RHYTHM & BLUES,
SOUL & DOO-WOP
The
Wallace Brothers -> Jackie Wilson
| THE WALLACE BROTHERS |
Excello 3014 |
Lover's Prayer |
● CD $14.98 |
22 tracks, 47 min., recommended
Out of print - limited
stock. Their LP on the Sims label is one of the rarest and most valuable
albums of the soul era. But if you like your soul music a bit on the raw and
spontaneous side, this cousin-rather-than-brother aggregation may be right
for you. They were among the very first to take advantage of the magic touch
of the Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. And they even scored a
reasonably good-sized hit in 1964 with the title track here. This disc
reissues their entire output - their Sims singles plus 3 singles recorded
for the British Sue label. It includes Love Me Like I Love You,
Faith, I'll Let Nothing Separate Me, Precious Words,
One Way Affair, She Loves Me Not, Stepping Stone, These
Arms of Mine, and Line Between Love and Hate. It's rough-edged,
gospel-influence music. (DH)
|
| ROBERT WARD |
Delmark 741 |
New Role Soul |
● CD $14.98 |
Newest from this fine soul singer and guitarist. Mostly
songs by himself or his wife Roberta.
|
| ROBERT WARD |
Relic 7094 |
Hot Stuff |
● CD $14.98 |
19 tracks, 49 min., recommended
Something of a departure
for the renowned keepers of the fifties vocal group flame, a fine
retrospective on the roots of the Ohio Players, known in their formative
days in the early 60's as Robert Ward and the Ohio Untouchables. Their forte
in those days was the scorching prototype soul ballad accompanied by Ward's
trademark vibrato-drenched guitar, punctuated by upbeat dance numbers such
as The Swim, a concept later successfully reworked by Bobby Freeman.
Standouts among these 1961 to 1967 numbers include I'm Tired,
Something for Nothing, the aptly titled title track instrumental,
She's My Heart's Desire, Take This Love I've Got, and Fear No
Evil. Original labels include LuPine and Thelma, owned by Berry Gordy's
wife. Sadly Robert Ward left the Untouchables just before they transformed
themselves into the funk-driven Ohio Players. Particular thanks are due to
Relic for preserving his rare early cuts. (DH)
|
| BILLY WARD &
THE DOMINOES |
Collectables 2827 |
The Very Best Of Billy Ward & The
Dominoes |
● CD $15.98 |
25 tracks, 69 mins, highly recommended
Billy Ward formed The
Dominoes in 1950 out of students in his class at the Juillard School Of
Music in N.Y. where Ward after graduation worked as voice coach. The
original group consisted of Clyde McPhatter - lead, Charlie White - tenor,
Joe Lamont - baritone, Bill Brown - bass, and Ward himself arranged and
played piano. The group signed with King/Federal Records that same year
and their third release 60 Minute Man skyrocketed the group to
stardom. This CD contains 25 of the group's jumps, blues & ballads,
including all eleven charted sides from the 1950-'53 period. Other
notables include Clyde-led classics - the haunting Weeping Willow Blues,
the doom-laden Bells, complete with sobbing, and the beautiful Do
Something For Me with its tortured blues guitar accompaniment. In 1953
McPhatter left and his place was taken by the powerful pipes of Jackie
Wilson who can be heard to good effect on the #2 hit Rags To Riches
along with You Can't Keep A Good Man Down/ Until The Real Thing Comes
Along and others. Sound on this collection is excellent and there are
informative, if rather brief, notes by Victor Pearlin. (OLN/FS)
BILLY WARD & HIS DOMINOES: Can't Do Sixty No More/ Chicken Blues/
Christmas In Heaven/ Do Something For Me/ Give Me You/ Harbor Lights/ Have
Mercy Baby/ I Am With You/ I Really Don't Want To Know/ I'd Be Satisfied/
May I Never Love Again/ No! Says My Heart/ Over The Rainbow/ Pedal Pushin'
Papa/ Rags To Riches/ Sixty Minute Man/ That's What You're Doing To Me/
The Bells/ These Foolish Things Remind Me Of You/ Three Coins In The
Fountain/ Until The Real Thing Comes Along/ Weeping Willow Blues/ When The
Swallows Come Back To Capistrano/ You Can't Keep A Good Man Down/ Yours
Forever
|
| BILLY WARD & THE
DOMINOES |
Famous Groove 972001 |
Their Greatest Hits |
● CD $18.98 |
26 track retrospective of this great group featuring sides
from the early through the late 50s. Includes the hit version of Sixty
Minute Man plus an outtake of that song and others like The Bells/
These Foolish Things/ Do Something For Me/ Don't Leave Me This Way/ I'd Be
Satisfied/ No Says My Heart/ Rags To Riches/ Deep Purple, etc.
