Southland 26 |
Cry Of The Wounded Jukebox |
● CD $15.98 |
19 tracks, 56 min., recommended
Nice surprise here - a
compilation by one of the great unsung heroes of the L.A. rhythm and blues
scene. Tenor saxman Holden was a musician's musician who backed Johnny
Otis, Pee Wee Crayton, Willie Egans and many more. He roars out of the
gate with Whipped Cream, spurred on by the guitar of Chuck Norris
and Ernie Freeman's piano. Hunting with Hunter is a searing bopper,
and Top Hat shows Lorenzo to be a master of original phrasing. Just
Blues is one of many laid-back organ combo numbers - he was an
originator of this pleasing format. Along the way we get plenty of classic
bump and grind, and many unusual instrumentals, 19 winners in all. The
source material is not always of the highest quality, but the musical
quality more than compensates. The remarkably thorough notes are a plus,
too. Essential for sax buffs. (MB)
|
JIMMY HOLIDAY |
Collectables 5734 |
How Can I Forget |
● CD $11.98 |
12 tracks, 30 min., recommended
Thanks to Collectables,
assembled here for the first time are all 12 sides that this solid soul
singer and song writer cut for the Everest label between 1963 and 1965.
His first hit, the great title tune here, brought Holiday a significant
measure of public attention, but it was only several years later that the
Minit label saw his material as worthy of an LP collection. Be that as it
may, the solidly worthwhile early numbers collected here, a mixture of
uptempo and ballad numbers, include How Can I Forget, Janet,
Poor Boy, Allison, I Believe in Love, One More
Thing, Hollywood, and Ol' Man River. Sound quality,
cover art, and liner notes are all up to snuff. Not one to miss. (DH)
|
THE HOLLYWOOD SAXONS |
Famous Groove 971012 |
Everyday Is A Holiday |
● CD $18.98 |
30 tracks from West Coast group who also recorded as The
Portraits, Capris and other names plus the related group The Senders who
also recorded as the Swallows & The Uptones. Includes the groups'
minor local hit Everyday Is A Holiday plus Trying/ It's You/ My
Love Is True/ I'm Your Man/ L.A. Lover/ Tears Came Rolling Down/ A Casual
Kiss/ Spinning/ Everyday Is A Holiday (acapella version)/ Everybody
Seems To KNow, etc.
|
THE HOLLYWOOD FLAMES |
Specialty 7021 |
The Hollywood Flames |
● CD $15.98 |
Although some of this material has seen revival on Specialty
2166 (1988) and P-Vine CD 2155 (Best Of Ebb R&B - 1989), there's many
a good cleffing to wrap your ears around. Fine lead work from David Ford
of Ebbtides' sides and the late Bobby Byrd a.k.a. Bobby Day. All 27 tunes
cut for Art and Lee Rupe's Specialty and Ebb labels between 1952-59.
Knockout ditties include So Good/ This Heart Of Mine/ Strollin' On The
Beach/ Frankenstein's Den and The Flames' finest ballad, Just For
You, a weeper penned by Bobby Relf of Laurels fame. The group's basic
sound is sweet, soulful, and has a strong Jesse Belvin-type smoothness.
Nice pics and learned booknotes. Compiled and produced by Billy Vera.
(OLN)
|
THE HOLMES BROTHERS |
Rounder 2124 |
Soul Street |
● CD $16.98 |
12 tracks, good. The Holmes Bros. have been issued recently
on a flurry of labels, but to my ear Wendell and Sherman Holmes and Popsy
Dixon don't always make it. This set opens up with a down in the alley
treatment of O.V. Wright's You're Gonna Make Me Cry, with
impassioned vocals plus tasty steel guitar. There Goes My Everything
is blessed with the nice harmony fiddles of guest Alison Krauss. The
group's adoption of The Sensational Nightingales' arrangement of Walk
In The Light works well for them, and is this set's most earthy and
touching number. Unfortunately, most of the remainder is filler or
bogged-down blues covers. (OLN)
|
JOE HOUSTON |
Specialty 2171 |
Cornbread And Cabbage Greens |
● CD $12.98 |
Unlike many of the jazz vets of his generation, tenorist
Houston didn't give a hoot for subtlety - in his frantic solos he'd choose a
climactic note and wring the hell out of it, sending everyone into a rockin'
frenzy. Yes friends, if you want R&B honkin', this is it in 26 slices from
the John Dolphin labels, including a multitude of unreleased takes. His 78
spinners are here, including the hotter than hot Flying Home/ Rockin' &
Boppin' and the classic squealer All Night Long, the
mouth-watering title track as well as the jazzy Sentimental Journey.
