"The Okeh Rhythm & Blues Story 1949-1957" by VARIOUS ARTISTS (1993 US Epic/Legacy 3CD 78-Track Long Box Set of Vic Anesini Remasters with Twenty Tracks Previously Unreleased) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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BLUES, VOCAL GROUPS, DOO WOP, ROOTS

RHYTHM 'n' BLUES and ROCK 'n' ROLL ON CD 

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"...Peas, Beans and Gravy..."

One of the earliest Box Sets from a major label to document old-time Forties and Fifties Blues and R’n’B – Epic/Legacy’s “The Okeh Rhythm & Blues Story 1949-1957” is a 3CD long box from the Summer of 1993. And with its 78-tracks (20 of which are previously unreleased) and truly fabulous VIC ANESINI remasters – it still packs an American baseball-bat of a wallop in 2021 (and it looks good too). Here are the Poontang, Ring Ding Doo and Rock The Joint details…

USA released July 1993 – "The Okeh Rhythm & Blues Story 1949-1957" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Epic/Okeh/Legacy E3K 48912 (Barcode 07464489122) is a 3CD Long Box Set of Remasters and it breaks down as follows: 

Disc 1 (69:37 minutes):

1. Rock The Joint – CHRIS POWELL & THE FIVE BLUE FLAMES (September 1949 Okeh/Columbia recording)

2. That’s Right! – CHRIS POWELL & THE FIVE BLUE FLAMES (September 1949, Previously Unreleased Alternate Version)

3. Chicken Shack Boogie – THE FIVE SCAMPS (February 1949 Okeh/Columbia recording)

4. No Wine, No Women – MR. GOOGLE EYES with BILLY FORD & HIS MUSICAL V-8’s (October 1949, Okeh 6820, A)

5. Red Hit – THE FIVE SCAMPS (February 1949, Okeh/Columbia recording)

6. Rough And Rocky Road - MR. GOOGLE EYES with BILLY FORD & HIS MUSICAL V-8’s (October 1949, Okeh 6820, B)

7. Hot Dog - CHRIS POWELL & THE FIVE BLUE FLAMES (April 1949 Okeh/Columbia recording)

8. Fine Like Wine – THE FIVE SCAMPS (February 1949 Okeh/Columbia recording)

9. CHI (Chicago) – JUMPIN’ JOE WILLIAMS with RED SAUNDERS & HIS ORCHESTRA (May 1950 Okeh/Columbia recording – Previously Unissued)

10. Lyin’ Girl Blues - JUMPIN’ JOE WILLIAMS with RED SAUNDERS & HIS ORCHESTRA (May 1950 Okeh/Columbia recording)

11. Gotta Find My Baby – THE RAVENS (October 1950 Okeh/Columbia recording)

12. Let’s Jump Tonight – CHUCK WILLIS (January 1951, Okeh 6805)

13. I Want A Lavender Cadillac – MAURICE KING & HIS WOLVERINES with BEA BAKER (April 1951, Okeh 6800)

14. If You Ever Had The Blues – EARL WILLIAMS (April 1951 Okeh/Columbia recording)

15. Catch ‘Em Young, Treat ‘Em Rough, Tell ‘Em Nothin’ – THE BILL DAVIS TRIO (May 1951, Okeh 6808)

16. Weekday Blues - JUMPIN’ JOE WILLIAMS with RED SAUNDERS & HIS ORCHESTRA (April 1951 Okeh/Columbia recording)

17. My Run Around Baby – IRLTON FRENCH with CHUCK THOMAS & HIS ALL STARS (May 1951, Okeh 6816)

18. Stuttering Blues – THE FIVE SCAMPS (March 1951, Previously Unissued)

19. She Did Me Wrong – LEROY JOHNSON (May 1951, Previously Unissued)

20. Honey I Don’t Want You – THE RAVENS (March 1951 Okeh/Columbia recording)

21. Work Baby Work – LARRY DARNELL (November 1951, Okeh 6848)

22. Camp Meeting – PINNOCHIO JAMES (October 1951, Okeh 6881)

23. Come On Daddy (Let’s Go Play Tonight) – PEARL TRAYLOR with CHUCK THOMAS & HIS ALL STARS (May 1951, Okeh 6822, A)

24. I Feel So Good – MAURICE KING & HIS WOLVERINES with RUBY JACKSON (Vocals) (April 1951 Okeh/Columbia recording – Previously Unissued)

25. Three Ball Sam (The Pawn Shop Man) - PEARL TRAYLOR with CHUCK THOMAS & HIS ALL STARS (May 1951, Okeh 6822, B)

26. Brother’s Blues – LITTLE BROTHER BROWN (September 1951, Previously Unissued)

Tracks 9, 18, 19, 24 and 26 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 

