"The Best Of The Cutting Edge: 1965-1966 - The Bootleg Series Vol. 12" by BOB DYLAN - 'Highway 61 Revisited' and 'Blonde On Blonde' Album Outtakes and Sessions - Musicians Included Charlie McCoy, Wayne Moss and Kenneth Buttrey of Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry, Al Kooper of Blood, Sweat & Tears, Mike Bloomfield of The Electric Flag, Hargus Robbins, Jerry Kennedy, Joe South, Bill Aikins, Paul Griffin, Will Lee, Bobby Gregg of The Devil’s Anvil, Wayne Butler of Charlie McCoy & The Escorts, Henry Strzelecki of The Teenagers, Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel and Levon Helm of The Band (November 2015 UK Columbia/Sony/Legacy 26-Track 2CD Compilation - Volume 12 in The Bootleg Series - Truncated Version of the Super Deluxe Edition Box Set - Mark Wilder Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 

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"...My Love Laughs Like The Flowers..." 

 

Beating Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention's "Freak Out!" by only one week - Rock's first double-album "Blonde On Blonde" was a zenith for the Bobster (and it's been an artistic touchstone ever since). 

 

Released as a 2LP set 20 June 1966 in the USA on Columbia C2L 41 (Mono) and Columbia C2S 841 (Stereo) and 13 August 1966 in the UK on CBS Records DDP 66012 (Mono) and CBS Records SDDP 66012 (Stereo) - "Blonde On Blonde" was produced by BOB JOHNSTON and peaked at No. 9 and No. 3 in each country respectively. "Highway 61 Revisited" from 1965 was the same - an influence beast. Between them, these two long-players were the culmination of an extraordinary talent run amok, peak 60ts period songs made all the more amazing by a sympatico band that delivered Bob Dylan's new electrified vision. 

 

And that where this sensational Volume 12 in the ongoing 'Bootleg Series' for all things Dylan comes a ramblin' in - shaking its Tambourine man and gettin' positive with Johanna, 4th Street and Tombstone Blues. Let's get to Dylan's 115 dreams...

 

UK released 6 November 2015 - "The Best of The Cutting Edge: 1965-1966 - The Bootleg Series Vol.12" by BOB DYLAN on Columbia/Sony/Legacy 88875124422 (Barcode 888751244221) is a 36-Track 2CD Compilation of outtakes from the "Blonde On Blonde" sessions that plays out as follows:

 

CD1 (70:21 minutes):

1. Love Minus Zero No Limit (Take 2 Acoustic)

2. I'll Keep It With Mine (Take 1 Piano Demo)

3. Bob Dylan's 115th Dream (Take 2 Solo Acoustic)

4. She Belongs To Me (Take 1 Solo Acoustic)

5. Subterranean Homesick Blues (Take 1 Alternate Take)

6. Outlaw Blues (Take 2 Alternate Take)

7. On The Road Again (Take 4 Alternate Take)

8. Farewell, Angelina (Take 1 Solo Acoustic)

9. If You Gotta Go, Go Now (Take 2 Alternate Take)

10. You Don't Have To Do That (Take 1 Solo Acoustic)

11. California (Take 1 Solo Acoustic)

12. Mr. Tambourine Man (Take 3 with Band, Incomplete)

13. It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry (Take 8 Alternate Take)

14. Like A Rolling Stone (Take 5 Rehearsal)

15. Like A Rolling Stone (Take 11 Alternate Take)

16. Sitting On A Barbed Wire Fence (Take 2 Unreleased Take)

17. Medicine Sunday (Take 1, Early Version of 'Temporary Like Achilles')

18. Desolation Row (Take 2 Piano Demo)

19. Desolation Row (Take 1 Alternate Take)

All tracks Produced by TOM WILSON except 13 and 16 to 19 by BOB JOHNSTON

 

CD2 (75:00 minutes): 

1. Tombstone Blues (Take 1 Alternate Take)

2. Positively 4th Street (Take 5 Alternate Take)

3. Can you Please Crawl Out Your Window? (Take 1 Alternate Take)

4. Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues (Take 3 Rehearsal)

