"NYC 1961-1966" by JACKIE WILSON – Features 48 Brunswick Records Recordings from 1961 to 1966, 25 of Which Are Previously Unreleased and the Remainder Key Singles and Albums Tracks (March 2015 Ace Records UK 2CD Anthology – Duncan Cowell Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Soul Galore..."

Oh my giddy aunt - what a reissue! How many decades have we waited for this fabulous double slice of Mr. Excitement Soul? In fact this UK release feels like Rhino's monumental unearthing of Aretha Franklin's unissued Atlantic sides on the "Rare & Unreleased Recordings..." 2CD sensation in 2007.

"NYC 1961-1966" offers fans 48 Soulful tracks across 2CDS - 25 of which are Previously Unreleased (17 new songs and 8 Alternate Takes) from Jackie Wilson's hugely successful stay at Brunswick Records. There's one song (Track 15 on Disc 1) from a long-deleted 1987 American LP on Rhino while the remaining 22 cuts are much-needed remasters of rare single sides - many of which haven't been on CD in decades. And quite apart from the wad of unreleased goodies - the Audio Remasters by DUNCAN COWELL at Audio Archiving from original Brunswick tapes are simply sensational - gorgeous sound throughout - giving full reign to Wilson's operatic vocals and his troupe of ace musicians. There's a wad to get through here so let's get stuck into this treasure trove right away...

UK released Monday 30 March 2015 (April 2015 in the USA) - "NYC 1961-1966" by JACKIE WILSON is a 48-track 2CD set on Ace Records CDTOP2 1428 (Barcode 029667071024) and pans out as follows:

Disc 1 (69:03 minutes):

1. I Believe I'll Love On (November 1965 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55283, A)

2. Me, My Mother's Son (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 11), recorded 11 August 1965 in NYC)

3. 3 Days 1 Hour 30 Minutes (January 1966 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55289, A)

4. I've Gotta Get Back (Country Boy) (January 1966 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55289, B-side to "3 Days 1 Hour 30 Minutes")

5. All My Lovin' (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 7), recorded 3 December 1965, NYC)

6. Soul Galore (Previously Unreleased Take 8 (unedited) of Brunswick 55290 (A), recorded 3 December 1965, NYC)

7.  Think Twice by Jackie Wilson &LaVern Baker (Previously Unreleased Take 4 of Brunswick 55287 (A), recorded 11 August 1965, NYC)

8. Please Don't Hurt Me (I've Never Been In Love Before) by Jackie Wilson & LaVern Baker (January 1966 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55287, B-side of "Think Twice")

9. No Pity (In The Naked City) (June 1965 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55280, A)

10. I'm So Lonely (June 1965 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55280, B-side of "No Pity (In The Naked City)")

11. I Can't Stand Another Hurt (In My Heart) (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 4), recorded 8 April 1965, NYC)

12. Watch Out (November 1964 USA 7"single on Brunswick 55273, B-side of "She's All Right")

13. She's All Right (November 1964 USA 7"single on Brunswick 55273, A)

14. Soul Time (March 1965 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55277, B-side of "Danny Boy")

15. Silent One (Take 4 - Previously Unreleased Song that first appeared on the "Through The Years" Jackie Wilson LP in 1987 on Rhino RNLP 70230 (CD was 1992 on Rhino R2 70230)

16. Change Me (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 8), recorded 8 October 1964, NYC)

17. Haunted House (February 1964 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55260, B-side of "I'm Travelin' On")

18. I'm Travelin' On February 1964 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55260, A)

19. Expressions (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 7), recorded 26 March 1964, NYC)

20. Dream aka I Dreamed (What A Dream Last Night) (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 3), recorded 26 March 1964, NYC)

21. Big Boss Line (Previously Unreleased Take 7 of Brunswick 55266, B-side of "Shake! Shake! Shake!")

22. Twistin' & Shoutin' (Doing The Monkey) (Previously Unreleased False Start/Take 2 of a song on the 1964 Jackie Wilson LP "Somethin' Else!!" on Brunswick 754117)

23. Hole Me, Need Me (Previously Unreleased Song (Overdub Take 7), recorded 6 January 1964, NYC)

24. Start The Record Over (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 11), recorded 7 August 1963, NYC)

NOTES for Disc 1:

