"Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs present OCCASIONAL RAIN" by VARIOUS ARTISTS - Album and Single Tracks from 1969 to 1974 (May 2020 UK Ace Records 20-Track CD and 21-Track 2LP VINYL Compilation with Nick Robbins Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Fluttered..."

Entry number six in a set of themed CD and 2LP compilations by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs (of St. Etienne) for Ace Records of the UK (see list below). 

"Occasional Rain" features 20 tracks on its CD variant from 1969 through to 1974 (the 21-Track 2LP VINYL set has one bonus track) and concentrates on that post 60ts feeling of the time - where do we go from here and just where is my Prog-inducing wind instrument?

Unfortunately, like the compilations "Tea and Symphony" and "Three Day Week" that went before it - "Occasional Rain" is a mixture of the great, the good, the average and the decidedly neither here nor there. There are a lot of flutes, off-key voices and obscure stuff that has remained buried for obvious aural reasons - they just weren't very good.

It's hard to know why the pointless instrumental "Nutmeg, Bitter Suite" by Ireland's Granny's Intentions is on here or how it fits into any theme other than being vaguely Prog or Baroque. Then you get really great Pop-Rock in the shape of the unknown 'The Exchange And Mart' - an obscure band and B-side called "I Know That I Am Dreaming" on President Records in 1972 that no one seems to know anything about - and should - a rare moment of brightness in a dull landscape.

So it's a very mixed bag for me yet again. Here are the frozen dreams, ragged rains and two postcards from a knackered-Scarborough...

UK released 29 May 2020 - "Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs present OCCASIONAL RAIN" on Ace Records CDCHD 1570 (Barcode 029667098229) is a 20-track CD compilation of Remasters that plays out as follows (77:59 minutes):

1. Hidden Treasure - TRAFFIC (1971)

2. Ragged Rain Life - DUNCAN BROWNE (1973)

3. Home And Where I Long To Be - CRESSIDA (1970)

4. Leit Motif - KEITH WEST (1974)

5. Night Time - SKIN ALLEY (1969)

6. Once Upon A Time - CLOUDS (1970 recording, finally issued 2010)

7. Come With Me To Jesus - MANDY MORE (1972)

8. Out And In (Single Version) - THE MOODY BLUES

9. Wasting My Time - SHAPE OF THE RAIN (1971)

10. Nutmeg, Bitter Suite - GRANNY'S INTENTIONS (1970)

11. Sweetness - YES (1969)

12. Station Song Platform Two - PETE BROWN & PIBLOKTO! (1970)

13. Firefall - ARGENT

14. I Know That I'm Dreaming - THE EXCHANGE & MART (1972)

15. Postcards Of Scarborough - MICHAEL CHAPMAN

16. Question Of Time - CHRISTINE HARWOOD (1970)

17. The Castle - 'IGGINBOTTOM (1969)

18. Windy Baker Street - ANDREW LEIGH (1970)

19. Flying South In Winter - TONTON MACOUTE (1971)

20. Innocence Of Child - CATHERINE HOWE (1971)

Also issued 29 May 2020, a 2LP set of "Occasional Rain" on Ace Records XXQLP2070 (Barcode 029667011013) features one bonus track on Side 2 - "Waterlow" by Mott The Hoople

The 20-page booklet is the usual feast of rare album sleeves, promo photos, trade adverts and individual entries for each song and artist. Remasters are by NICK ROBBINS and the audio is uniformly superb throughout.

The problem for me comes with much of the material. There is no doubt in my mind that Duncan Browne's self-titled second album eventually issued in February 1973 on Mickie Most's RAK Records is one of the great undiscovered albums on the early 70ts (I’ve reviewed it and his August 1968 "Give You Take Me" Immediate Records debut) - but "Ragged Rain Life" isn't one of the best tracks on it. They could have used "In A Mist" - the long but beautiful non-album B-side to July 1972's "Journey" single (in fact I'd have opened the entire enterprise with this song). Michael Chapman's Harvest Records catalogue is a huge pool of discovery, but again they choose "Postcards Of Scarborough" from the fab "Full Qualified Survivor" album because of a 'place and weather' theme when there are better tracks on there like "Rabbit Hills" (see my review of the stunning 2011 Light in The Attic reissue of this album).