5. Highway 61 Revisited (Take 3 Alternate Take)

6. Queen Jane Approximately (Take 5 Alternate Take)

7. Visions of Johanna (Take 5 Rehearsal)

8. She's Your Lover Now (Take 6 Rehearsal)

9. Lunatic Princess (Take 1)

10. Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat (Take 8 Alternate Take)

11. One Of Must Know (Sooner Or Later) (Take 19 Alternate Take)

12. Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again (Take 13 Alternate Take)

13. Absolutely Sweet Marie (Take 1 Alternate Take)

14. Just Like A Woman (Take 4 Alternate Take)

15. Pledging My Time (Take 1 Alternate Take)

16. I Want You (Take 4 Alternate Take)

17. Highway 61 Revisited (Take 7 False Start) 

All Tracks Produced by BOB JOHNSTON

 

The hard-card slipcase and 62-page colour booklet are among the best I've seen in this entire Bob Dylan series - wads of period photos - rare picture sleeves - press adverts - track-by-track info - notes from a pre-Blood, Sweat & Tears Al Kooper, the album artwork photographer and even backing vocalist Angeline Butler - it's really fantastic stuff. And MARK WILDER has once again done the Audio business with Remasters that thrill every time. These recordings jump and feel alive and yet are intimate in those quieter acoustic moments when you want them too. Exceptional.

 

There are genuinely hair-raising moments on this twofer that I suspect even die-hard Dylanites shudder at - the gorgeous unadorned acoustic Takes of "She Belongs To Me" and "Farewell, Angelina", while ace guitarist Mike Bloomfield plays an absolute blinder on Take 8 of "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry" and his soloing on Take 2 of "Sitting On A Barbed Wire Fence". And even if the take of "Medicine Sunday" is incomplete and stops too criminally soon, you can hear the magic of The Band on it (Robertson, Hudson, Danko and Helm are all there). And if you needed confirmation of his tale-telling genius, Disc 1 ends with a spellbinding Take 1 of "Desolation Row" with only Dylan on Acoustic and Russ Savakus on a Double Bass - a staggering eleven-minutes and fifteen-seconds of brilliant rhyming lyrics and melody. These are just some of the gems on CD1 - there's oodles more.

CD2 throws up a starter on the Paul Revere's horse song (no need to be nervous) "Tombstone Blues", but even though it's good, the genius of the finished article isn't quite there yet. Take 5 of "Positively 4th Street" is so good too - but for me the first moment of must-have comes with a Take 1 of "Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window" - Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper keeping time the piano tinkering of Paul Griffin. The same band attempts Take 3 of "Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues" in early August 1965 - such a lovely languid feel - stunning stuff in its easy-going shuffle. Paul Griffin gets to 'organ' shine for a tasty alternate of "Queen Jane Approximately" but The Band (Robertson, Manuel, Danko and Hudson) can't really save a too-fast hammy take on "Visions Of Johanna". Better is their contribution to "She's Your Lover Now". Joe South and much of a future Area Code 615 (Charle McCoy, Wayne Moss etc) vamp up a weird sound-effects cut of "Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat". Far better are Robbie Robertson (Guitar) and Paul Griffin (Organ) on a lovely version of "One Of Must Know (Sooner Or Later)". And on it goes...

This twofer is an embarrassment of riches and along with "Tell Tale Signs: Rare And Unreleased 1989-2006 - The Bootleg Series Vol.8" marks high-points in this truly extraordinary series. 

Bob Dylan is a legend, but "Cutting Edge" actually shows why. Toppermost of the poppermost - and there's nothing approximate about it...

"CTI Records: The Cool Revolution" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – featuring 1970 to 1976 Album Tracks by Stanley Turrentine, Hubert Laws, Ron Carter, Chet Baker, Freddie Hubbard, George Benson, Esther Phillips, Joe Farrell, Deodato, Johnny Hammond, Airto, Milton Jackson, Bob James, Astrid Gilberto, Randy Weston, Gerry Mulligan and more (May 2015 UK and EUROPE Sony Music/Masterworks Jazz 4CD 39-Track Hardback Digibook of Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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70ts Soul, R'n'B, Funk, Jazz Fusion
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"...We Got A Good Thing Going... "

Just the right side of Jazz Funk and Jazz Fusion for yours truly - Creed Taylor indeed knew how to capture cool. 

