"Blowing The Fuse: 27 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox In 1946" by VARIOUS ARTISTS (November 2004 Bear Family CD – Jurgen Crasser Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"…Let’s Drink Some Mash And Talk Some Trash..."

Bear Family's truly fabulous "Blowing The Fuse" series of CD compilations chronicles the transition of minority ghettoized Blues into national Rhythm 'n' Blues and stretches across 16 individual single-disc volumes that cover the years 1945 to 1960. Released across 2004 and 2005 –"Blowing The Fuse" was then followed in 2008 and 2009 by Bear’s equally magnificent "Sweet Soul Music" series of 15 sets from 1961 to 1975 - complimented in turn by their spiritual and musical partners - 15 volumes of Vocal Group sets called "Street Corner Symphonies" covering 1939 to 1963 (released 2012 and 2013). I suppose you could argue that I just say, "Buy the lot man!" in a very loud voice - but bluntly they're so good - each deserves a thorough review (and that’s what I’ve done). So here goes with Volume 2 of the R&B Series "Blowing The Fuse"…

"Blowing The Fuse - 27 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox In 1946" is on Bear Family BCD 16701 AS (Barcode 4000127167019) and was released November 2004 in Germany. Each US-based yearly compilation comes in a 3-way foldout card digipak sleeve. The left flap pictures an original record relevant to the year (1946 has "I Cover The Waterfront" by Cats 'N Jammer Three on Mercury 2003), the centre flap holds a 70 to 90 page oversized booklet that slips out so you can read it separately and the right flap a colour-themed CD that matches the outer packaging. As with the 15 volumes of "Sweet Soul Music" and "Street Corner Symphonies" - each of the "Blowing The Fuse" spines makes up a whole photo when placed alongside each other (a fantastic black & white shot of a crowd of hip dudes and their gals dancing at some Saturday night bar). As you can see from the cover photos of these compilations too, the theme of people dancing and artists enjoying themselves is repeated right across all of these wonderfully restored photographs (they're from The Showtime Music Archive in Toronto). Siding the text and black/white publicity photos are uber rare trade adverts and of course those equally scarce 78’s in their lovely label bags. This 1946 issue has 72-pages in its booklet and the CD runs to a bruising 79:52 minutes.

THE SOUND and TRACK CHOICES:

Sourcing the best disc available (or occasional tape) Bear’s Audio Engineer genius JURGEN CRASSER has mastered each cut with care. Depending on the condition of the disc – the audio varies wildly - and as you can imagine it’s a case of astonishingly clean transfer one moment and hiss & cackle-laden version the next. Overall though I’m more than pleased with what I’m hearing...all of it imbibed with huge musical and lyrical talent and a sheer sense of to "hell-with-it-all!" – let's have some fun...

THE BOOKLET:

The booklet in each of these reissues is to die for. There's an intro on Page 4 with the text for the songs beginning on Page 5 and ending on Page 70, so there's almost no wasted space. Each artist is pictured using quality publicity shots, and every now and then, a beautiful page plate of lesser-seen trade adverts, or a rare 78” in its label bag (long ago American Record labels like Majestic, Bluebird, Victor, Decca, Exclusive, Philo and others). Each song then has an essay on its history by noted writer COLIN ESCOTT and because the booklet allows him to spread out on each song, the details come thick and fast - it's a fabulously entertaining and informative read.

THE SONGS:

Volume 2 of 16 opens with a boozy crowd-pleaser by Wynonie Harris (lyrics from it title this review) simply called "Wynonie's Blues" and despite its lo-fi dubbed-from disc sound is charged with post-war mischief and extramarital shenanigans. Joe Liggins goes into a very cool dancefloor shuffle for his "Got A Right To Cry" while Johnny Moore's "Drifting Blues" is a straight up piano and voice moaner ("...I give you all my money...tell what more can I do..."). Big and brassy describes "Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin'" by The Delta Rhythm Boys – it's great fun but behind those fabulous voices is heavy-duty crackle in the transfer of this uber rarity. 

Sporting impressive audio - the Louis Jordan cut "Buzz Me" is incredibly clean and full of vim - as is the stunning smoocher "Joy Juice" where Dinah Washington advises women to get their man down to the nearest joint to get him "nice and stewed" because he's a better Casanova that way - but get him home before he starts getting funny ideas with the fine brown frames at the bar. Equally juicy is the shout-and-call of "Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop" by Lionel Hampton where he tells us someone in the family is "...on the floor blowing his natural top..." We go into Fats Domino piano-stroller territory with the wickedly slick "R.M. Blues" by Roy Milton & His Solid Senders - but the honours belong to Camille Howard who fills the song with some truly brilliant runs on the old Joanna. Rough describes "I Cover The Waterfront" which I'm sure is included for historical reasons. It was inspired by (not in) the Claudette Colbert movie of the same name and was instrumental in putting Mercury as a label on the chart map when it reputed sold over 4 million copies.