The other big aspect here is the 'flute' as the unspoken theme throughout (nearly every song features the instrument and I know there are those who can't abide it) and while accomplished songs from the big boys like Traffic, Yes and Moody Blues lift proceedings sporadically - the rest feels tortured and tedious even. There are for sure moments in the Andrew Leigh song, Shape Of The Rain and their sweet countrified acoustic strummer "Wasting My Time" or Catherine Howe's lovely "Innocence Of Child" that shine - but they feel too far and between. Also the problem with vocalists (Cressida, Christine Harwood) is that their dull voices or inexperience doesn't half kill the tunes.

You can't argue with the quality presentation and that generous playing time. But I'd nab a listen first before you purchase into this bad weather, because like me, you may find that much of it is indeed raining on your parade and not in a refreshing way. Shame...

May 2020

Titles to date in this Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs Various Artists CD Series are:

1. Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs present ENGLISH WEATHER on Ace CDCHD 1484 (Barcode 029667077125) - released 27 Jan 2017 (one bonus track on the 2LP set)

2. Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs present PARIS IN THE SPRING on Ace CDCHD 1525 (Barcode 029667086127) - 25 May 2018 (one less track on the 2LP set)

3. Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs present STATE OF THE UNION: The American Dream In Crisis 1967-1973 on Ace CDCHD 1533 (Barcode 029667092326) - released 26 October 2018 (one bonus track on the 2LP set)

4. Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs present THREE DAY WEEK:  When The Lights Went Out 1972-1975 on Ace CDCHD 1542 (Barcode 029667093927) released 29 March 2019 (two bonus tracks on the 2LP set)

5. Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs present THE TEARS OF TECHNOLOGY on Ace Records CDCHD 1566 (Barcode 029667097628) - released 28 February 2020 (one bonus track on the 2LP set)

6. Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs present OCCASIONAL RAIN on Ace CDCHD 1570 (Barcode 029667098229) - released 29 May 2020 (one bonus track on the 2LP set)

There is also

7. Tim Burgess & Bob Stanley present TIM PEAKS: Songs For A Late-Night Diner on Ace CDCHD 1555 (Barcode 029667095921) - released 25 November 2019 

"Scott Walker Meets Jacques Brel" by SCOTT WALKER and JACQUES BREL (31 January 2020 UK Ace Records CD Compilation - Nick Robbins Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Sailors Dance And Lust…"

Swinging door cemeteries, witches at night, rabid dogs, blackish shadows cowering and if she should go away, moons that stand still, sailors that die, sailors swallowing moons, chaps in crisis playing Amsterdam accordions, fishheads and tails, sad tears and nightmare fears, muggy hot mornings, songs sung by handsome fellows, Spanish bums with borrowed guitars getting drunk every night, gonorrhea, naked as sin, Jackie's opium dens, sons of saints, children with no complaints held by old women too old to give a damn - and NEXT! NEXT! NEXT! Yes folks, its laugh-a-minute Scott Walker meets the drop-your-trousers hilarity of Jacques Brel...

You'd have to say that the ludicrously over-the-top melodrama Scott Walker (along with Producer John Franz and Orchestral Arranger Wally Stott) brought in the late 60ts to already overwrought Jacques Brel brothel hymns and tunes about death and misery guts would be – ahem – an acquired taste. Whiskey and mud and Mathilde’s come back to me once more. Here are the bible truths at the funeral of his youth from an unlit mind (nice)…

UK released Friday, 31 January 2020 (14 February 2020 in the USA) - "Scott Walker Meets Jacques Brel" by SCOTT WALKER and JACQUES BREL on Ace Records CDTOP 1565 (Barcode 029667097420) is a 19-Track CD Compilation with 9 Tracks to SW (Tracks 1 to 9) and 10 to JB (Tracks 10 to 19) that plays out as follows (63:21 minutes):