|
| "BABY" WASHINGTON |
Collectables 8828 |
For Collector's Only |
● CD $26.98 |
2 CDs, 41 tracks, 103 min recommended
A treasure trove of
early soul & R&B from this fine artist, taken from the Neptune & Sue labels.
The set starts off with 15 tunes from the Neptune label ('58-61) including
the hits The Time/ The Bells/ Nobody Cares). After that we get the
bulk of her Sue sides from '63-'68, including her all time classic That's
How Heartaches Are Made, along with Leave Me Alone/ I Can't Wait To See
My Baby /Only Those In Love, as well as her rare christmas single
White Christmas/ Silent Night. Sound quality of the Neptune sides is
pretty flat, but improves on the Sue sides. Includes liner notes but no
writers credits. (GM)
|
| BABY WASHINGTON |
Kent CDKEND 136 |
The Sue Singles |
● CD $18.98 |
28 tracks, 74 minutes, recommended
The British compilation
puts the Collectables edition to shame. This set has all of Baby's great Sue
sides, 1962-69, with great sound, full liner notes & discographical info
(the Collectables set couldn't even be bothered to put in the writers'
credits!) an hour & a quarter of fine New York Uptown Soul, with all the
hits & should've beens, including the classics The Clock, That's
How Heartaches Are Made & Leave Me Alone, as well as the
un-dubbed versions of her Sue Christmas single White Christmas/ Silent
Night, later re-issued on Veep with overdubbed strings. Excellent liner
notes by Robert Pruter, with pics of trade mag ads & 45 labels. (GM)
BABY WASHINGTON: A Handful Of Memories/ Careless Hands/ Doodlin'/ Either
You're With Me (or Either You're Not)/ Go On/ Hey Lonely/ Hush Heart/ I
Can't Wait Until I See My Baby's Face/ I Know/ I've Got A Feeling/ It'll
Never Be Over For Me/ Leave Me Alone/ Move On Drifter/ No Tears/ No Time For
Pity/ Only Those In Love/ Run My Heart/ Silent Night/ Standing On The Pier/
That's How Heartaches Are Made/ The Ballad Of Bobby Dawn/ The Clock/ There
He Is/ White Christmas/ Who's Gonna To Take Care Of Me/ You And The Night
And The Music/ You Are What You Are/ Your Fool
|
| GINO WASHINGTON |
Norton CED 268 |
Out Of This World |
● CD $14.98 |
15 tracks, highly recommended
One-of-a-kind garage-soul
fusion from Motor City legend Washington -- not the imposter who
swiped his act and earned a UK following with inferior retreads. This Gino
was backed by a white boy rock band, the Atlantics, who contribute some
totally cheesy but often thrilling sleazy guitar riffs and backbeats. (The
California equivalent would have been Brenton Wood backed by Count Five.)
Not that Gino himself is any less shameless; he shouts, croons, grunts,
groans, moans and does whatever else he imagines might get somebody to pay
attention. The songs are sometimes bizarre: Puppet on a String is a
suicide threat; Do the Frog a failed attempt to create a dance craze.