Back to a giggle with "Voo-it! Voo-it!" credited to Blues Woman who turns out to Marion Abernathy – but even that's trumped by the barnstorming piano boogie-woogie of "Chicago Breakdown" by Big Maceo – three minutes of keyboard-pounding joy (feels like Piano Red letting rip - Peace on them both). Onwards to a wonderful vocal group romancer with "I Know" by Andy Kirk and his Orchestra where the song is made genius by the deep crooning of The Jubalaires (a highlight on the whole disc for me). It's a little jarring to hear Nat King Cole's "(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66" on here but I can understand its inclusion (maybe its overly familiar to me). I love "Cherry Red Blues" by Eddie Vinson because it reminds me of the mighty Big Joe Turner who of course wrote and recorded it with Pete Johnson in 1939. Wit returns with Bull Moose Jackson who wants to tell us to a hand-clapping R&B rhythm that it was possibly Caldonia's mammy who "...threw the whiskey in the well..." (naughty woman). More vocal group magic comes in the shape of The Ink Spots classic "The Gypsy" sounding amazingly clean here (compared to versions I've had before anyway). Not so clear is the really-rough-sounding "Red Light" - but that doesn't stop the tune from bringing out the finger-clicking rhythm in us all (great little song). And on it goes through more crowd-pleasing dancefloor R&B with Joe Turner on National and the irrepressible Louis Jordan on Decca – ending with a wicked Julia Lee witticism on Capitol...

To sum up - even though they were initially expensive as imports - as the years have gone by they've gone down in price (some online retailers via Amazon or eBay are selling them for about £8.50. But I can't help thinking that once long-time collectors actually get their hands on even one of these compilations (no matter what the date) - they'll be irresistibly hooked and need to own the lot.

For the casual buyer just looking for a great one-stop account of R&B Music for a given year - "1946" is 'the' place to start. I've collected the whole set...and they're amongst my favourite reissues...

TRACK LIST for "Blowing The Fuse - 1946" (79:52 minutes):

Volume 2 of 16

Song Title, ARTIST (Record Label and US 78” Catalogue Number, A-Side or B-Side)

1. Wynonie’s Blues – WYNONIE "Blues" HARRIS with Illinois Jacquet and his All Stars (Apollo 362, A)

2. Got A Right To Cry – JOE LIGGINS and his Honeydrippers (Exclusive 210, A)

3. Drifting Blues – JOHNNY MOORE’S THREE BLAZERS (Philo P 112 and Aladdin A 112, A)

4. Just A-Sittin' And A-Rockin' – DELTA RHYTHM BOYS (Decca 18 739, A)

5. Buzz Me – LOUIS JORDAN and his Tympany Five (Decca 18 734, A)

6. Joy Juice – DINAH WASHINGTON with Gus Chappel's Orchestra (Mercury 2052, B)

7. Hey! Ba-Ba-Re-Bop – LIONEL HAMPTON and his Orchestra (Decca 18 754, A)

8. R.M. Blues – ROY MILTON and his Solid Senders (Specialty 504, A)

9. I Cover The Waterfront – CATS N’ JAMMER THREE Vocals by Bill Samuels (Mercury 2003, A)

10. Voo-It! Voo-It! – THE BLUES WOMAN with the Buddy Banks Sextet (Jukebox 502, A)

11. Chicago Breakdown – BIG MACEO (Bluebird 34-0743, A)

12. I Know – ANDY KIRK and his Orchestra Vocal by The Jubalaires (Decca 18 782, A)

13. (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66 – NAT COLE TRIO (Capitol 256, A)

14. Cherry Red Blues – EDDIE VINSON and his Orchestra (Mercury 8003, A)

15. I Know Who Threw The Whiskey (In The Well) – BULL MOOSE JACKSON and his Orchestra (Queen 4116, A)

16. The Gypsy – THE INK SPOTS (Decca 18 817, A)

17. Red Light – RED CALLENDER (Black & White 781, A)

18. If I Were A Itty Bitty Girl, Part 1 – VELMA NELSON with Will Rowland and his Band (Aladdin 139, A)

19. Sunny Road – ROOSEVELT SYKES with his Original Honeydrippers (RCA Victor 20-1906, A)

20. My Gal's A Jockey – JOE TURNER with Bill Moore’s Lucky Seven Band (National 4002, A)

21. Choo Choo Ch' Boogie – LOUIS JORDAN and his Tympany Five (Decca 23 610, A)

22. So Glad You're Mine – ARTHUR 'Big Boy' CRUDUP (RCA Victor 20-1949, A)

23. Voodoo Woman Blues – JAY McSHANN and his Sextet (Mercury 8020, A)

24. After Hours – ERSKINE HAWKINS and his Orchestra (featuring Avery Parrish on Piano) (Bluebird 10879 / RCA Victor 20-1977)

25. Port Wine – BILL SAMUELS and The Cats 'n Jammer Three (Mercury 8012, A)

26. Come Back To Me Baby – T-BONE WALKER with Marl Young's Orchestra (Mercury 8016, A)
27. Gotta Gimme Whatcha' Got – JULIA LEE and her Boyfriends (Capitol 308, A)

“Sweet Soul Music - 24 Scorching Classics From 1975”. A Review Of The February 2014 BEAR FAMILY CD - Volume 15 of 15 In a Yearly Series Covering 1960 to 1975 - All With Stunning Sound Quality, Huge Playing Times and Deluxe Presentation.

This review is part of my "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters Soul, Funk & Jazz Fusion" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

“...Go Sister Go...”

I reviewed the preceding 10 volumes in this incredible series from 1961 to 1970 (probably the best Bear has ever done) and loved them to distraction. Jurgen Crasser was the remaster engineer for those. This time around (1971 to 1975) the sound hero on all five volumes bears the unlikely moniker of WOLFGANG MANNS. And I swear I may have to get “Wolfgang Is My Main Mann” tattooed on my frumpy Irish buttocks - because these expertly crafted CD compilations are sonically sensational in every way. They’re going to blow the minds of Seventies Soul fans everywhere. Here’s the necessary for “1975”...

