“Blowing The Fuse – 28 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox In 1948” by VARIOUS ARTISTS. A Review Of The Award-Winning 2004 Bear Family CD Compilation by Mark Barry...

"…When You Were Here I Took You For A Square…

Now I’m Biting My Nails And Pulling Out My Hair…"

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 4 of 16...

"Blowing The Fuse - 28 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox In 1948" is on Bear Family BCD 16703 AS (Barcode 4000127167033) 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 (1948 has "A Little Bird Told Me" by PAULA WATSON on Supreme 1507), 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 1948 issue has 72-pages in its booklet and the CD runs to a jam-packed 79:54 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. While 1945, 1946 and 1947 had their fair share of rough-transfer moments – 1948 sees master tapes on a lot more entries and the resulting audio difference is consequentionally better – spectacular in places - and of course all of it imbibed with huge musical and lyrical talent and the sense of an entire nation saying to "hell-with-it-all!" after the misery of WW II...let's party...

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 King, Columbia, Specialty, RCA Victor  and Exclusive). What’s noticeable about the 1947 and 1948 Volumes (over 1945 and 1946) is that there’s more advert repros which are  massively evocative of the time period (a Billboard 3rd Annual Poll proves that "Miracle Records set the pace" for Sonny Thompson on Page 37). 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 4 of 16 opens with Rock 'n' Roll history – "Write Me A Letter" by The Ravens - sung by the fabulous deep-as-the-Pacific bass vocals of the legendary Jimmy Ricks. It was the theme song of Memphis DJ Dewey Philips who began his radio show in 1949. By 1954 he was the first to pioneer Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and anyone else that pumped out Blues, Jump, R 'n' B and the new fangled sensaation of the age Rock 'n' Roll music (coloured or no). Like that other airwaves pioneer Alan Freed, Tennessee-born Philips adored Black musicians and what they played – broadcasting with wild on-the-air abandon to a segregated audience who longed for something better than the old ways. Smut isn't far from the menu with Julia Lee's wonderful "King Size Papa" where she assures us that her man has "...four foot shoulders...and that ain't all..." Furthermost she says he’ll "...last until 1992..." (I'll have a bowl of whatever he's eating says you). The Blues slow things down with the classic "Call It Stormy Monday" from the guitar of T-Bone Walker resplendent here with great Audio (the pictured 78" on Page 12 shows its full title which I've used in the track list below). The shuffling honky-tonk instrumental "Thirty-Five Thirty" by Paul Williams was an unlikely hit in 1949 - while the piano boogie-woogie of "Move Your Hand, Baby" features the hysterical vocals of Crown Prince Waterford (but what you really notice is Big Joe Turner's sideman Pete Johnson ripping up and down the piano like playing boogie-woogie was literally hotwired into his very DNA).

The Audio drops a serious notch with the rough transfer of "I Love You, Yes I Do" by Lucky Millinder's Saxophonist Bull Moose Jackson where he croons with great results (King Records took this song into litigation about songwriting credits and lost). Fun returns in the shapely audio guise of one of my fave lady singers – Nellie Lutcher – who sings the praise of her man's physique "...I wanna scream...because I've never seen...such a fine brown frame..." (steady girl). Gatemouth Moore boasts "...got a great big car and a pocketful of dough..." but still he's miserable because when he goes home Mary has left him for an even fancier suitor. I love the Clovers-smooch of "You Sure Look Good To Me" – a very cool shuffler from the Big Three Trio featuring the wit of Leonard Caston and future Chess superstar Willie Dixon.

Things then jump straight into the realms of music legend – twice. We get a cultural double-whammy - "I Can't Be Satisfied" by Muddy Waters and "Good Rockin' Tonight" by Wynonie Harris. Muddy's musical atomic bomb changed so much (and not just for Chess Records) while the  Wynonie Harris cover of Roy Brown's song is said to be the one a 13-year old Elvis Presley heard – and nothing has ever been the same since. As if sensing its importance, the King Records 78" is pictured alongside an early shot of Harris on Pages 30 and 31.