Others, including the Isleyesque title track, just recycle R&B convention,
although always with tremendous energy. But the best of these tracks--the
loopy Gino is a Coward, the dreamy Around the Town, and I'm
Coming Home, which is both a threat and a promise--have an unquenchable
energy. Whatever relationship this music has to Motown acts like the
Contours, its influence is ultimately felt more strongly in Detroit's long
line of grungy rock groups with demented R&B ambitions (the MC5, the
Stooges, early Ted Nugent). Not for the faint of heart. (DM)
|
| GINO WASHINGTON |
Norton CED 295 |
Love Bandit |
● CD $14.98 |
More great sides from this Detroit soul singer including
four previously unissued.
|
|
WALTER "WOLFMAN"
WASHINGTON |
Bullseye Blues 9630 |
On The Prowl |
● CD $11.98 |
12 tracks, recommended. From Rounder's Bullseye Blues Basics
series, here's a fine introduction to this fine New Orleans bluesman, who
got his start leading the band for the late Johnny Adams. This set has
selections from his 3 Rounder CDs. Most of the tunes are originals but
there's some fine & interesting covers, including Otis Redding's Nobody's
Fault But Mine, Johnny Taylor's Can I Change My Mind & Johnny
Guitar Watson's You Can Stay But The Noise Must Go. (GM)
|
|
JOHNNY
"GUITAR" WATSON |
Collectables 5491 |
Ain't That A Bitch |
● CD $13.98 |
7 tracks, 35 min., recommended
Now available as a domestic
release. This, the first of his 1970s DJM albums (it remained on the soul
charts for over 40 weeks), represents some of his greatest successes - R&B
chart hits that some critics refer to as 'disco blues' though I prefer the
term 'funk blues'. His DJM recordings have proven to be very successful with
fans (9 of his 20 R&B chart hits were for DJM). Released in the summer of
1976, 6 of the tracks (except I Want To Ta-Ta You, Baby) were
released on singles, including 2 R&B hits with I Need It and
Superman Lover. By the way, the title track Ain't That A Bitch is
about social conditions, a theme he would return to. (EL)
|
| NOBLE WATTS |
Alligator 4785 |
Return Of The Thin Man |
● CD $14.98 |
|
|
JOE
WEAVER & HIS BLUE NOTE ORCHESTRA |
Regency RR 124 |
Baby I Love You |
● CD $18.98 |
27 tracks from the early-mid 50s featuring Detroit based R&B
combo led by vocalist/ piano player Joe Weaver. Material ranges from honking
instrumentals to soulful doo-wop including the classic title song. Also
included are cuts by the group accompanying The Starlighters, Andre Williams
& The Don Juans, The Diablos, Five Dollars and others. Sound quality on some
cuts is very muddy.
|
| THE WHATNAUTS |
Collectables 5767 |
Message From A Black Man |
● CD $11.98 |
16 cuts from 70s soul group.
|
| ANDRE WILLIAMS |
Eagle 90124 |
Mr. Rhythm |
● CD $18.98 |
27 cuts.
ANDRE WILLIAMS: Andre Williams Is Moving/ Bacon Fat/
Bobby Jean/ Come On Baby/ Don't Touch/ Georgia Mae Is Moving/ Going Down To
Tio Joana/ Hey Country Girl/ I Still Love You/ I Wanna Know Why/ I'm All For
You/ Is It True?/ Jail Bait/ Jailhouse Blues/ Just Becaue Of A Kiss/ Just
Because/ Just Want A Little Lovin'/ Mean Jean/ Mozelle/ My Last Dance With
You/ My Tears/ Pass The Biscuits Please/ Pulling Time/ Put A Chain On It/
The Greasy Chicken/ Tossin' & Turnin'/ You Are My Sunshine
|
| ANDRE WILLIAMS |
Regency RR 118 |
Mr. Rhythm |
● CD $18.98 |
27 tracks, 79 min., recommended
If you like somewhat
vaudevillian theatrics in your music, if you're looking for one of the roots
of rap, or if you like loose mini-morality plays in your r&b, then Andre
Williams and the Five Dollars (aka the Don Juans) just may be your cup of
tea. There are plenty of straight ahead ballads and jumps here - for example
My Tears, Georgia Mae Is Moving, I Wanna Know Why, and a
version of Lloyd Price's Just Because - but an interesting minor part
of the program features melodramatic lyrics spoken against bluesy background
accompaniment. Such numbers include Jail Bait, the comic dance number
The Greasy Chicken, Jailhouse Blues, Pulling Time, and
Pass the Biscuits Please. A different performer for his era to be sure.