Much to discuss – so let's get to the painted faces, red and blue clay landscapes and those beautifully enigmatic glossy LP sleeves and CTI label bags... 

UK and EUROPE released May 2015 - "CTI Records: The Cool Revolution" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Sony Music/Masterworks Jazz 88875079812 (Barcode 888750798121) is a 4CD 39-Track Hardback Digibook Set of Remasters covering 1970 to 1976. Part of CTI Records 40th Anniversary Celebrations; each CD is title-themed and plays out as follows:

CD1 "Straight Up" (75:38 minutes):

1. Sugar - STANLEY TURRENTINE (10:04 minutes) from the January 1971 US LP "Sugar" on CTI Records CTI 6005

2. Moment's Notice - HUBERT LAWS (6:56 minutes, John Coltrane cover) - from the May 1974 US LP "In The Beginning" on CTI Records CTX 3+3

3. So What - RON CARTER (11:17 minutes, Miles Davis cover) - from the February 1975 US LP "Spanish Blue" on CTI Records CTI 6051

4. Autumn Leaves - CHET BAKER (7:05 minutes) - from the February 1975 US LP "She Was Too Good To Me" on CTI Records CTI 6050

5. Speed Ball - STANLEY TURRENTINE (6:35 minutes, Lee Morgan cover) - from the July 1972 US LP "Cherry" on CTI Records CTI 6017

6. The Intrepid Fox - FREDDIE HUBBARD (10:43 minutes) - from the May 1970 US LP "Red Clay" on CTI Records CTI 6001

7. Ifrane - RANDY WESTON (5:12 minutes) - from the June 1972 US LP "Blue Moses" on CTI Records CTI 6016 - not issued on CD in the USA  

8. Free As A Bird - DON SEBESKY featuring FREDDIE HUBBARD and GROVER WASHINGTON, Jr. (8:09 minutes) - from the December 1973 US 2LP-set "Giant Box" on CTI Records CTX 6031/32 

9. So What - GEORGE BENSON (9:05 minutes, Miles Davis cover) - from the May 1973 US LP "Beyond The Blue Horizon" on CTI Records CTI 6009

CD2 "Deep Grooves/Big Hits" (76:53 minutes):

1. Red Clay - FREDDIE HUBBARD (12:09 minutes) - from the May 1970 US LP "Red Clay" on CTI Records CTI 6001

2. It's Too Late - JOHNNY HAMMOND (10:50 minutes, Carole King cover) - from the 1971 US LP "Breakout" on Kudu Records KU 01

3. Home Is Where The Hatred Is - ESTHER PHILLIPS (3:25 minutes, Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson cover) - from the January 1972 US LP "A Whisper To A Scream" on Kudu KU 05

4. We Got A Good Thing Going - HANK CRAWFORD (5:55 minutes, The Corporation cover) - from the January 1973 US LP "We Got A Good Thing Going" on Kudu KU 08

5. White Rabbit - GEORGE BENSON (6:55 minutes, Grace Slick cover, Jefferson Airplane) - from the 1972 US LP "White Rabbit" on CTI Records CTI 6015

6. Fire And Rain - HUBERT LAWS (7:55 minutes, James Taylor cover) - from the 1971 US LP "Afro-Classic" on CTI Records CTI 6006

7. What A Difference A Day Makes - ESTHER PHILLIPS (4:28 minutes, Dinah Washington cover) - from the 1975 US LP "What A Difference A Day Makes" on Kudu KU 23

8. Follow Your Heart - JOE FARRELL (6:50 minutes, John McLaughlin cover) - from the 1970 US LP "Joe Farrell Quartet" on CTI Records CTI 6003  