Houston had a few tricks in his bag, waxing jazz standards like Lester
Leaps In/ I Cover The Waterfront with (as Billy Vera's boss notes
reveal) nearly identical arranged solos on each take! The guy was consistent
- these 1952 cuts are every bit as good as his sides for Modern, Imperial
and others, and he's still going strong today. This will drive your
neighbors crazy, but get it anyway. (MB)
|
CAMILLE HOWARD |
Specialty SPCD 7046 |
Rock Me Daddy |
● CD $15.98 |
25 tracks, 63 min., recommended A native of Texas, Howard
rose to her greatest fame as the fine boogie and blues pianist for Roy
Milton's Solid Senders. But she also recorded prolifically as a solo
artist for the Specialty label. The tracks here, recorded between 1947 and
1952, are a delightful mix of solid blues vocals and boogie instrumentals,
a few of which are based on classical themes. Highlights include You
Don't Love Me/ O Sole Mio Boogie/ I'm Blue/ Money Blues, and Song
of India Boogie. This issue is the first devoted to Howard's solo
output, and it is long overdue. With its fine sound, graphics, and notes -
and 12 previously unissued cuts - this set is worthy of a place in any
decent post-war blues collection. (
DH
)
|
TOMMY HUNT |
Collectables 5246 |
Human - Golden Classics |
● CD $11.98 |
Pittsburgh-born Tommy (Charles) Hunt sung alongside Johnnie
Taylor in The Five Echoes during the early 50's, then joined The Flamingos
in 1956 and sang with them on Chess and End Records. In 1961 he signed
with Wand/Scepter, where he recorded two best sellers Human/ I Am A
Witness (both included). Of the remaining ten songs on this CD, Your
Man/ Don't Make Me Over are the two which stand out. Hunt had a very
impressive style, too often wasted on poor material. He later gained
reawakened success on Dynamo Records, but in 1967 chucked it all for life
in Wales as an African-American Brit. Decent book notes, average sound.
Duplicates English vinyl of the recent past. (OLN)
|
TOMMY HUNT |
Kent 145 |
The Biggest Man - Scepter & Dynamo
Recordings, 1961-67 |
● CD $18.98 |
TOMMY HUNT: Coming On Strong/ Didn't I Tell You/ Do You Really Love Me/
Don't Make Me Over/ Everybody's Got A Home But Me/ False Alarm/ How Can I
Be Anything (without You)/ Human/ I Am A Witness/ I Just Don't Know What
To Do With Myself/ I Might Like It/ I'm Wondering/ It's All A Bad Dream/
It's All In The Game/ Just A Little Taste (of Your Sweet Lovin')/ Lover/
Make The Night A Little Longer/ New Neighbourhood/ Oh Lord, What Are You
Doing To Me/ Parade Of Broken Hearts/ Poor Millionaire/ Promised Land/
She'll Hurt You Too/ So Lonely/ The Biggest Man/ This And Only This/ Words
Can Never Tell It/ You Made A Man Out Of Me/ Your Man
|
HERBERT & RUFUS
HUNTER |
Black Magic 9202 |
The Sound Of A Crying Man |
● CD $15.98 |
21 tracks from the 60s and early 70s by two brothers from
Nashville doing R&B and soul for various small labels run by Nashville
music entrepreneur Ted Jarrett.
|
IVORY JOE HUNTER |
Collectables 6234 |
Ivory Joe Hunter/ The Old & The New |
● CD $13.98 |
Two classic albums by Ivory Joe from 1957 and 1958 on one
CD. Includes his hits Since I Met You Baby/ Empty Arms/ Yes I Want You
plus other fine songs like It's A Doggone Crying Shame/ I Need You/ A
Tear Fell/ To Lose You, etc.
|
THE HURRICANES |
Dipper 202 |
"Priceless" Recordings |
● CD $17.98 |
28 tracks, 68 min., essential Another of the great and
largely unheralded vocal groups of the 50's finally gets the digital
compilation that it so richly deserves. Beginning its recording life as
the Toppers of Baby Let Me Bang Your Box fame, this Henry
Austin-led entourage laid down its best and its smoothest sides as the
Hurricanes. Their numbers under that name include Poor Little Dancing
Girl, Maybe It's All for the Best, Yours, Raining in
My Heart, Dear Mother, and Fallen Angel. Also included
are numbers that lead singer Austin is featured on that were released
either as by Henry Alston, such as the delightful Once in a Beautiful
Lifetime, and as by the Memos, such as I'm Going Home. All in
all, not a disc to miss if you're a fan of the r&b vocal group sound.
Sound quality is solid, as are the notes, and there's a great color photo
of the group gracing the cover of the liner notes booklet. For what more
could one ask? (DH)
|
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