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"MANNISH BOY"
BLUES, VOCAL GROUPS, DOO WOP, ROOTS
RHYTHM 'n' BLUES and ROCK 'n' ROLL ON CD
Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters
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"...Jumpin' Like Mad..."
Ace Records of the UK have
been steadily putting out these classy "Acetate Series" CD
compilation for shouters and players from the golden age of American Blues and
R'n'B for some years now.
And their latest gives Nebraska's irrepressible
WYNONIE HARRIS a long-anticipated double-whammy (literally). Once a featured
Lead Singer with Lucky Millinder's Band – Harris was 34 and at the peak of his
singing abilities when he joined the mighty King Label in November 1947.
So Ace
have gone the distance on this 48-track twofer for a man who is held in as much
affection as Louis Jordan on Decca. Disc 1 gives you 23 Masters on King Records - while Disc 2 jumps up and offers an amazing 25 'Alternate' Boogies – all making
their Previously Unreleased debut on CD. It's a Rockin' Fest for sure - so let's get to
the good time details right away...
UK released 25 May 2015 (19 June
2015 in the USA) – "Don't You Want To Rock? – The King and Deluxe Acetate
Series" by WYNONIE HARRIS on Ace Records CDTOP2 1124 (Barcode 029667071925)
boogies as follows:
Disc 1 – The Masters (62:48
minutes):
1. Love Is Like Rain (1948
USA 78" on King 4217, A)
2. Rose Get Your Clothes
(1948 USA 78" on King 4202, A)
3. Wynonie's Boogie (1948
USA 78" on King 4202, B-side to "Rose Get Your Clothes")
4. Your Money Don't Mean A
Thing (1948 USA 78" on King 4217, A)
5. Good Morning Mr Blues
(April 1948 USA 78" on King 4210, A)
6. Blow Your Brains Out
(June 1948 USA 78" on King 4226, B-side to "Lollipop Mama")
7. Blowin' To California
(1948 USA 78" on King 4252, B-side to "Bite Again, Bite Again")
8. Crazy Love (Comes Love)
(23 December 1947 recording, first appeared on the 1968 UK LP "Kings Of Rhythms
& Blues" on Polydor 623 273 credited to Tiny Bradshaw & Wynonie Harris)
9. Bite Again, Bite Again
(1948 USA 78" on King 4252, A)
10. Lollipop Mama (June 1948
USA 78" on King 4226, A)
11. I Believe I'll Fall In
Love (1948 USA 78" on King 4445, A)
12. Grandma Plays The
Numbers (1948 USA 78" on King 4276, B-side to "I Feel That Old Age Coming On")
13. She Just Won't Sell No
More (1948 USA 78" on King 4292, A)
14. I Want My Fanny Brown
(September 1949 USA 78" on King 4304, A)
15. I Feel That Old Age
Coming On (1948 USA 78” on King 4276, A)
16. Drinkin' Wine,
Spo-Dee-O-Dee (1949 USA 78" on King 4292, AA)
17. All She Wants To Do Is
Rock (September 1949 USA 78" on King 4304, AA)
18. I Can’t Take It No More
(1949 USA 78" on King 4342, B-side to "I Like My Baby's Pudding")
19. Sittin' On It All The
Time (1949 USA 78" on King 4330, AA)
20. I Like My Baby's Pudding
(1949 USA 78" on King 4342, AA)
21. Baby, Shame On You (1949
USA 78" on King 4330, A)
22. Oh Babe! (1949 USA 78" on King 4418, AA)
23. Teardrops From My Eyes
(1949 USA 78" on King 4419, A)
Tracks 22 and 23 credited to
Wynonie Harris with Lucky Millinder and his Orchestra
Disc 2 – The Alternates
(69:14 minutes):