9.Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001) (8:58 minutes, Strauss cover) - from the 1972 US LP "Prelude" on CTI Records CTI 6021

10. Mister Magic - GROVER WASHINGTON, JR. (9:02 minutes, Ralph McDonald cover) - from the 1975 US LP "Mister Magic" on Kudu KU 20

CD3 "The Brazilian Connection" (70:09 minutes):

1. Stone Flower - ANTONIO CARLOS JOBIM (3:19 minutes) - from the 1970 US LP "Stone Flower" on CTI Records CTI 6002

2. Ponteio - ASTRUD GILBERTO with STANLEY TURRENTINE (3:55 minutes) - from the 1971 US LP "Gilberto With Turrentine" on CTI Records CTI 6008 

3. First Light - FREDDIE HUBBARD (11:05 minutes) - from the 1971 US LP "First Light" on CTI Records CTI 6013

4. Salt Song - STANLEY TURRENTINE (7:14 minutes, Milton Nascimento cover) - from the 1971 US LP "Salt Song" on CTI Records CTI 6010

5. Pensativa - HUBERT LAWS (6:14 minutes, Claire Fischer cover) - from the 1975 US LP "The San Francisco Concert" on CTI Records CTI ZK 40819

6. Tombo In 7/4 - AIRTO (6:21 minutes) - from the 1973 US LP "Fingers" on CTI Records CTI 6028

7. Sunflower - MILT JACKSON (8:50 minutes, Freddie Hubbard) - from the 1973 US LP "Sunflower" on CTI Records CTI 6024

8. Return To Forever - AIRTO (10:13 minutes, Chick Corea cover) - from the 1972 US LP "Free" on CTI Records CTI 6020

9. Wave - PAUL DESMOND (6:21 minutes, Antonio Carlos Jobim cover) - from the 1974 US LP "Pure Desmond" on CTI Records ZK 40806

10. Carly & Carole - DEODATO (3:38 minutes) - from the 1972 US LP "Prelude" on CTI Records CTI 6021 

 

CD4 "Cool And Classic" (78:22 minutes):

1. My Funny Valentine - GERRY MULLIGAN and CHET BAKER (8:38 minutes, Rogers & Hart cover) - from the 1975 US LP "Carnegie Hall Concert Vol.1" on CTI Records CTI 6054

2. All Blues - RON CARTER (9:35 minutes, Miles Davis cover) - from the 1973 US LP "All Blues" on CTI Records CTI 6037 - not released on CD in the USA

3. Song To A Seagull - DON SEBESKY featuring PAUL DESMOND (5:44 minutes, Joni Mitchell cover) - from the 1974 US 2LP-set "Giant Box" on CTI Records CTX 6031

4. Pavane - HUBERT LAWS (7:40 minutes) - from the 1971 US LP "The Rite Of Spring" on CTI Records CTI 6012

5. What'll I Do - CHET BAKER (3:54 minutes) - from the 1975 US LP "She Was Too Good To Me" on CTI Records CTI 6050

6. Westchester Lady - BOB JAMES (7:23 minutes) - from the 1976 US LP "Three" on CTI Records CTI 6063)

7. A Child Is Born - KENNY BURRELL (9:22 minutes, Thad Jones cover) - from the 1971 US LP "God Bless The Child" on CTI Records CTI 6011

8. Take Five - GEORGE BENSON (7:07 minutes, Paul Desmond cover) - from the 1974 US LP "Bad Benson" on CTI Records CTI 6045

9. Concierto De Aranjuez - JIM HALL (19:18 minutes, Joaquin Rodrigo cover) - from the 1975 US LP "Concierto" on CTI Records CTI 6060

Housed in a colourfully put-together Hardback Digibook with Attached 20-Page Booklet inside (two discs clipped into the front and rear covers) – 4CDs and 39-Tracks have been Transferred and Remastered from original tapes at Battery Studios in New York by a team of quality Engineers – MARK WILDER, MARIA TRIANA and DONNA KLOEPFER. The Audio is lovely throughout even when the earlier recordings threaten to whig-out just once-too-soloing-often. What’s new? All of these famous Jazz, Jazz Fusion and Jazz Funk albums have been reissued on CD over the years, but Tracks 7 on CD1 and 2 on CD4 are not issued on CD in the USA before. 