Released 14 February 2014 on Bear Family BCD 16885 AS (Barcode 5397102168857) - the CD compilation “Sweet Soul Music - 24 Scorching Classics From 1975” breaks down as follows 

(86:10 minutes):

1. Lady Marmalade - LABELLE (Epic 8-50048)
2. Supernatural Thing, Part 1 - BEN E. KING (Atlantic 45-3241)
3. Walking In Rhythm - THE BLACKBYRDS (Fantasy F-736)
4. Love Won’t Let Me Wait - MAJOR HARRIS (Atlantic 45-3248)
5. Rockin’ Chair - GWEN McCRAE (Cat 1996)
6. Shining Star - EARTH, WIND and FIRE (Columbia 3-10090)
7. Shackin’ Up - BARBARA MASON (Buddah BDA 459-N)
8. Give The People What They Want - THE O’JAYS (Philadelphia International ZS7 3565)
9. The Hustle - VAN McCOY and THE SOUL CITY SYMPHONY (Avco AV-4653)
10. Keep The Home Fires Burnin’ - LATIMORE (Glades 1726)
11. Slippery When Wet - THE COMMODORES (Motown M 1338F)
12. This Will Be (An Everlasting Love) - NATALIE COLE (Capitol 4109)
13. Fight The Power, Part 1 - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (T-Neck ZS8 2256)
14. How Long (Betcha’ Got A Chick On The Side) - THE POINTER SISTERS (Blue Thumb BTA-265)
15. Do It Any Way You Wanna - PEOPLE’S CHOICE (TSOP ZS8 4769)
16. It Only Takes A Minute - TAVARES (Capitol 4111) 
17. Loving Arms - MILLIE JACKSON (Spring SPR 161)
18. Full Of Fire - AL GREEN (Hi 5N 2300)
19. Love Rollercoaster (Single Edit) - OHIO PLAYERS (Mercury 73734)
20. Love Machine, Part 1 - THE MIRACLES (Tamla T 54262F) 
21. Sweet Thing - RUFUS featuring CHAKA KHAN (ABC Records ABC-12149)
22. Hold Back The Night - THE TRAMMPS (Buddah BDA-507)
23. Turning Point - TYRONE DAVIS (Dakar DK 4550)
24. Boogie Fever - THE SYLVERS (Capitol 4179)

The three-way fold-out card digipak of the preceding 10 volumes has been kept as has the  live-on-stage Jackie Wilson photo on the spine that is now extended (when you line all 15 spines they make one photograph). This “1975” set features THE POINTER SISTERS on the front cover while the stock 7” of “The Hustle” by VAN McCOY graces the inside flap with a further photo of the lady threesome LABELLE in wild concert garb on the center lip. The detachable booklet is properly beautiful - a 76 oversized-pages wad of deep liner notes by world-renowned R'n'B and Soul expert BILL DALH with Discography info by DAVE “Daddy Cool” BOOTH. There’s black and white/colour publicity pictures of the artists (hairy chests, large-brim white hats and patch-inlaid elephant flares ahoy), the single labels/album covers and adverts from the US music press. Quality all the way...

As you can see from the catalogue numbers provided above all tracks are US 7” singles and proceedings open in stunning form with Labelle’s irrepressable “Lady Marmalade”. The crystal clear sound quality continues with a double slinky - “Supernatural Thing” and Walking In Rhythm” - but slows down into the bedroom panting of Major Harris being a naughty boy in “Love Won’t Let Me Wait”. Things pick up considerably with Gwen McCrae’s brilliant “Rockin’ Chair” - a tune I've loved for decades - and at last lifted out of former muddiness with a new coat of aural paint. 

Genius choices come in three forms - the talking nosey-neighbors “Shackin’ Up” by Barbara Mason while Latimore’s “Keep The Home Fires Burnin’” is superlative funk. Equally cool in our trio is the wah-wah guitars and chunky bass of “How Long...” by The Pointer Sisters combining with some great string arrangements to deliver a fabulous builder. Even Van McCoy’s over-played “The Hustle” sounds transformed as does the happy Natalie Cole movie-favorite “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)”. 

The bopping “Do It Any Way You Wanna” by People’s Choice (written by Leon Huff) contrasts nicely with the barroom Tom Waits impassioned moan of Millie Jackson’s “Loving Arms” in beautiful sound quality. And how good is to hear Al Green sound full-on in your speakers instead of the clamped-down production values we’ve been used to. The Miracles' “Love Machine” is bound to bring out the Afro in you while “Sweet Thing” will bring out the Julio Iglesias bedroom eyes - both stunning in their transfers. 

It goes out with three popular dancers - the fantastically upbeat “Hold Back The Night” by The Trammps (covered by so many) and the “I used to stay out all night long...” of “Turning Point” by Trone Davis on Dakar (sounding lovely) with the future of Disco finishing it all off - “Boogie Fever” by The Sylvers. 

I had honestly thought that this Volume from 1975 would be the weakest - but if anything it’s as brilliant as the 1971 set - a superlative mix of the familiar and lesser-heard - all properly handled by people who care about sound quality. And check out that eye-watering total playing time - 86:10 minutes - God God Y’all Indeed! 

These sets have been a long time coming but man have they been worth the wait. I know long-term Soul fans will look at the track list and price and perhaps baulk at duplicity and cost - DON’T. You’ve not heard these classics and undergrounds until now. And if you’ve any joy for Seventies Soul - then you need to have this volume and the other four compilations in your life -because GLORIOUS is the word that comes to mind. These are already my reissues of the year for 2014. 