1. Good Rockin' Tonight –
Take 1 (Breakdown) of King 4210
2. Good Rockin' Tonight –
Take 2 of King 4210
3. Love Is Like Rain – Take
3 of King 4217
4. Wynonie's Unissued Blues
– Take 2
5. Baby, Shame On You – Take
1 of King 4330
6. I Believe I'll Fall In Love
– Take 1 of King 4445
7. Don't You Want To Rock? –
Take 1
8. Love Is Crazy (Crazy
Love) – Take 2
9. Good Morning Mr Blues –
Take 1 of King 4210
10. From Good To Bad Blues –
Take 1
11. Grandma Plays The
Numbers – Alternate of King 4276
12. She Just Won't Sell No
More – Take 2 of King 4296
13. Love Is Crazy (Crazy
Love) – Take 1
14. I Want My Fanny Brown –
Alternate of King 4304
15. I Feel That Old Age
Coming On – Take 1 of King 4276
16. Drinking Wine,
Spo-Dee-O-Dee – Take 3 of King 4292
17. All She Wants To Do Is
Rock – Take 3 of King 4304
18. Sittin' On It All The
Time – Take 1 of King 4330
19. I Like My Baby's Pudding
– Take 2 of King 4342
20. Triflin' Woman – Take 1
of King 4415
21. Oh Babe! – Take 1 of
King 4418
22. Teardrops From My Eyes –
Take 1 of King 4419
23. Don't You Want To Rock?
– Take 2
24. Love is Crazy (Crazy
Love) – Take 3
25. Good Rockin' Tonight –
Unedited Master of King 4210
The 16-page booklet (and the
inside of the back inlay) picture a whopping 16 of those cool-looking King 78"s
while rarities on Vogue Records of the UK and even a King DJ 10” get a look in
("Triflin' Woman", King 4415, A). In-between all that are American trade adverts
and publicity photos showing a suited Wynonie clowning it up with a
order-waitress and a woman dressed in cowboy duds packing a pistol (nice).
Liner-notes hero TONY ROUNCE discusses every session in detail explaining that
most cuts barely got past 3 takes (the band was so tight) - it’s the usually
classy affair from Ace.
DUNCAN COWELL has handled
the transfers/remastering – and given that many of these are scratchy 78”s and
Acetates – the audio is remarkable right through both discs – full of beans and
life. Only on certain tunes like "All She Wants To Do Is Rock" do the clicks
and pops threaten to overtake proceedings.
The risqué is never far from
the surface in titles like "She Won’t Sell No More" where our hero laments a
lady whose been rumbled by the cops and has had to curtail her open all hours business. "Lollipop Mama" is typically witty and clever R'n'B fare where the
band gets a rare vocal talk-in before Harris launches into that trademark "Well!" shout on "Grandma Plays The Numbers" – a song that has the old biddy
feeling fruit in the marketplace to get inspiration for the Lottery. Rudolph
Toombs' masterpiece "Teardrops In My Eyes" would of course be a sensation for
Ruth Brown over on Atlantic Records in October 1950 – Harris keeps its R’n’B
lilting pace in tact.
Disc 2 is a blast. It opens
with a one-minute breakdown on the legendary "Good Rockin' Tonight" where
someone hits a bum note. Take 2 isn't as rough as Take 1 and its like
eavesdropping on history – tremendous stuff. "Wynonie's Unissued Blues" comes
from a 13 December 1947 session in New York (the first of four sessions that
month) – Syd Nathan getting a stockpile of usable tunes in the can before the
Recording Ban of 1948. The blasting R'n'B of "Baby, Shame On You" features
superb Tenor Saxophone work from a young Dexter Gordon while the staggeringly incorrect "I Want My Fanny Brown" tells us that a 40-year old will make you come back for more.
Once again (and
disappointingly) the wonderful swing of "All She Wants To Do Is Rock" is pretty
rough in its transfer – better is a very clean "I Like My Baby's Pudding" where our hero sings
the praises of his lady recipes (nice of him you have to say). In ends well on
a very ballsy and clear 'unedited' master of "Good Rockin' Tonight" that only
reminds you of how important a crossover record it was.
"...Have you heard the
news...there's Good Rockin' Tonight...." – Harris sang on that King Records
classic. And we've been at it ever since. Amen to that...
