"King New Breed Rhythm & Blues" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – Featuring 1957 to 1967 Tracks by Lula Reed, Freddie King, Mike Pedicin, Tiny Topsy, Mary Johnson, The "5" Royales, Joe Tex, Little Willie John, Albert King, Ike Turner, Bobby Byrd, Johnny Watson and more (July 2002 UK Ace Records/Kent Dance CD Compilation of Remasters – Duncan Cowell Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"...Hug you With All My Might..."

As Northern Soul lovers began to expand their musical horizons - it didn't take British Mods long to work out that a rich (and similar) vein of bopping gold was to be mined in the fields of America's Blues and Rhythm 'n' Blues - especially if you concentrated on the King and Federal labels between 1957 and 1967 - whose rosters contained some storming names and tunes (as this compilation does).

And that's where this fab little British CD from 2002 comes in – the second compilation of its kind in a series of seven titles to date (July 2020). Compiled by experts/genre lovers at Ace Records for British dancers to shake their talcum tail feather to in nightclubs up and down Blighty - good names like Adrian Croasdell, Paul Wellsby, Damian Hewitt and Roger Banks have been involved in this first Volume on their Kent Dance label imprint (see list below). And what a corker it is too. Here are the Club A-Go-Go details...

UK released July 2002 - "King New Breed Rhythm & Blues" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace Records/Kent Dance CDKEND 210 (Barcode 029667221023) is a 24-Track CD Compilation of Remasters that breaks down as follows (62:53 minutes):

1. Burnt Toast And Black Coffee - MIKE PEDICIN (1961, Federal 12417, A)
2. I'm Shakin' - LITTLE WILLIE JOHN (1960, Federal 5342, A)
3. Thanks Mr. Postman - BOBBY KING (1962, Federal 12449 and Federal 12473, A)
4. Just A Little Bit - TINY TOPSY (1959, Federal 12357, A)
5. Had You Told It Like It Was (It Wouldn't Be Like It Is) - ALBERT KING (1963, King 5751, A)
6. You're Welcome To The Club - LEE "SHOT" WILLIAMS (1964, Federal 12522, A)
7. Not Much (Do You Baby) - ROSEMARY (Previously Unreleased Alternate Version of Federal 12447 recorded 1961)
8. Now I've Got A Woman - FREDDY KING (1964, Federal 12529, A)
9. Three Little Pigs - JAMES DUNCAN (1964, King 5966, A)
10. Don't Be So Mean - WILLIAM PATTON (1967, King 6116, A)
11. I Say, I Love You - JOHNNY WATSON (1963, King 5833, A)
12. My Kinda Girl - HANNIBAL (1963, King 5837, A, written by Jonny Watson)
13. You're Using Me - THE KING PINS (1964, Federal 12519, A)
14. I Found Out - BOBBY BYRD (1963, Federal 12486, A)
15. Hard Forgetting Memories - MARY JOHNSON (1963, Federal 12506, A)
16. It's Easy Child - LULA REED & FREDDY KING with SONNY THOMPSON 7 His Orchestra (1962, Federal 12477, A)
17. Think - The "5" ROYALES (1957, King 5053, A)
18. Pneumonia - JOE TEX (1956, King 4980, B-side of "Get Way Back")
19. I Don't Know About You - LLOYD NOLAN (1962, King 5680, A)
20. You Don't Want Me Around - MIKE WILLIAMS (1966, King 6067, A)
21. Bad Girl - THE FABULOUS DENOS (1964, King 5908, A)
22. I'm Better Off Now (Than I Was Before) - THE PREMIERS (1966, King 6061, B-side of "She's Always There")
23. Some Other Day, Some Other Time - FREDDY KING (1964, Federal 12532, A)
24. She Made My Blood Run Cold - IKE TURNER (1957, Federal 12297, A)

ADRIAN CROADELL gives wonderfully detailed and affectionate mini histories of each song in the 12-page booklet - who wrote what - who featured in the mix - their place in musical history etc. There are superb photos of LULA REED, THE FABULOUS DENOS and FREDDY KING (with fans Bill Millar and Ray Topping) - whose tracks are amongst the highlights on here. And the remasters from original analogue tapes have been carried by the vastly experienced DUNCAN COWELL - a Sound Engineer who must have over 400 remaster credits to his name - if not more. These tracks sound fabulous - full of Sixties atmosphere and King Production values.

Hand-picked for both musical and rarity value - this is a CD that barely puts a foot wrong. It opens with the bopping Saxophone and Drums R&B of "Burnt Toast And Black Coffee" - a tune that captures the crossover of R&B into early Sixties Soul. But things really swing into cool action with "I'm Shakin'" by Little Willie John with its speeded-up "Fever" feel. The hip choice kicks in with Tiny Topsy's fantastic "Just A Little Bit" - a lady with a huge growling voice and a frame to match (not unlike LaVern Baker).

Two total winners turn up midways - the unlikely sounding "Three Little Pigs" which has that neck-jerking Sixties beat that's half R'n'B half Motown ("...huffin' and puffin' have mercy...") - utterly brill. And shortly after that is Johnny (Guitar) Watson cutting a monkey shine on the cool guitar bop of "I Say, I Love You" where he admits to his lady that he's been something of a "dirty dog" with other women in the locale. James Shaw (aka Hannibal) gives it some groovy Wilson Pickett gravel vocals on the "been around the world" song "My Kinda Girl".

It's strange to hear Bobby Byrd sing but he's a great set of expressive lungs on the lightweight "I Found Out" while Phil Spector drama comes to the fore on Mary Johnson's obscure "Hard Forgetting Memories". Speaking of fabulous lungs - a huge dancer favourite is the Dinah Washington vocals of Lula Reed duetting here with Freddy King on "It's Easy Child" - a cool mid-tempo piano and drum shuffle. 

You immediately "Think" of James Brown who took the "5" Royales tune and practically launched his career on it (and for a 1957 song - it's staggering how borderline Soul it is without knowing it). Tex's "Pneumonia" has some aggressive lyrics towards his baby while the finger-clicking "I Don't Know About You" by the obscure Lloyd Nolan has an effortless Sixties cool about it. The lovely "Bad Girl" by The Fabulous Denos is the kind of 45 that would surely trade hands for serious money - a wicked little tune.

"I guess I'll investigate..." - Mike Pedicin sang on "Burnt Toast And Black Coffee". 

I think that Sixties hipster was on to something...

Titles in Ace's "New Breed R&B" CD Compilation Series on Kent Dance

In Release-Date Order from 2001 to 2020

1. New Breed R&B: Soulful 60s Blues For Today's Dances (July 2001, Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 199 – Barcode 029667219921)

2. King New Breed Rhythm & Blues (July 2002, Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 210 – Barcode 029667221023)

3. New Breed R&B With Added Popcorn – Early 60ts R&B Dancers Right In Today's Groove (February 2008, Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 291 – Barcode 029667229128)

4. King New Breed R&B Volume 2 (April 2012, Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 373 – Barcode 069227237321)

5. New Breed Blues with Black Popcorn (April 2013, Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 393 – Barcode 029667239325)

6. New Breed Workin': Blues With A Rhythm (January 2016, Ace/Kent Dance CDKEND 443 – Barcode 029667244329)

7. New Breed R&B: Saturday Night Special (July 2020, Ace Kent Dance CDKEND 492 – Barcode 029667098823)