The mighty Bear Family folks - accept no less.

“Sweet Soul Music - 23 Scorching Classics From 1974”. A Review Of The February 2014 BEAR FAMILY CD - Volume 14 of 15 In a Yearly Series Covering 1960 to 1975 - All With Stunning Sound Quality, Huge Playing Times and Deluxe Presentation.

This review is part of my "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters Soul, Funk & Jazz Fusion" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

“...Diggin' The Scene...With A Gangster Lean...”

I reviewed the preceding 10 volumes in this incredible series from 1961 to 1970 (probably the best Bear has ever done) and loved them to distraction. Jurgen Crasser was the remaster engineer for those. This time around (1971 to 1975) the sound hero on all five volumes bears the unlikely moniker of WOLFGANG MANNS. And I swear I may have to get “Wolfgang Is My Main Mann” tattooed on my frumpy Irish buttocks - because these expertly crafted CD compilations are sonically sensational in every way. They’re going to blow the minds of Seventies Soul fans everywhere. Here’s the necessary for “1974”...

Released 14 February 2014 on Bear Family BCD 16884 AS (Barcode 5397102168840) - the CD compilation “Sweet Soul Music - 23 Scorching Classics From 1974” breaks down as follows (82:32 minutes):

1. Boogie Down - EDDIE KENDRICKS (Tamla T 54243F)
2. Lookin’ For A Love - BOBBY WOMACK (United Artists UA-XW375-W)
3. Mighty Mighty - EARTH, WIND and FIRE (Columbia 4-46007)
4. You Make Me Feel Brand New - THE STYLISTICS (Avco AV-4634)
5. Be Thankful For What You’ve Got - WILLIAM DeVAUGHN (Roxbury BRBO-0236)
6. The Payback, Part 1 - JAMES BROWN (Polydor PD 14223)
7. Dancing Machine - THE JACKSON 5 (Motown M 1286F)
8. Sideshow - BLUE MAGIC (Atco 45-6961) 
9. Rock Your Baby - GEORGE McCRAE (T.K. Records 1004)
10. Hollywood Swinging - KOOL and THE GANG (De-Lite DEP 561) 
11. Rock The Boat - THE HUES CORPORATION (RCA Victor APBO 0232)
12. Funky Music Sho Nuff Turns Me On - YVONNE FAIR (Motown M 1306F)
13. Hang On In There Baby - JOHNNY BRISTOL (MGM M14715)
14. Do It (‘Til You’re Satisfied) (Single Edit) - B.T. EXPRESS (Scepter SCE 12395) 
15. Let’s Straighten It Out - LATIMORE (Glades 1722)
16. When Will I See You Again - THE THREE DEGREES (Philadelphia International ZS7 3550)
17. Everlasting Love - CARL CARLTON (Back Beat BB-630)
18. Woman To Woman - SHIRLEY BROWN (Truth TRA-3206)
19. I Wouldn’t Treat A Dog (The Way You Treated Me) - BOBBY BLAND (ABC Dunhill D-15015)
20. You Got The Love - RUFUS featuring CHAKA KHAN (ABC Records ABC-12032)
21. You Little Trustmaker - THE TYMES (RCA Victor PB-10022)
22. As Long As He Takes Care Of Home - CANDI STATON (Warner Brothers WBS 8038)
23. Fire - OHIO PLAYERS (Mercury 73643)

The three-way fold-out card digipak of the preceding 10 volumes has been kept as has the live-on-stage Jackie Wilson photo on the spine that is now extended (when you line all 15 spines they make one photograph). This “1974” set features EARTH, WIND and FIRE on the front cover while the stock 7” of “You Make Me Feel Brand New” by THE STYLISTICS graces the inside flap with a further photo of a pensive-looking YVONNE FAIR on the center lip. The detachable booklet is properly beautiful - a 76 oversized-pages wad of deep liner notes by world-renowned R'n'B and Soul expert BILL DALH with Discography info by DAVE “Daddy Cool” BOOTH. There’s black and white/colour publicity pictures of the artists (more afro hairdos than you can shake a stick at) - the single labels and album covers where relevant and adverts from the US music press. Quality all the way...

As you can see from the catalogue numbers provided above all tracks are US 7” singles and like “1971” it opens with a cleverly chosen triple-whammy of crystal clear sound quality - the hissy but ballsy “Boogie Down” by Eddie Kendricks followed by a truly huge remaster of Bobby Womack’s chipper “Lookin’ For A Love” and a blasting Earth, Wind and Fire laying down a template that would serve them well for years to come. The gooey but lovely “You Make Me Feel Brand New” by The Stylistics sounds amazing - full of extraordinary presence (the kind of Soul your sister liked). It’s followed by a real gem - William De Vaughn’s car-crawling genius of a song “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” - the sound quality on this one track is worth the price of admission alone (lyrics from it title this review). We’re back to serious funk with Part 1 of “The Payback” by James Brown which sounds ludicrously brilliant and is guaranteed to make stone dead hair follicles grow again.  

A brave and clever choice is the unexpected “Dancing Machine” by The Jackson 5 where they try to leave the teenybopper behind and tap into the funk of the time and just about succeed. The pretty “hurry hurry” talking song “Sideshow” by Blue Magic sounds lush and full while the ogre of Disco is being ushered in by a quad of huge hits - “Rock Your Baby”, “When Will I See You Again”, “Rock The Boat” and “Hand On In There Baby”. I hate them all personally but for those who want them in top sound quality - then look no further.   