Genius choices go to "Cadillac Boogie" by Jimmy Liggins with slick Chuck Berry type lyrics like "...air foam cushions and a modern design...that cat's purring...got eight kittens crying..." Another gem piano player is Camille Howard (was with Roy Milton’s band) who gives us the boogie-woogie instrumental of "X Temperaneous Blues" – a fantastic listen that will you tapping your fingers on the table top uncontrollably. Then there’s a pistol in the shape of Mabel Scott on "Elevator Baby". She's pictured on Page 45 and man what a firecracker she was - the kind of woman who would even excite her gay husband Charles Brown – she literally exuded sexy sophisticated Forties Rhythm 'n' Blues.

But my absolute favourite is the lonesome-pine guitar of "Tomorrow Night" by Laurie Johnson – it’s so good. "Tomorrow Night" would be a huge R 'n' B hit for LaVern Baker in 1955 on Atlantic Records and again for Joe Turner in 1959. Elvis also covered its quiet hurting vibe at Sun Records. 59-year old Laurie Johnson and his rare King 78" are pictured on Pages 26 and 27. "Pretty Mama Blues" by Ivory Joe Hunter is a rough transfer but doesn't stop it from being a pretty R 'n' B pleader that is so appealing (..."let me call you up some night...I'll make everything alright...") And 1948 ends with a great double shot – a Louis Jordan duet with Martha Davis on the shuffling "Daddy-O" while Amos Milburn brings down the house down with his famous "Chicken Shack Boogie". Brill...and then some...

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 - "1948" is 'the' place to start. I've collected and reviewed the whole set (16 titles)...and they're amongst my favourite reissues...

TRACK LIST for "Blowing The Fuse - 1948" (79:54 minutes)

Volume 4 of 16

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

1. Write Me A Letter – THE RAVENS (National 9038, A)
2. King Size Papa – JULIA LEE and her Boyfriends (Capitol 40082, A)
3. Call It Stormy Monday But Tuesday Is Just As Bad – T-BONE WALKER and his Guitar (Black & White 122, A)
4. Thirty-Five Thirty – PAUL WILLIAMS SEXTET (Savoy 661, A)
5. Move You Hand, Baby – CROWN PRINCE WATERFORD (Capitol 40074, A)
6. I Love You, Yes I Do – BULL MOOSE JACKSON and his Buffalo Bearcats (King 4181, A)
7. Fine Brown Frame – NELLIE LUTCHER and her Rhythm (Capitol 15032, A)
8. Hey Mr. Gatemouth – GATEMOUTH MOORE (King 4211, A)
9. Tomorrow Night – LONNIE JOHNSON (King 4201, A)
10. X-Temperaneous Blues – CAMILLE HOWARD and her Trio (Specialty 307, A)
11. Good Rockin' Tonight – WYNONIE HARRIS (King 4210, A)
12. You Sure Look Good To Me – BIG THREE TRIO (Columbia 30110, A)
13. Long Gone – SONNY THOMPSON with The Sharps and The Flats (Miracle 126, A)
14. Cadillac Boogie – JIMMY LIGGINS and his Drops Of Joy (Specialty 521, A)
15. Pretty Mama Blues – IVORY JOE HUNTER and his Band (Pacific 637, A)
16. Run Joe – LOUIS JORDAN and his Tympany Five (Decca 24 448, A)
17. Elevator Baby – MABEL SCOTT (Exclusive 35, A)
18. We're Gonna Rock – BILL MOORE (featuring Paul Williams on Baritone Sax) (Savoy 666, A)
19. My Heart Belongs To You – ARBEE STIDHAM (RCA Victor 20-2572, A)
20. I Can't Be Satisfied – MUDDY WATERS with Rhythm Accompaniment (Aristocrat 1305, A)
21. Corn Bread – HAL SINGER SEXTETTE (Savoy 671, A)
22. It's Too Soon To Know – THE ORIOLES (Natural 5000, A)
23. Hop, Skip, And Jump – ROY MILTON And His Solid Senders (Specialty SP 314, B-side of “Everything I Do Is Wrong”)
24. That's Your Last Boogie – JOE SWIFT with Jonny Otis and his Orchestra (Exclusive 51, A)
25. A Little Bird Told Me – PAULA WATSON (Supreme 1507, A)
26. Long About Midnight – ROY BROWN and his Mighty, Mighty Men (DeLuxe 3154, A)
27. Daddy-O – LOUIS JORDAN and his Tympany Five (Decca 24 502. A)
28. Chicken-Shack Boogie – AMOS MILBURN (Aladdin 3014, A)