And from a production point of view, his works are offered here with solid
sound quality and brief but informative notes. (DH)
|
| ANDRE WILLIAMS |
Soul-Tay-Shus 6345 |
Rib Tips & Pig Snoots |
● CD $18.98 |
A collection of funk flavored soul and R&B - mostly
instrumental - produced by and featuring Motor City legend Andre Williams.
These were recorded between 1965 and 1971 for labels like Avin, Sport
& Wingate and includes some unissued tunes and alternate takes - Jivin'
Around/ You Got It & I Want It/ Pearl Time/ I Heard It Through The
Grapevine/ Hard Hustling/ Do It/ Loose Juice/ Black Bull/ Chicken Thighs/
Christmas Wish, etc.
|
| LARRY WILLIAMS |
Specialty SPCD 2109 |
Here's Larry Williams |
● CD $11.98 |
Reissue of his classic 1959 LP - 12 classics - Bonie
Moronie/ Lawdy Miss Clawdy/ Dizzy Mis Lizzy/ You Bug Me Baby/ Hootchy-Koo,
etc.
|
| LARRY WILLIAMS |
Specialty 7002 |
The Legends Of Specialty - Larry Wiliams :
Bad Boy |
● CD $14.98 |
New Orleans born Larry Wiliams is from the hard-driving
"upsetting" school of R&B who fello classmates include Little Richard &
Robert Parker. This 22 track CD features some solid high-octane burners
including Bony Moronie/ Hocus Pocus/ Dizy, Miss Lizzie/ Rockin'
Pneumonia/ Heebie Jeebies/ Short Fat Fanny and the bulldozing Slow
Down. These recordings feature a virtual who's who of great session men
including Lee Allen, Earl Palmer, Plas Johnson, Roy Montrell, Harold
Battiste and others. All these tracks have been out before but this set is
beautifully remastered with brief but informative notes by gene Sculatti and
full discographical information. (OLN)
|
| MEL WILLIAMS |
Stompin' Tide 9206002 |
All Through The Night |
● CD $18.98 |
30 tracks from the late 50s/ early 60s by L.A. R&B singer
who was discovered by Johnny Otis in 1955. Most of these tracks are making
their first ever CD performance - All Through The Night/ Fool, Fool,
Fool/ Roses Never Fade/ Talk To Me/ I Cried A Million Tears/ School Girl/
You're All right Baby/ I Don't Care If The Sun Don't Shine/ Dream/ Don't Cry
Baby/ I Got Eyes, etc.
|
| PAUL WILLIAMS |
Blue Moon BMCD 6020 |
The Complete Recordings, Vol. 1 |
● CD $17.98 |
First in a new series to present all the recordings of
saxman/ bandleader Paul Williams. This one covers the period 1947 and '49
and includes his original no. 1 R&B hit The Hucklebuck.
|
| PAUL WILLIAMS |
Blue Moon BMCD 6021 |
The Complete Recordings, Vol. 2 |
● CD $17.98 |
The second volume covers the period 1949 to 1952.
|
| PAUL WILLIAMS |
Blue Moon BMCD 6025 |
The Complete Recordings, Vol. 3 |
● CD $17.98 |
27 tracks, 70 mins, highly recommended
The third volume in
the series devoted to the recordings of New York saxist/ bandleader Paul
Williams is a dynamic collection of 27 hot blues and rocking R&B -
vocals and instrumentals. It includes vocals by Connie Allen, Larry Dale,
Jimmy Earl Brown, Little Willie John, Bobby Parker and Ethel Drew. Sidemen
include some of New York's finest including Bobby Parker (who also
vocalizes and is a brilliant and underrated guitarist), Noble Watts,
Mickey Baker, Larry Dale, Belton Evans and others. Excellent sound, brief
notes and full discographical information. (FS)
|
|
MAURICE
WILLIAMS & THE ZODIACS |
Collectables 5021 |
Best Of |
● CD $11.98 |
12 classic Herald recordings from the early 60s including
their hit Stay + Always/ May I/ High Blood Pressure, etc.