Far tastier is the genius choice of Yvonne Fair’s utterly brilliant “Funky Music...” - an irresistible chunk of dancing dynamite liable to make Granny boogie that hip-replacement. Falling into the same territory is the “whatever it is...” bump and grind of “Do It...” by B.T. Express. And another nugget is the slow groove of Benny Latimore’s hypnotic piano on “Let’s Straighten It Out” - with its “tossin’ and turnin’ in your sleep...” lyrics - gorgeous stuff. The audio gurus will flip for the sheer sonic improvement contained in Bear’s remaster of Carl Carlton’s jubilant “Everlasting Love”. And a really great double funk act is Bobby Bland and Chaka Khan with Rufus - both sounding fantastic. I even have to admit to a soft spot for the ‘dooby dooby’ Pop/Soul of “You Little Trustmaker” by The Tymes. 

Niggles - like "1972" there's those irritating exclusions (probably due to licensing rights). Where’s the crossover hit “Pick Up The Pieces” by Average White Band, maybe a bit of Lou Bond, Willie Hutch, Chairmen Of The Board,  Ashford & Simpson, The Commodores, Billy Paul... I’d admit that at least 5 of the Disco-orientated tracks make me cringe even now - but there’s no doubting that the compilers had to touch all bases. But yet again there’s that nice mixture of the common and the obscure (all sounding as pert as a grunting gay gymnast in the Russian Winter Olympics). I also had no problems with playback despite the jam-packed value-for-money playing time of 83 minutes. 

These sets have been a long time coming but man have they been worth the wait. I know long-term Soul fans will look at the track list and price and perhaps baulk at duplicity and cost - DON’T. You’ve not heard these classics until now. And if you’ve any joy for Seventies Soul - then you need to have this volume and the other four compilations in your life -because GLORIOUS is the word that comes to mind. These are already my reissues of the year for 2014. 

The mighty Bear Family folks - accept no less.

"Rocks" by PIANO RED aka Dr. FEELGOOD. A Review Of The 2009 Bear Family CD Compilation.

"…Do You Want To Rock Baby? Yes! Yes!”

Released April 2009 on Bear Family BCD 16639 AR, "Rocks" offers up 33 slices of Piano Red’s pumping Rhythm 'n' Blues piano style – and it’s a peach. “Rocks” covers 1950 to 1966 on the Groove, Jax, Okeh and RCA Victor labels - and at a generous 78:04 minutes - doesn't scrimp it on content or value for money.

Like all the titles in this extensive series, "Rocks" comes in a 3-way foldout card digipak with a large detachable booklet in the centre (48-pages for this one). The CD label itself repros the 1956 7" single of “Woo-Ee” complete with its Groove Records label bag - and that's again repro’d in full on the flap beneath the see-through tray (a nice touch).

The substantial booklet features extensive liner notes from Page 2 to 26 by BILL DAHL who did such stunning work on Bear's "Sweet Soul Music" Series from 1961 to 1971 (see separate reviews for all 10 compilations). There's even a Discography for all 33 tracks from Page 34 to 45 by Bear Family’s own RICHARD WEIZE - which in itself pictures 45"s and album sleeves in full colour (very tasty to look at). Especially worth noting is a series of black and white photos of Piano Red and his band in concert in March 1956 at the Magnolia Ballroom in Atlanta, Georgia – they’re peppered throughout the text pages and are very intimate shots of the band and the audience enjoying themselves. Great stuff…

The remastered sound is by one of their best tape engineers JURGEN CRASSER – he handling the “Blowing The Fuse” series from 1945 to 1960 (I’ve reviewed all 16 volumes). Alive, clean and far better than previous CDs I've had of the same material, the sound is wonderful.

Musically William Perryman (his real name) was like Amos Milburn, Louis Jordan, Smiley Lewis and Louis Prima - an irrepressible force of rockin' joy. His warmth and witty words filled every song and when he was pumping out those party tunes with a big brassy band behind him, it must have been nigh on impossible to resist dancing your nuts off. Highlights include the 1957 instrumental “Wild Fire” with the whole band cooking like eggs on the bonnet of a car, the “I’ve had lots of big women…I’m having a ball…” song of “What Up Doc?” while in “Rock, Baby” he tells his girl to “Get out your silk and satin, because that old gal dress just won’t do…” because they’re going out to party (lyrics above). But the biggest surprise is kept until last.

Not found when the 4CD box set “The Doctor Is In!” was being formed in 1993, five previously unreleased studio cuts have surfaced from Columbia’s vaults – “Jumping The Boogie”, “The Double Twist” and “Rock Me” were recorded in December 1962 – while “I Need You” and “Can’t Wait No Longer” were recorded in March 1966. Being fully-formed and expertly recorded Columbia studio cuts, the Stereo sound is fabulous – and the quality of the songs themselves shockingly good. There's even a slightly Mod feel to “I Need You” from 1966 where it sounds like he's being backed up by Booker T And The MG’s. It’s the kind of song that a DJ would discover on the B-side of some single somewhere and play it in a UK Northern Soul club!

But if you want to get a taster of the songs and sound quality for a reasonable cost - try the 36-track "All We Wanna Do Is ROCK" sampler for this series - it has the 1954 Groove single of "Big Rock Joe From Kokomo” - typical of his style (see separate review).

Great stuff and such fun. In the vernacular - recommended the most...