Visually - littering the essay "CTI Records: The Cool Revolution" by DAN OUELLETTE on Pages 3 to 15 and beyond (he is a contributing writer to DownBeat magazine and author of a biography on the double-bass player Ron Carter) are classy black and white promo photos of the staggering array of Jazz talent Creed Taylor recorded. Primarily taped between 1970 and 1975 and issued on CTI Records and its sidekick Kudu – CTI was in fact originally an imprint of Herb Alpert's A&M Records in 1967 - when Taylor finally decided to take the label and its stellar cast/emerging sound to the public in 1970. 

Creed's manta was to make Jazz that was true to its artist's vision while at the same time reach into a curious mainstream too (art and commercialism combined) - and mostly, he ended up doing just that. Rock guys like me who we're loving Prog and the strange Jazz-Rock sounds of say Soft Machine, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Colosseum and even Jeff Beck LPs - were drawn to Jazzers doing say Carole King's gorgeous "It's Too Late" from her magical "Tapestry" album. I bought CTI albums simply because they were on CTI and I knew the quality would be in there - just maybe more accessible than straight-up Blue Note puritanism. The weird thing is that the great white man CREED TAYLOR himself isn't pictured anywhere in the text! 

The songs range from three minutes to nearly twenty with most being elongated Jazz workouts of six to eight minutes. Love that Miles Davis up-date that Ron Carter does to his "So What” (from the classic "A Kind of Blue" album) - Esther Phillips spotting the genius of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson for "Home Is Where The Hurt Is" and Don Sebesky with Paul Desmond as they rearrange some new girl from Canada who was making waves at the time – Joni Mitchell and her debut album's "Song To A Seagull" (I wonder what she thought of their version?). And on it goes like that, nice surprise after nice surprise.  

When I bought this 4CD Digibook Pack a good few years ago now, it was regularly on offer for under £20. But in January 2021, it has jumped back up to over £70. 

If you can nab one at the right price, "CTI Records: The Cool Revolution" will indeed do what it claims on the tin. As Mrs. Taylor once said, I feel the Creed in me. 

Nice one...

"The Complete Sussex And Columbia Albums" by BILL WITHERS - 1971, 1972, 1973 (Live Double), 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979 and 1985 Albums (November 2012 UK Sony Music/Legacy 9-CD Clamshell Box Set of Remasters in Bordered Mini LP Repro Artwork Card Sleeves) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…A Lovely Day…"

Columbia have many world-class box sets in their "Complete Album Series" – but you'd have to say that this BILL WITHERS winner is just a little bit more special than most. And with a thoroughly deserved Grammy win under the belt - it’s time to review the great Soul Man’s legacy...

Released November 2012 in the UK and USA - "The Complete Sussex And Columbia Albums" by BILL WITHERS is a 9-CD Mini Box Set with a 40-page booklet on Sony Music/Legacy 88697894672 (Barcode 886978946720) and breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (35:37 minutes)

1. Harlem [Side 1]

2. Ain't No Sunshine

3. Grandma's Hands

4. Sweet Wanomi

5. Everybody's Talkin'

6. Do It Good

7. Hope She'll Be Happier – [Side 2]

8. Let It Be Me

9. I'm Her Daddy

10. In My Heart

11. Moanin' And Groanin'

12. Better Off Dead

Tracks 1 to 12 are his debut album "Just As I Am" – released May 1971 on Sussex SXBS-7006 in the USA and A&M/Sussex AMLS 65002 in the UK.