Disc 2 (69:18 minutes):

1. Hey Bartender Give That Man A Drink - JUMPIN’ JOE WILLIAMS with RED SAUNDERS & HIS ORCHESTRA (August 1951 Okeh/Columbia recording – Previously Unissued Alternate Take)

2. Goof Boogie – LITTLE BROTHER BROWN (September 1951 recording, Previously Unissued)

3. I Rule My House – CHUCK WILLIS (May 1951, Okeh 6810)

4. Pinnochio’s Blues – PINNOCHIO JAMES (October 1951 recording, Previously Unissued)

5. I’ll Be Sittin’, I’ll Be Rockin’ – LARRY DARNELL (May 1952 recording, Okeh 6954)

6. It’s Been A Long Time – ANNIE LAURIE (April 1952 recording, Okeh 6873)

7. Jump Back Honey – HADDA BROOKS (August 1952 recording, Okeh 6924)

8. Got So Much Trouble – TITUS TURNER (April 1952 recording, Okeh 6883)

9. Gas Happy Mama – THE ROYALS (May 1952 recording, Previously Unissued)

10. My Story – CHUCK WILLIS with THE ROYALS (May 1952 recording, Okeh 6905)

11. Gabbin’ Blues – BIG MAYBELLE (October 1952 recording, Okeh 6931)

12. The Moondog – THE TRENIERS (October 1952 recording, Okeh 6937)

13. Stop Talkin’ And Start Walkin’ – ANNIE LAURIE (August 1952 recording, Okeh 6933)

14. Dig This Menu Please! – RED RODNEY SEXTET (May 1952 recording, Okeh 6899)

15. It Ain’t Nothing Happening – PAUL GAYTEN (November 1952, Okeh 6972)

16. You Broke My Heart – CHUCK WILLIS (November 1952 recording, Previously Unissued)

17. Poontang – THE TRENIERS (October 1952 recording, Okeh 6937)

18. Brook’s Boogie – HADDA BROOKS (December 1952 recording, Okeh 6939)

19. Jimmy Mule – BIG MAYBELLE (May 1953 recording, Okeh 6998)

20. Livin’ In Misery – TITUS TURNER (February 1953, Okeh 6961)

21. Voodoo Blues - JUMPIN’ JOE WILLIAMS with RED SAUNDERS & HIS ORCHESTRA (January 1953 recording, Previously Unissued)

22. Bring The Money In – THE BILL DAVIS TRIO (January 1953 recording, Okeh 7201)

23. You The Kind Of Women – SAMMY COTTON (September 1953 recording, Okeh 7014)

24. I’m In The Mood For You – ANNIE LAURIE (December 1953 recording, Okeh 7025)

25. Make Up Your Mind – CHUCK WILLIS (September 1953 recording, Previously Unissued)

26. Cow Cow Blues – PAUL GAYTEN (May 1953 recording, Okeh 6982)

Tracks 1, 2, 4, 9, 16, 21 and 25 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 

Disc 3 (66:43 minutes):