PS: The "Rocks" Series by Bear Family features the following artists:

1. Pat Boone
2. Johnny Burnette
3. The Cadillacs
4. Eddie Cochran
5. Bobby Darin
6. Fats Domino
7. Connie Francis
8. Don Gibson
9. Glen Glenn
10. Bill Haley
11. Roy Hall
12. Dale Hawkins
13. Ronnie Hawkins
14. Screamin' Jay Hawkins
15. Wanda Jackson
16. Sonny James
17. Buddy Knox & Jimmy Bowen with the Rhythm Orchids
18. Sleepy LaBeef
19. Jerry Lee Lewis
20. Smiley Lewis
21. Bob Luman
22. Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers
23. Carl Mann
24. Amos Milburn
25. Ella Mae Morse
26. Ricky Nelson
27. Carl Perkins
28. Roy Orbison
29. Lloyd Price
30. Piano Red
31. Charlie Rich
32. Jack Scott
33. Shirley & Lee
34. The Treniers
35. Conway Twitty
36. Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps
37. Rusty York

The Bear Family "Rockin' Rollin'" Series features:

1. Johnny Horton
2. Marvin Rainwater
3. Marty Robbins Vol.1
4. Marty Robbins Vol.2
5. Marty Robbins Vol.3

“Look Out! We Got Soul…Sweet Soul Music” by VARIOUS ARTISTS. A Review of the 2009 10-Track Bear Family Sampler CD.

"Sweet Soul Music" 1965 and 1971 are part of my "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters Soul, Funk & Jazz Fusion" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

"...Are The 10 Volumes Of “Sweet Soul Music” The Best CD Compilations Ever Made? 

Here’s A Cheap And Neat Way Of Finding Out…”

Issued in September 2009 as a Sampler CD and retailing at less than the price of a glossy magazine - "Look Out! We Got Soul..." is still on catalogue and a cheap way of getting to hear just how extraordinary Bear Family's accolade-busting compilations really are.

The first 5 single-CD volumes of "Sweet Soul Music" came out in 2008 each with huge playing times and Bill Dahl written liner notes (1961 to 1965). 1966 to 1970 came at the end of 2009. They were themselves preceded by Bear's award-winning "Blowing The Fuse" Rhythm 'n' Blues CD compilations - 16 volumes covering 1945 to 1960. In each series the thick card spines make up a whole photograph - a live shot of Jackie Wilson from 1963 is the photo for "Soul" - a group shot of people dancing at a Saturday nightclub is the "Fuse" shot (both nice touches). Which brings us to this sampler...

Bear Family BCD 17033 breaks down as follows (28:07 minutes):

1. Turn On Your Love Light - BOBBY BLAND (1961, Duke 344)
2. Something's Got A Hold On Me - ETTA JAMES with the RILEY HAMPTON ORCHESTRA (1962, Argo 5409)
3. Walking The Dog - RUFUS THOMAS (1963, Stax S-140)
4. Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um - MAJOR LANCE (1964, Okeh 4-7187)
5. Hold What You've Got - JOE TEX (1965, Dial 4001)
6. Stop Her On Sight (S.O.S.) - EDWIN STARR (1966, Ric-Tic RT-109)
7. Funky Broadway Part 1 - DYKE & THE BLAZERS (1967, Artco 101)
[Re-issued shortly afterwards on Original Sound Records 05-64 which charted)
8. Tighten Up Part 1 - ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS (1968, Atlantic 2478)
9. Snatching It Back - CLARENCE CARTER (1969, Atlantic 2605)
10. Express Yourself - CHARLES WRIGHT AND THE WATTS 103rd STREET RHYTHM BAND (1970, Warner Bros. 7417)

Sporting Lee Dorsey on the cover grinning at you with his pistol of love, there's one track from each year and a photo-adorned page given to each song. A let down (if you could call it that) is that the 15-page booklet inside the gatefold card digipak, although nice, doesn't give you the full impact of the actual compilations.
What do I mean by this? How about these - 80, 72, 80, 88, 96, 88, 96, 96, 92 and 76 are the number of pages in each booklet from 1961 through to 1970! Look at those numbers again - and then think about how a major label reissue would barely push 25 pages if you're lucky. Then there's the really big deal - the SOUND...

Bear Family have gotten all the ORIGINAL master tapes from each record company (good Stereo preferred over Mono) and their resident tape expert JURGEN CRASSER has mastered them with care - the sound is GLORIOUS.

And with regard to content versus sound - as a long-time collector of soul music on CD, I'll admit that I was at first put off this series because of duplications. I had at least 60 to 70% of the tracks already - so why buy them again? What I wasn't prepared for was the blistering sound quality once I bought only 1. You've not heard "Green Onions" by Booker T & The M.G.'s or "People Get Ready" by The Impressions until they've heard them on these sets - they're mind-blowing. In fact, I've played these and other overused songs to the guys in the record shop and to long-standing customers - and jaws fell promptly onto our well-worn carpet tiles...

I can't praise these beautifully prepared and stunning-sounding CD compilations enough. But if you're still unprepared to fork out for all 10 of the "Sweet Soul Music" sets (they're not cheap as imports), then invest in this as a taster.

"Look Out! We Got Soul..." is a few quid well spent, no mater what the year is.

Grammy winning stuff - and roll on 1971 to 1975...

PS: for a more detailed picture, see my reviews of all 10 volumes.

“Rocks” by SMILEY LEWIS. A Review of the 2010 Bear Family CD Compilation.