Disc 2 (36:14 minutes):

1. Lonely Town, Lonely Street [Side 1]

2. Let Me In Your Life

3. Who Is He (And What Is He To You)?

4. Use Me

5. Lean On Me

6. Kissing My Love – [Side 2]

7. I Don't Know

8. Another Day To Run

9. I Don't Want You On My Mind

10. Take It All In And Check It All Out

Tracks 1 to 10 are his 2nd studio album "Still Bill" – released May 1972 on Sussex SXBS 7014 in the USA and A&M/Sussex AMLS 68107 in the UK

Disc 3 (77:09 Minutes):

1. Use Me (Live) [Side 1]

2. Friend Of Mine (Live)

3. Ain't No Sunshine (Live)

4. Grandma's Hands (Live)

5. World Keeps Going Around (Live) - [Side 2]

6. Let Me In Your Life (Live)

7. Better Off Dead (Live)

8. For My Friend (Live)

9. I Can't Write Left Handed (Live) - [Side 3]

10. Lean On Me (Live)

11. Lonely Town Lonely Street (Live)

12. Hope She'll Be Happier (Live)

13. Let Us Love (Live) – [Side 4]

14. Harlem/Cold Baloney (Live)

Tracks 1 to 13 are the live double album "Bill Withers Live At Carnegie Hall" – released April 1973 on Sussex SXBS 7025-2 in the USA and A&M/Sussex AMLD 3001 in the UK

Disc 4 (37:36 minutes):

1. You [Side 1]

2. The Same Love That Made Me Laugh

3. Stories

4. Green Grass

5. Ruby Lee

6. Heartbreak Road – [Side 2]

7. Can We Pretend

8. Liza

9. Make A Smile For Me

10. Railroad Man

Tracks 1 to 10 are his 3rd studio album "+ 'Justments" – released March 1974 on Sussex SRA 8032 in the USA and A&M/Sussex AMLH 68230 in the UK

Disc 5 (43:51 minutes):

1. I Wish You Well [Side 1]

2. The Best You Can

3. Make Love To Your Mind

4. I Love You Dawn

5. She's Lonely

6. Sometimes A Song – [Side 2]

7. Paint Your Pretty Picture

8. Family Table

9. Don't You Want To Stay?

10. Hello Like Before

Tracks 1 to 10 are his 4th studio album "Making Music" – released October 1975 on Columbia PC 33704 in the USA and CBS 69183 in the UK

Disc 6 (41:03 minutes):

1. Close To Me [Side 1]

2. Naked & Warm (Heaven! Oh! Heaven!)

3. Where Are You

4. Dreams

5. If I Didn't Mean You Well – [Side 2]

6. I'll Be With You

7. City Of The Angels

8. My Imagination

Tracks 1 to 8 are his 5th studio album "Naked & Warm" – released October 1976 on Columbia PC 34327 in the USA and December 1976 in the UK on CBS 81580

Disc 7 (38:26 minutes):

1. Lovely Day [Side 1]

2. I Want To Spend The Night

3. Lovely Night For Dancing

4. Then You Smile At Me

5. She Wants To (Get On Down)

6. It Ain't Because Of Me Baby

7. Tender Things

8. Wintertime

9. Let Me Be The One You Need

Tracks 1 to 9 are his 6th studio album "Menagerie" – released October 1977 on Columbia JC 34903 in the USA and January 1978 in the UK on CBS S CBS 82265

Disc 8 (39:03 minutes):

1. All Because Of You [Side 1]

2. Dedicated To You My Love

3. Don't It Make It Better

4. You Got The Stuff

5. Look To Each Other For Love

6. Love

7. Love Is

8. Memories Are That Way

Tracks 1 to 8 are his 7th studio album "'Bout Love" – released March 1979 in the USA on Columbia JC 35596 and in the UK on CBS S CBS 83176

Disc 9 (45:11 minutes):

1. Oh Yeah! [Side 1]

2. Something That Turns You On

3. Don't Make Me Wait

4. Heart In Your Life

5. Watching You Watching Me

6. We Could Be Sweet Lovers [Side 2]

7. You Just Can't Smile It Away

8. Steppin' Right Along

9. Whatever Happens

10. You Try To Find A Love

Tracks 1 to 10 are his 8th studio album "Watching You Watching Me" – released May 1985 in the USA on Columbia FC 39887

The attention to detail is pleasing - the first 4 discs sport the Sussex label as per the original vinyl albums while the following five have the red Columbia labels. "Still Bill" has its 'opening doors' front sleeve while the double "Live At Carnegie Hall" also has its original gatefold reproduced. Each card sleeve is now bordered in white but it looks and feels classy (even if the print is tiny). The chunky 40-page booklet doesn’t scrimp on detail either - track-by-track annotation with photos of the albums, rare music press adverts, liner notes by Michael Eric Dyson and even a letter from the great man himself at the beginning about his long musical journey.