1. But Officer! – CLIFF “KING” SOLOMON (September 1953 recording, Okeh 7010)

2. Give Me One More Drink – SAMMY COTTON (September 1953 recording, Okeh 7014)

3. Leave It To Me – ANNIE LAURIE (December 1953 recording, Previously Unissued)

4. Square Dance Boogie - CLIFF “KING” SOLOMON with ERNESTINE ANDERSON (Vocals) (September 1953 recording, Okeh 7022)

5. Your Cash Ain’t Nothin’ But Trash – BIG JOHN & THE BUZZARDS (August 1954, Okeh 7045)

6. One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show – BIG MAYBELLE (September 1954 recording, Okeh 7060)

7. My Lonely Room – TITUS TURNER (January 1954 recording, Okeh 7027)

8. Uh Oh (Get Out Of The Car) – THE TRENIERS (November 1954 recording, Okeh 7050)

9. Creole Alley – PAUL GAYTEN featuring LEE ALLEN (November 1954 recording, Previously Unissued)

10. Give Me Your Love – LARRY DARNELL (April 1954 recording, Previously Unissued)

11. Bad, Bad Women – THE SHUFFLERS (May 1954 recording, Previously Unissued)

12. I’m Getting’ Long All Right – BIG MAYBELLE (March 1954 recording, Okeh 7042)

13. Oop Shoop – BIG JOHN & THE BUZZARDS (August 1954 recording, Okeh 7045)

14. Jump Ted! – THE SHUFFLERS (May 1954 recording, Previously Unreleased)

15. Ocean Of Tears – BIG MAYBELLE (March 1955 recording, Previously Unreleased)

16. Ring Ding Doo – CHUCK WILLIS (July 1955 recording, Okeh 7062)

17. Little Demon – SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS (September 1956 recording, Okeh 7072)

18. I Put A Spell On You – SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS (September 1956 recording, Okeh 7072)

19. Bacon fat – ANDREW WILLIAMS (Mr. Rhythm) (November 1956, Epic/Okeh 9196)

20. The Last Meal – HURRICANE HARRY (October 1956 recording, Okeh 7074)

21. Let’s Do The Slop – LITTLE JOE & THE THRILLERS (October 1956 recording, Okeh 7073)

22. Where You Been – LLOYD FATMAN (September 1956 recording, Okeh 7073)

23. Miss Mushmouth – LLOYD FATMAN (September 1956, Okeh 7083)

24. Wyatt Earp – THE MARQUEES (featuring Marvin Gaye and Bo Diddley on Guitar) (September 1957 recording, Previously Unissued Alternate Version)

25. Billy’s Heartache – BILLY STEWART (with Bo Diddley on Guitar) (September 1957 recording, Previously unissued Alternate Version)

26. Yellow Coat – SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS (February 1957 recording, from the 1958 USA LP “At Home With Screamin’ Jaw Hawkins” on Epic/Okeh LN 3488)

Tracks 3, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 24 and 25 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 

Although the booklet is box set long and pretty in some places (full length Michael Ochs photos of The Ravens, Annie Laurie, Earl Williams and The Treniers) – at 34-pages it feels way too slight for such a fantastic sounding release. Even the entries for each track only tell you when the song was recorded (which I’ve listed above) – but not when the 78” or 7” was released (a tad lazy really). But there are some nice photos as I say and witty/informational liner notes from JAMES MARSHALL (aka “The Hound, WFMU, New Jersey) on each artist. But all of that pales into the background against the awesome sound – Archival and Digital Remastering by VIC ANESINI and WARREN WEBERG. Anesini has a long list of prestigious credits to his name – The Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel, Elvis Presley, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Janis Joplin, Carole King, Hall & Oates and The Jayhawks to name but a few. The audio here is truly fabulous. Listening to something like “Hot Dog” on Disc 1 is amazing – bass, vocals, the shuffle of the high-hat and the rolling piano – all clear as a bell. Bit of a wow frankly…

The Five Scamps give us “Hello Jack…just got back…” on their amped-up version of Amos Milburn’s 1949 monster hit “Chicken Shack Boogie”. Drinking kicks in with the wonderfully titled Mr. Google Eyes. Even on something like “Lyin’ Gal Blues” – the saxophone solo is electrifying when it hits the speakers (“…men are just like streetcars, I can catch one any day…”). Amazing vocals kick in The Ravens (first of the bird groups) in the form of Jimmy Ricks – wonderful audio quality. 

Disc 2 has some great club shakers – tunes like “I’ll Be Sittin, I’ll Be Rockin’” with that wicked Joe Turner Atlantic Records vibe – party music (and fabulous audio given its vintage). Groove to the saxophone dancer “Dig The Menu Please!” with its 25 cents run down of grub that turns our Rodney on – “Peas, beans and gravy are the kind of food I crave…for a big pot of dumplings I’d be anyone’s slave!” And although it’s presented here in lesser sound quality - Paul Gayten’s “It Ain’t Nothing Happening” is still a great bopper with an irresistible jiving back beat tail-ended by some wild sax. 

In “But Officer!” on Disc 3 Cliff “King” Soloman says, “I keep telling you- that is my real name!” but the copper is having none of it. “That was a straight line!” he reasons but I’m not sure he isn’t going to jail for being in the wrong part of town. Sassy blues with big brassy breaks comes in the shape of Annie Laurie whose “Leave It To Me” is one of the Previously Unreleased gems on offer. Just as cool is the lesser-heard Big John & The Buzzards deep-voiced version of “Your Cash Ain’t Nothin’ But Trash” where out hero pleads, “I told her she could have all my gold…but she said…this is ain’t no circus and I don’t need no clown!” The obscure Big John Otherbody is the lead singer with the deep as an ocean tone – and it’s a genuine rarity worth having. Another gem is “Uh Oh…” by The Treniers where you get to hear in-studio chatter before Take 6 blasts in – cool! Takes 10 and 11 of Billy Stewart’s “Billy’s Heartache” go all Salsa to not much effect - but far better is the shouting colours song “Yellow Coat” by the ‘baby don’t quit it’ Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – a witty and loony way to finish a box set that is a lot more fun that it looks - all dolled up in gold lettering. 

You can still get this set for fewer than fifteen quid – and with its hidden treasures and that fantastic remastered sound – is one you should seek out like a Ring Ding Doo…