"…I’m Goin’ Home…Never More To Roam…Spend The Rest Of My Life…Right There With My Wife…"

Released February 2010 on Bear Family BCD 16676 AR, "Rocks" offers up 36 slices of primo Smiley Lewis New Orleans style Rhythm 'n' Blues on the Colony and Imperial labels from 1950 through to 1958 - and at an envelope-pushing 85:36 minutes, doesn't scrimp it on content or value for money.

Like all the titles in this extensive series, "Rocks" comes in a 3-way foldout card digipak with a large detachable booklet in the centre (40-pages for this one). The CD label itself repros the 1953 7"single of “Blue Monday” complete with its Imperial Records record bag - and that's again repro’d in full on the flap beneath the see-through tray (a nice touch). The substantial booklet features extensive liner notes from Page 2 to 28 by BILL DAHL who did such stunning work on Bear's "Sweet Soul Music" Series from 1961 to 1971 (see separate reviews for all 10 compilations). There's even a Discography for all 36 tracks from Page 29 to 39 by WOOTER KEESING and Bear Family’s own RICHARD WEIZE which in itself pictures each 78" and 45" at the base of every page (very tasty to look at). Knowledgeable people like DAVE “DADDY COOL” BOOTH and others contributed information and illustrations too.

The remastered sound is by one of their best tape engineers JURGEN CRASSER who handling the “Sweet Soul Music” series I raved about. One or two tracks are rough (“Dirty People” is one) because they’re dubbed off discs, but the sound on the others is fabulous - far better than previous CDs I've had of the same material.

Musically Smiley Lewis was like Louis Jordan, Amos Milburn and Louis Prima - an irrepressible force of rockin' joy. His big pipes had the room-filling fun of Big Joe Turner at his Atlantic Records best, while his rolling piano fills made every track a Fats Domino blast. You can just 'feel' the good vibes of a hot gig on a Saturday Night at the local bar coming off these songs (his mischievous lyrics to "Ain’t Gonna Do It" title this review).

Given the vintage of the material, this CD is expensive for sure (as most of Bear Family's product is), but it's the best representation of Lewis’ material I've ever heard or seen. If you want to go deeper, there’s the “Shame, Shame, Shame” 4CD Box Set they issued in 1993. But if you want to get a taster of the songs and sound quality for a reasonable cost - try the 36-track "All We Wanna Do Is ROCK" sampler for this series - it has the 1953 Imperial single of "Big Mamou” (see separate review).

Great stuff – and such fun. In the vernacular - recommended the most daddy-o...

PS: The "Rocks" Series by Bear Family features the following artists:

1. Pat Boone
2. Johnny Burnette
3. The Cadillacs
4. Eddie Cochran
5. Bobby Darin
6. Fats Domino
7. Connie Francis
8. Don Gibson
9. Glen Glenn
10. Bill Haley
11. Roy Hall
12. Dale Hawkins
13. Ronnie Hawkins
14. Screamin' Jay Hawkins
15. Wanda Jackson
16. Sonny James
17. Buddy Knox & Jimmy Bowen with the Rhythm Orchids
18. Sleepy LaBeef
19. Jerry Lee Lewis
20. Smiley Lewis
21. Bob Luman
22. Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers
23. Carl Mann
24. Amos Milburn
25. Ella Mae Morse
26. Ricky Nelson
27. Carl Perkins
28. Roy Orbison
29. Lloyd Price
30. Piano Red
31. Charlie Rich
32. Jack Scott
33. Shirley & Lee
34. The Treniers
35. Conway Twitty
36. Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps
37. Rusty York

The Bear Family "Rockin' Rollin'" Series features:

1. Johnny Horton
2. Marvin Rainwater
3. Marty Robbins Vol.1
4. Marty Robbins Vol.2
5. Marty Robbins Vol.3

“Rocks” by AMOS MILBURN. A Review of the 2009 Bear Family CD Compilation.

"…Let’s Get In The Mood…A Real Groovy Mood…Let’s Have A Party…"

Released June 2009 on Bear Family BCD 16926 AR, “Rocks” offers up 31 slices of primo Amos Milburn Rhythm ‘n’ Blues on the Aladdin label from 1948 through to 1957 – and at a whopping 82:38 minutes, doesn’t scrimp it on content or value for money.

Like all the titles in this extensive series, “Rocks” comes in a 3-way foldout card digipak with a large detachable booklet in the centre (48-pages for this one). The CD itself reproduces the 1956 7”single remake of his huge “Chicken Shack” song complete with its Aladdin Records label bag and that’s continued on the flap beneath the see-through tray (a nice touch).

The substantial booklet features extensive liner notes from Page 3 to 33 by BILL DAHL who did such stunning work on Bear’s “Sweet Soul Music” Series from 1961 to 1971 (see separate reviews for all 10 compilations). There’s even a Discography for all 31 tracks from Page 34 to 45 by MICHAEL CUSCANA, STBVE LaVERE and MICHEL RUPPLI, which in itself pictures each 78” and 45” at the base of every page (very tasty to look at). Good names like BILL MILLAR and COLIN ESCOTT contributed information and illustrations too.

The remastered sound is handled by CHRISTIAN ZWARG and is far better than previous CDs I’ve had of the same material.

Milburn was like Louis Jordan, Smiley Lewis and Fats Domino – an irrepressible force of rockin’ joy - and even when tracks like “Boogie Woogie” sound a bit rough, the ‘feel’ of a Saturday Night dive jumping with bodies going at it like Sunday’s never going to come permeates every track (lyrics above to “Let’s Have A Party”).