All Tracks STEREO except Track 10 - which is MONO

All Tracks credited to Jackie Wilson except Tracks 7 & 8 - which are Jackie Wilson and LaVern Baker

Previously Unreleased Songs (2015) - Tracks 2, 5, 11, 16, 19, 20, 23 and 24

Previously Unreleased Song (1987) - Track 15

Previously Unreleased Alternate Takes (2015) - Tracks 6, 7, 13, 21 and 22

USA 7" Singles - Tracks 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 17 and 18

Disc 2 (62:57 minutes):

1. The New Breed (September 1963 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55250, B-side of "Baby Get It")

2. Say I Do by Jackie Wilson & Linda Hopkins (July 1963 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55243, B-side of "Shake A Hand")

3. Shake A Hand by Jackie Wilson & Linda Hopkins (July 1963 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55243, A)

4. Don't Laugh At Me aka Don't Make Me Cry (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 8), recorded 7 August 1963, NYC)

5. Love (Is Where You Find It) (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 5), recorded 7 August 1963, NYC)

6. You Can't Have Your Cake And Eat It Too (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 5), recorded 28 February 1963, NYC)

7. Call Her Up (Previously Unreleased Alternate Take 7 of Brunswick 55263 (A))

8. What Good Am I Without You? (December 1962 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55236, A)

9. Shake! Shake! Shake! (Previously Unreleased Alternate Take (no number) of Brunswick 55246 (A))

10. Baby Workout (Previously Unreleased Alternate False Start/Take 5 of Brunswick 55239 (A))

11. I Just Can't Help It (June 1962 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55229, A)

12. My Tale Of Woe (June 1962 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55229, B-side of "I Just Can't Help It")

13. Baby, That's All (August 1962 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55233, A)

14. I Hurt So Bad (Somebody Help Me) (Previously Unreleased Song, recorded 7 August 1962, NYC)

15. Tears (Don't Care Who Cry Them) (Previously Unreleased Song, recorded 7 August 1962)

16. Sing (And Tell The Blues So Long) (Previously Unreleased Song, recorded 25 January 1962, NYC)

17. I Found Love by Jackie Wilson & Linda Hopkins (March 1962 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55224, A)

18. There's Nothing Like Love by Jackie Wilson & Linda Hopkins (March 1962 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55224, B-side of "I Found Love")

19. The Dancing Man (Previously Unreleased Song, recorded 25 January 1962, NYC)

20. You Don't Know What It Means (August 1961 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55219, B-side of "Years From Now")

21. Years From Now (August 1961 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55219, A)

22. The Test Of Time (Previously Unreleased Song, recorded 22 May 1961, NYC)

23. Lonely Life (June 1961 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55216, B-side of "I'm Comin' On Back To You")

24. I'm Comin' On Back To You (June 1961 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55216, A)

Notes for Disc 2:

All tracks are STEREO except Tracks 9, 10, 11 and 12 - which are MONO

All tracks credited to Jackie Wilson except Tracks 3 & 4 and 17 & 18 - which are Jackie Wilson and Linda Hopkins

Previously Unreleased Songs (2015) - Tracks 4, 5, 6, 14, 15, 16, 19 and 22

Previously Unreleased Alternate Takes (2015) - Tracks 7, 9 and 10

USA 7" Singles - Tracks 1, 2, 3, 8, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23 and 24

The 24-page booklet is jam-packed with pages of Brunswick label repro's, Cashbox Trade Adverts and Reviews and Session-by-Session liner notes by noted authority ROB HUGHES (with contributions from Roger Armstrong and Bob Dunham). It has to be said because the liner notes are laid out in session order - the read can be awkward. If you want to find Track 1 on Disc 1 it's on Page 20 because it's from August 1965 - while Track 23 on Disc 2 from May 1961 is on Page 6. I can understand why it's pitched this way - it makes Discography sense. Each entry is incredibly detailed even stating 2/20 or 1/22 before each line so that you know exactly which track is where (Disc 2 Track 20 or Disc 1 Track 22 and so on). The pictures and adverts are gorgeous to look at (a full-page print for "What Good Am I Without You?" on Brunswick 55236 as the inside back inlay for instance). There are classy black and whites of Jackie in the Studio with Dick Jacobs and Nat Tarnopol dotted throughout the text (and back page). It's typical Ace Records quality all the way...