|
| MAURICE
WILLIAMS & THE ZODIACS |
Collectables 7510 |
The Original Master Tapes Collection |
● CD $13.98 |
23 tracks, 47 mins, highly recommended
Quintessential
material by this Lancaster, South Carolina quartet. The group started as the
Junior Harmonizers gospel group and the Royal Charms, then, switching to
original material they signed with Excello as the Gladiolas (1956-57) before
changing their name to the Zodiacs and recording briefly for Cole and Selwyn
in 1960. This set picks up in late 1960 when the group signed to Al Silver's
Herald label with a change in personnel (Maurice Williams - lead, Henry
Gaston - tenor, Wiley Bennet - tenor, Chas Thomas - baritone, Albert Hill -
bass, and Little Willie Morrow - drums) and recorded some of their jumping-est
sides, many of which became regular "Beach" dance classics in the Carolinas.
Prime cuts include I Remember/ Do I/ Come Along/ Someday/ Little Mama/
Come And Get It/ It's Alright and, of course, the hypnotic bestseller
Stay. Essentially the same as Relic 7004 except this has two versions of
Come Along (45 rpm and LP versions) (OLN)
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|
MAURICE
WILLIAMS & THE ZODIACS |
Relic 7004 |
Stay - The Best Of Maurice Williams & The
Zodiacs |
● CD $14.98 |
Quintessential material by this Lancaster, South Carolina
quartet. The group started as the Junior Harmonizers gospel group and the
Royal Charms, then, switching to original material they signed with Excello
as the Gladiolas (1956-57) before changing their name to the Zodiacs and
recording briefly for Cole and Selwyn in 1960. This set picks up in late
1960 when the group signed to Al Silver's Herald label with a change in
personnel (Maurice Williams - lead, Henry Gaston - tenor, Wiley Bennet -
tenor, Chas Thomas - baritone, Albert Hill - bass, and Little Willie Morrow
- drums) and recorded some of their jumping-est sides, many of which became
regular "Beach" dance classics in the Carolinas. Prime cuts include I
Remember/ Do I/ Come Along/ Someday/ Little Mama/ Come And Get It/ It's
Alright and the hypnotic bestseller Stay. Contains all 21 cuts
from Relic LP 5017 plus the beautiful Dearest Baby which recently saw
reissue on Stay LP 301, a fabulous collection of the Gladiolas and earlier
Zodiacs' cuts from the 50's. (OLN)
MAURICE WILLIAMS & THE ZODIACS: Always/ But Not For Me/ Come Along/ Come
And Get It/ Dearest Baby/ Do I/ Do You Believe/ Here I Stand/ High Blood
Pressure/ I Got A Woman/ I Love You Baby/ I Remember/ It's Alright/ Little
Mama/ Please/ Running Around/ So Fine/ Some Day/ Stay/ The Nearness Of You/
The Winds/ We're Lovers
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| OTIS WILLIAMS &
THE CHARMS |
King Tut 711 |
30 Of Their Favorites |
● CD $18.98 |
30 tracks, 74 min., essential
A particularly impressive,
maximum-length retrospective dedicated to one of the true journeyman vocal
groups of the 50's. Led by the clear, powerful tenor of Otis Williams, the
Charms put out records of consistently high quality from 1953 up into the
early 60's. The program opens with the group's best known number, Hearts
of Stone, then moves onto Pardon Me, In Paradise, One
Kind Word from You, It's All Over, United, Two Hearts,
Who Knows, Could This Be Magic, You'll Remain Forever,
Whadaya Want, No Got De Woman, Burning Lips, and
I'd Like to Thank You Mr. D. J. There's not a loser in the lot. This is
not a disc to miss. Sound quality is impressive, as is cover art. The only
drawback, a minor one - there are no liner notes at all. (DH)
|
| OTIS WILLIAMS &
THE CHARMS |
