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"…Lord Have Mercy!"
A brilliant set in the
ongoing "Original Album Series" - but this WILSON PICKETT set is not
without its problems. Here are the uptight and outta sight details...
UK released August 2010 -
"Original Album Series" by WILSON PICKETT on Atlantic/Rhino 8122 79837 7 (Barcode 081227983772) is a 5CD Mini Box Set of 1995 Rhino Remasters in Stereo and Mono and play out as follows:
Disc 1 (30:31 minutes):
1. In The Midnight Hour
2. Teardrops Will Fall
3. Take A Little Love
4. For Better Or Worse
5. I Found A Love
6. That's A Man's Way
7. I'm Gonna Cry [Side 2]
8. Don't Fight It
9. Take This Love I've Got
10. Come Home Baby
11. I'm Not Tired
12. Let's Kiss And Make Up
Tracks 1 to 12 are his debut
album "In The Midnight Hour" - released October 1965 in the USA on
Atlantic 8144 (Mono) and Atlantic SD 8144 (Stereo). It was issued December 1965
in the UK on Atlantic ATL 5037 in Mono only. The Stereo mix is used on the CD.
Disc 2 (30:41 minutes):
1. Land Of 1000 Dances
2. Something You Got
3. 634-5789
4. Barefootin'
5. Mercy, Mercy
6. You're So Fine
7. In The Midnight Hour
[Side 2]
8. Ninety-Nine And A Half
(Won't Do)
9. Danger Zone
10. I'm Drifting
11. It's All Over
12. She's So Good To Me
Tracks 1 to 12 are his 2nd
album "The Exciting Wilson Pickett" - released August 1966 in the USA
on Atlantic 8129 (Mono) and Atlantic SD 9129 (Stereo). It was released September
1966 in the UK on Atlantic 587 029 (Mono) and 588 029 (Stereo). The Stereo mix
is used.
Disc 3 (30:43 minutes):
1. Mustang Sally
2. New Orleans
3. Sunny
4. Everybody Needs Somebody
To Love
5. Ooh Poo Pah Doo
6. She Ain't Gonna Do Right
7. Knock On Wood [Side 2]
8. Time Is On My Side
9. Up Tight Good Woman
10. You Left The Water
Running
11. Three Time Loser
12. Nothing You Can Do
Tracks 1 to 12 are his 3rd
album "The Wicked Pickett" - released January 1967 in the USA on
Atlantic 8138 (Mono) and Atlantic SD 8138 (Stereo). It was released February
1967 in the UK on Atlantic 587 057 (Mono) and 588 057 (Stereo). The MONO mix is
used.
Disc 4 (29:48 minutes):
1. Soul Dance Number Three
2. Funky Broadway
3. I Need A Lot Of Loving
Every Day
4. I Found A Love, Part I
5. I Found A Love, Part II
6. You Can't Stand Alone
7. Mojo Mamma [Side 2]
8. I Found The One
9. Something Within Me
10. I'm Sorry About That
11. Love Is A Beautiful
Thing
Tracks 1 to 11 are his 4th
album "The Sound Of Wilson Pickett" - released August 1967 in the USA
on Atlantic 8145 (Mono) and Atlantic SD 8145 (Stereo) and in the UK on Atlantic
587 080 (Mono) and 588 080 (Stereo). The Stereo mix is used.
Disc 5 (25:44 minutes):
1. Jealous Love
2. Stagger Lee
3. That Kind Of Love
4. I'm In Love
5. Hello Sunshine
6. Don't Cry No More [Side
2]
7. We've Got To Have Love
8. Bring It On Home To Me
9. She's Lookin' Good
10. I've Come A Long Way
Tracks 1 to 10 are his 5th
album "I'm In Love" - released February 1968 in the USA on Atlantic
SD 8175 (Stereo Only) and April 1968 in the UK on Atlantic 587 107 (Mono) and
588 107 (Stereo). The Stereo mix is used.
There's no booklet with
these card slipcases - but the front and rear artwork for each card sleeve uses
the gorgeous American LPs - and what a treat they are to look at too. These are
straightforward transfers of the original albums minus any bonus tracks (the
"In The Midnight Hour" song gets repeated across two of the discs).
Sonically each CD is the 1995 Rhino remasters - but for some reason they've used
the Mono Mix (and cover art) for "The Wicked Pickett" album - and man
do you notice the downgrade in sound when you play it. Pickett albums were
always recorded rough (all feel and no finesse) - but when you go to "The
Sound Of" album (Disc 4) and the Stereo returns - it's like audio chalk
and cheese. But don't let this put you off - these albums are so crammed with
storming Sixties Soul and Funk - it's just not true and you want them in your
life. To the music...
Apart from his own great
originals (9 of the 12 on his debut had his hand in them) - Pickett smartly
uses the similar voice and genius songwriting talent of Bobby Womack, Don Covay
and Booker T's guitar wizard Steve Cropper. Throw in an Eddie Floyd song here
and a King Curtis tune there - and you get album after album of winners. But of
course the best part of listening to these discs is getting away from the
overplayed (but still classic) "Mustang Sally", "Land Of 1000
Dances" and "In The Midnight Hour" and digging those album
treasures.
Songs like Bobby Womack's
truly gorgeous torch song "I'm In Love", the storming funk of
"Mojo Mama" by Jerry Wexler and Bert Barns and the blaster
"She's Lookin' Good" which feels like Ike & Tina Turner in your
living room with The Ikettes shimmying over by the curtains in a salacious way.
Something seemed to happen
to our hero after "The Wicked" album because his next two LPs (and
the final two in this set) are absolute barnstormers in every sense. When you
come off the rough MONO of "Wicked Pickett" and play "Soul Dance
Number Three" from the STEREO LP "The Sound Of Wilson Pickett" -
the audio is shockingly better - full of power and clarity. "Soul Dance
Number Three (a stunning funky Pickett original) is followed by the equally kicking
"Funky Broadway". The two parts of "I Found A Love" (the
A&B-side of a single) are mid-tempo but just so damn good - a great groove
they let run. The Bobby Womack ballad "I've Come A Long Way" is
another tearjerker masterpiece.
At just over a ten-spot (two
quid per album) - "Original Album Series" by Wilson Pickett is a
whole lotta Soul that will make your church-going granny's knees knobble and
generally mess with her other bodily extremities. Indeed Wilson Pickett was
(and still is) wicked...
PS: Also check out Edsel's superb 5 Volume Series - all of his albums from 1965 to 1972 in five separate digipaks with bonus tracks on three and new Tony Rounce liner notes on all...
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