Given the vintage of the material, this CD is expensive, as most of Bear Family’s product is, but it’s the best representation of Milburn’s material I’ve ever seen.

If you want to get a taster for a reasonable cost – try the “All We Wanna Do Is ROCK” sampler for this series – 36 tracks and it’s cheap (see separate review). It has “Chicken Shack” on it – and it’s a monster…

In the vernacular – recommended the most big daddy-o.

PS: The "Rocks" Series by Bear Family features the following artists:

1. Pat Boone
2. Johnny Burnette
3. The Cadillacs
4. Eddie Cochran
5. Bobby Darin
6. Fats Domino
7. Connie Francis
8. Don Gibson
9. Glen Glenn
10. Bill Haley
11. Roy Hall
12. Dale Hawkins
13. Ronnie Hawkins
14. Screamin' Jay Hawkins
15. Wanda Jackson
16. Sonny James
17. Buddy Knox & Jimmy Bowen with the Rhythm Orchids
18. Sleepy LaBeef
19. Jerry Lee Lewis
20. Smiley Lewis
21. Bob Luman
22. Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers
23. Carl Mann
24. Amos Milburn
25. Ella Mae Morse
26. Ricky Nelson
27. Carl Perkins
28. Roy Orbison
29. Lloyd Price
30. Piano Red
31. Charlie Rich
32. Jack Scott
33. Shirley & Lee
34. The Treniers
35. Conway Twitty
36. Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps
37. Rusty York

The Bear Family "Rockin' Rollin'" Series features:

1. Johnny Horton
2. Marvin Rainwater
3. Marty Robbins Vol.1
4. Marty Robbins Vol.2
5. Marty Robbins Vol.3

“Koko Taylor” by KOKO TAYLOR. A Review Of Her Debut LP From 1969 Now Reissued on Universal’s “Blues Classics - Remastered & Revisited” Series of CDs.

Koko Taylor is part of my "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters Soul, Funk & Jazz Fusion" Download Book available to buy on Amazon to either your PC or Mac (it will download the Kindle software to read the book for free to your toolbar). Click on the link below to go my Author's Page for this and other related publications:

                       http://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00LQKMC6I

"…We’re Gonna Pitch A Wang Dang Doodle…All Night Long…"

In late 2009, Hip-O Select finally put out a decent Koko Taylor compilation in the USA called “What It Takes – The Chess Years” which gave fans 19 tracks in superlative remastered form (see separate review). But it featured only 6 songs from this - “Koko Taylor” - her debut album. They were “Don’t Mess With The Messer”, "Wang Dang Doodle" (lyrics above), “Whatever I Am, You Made Me”, “I’m A Little Mixed Up”, “Insane Asylum” and “Twenty Nine Ways” (To My Baby’s Door)”. Which means that the other 6 are only available in remastered form on this disc – still making it a worthwhile purchase.

Track List:
1. Love You Like A Woman
2. I Love A Lover Like You
3. Don't Mess With The Messer
4. I Don't Care Who Knows
5. Wang Dang Doodle
6. I'm A Little Mixed Up
7. Nitty Gritty
8. Fire
9. Whatever I Am, You Made Me
10. Twenty-Nine Ways (To My Baby's Door)
11. Insane Asylum
12. Yes, It's Good For You

13. Love Sick Tears
14. He Always Knocks Me Out

Released in the USA in April 2001, MCA/Chess 088 112 519-2 breaks down as follows (39:53 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 12 are the Stereo LP “Koko Taylor” issued October 1969 in the USA on Chess LPS-1532

Tracks 13 and 14 are “Love Sick Tears” and “He Always Knocks Me Out” – two previously unreleased outtakes from the LP sessions

ERICK LABSON – who has over 850 audio credits to his name including the vast majority of the huge Chess, Checker, Cadet catalogue – has remastered this set to typically superlative standards. The sound quality is wonderful - clear, full and a genuine blast to listen to.
The 8-page foldout inlay has affectionate and informative liner notes by noted writer and soul enthusiast BILL DAHL and pictures Koko’s mentor, producer and friend – the Chess Giant WILLIE DIXON.

“Koko Taylor” was in fact a ragbag of an album – singles from 1965 and 1967 fleshed out with newly recorded 1969 tracks – yet it all worked so well. The two previously unreleased tracks are good rather than great and it’s easy to see why they were canned at the time. Still, it’s nice to have anything new from the period.

The sessions also featured the cream of Chicago bluesmen – Buddy Guy, Matt Murphy and Johnny Shines on Guitar, Walter “Shakey” Horton on Harmonica, Lafayette Leake and Albert “Sunnyland Slim” Luandrew on Piano and Organ, Jack Myers on Bass, Clifton James and Fred Bellow on Drums – with of course Willie Dixon on Upright Bass and helming the overall Production.

Although you can’t see it from the picture provided, this release is also part of Universal’s “Blues Classics – Remastered & Revisited” Series. It's a generic title displayed upright on the spine of the back inlay on each release, which is visible through the see-through tray to the left. I mention this because it differentiates this release and other titles in the series from older versions which weren’t mastered as well. If you click the label provided to the right, you will be able to see all 12 titles in this fantastic 2001 series.

A superb version then of a forgotten classic – get this in your life, you’ll not regret it…

PS: for more of Bill Dahl’s incredible work in liner notes, see also the Bear Family “Sweet Soul Music” CDs from 1961 to 1970 – 70 to 95 page booklets – 10 titles - all reviewed. Unbelievably good stuff…