But the big news for fans is the stunning new remastered sound carried out by a trio of engineers - MARK WILDER for 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9 with 1, 2 and 7 handled by JOSEPH M. PALMACCIO and 3 done by TOM RUFF. Original analogue master tapes have been used in all transfers and what a job they’ve done... Right from the opening acoustic strum of “Harlem” on his fabulous debut album “Just As I Am” and onto the gutsy pump of “Lonely Town, Lonely Street” which opens the equally brill follow up LP “Still Bill” - the sound quality is truly glorious throughout. Beautiful feel - space around the instruments - clarity - warm bass - not to over-trebled - it’s a top notch job done and makes you re-hear all those wonderful songs anew. 

And then you're hit by that other thing - the sheer wall-to-wall class of his songwriting - properly soulful tunes that etch their way into your heart and won't leave. And then there’s thrill number three - the stuff you haven't heard - the discoveries... "Better Off Dead" (a B-side to "Lean On Me" in the UK in August 1972) and "Do It Good" both off the debut - "Kissing My Love" and "Take It All In And Check It All Out" off the second studio album "Still Bill" - the lowdown yet super cool groove of "Ruby Lee" (covered by Joe Cocker on his "Sheffield Steel" album from 1982) and the beautiful "Hello Like Before" - both off the massively underrated "+ 'Justments" LP - all of it screams out to be reappraised and loved again.

Like 1972's "Donny Hathaway Live" LP - 1973's "Carnegie Hall" vinyl double has garnished a legendary reputation amongst soul aficionados. Intimate with his audience despite the venue size - a band cooking - songs that sway and groove. Five of its mainly mellow fourteen are exclusive - the impassioned love songs "Friend Of Mine" and "Let Us Love", the acoustic old-man weariness of "World Keeps Going Around", the aching anti-war song "I Can't Write Left-Handed" and "Cold Baloney" which is worked into a 14 minute encore with "Harlem". "Carnegie Hall" is a whole heap of magic and you can literally feel the audience filing it into their memory banks.

It's also pleasing to hear that even into the late Seventies and Eighties - he never lost his knack for a tune - the pretty "My Imagination" from "Naked & Warm",  the "trying to make us happy..." vibe to the finger-tapping "Look To Each For Love" from "'Bout Love" and the funky dancer "Steppin' Right Along" from "Watching You Watching Me". The only bum note (if you could call it that) is that Page 13 shows us the rare picture sleeve of the Christmas 1972 US 7" single for "The Gift Of Giving b/w Let Us Love" on Sussex SUX 247. To my knowledge its rare A-side has never been on CD anywhere in the world and unfortunately because this is an albums set - it isn't included here either (when there was room). And although the look is generic to this series by Columbia - I also think the outer box is a tad naff looking and the borders around each Mini LP Card Sleeve kind of sabotages the effect. And maybe even a disc of rarities. Other than those minor niggles - it's a feast and cheap too...

Somehow like equal giants Bobby Womack, Minnie Riperton and Donny Hathaway - Bill Withers has always been the underdog of Soul - never spoken about in the same awe-struck tones that are routinely given to Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Otis Redding. In my book he’s always been right up there with the best of them - a world class Soul Brother - and this ludicrously good mini CD box set is a way in for us mere mortals to that musical greatness...

"I loved that old lady..." - he says to the audience as he introduces "Grandma's Hands" on "Live At Carnegie Hall". Well - we feel the same about you mate. Beautiful and then some...