"The Solo Albums: Volume 2 - A Quiet Storm and Smokey's Family Robinson" by SMOKEY ROBINSON (2010 Hip-O Select/Motown CD Reissue and Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With 100s Of Others Is Available in my

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites

SOUL, FUNK and JAZZ FUSION - Exception CD Remasters  

Just Click Below To Purchase for £3.95

Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs 

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"…A Power Source Of Tender Force…"

Number 2 is a series of 6 - Volume Two chronicles Smokey Robinson’s 3rd and 4th albums for Motown in 1975 and 1976 with a non-album single side thrown in as a bonus. It’s not all undiscovered solid gold for sure but the good stuff is great - and the improved audio quality is an absolute treat. Here are the Quiet Storms and Castles Made Of Sand…

Released November 2010 – "The Solo Albums: Volume 2 – A Quiet Storm and Smokey’s Family Robinson" by SMOKEY ROBINSON on Hip-O Select/Motown B0014571-02 (Barcode 602527450704) offers 2 LPs Remastered onto 1 CD Plus One Bonus Track and pans out as follows (72:53 minutes):

1. Quiet Storm (7:48 minutes)

2. The Agony And The Ecstasy (4:49 minutes)

3. Baby That's Backatcha  (3:48 minutes)

4. Wedding Song (3:37 minutes)

5. Happy (Love Theme From "Lady Sings The Blues") (7:07 minutes)

6. Love Letters (4:16 minutes)

7. Coincidentally (5:10 minutes)

Tracks 1 to 7 are his 3rd solo album "A Quiet Storm" - released March 1975 in the USA on Tamla T6-337S1 and in June 1975 in the UK on Tamla Motown STML 11288

8. When You Came (5:24 minutes)

9. Get Out Of Town (4:48 minutes)

10. Do Like I Do (4:42 minutes)   

11. Open (3:50 minutes)

12. So In Love (4:42 minutes)   

13. Like Nobody Can (4:12 minutes)

14. Castles Made Of Sand (4:49 minutes)

Tracks 8 to 14 are his 4th solo album "Smokey's Family Robinson" - released February 1976 in the USA on Tamla T6-341S1 and April 1976 in the UK on Tamla Motown STML 12021

15. An Old Fashioned Man (3:28 minutes)

Track 15 is a 7” single-only release - “An Old-Fashioned Man” was released October 1976 in the USA on Tamla T-54276F and was taken from the MGM movie “Norman, Is That You?”

The gatefold card-digipak houses a 20-page colour booklet containing entertaining and knowledgeable liner notes by PETER DOGGETT (formerly of Record Collector magazine and author of the book “There's A Riot Going On"). Like the excellent Volume 1 – 2 also reproduces the American artwork front and rear for each album, has 4 new full-page colour photos of Smokey from the period and detailed recording and release credits. But the big news for fans is the fabulous remasters Audio…

Remastered by KEVIN REEVES from the original Stereo tapes - the sound quality is truly fantastic - beautifully done (Ellen Fitton did an equally great job on Volume 1). There’s amazing warmth now to these recordings and the bass is just so sweet. I've reviewed CDs remastered by Reeves before - he's one of Universal's top engineers (others are Erick Labson, Suha Gur, Gavin Lurssen, Gary Moore and Ellen Fitton). He mastered “Pass The Plate” and “Images” by The Crusaders, “What Color Is Love” by Terry Callier and “I’ve Got So Much To Give” by Barry White (see reviews for all of them).