1. Mathilde (from the September 1967 UK debut solo album "Scott" on Philips SBL 7816 in Stereo)

2. My Death (from the September 1967 UK debut solo album "Scott" on Philips SBL 7816 in Stereo)

3. Amsterdam (from the September 1967 UK debut solo album "Scott" on Philips SBL 7816 in Stereo)

4. Jackie (from the March 1968 UK second solo album "Scott 2" on Philips SBL 7840 in Stereo)

5. Next (from the March 1968 UK second solo album "Scott 2" on Philips SBL 7840 in Stereo)

6. The Girls And The Dogs (from the March 1968 UK second solo album "Scott 2" on Philips SBL 7840 in Stereo)

7. Sons Of (from the March 1969 UK third solo album "Scott 3" on Philips SBL 7882 in Stereo)

8. Funeral Tango (from the March 1969 UK third solo album "Scott 3" on Philips SBL 7882 in Stereo)

9. If You Go Away (from the March 1969 UK third solo album "Scott 3" on Philips SBL 7882 in Stereo)

Tracks 1 to 9 by SCOTT WALKER

10. Mathilde (from the 1964 French LP "Jacques Brel" on Barclay 80 222)

11. La Mort (from the 1959 French LP "Jacques Brel No. 4" on Philips B 76.483 R)

12. Amsterdam [Live] (from the 1964 French LP "Olympia 64" on Barclay 80 243)

13. Le Chanson De Jacky (from the 1965 French LP "Jacques Brel" on Barclay 80 284)

14. Au Suivant (from the 1964 French LP "Jacques Brel" on Barclay 80 222)

15. Les Files Et Les Chiens (from the 1963 French LP "Jacques Brel" on Barclay 80 186)

16. Fils de... (from the 1967 French LP "Jacques Brel 67" on Barclay 80 334)

17. Tango Funebre (from the 1964 French LP "Jacques Brel" on Barclay 80 222)

18. Ne Me Quitte Pas (from the 1959 French LP "Jacques Brel No. 4" on Philips B 76.483 R)

BONUS TRACK:

19. Seul (from the 1959 French LP "Jacque Brel No. 4" on {Philips B 76.483 R)

Tracks 10 to 19 by JACQUES BREL

It's become sort of the norm to praise booklets in Ace releases, but even by their high standards, the 24-page word and photo-fest presented here is densely gorgeous. Written with affection and a veritable barrage of info - IAN JOHNSTON and KRIS NEEDS compliment the text by pouring on original artwork for both cult figures. You get album after rare album cover art including hugely hip Japanese picture sleeve single issues (Page 4) and song-by-song dissertations on the reams of morbid lyrics and those harsh even uncomfortable themes that have so intrigued British Artists over the years (famously including David Bowie and Alex Harvey).

NICK ROBBINS - Ace's long-standing Audio Engineer has done the mastering honours and while the Walker material has been remastered well before - I've never heard the Brel tracks sound so good. These transfers are clean and full of that string-laden melodrama for Walker while Brel has those Baroque and Lounge Room arrangements brought up front - nicely done.  

The baritone melodrama and brass blasts kick in immediately with "Mathilde" where our hero smolders through lyrics that will either make you laugh out loud or reach for the Thesaurus for praise-adjectives no one's yet used. While he sings of slightly dodgy subject matters like "...go ask the maid if she heard what I said, change the sheets on the bed..." - you listen with admiration as you realize good-looking Scott was actually Avant Garde in a Euro thrash kind of way long before most UK lads went anywhere near it. "My Death" and "Amsterdam" both feature extraordinary lyrics that seem to occupy a universe all to their own – brave narrative streams on funerals and bible truths and witches at night and passing time and death waiting amongst the falling leaves (the audio is fabulous too). And speaking of exceptional human beings, you can so hear what attracted literate songwriters like Bowie to "Amsterdam" which was apparently originally set in Antwerp (wouldn't have worked would it) and The Sensational Alex Harvey Band to the giddy-up-a-ding-dong debauchery of "Next".

Interestingly too is that Brel didn't see "If You Go Away" as a love song, but a mournful and melancholic hymn to the cowardice of men when it comes to commitment to women, especially when they needed their love the most. It's probably Brel's most famous and liked tune and was made a hit by another peddler of soul-searching melodrama – America's Rod McKuen. Although it's hard not to just giggle at the comical seaside organ on "Les Files Et Les Chiens", overall the Jacques Brel originals are a clever addition. "Amsterdam" is live (he crowd loving its risqué words), "Fils De..." is shockingly lovely and the final inclusion "Seul (Alone)" is featured as a Bonus Track because although Scott never recorded it, the dapper gent sang it in his live shows.

Sails of oblivion at my head, talking to trees and worshiping the wind – well now their collective English/French histrionics are nestled nauseous-like in my CD player instead of being on my Garrard SP25 (with Dustbuster).

Loosely tied-in with their Singer-Songwriter Series of CD Reissues (see photo of the inside inlay I've provided above) - "Scott Walker Meets Jacques Brel" is absolutely an acquired taste for sure. But nonetheless, its emotional cesspit and mushy cauldron of human misery is beautifully done, and once again Ace Records of the UK gives us fans of la souffrance what we really, really want (and with tasty audio too). 

Go forth Scotty W and Jackie B - you big old whinge bags...

"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...