I've already mentioned the superlative Audio - which I think is shockingly good. The odd track like "Watch Out" starts out with thrilling studio chatter but 95% of the rest are straightforward start and finish songs with little messing about in-between. When you play track 1 on Disc 1 Eddie Singleton's "I Believe I'll Love On" - a 1965 single in full-on STEREO - the Audio is glorious - it stays that way pretty much throughout.

"Me, My Mother's Son" (track 2 on Disc 2) begins the run of Previously Unreleased material and its very good - a dancer that pushes the guitar to the right and the brass to the left. "3 Days 1 Hour 30 Minutes" is very Wilson Pickett in its frantic funk but actually better is the slower talker-tune on the flipside - "I've Gotta Get Back (Country Boy)". Northern Soul clubbers will chew up the stepper "All My Lovin'" - the first genuinely great unreleased track. You can hear why Take 8 of "Soul Galore" was left in the can (the vocals at the start don't quite work) - but that doesn't stop the tune from being a barnstormer - great groover. Again another B-side outdoes the A for me with "Please Don't Hurt Me (I've Never Been In Love Before)" where the powerhouse duo of Jackie Wilson and LaVern Baker go head-to-head in a slow "beggin' you please" vocal battle.

I've had the June 1965 single "No Pity (In The Naked City)" on at least 3 compilations before but never heard it sound this good or clear (absolute stunner - and nice to hear its rare B-side "I'm So Lonely" follow it). We're hit with another gorgeous sounding Previously Unreleased track - "I Can't Stand Another Hurt (In My Heart)" - it's a hurting ballad and his vocal is superb (even if the organ dominates the tune a little too much). 7" single genius crops up with "Watch Out" (the flip of 1964's "She's All Right") - what a choppy winner with very cleverly layered vocals from other bass singers in the group (Ray Gordy Orchestra). Unfortunately the fabulous studio chatter ("take it down just a hair") that should precede the song has been added onto to the end of the track before it "I Can't Stand Another Hurt..." I can understand why Ace did this - it allows you to cue up the single "Watch Out" without intrusive stuff at the beginning (worth pointing out).

Another thumping dancer B-side turns up with "Soul Time" (flip of 1965's cover of the Irish air "Danny Boy"). "Silent One" is lovely stuff - it originally appeared on the American Rhino LP "Through The Years" in 1987 (reissued on Rhino CD in 1992) and to my knowledge hasn't been available since. It's a winner and beautifully produced too. But then we're hit with what I think is the prize on Disc 1 - a pleader ballad - the unreleased "Change Me" recorded in October 1964 in Stereo. It's Soul melodrama in all the best ways. "Haunted House" is a gorgeous B-side - full of atmosphere and Sixties Soul. Of the remainder the hand-clapping foot-stomping "Big Boss Line" is another winner - presented here as an Alternate Take for this infectious B-side.

Disc 2 opens with "The New Breed" where Jackie tells us the kids of America have found their groove with Soul Music (too damn right). I've had the "Shake A Hand" duet with Linda Hopkins before but I've never had its storming B-side "Say I Do" where the big-throated pair roar into the microphones like they're trying to outdo each other. It's followed by three unreleased - the ballad "Don't Laugh At Me", a salsa tune called "Love (Is Where You Find It)" and a mid-tempo number entitled "You Can't Have Your Cake And Eat It Too" - they're good rather than being great. Better is the Alternate Take of "Call Her Up" where his vocals are typically enthusiastic.

Having had so much Stereo - the cluster of Mono cuts in the middle of Disc 2 come as something of a shock - not that the False Start and Take 5 of "Baby Workout" isn't brilliant (it is). We go all Vocal Group on fab little bopper "I Just Can't Help It" (the uncredited backing group may be the Hollywood Flames with Donald Height) and I've never heard its rare B-side "Tale Of Woe" before anywhere else. Of the next three unreleased I like "Sing (And Tell The Blues So Long)" the best and the audio on the single "Years From Now" b/w "You Don't Know What It Means" is truly fantastic. It ends on the chipper "I'm Comin' On Back To You" sounding like it was minted yesterday.

Not everything on these 2CDs is unmitigated genius - but man the good stuff far outweighs the bad by a mile. A superlative release from the mighty Ace Records of the UK and surely one of 'the' Soul Reissues of 2015...