King Special KSCD 1402 |
Greatest Hits |
● CD $8.98 |
8 tracks, 19 min., recommended
A budget issue from the
current owner of the King Records catalog, offering a modest by solid slice
of the work of this journeyman vocal group. The complete track list:
Hearts of Stone, Ivory Tower, Two Hearts, Bazoom
(I Need Your Lovin'), Ling Ting Tong, United, That's
Your Mistake, and Oh Julie. If you dig the Charms and all you
want is their biggest hits (though Oh Julie hardly fits into that
category), then this short stack may just be your preferred way to go. Sound
quality is excellent and the notes section virtually defines the work
"minimal." (DH)
|
| CHUCK WILLIS |
Collectables 6889 |
I Remember Chuck Willis/ King Of The Stroll |
● CD $13.98 |
25 tracks, 62 mins, essential
Now that the great Razor &
Tie collection from a few years ago is deleted this 25 track collection,
reissuing two original Atlantic LPs is most welcome. Chuck was a great
original with a very soulful voice and was a superb songwriter - all but
two of the songs here were written or co-written by Chuck. He recorded
many fine songs for OKeh who he joined in 1952 and had a number of R&B
hits for that label. In 1956 he moved to Atlantic who sweetened his sound
a little and Chuck then crossed over to the pop market having big hits in
1957 and '58 with his reworked versions of old blues favorites C.C.
Rider and Betty & Dupree. Chuck's tragic death in April
1958 of peritonitis left a great void and in May of that year Atlantic
released his first posthumous single - the prophetic two sider Hang Up
My Rock & Roll Shoes and What Am I Living For. There are
lots of other great titles here like the truly wonderful soul ballad It's
Too Late, the powerful Juanita (with vocal backup from The
Cookies and some very effective steel guitar) and lots more. Sound is good
and the insert includes the original LP notes. (FS)
|
| CHARLES WILSON |
Ecko 1032 |
Mr. Freak |
● CD $14.98 |
10 tracks, 66 min, recommended "We gonna drink some whiskey/
Have some chicken wings too/ I got a few things I wanna show you". Fine
Memphis smooth bluesy funk from Wilson (Little Milton's nephew!) Kind of in
the same groove as Clarence Carter's "Strokin'", you can tell what this
set's about just from the song titles, especially the wonderfully titled
Why Should I Get Married When My Neighbor's Got A Wife along with
Hoochie Bootie/ I Love The Love In You/ Why Don't We Get Together, & the
opening title tune - I'm Mr. Freak/ Come & sleep with me/ I'll satisfy your
needs/ I'll make you pleased" (GM)
|
| JACKIE WILSON |
Ace CDCH 913 |
The Very Best of Jackie Wilson |
● CD $18.98 |
Jackie's two biggest UK hits came in ... 1987! Thanks to
puppet videos (!) Reet Petite and I Get The Sweetest Feeling
both made the British charts last year. This excellent CD has 24 of Jackie's
best New York and Chicago Brunswick hits from his first (Reet Petite
) through 1972's You Got Me Walking -- all the greats, mastered by
Adam Skeaping -- includes my personal fave, No Pity In The Naked City
, plus Higher And Higher / Lonely Teardrops / Baby Workout / I'll Be
Satisfied , etc. (GM)
|
| JACKIE WILSON |
Alvorado 6310122 |
Jackie Wilson At The Copa |
● CD $18.98 |
First time reissue of complete concert recorded April 30,
1962. Jackie does mostly pop standards along with a few of his hits -
Sing/ Body & Soul/ Can't Help Lovin' That Gal Of Mine/ And This My beloved/
I Love Them All/ That's Why/ A Woman, A Lover A Friend/ To Be Loved/ Lonely
Teardrops/ A Perfect Day and ten more.
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