To the album itself - having lived with the 3:49 minute single edit of “Quiet Storm” for so many years now, it feels odd to hear the full 7:49 minute album version – but it’s just as slinky - and even at that length doesn’t overstay its welcome (lyrics above). Also – as the liner notes explain – “Quiet Storm” was the name given to a radio program for Soul Music that year by WHUR in DC – and hundreds of radio stations have adopted the title ever since. The album literally started a ‘smooth soul’ revolution on the airwaves that’s been going on ever since – no mean achievement.

Other highlights include two superbly funky winners in “Baby That’s Backatcha” (first single off the album in the States) and the lesser-heard “Coincidentally” (tremendous sound on both). “When You Came” opens the “Smokey’s Family Robinson” album with a decidedly disco beat that sounds dated now - while the only US single off the album was a wise choice – the well-funky “Open” – a sort of hybrid AWB, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson and Labelle mishmash. It’s a long forgotten gem that deserves rediscovery. The album ends with the plaintive “Castles Made Of Sand” which features a slickly produced acoustic guitar throughout. The bonus track “An Old Fashioned Man” and the overly long "Happy" are the kind of forgettable movie pap that featured in so many Seventies films.  

What’s missing? Like Volume 1 – time restrictions have excluded tasty bonus tracks. The two LPs produced four singles Stateside and a couple in the UK - most had edited versions of their longer album versions while USA promos often came with a promo-only MONO mix – all AWOL unfortunately.

But again at less than a fiver per album this is great value for money (and often cheaper from certain online retailers). It may not all be full-on Biblical in terms of rediscovery – but like his first two albums “Smokey” (1973) and “Pure Smokey” (1974) on Volume 1 – these two slices of mid seventies Soul have stood the test of time. And now with their superb new audio quality…this is one Quiet Storm that deserves another go around…

PS: I've also created a TAG called "Kevin Reeves Remasters" in 'Amazon.co.uk' - which when clicked will give you a pictorial display of titles he's been involved in. There's also the same for Erick Labson, Suha Gur and Ellen Fitton - if their names are in the mastering/transfer credits, I find it to be a sign of great sound quality

“Our Billie” by IAN CLAYTON (2010 Peguin Books Paperback) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"…To Us He Gives The Keeping…"

When I read Ian Clayton’s “Bringing It All Back Home”, I was quietly blown away. Ballbreakingly funny, incisively articulate and bursting to the gills with gloriously recalled memories of music and its effect on his life – I loved every noun-filled page of it. But there was an expected hammerblow at the end of his debut. A huge and terrible personal tragedy had befallen him, his wife Heather and their twin son Edward and “Our Billie” is his reaction to that loss – the drowning of their 9-year old daughter in a freak boating accident in 2006.

His wife Heather (and Billie's mother) wittily characterises her hubby as a "...a working class tough guy who knows a lot of big words..." Freelance writer and broadcaster for 25 years, widely travelled in the USA, Europe and even Russia, Clayton is a stoical Yorkshireman whose led writer's workshops in Prisons, Hospitals, Schools and Art Centres. He has a self-deprecating style that suits his down-to-earth honesty. You can 'feel' the warmth of the man and the strength of his family.

So why did he write this book? As the father of a 19-year old Autistic son myself, I know so well his all-abiding need to make her life matter - for her not to be just another statistic on an ignored Government list somewhere. Clayton wants his Billie to be remembered. She was a real person who once laughed and had hopes and dreams like the rest of us. And in this book, he needed to get across a lot of information that is difficult to say and painful to revisit. Losing her in this manner was so cruel and yet life must go on. It's like a loss you get no closure on and he's managed to dig deep and chronicle it all with courage and an almost unbearable poignancy.

Reading “Our Billie” (named after Billie Holiday), you also get the sense of how much the grieving process distorts everything – days become detached and unreal – the intense missing of her comes on him in waves. It abates of course with time, but it never goes away – nor in many ways would he want it to. A downside however (if you could call it that) is that there are frustrating chapters that seem to break the flow – stuff on the Miner’s Strike – on his unfathomable father – on Sarajevo - subjects that seem strangely at odds with the title of the book. But then as you read between the lines, you realise that what you’re really getting is his anger and mounting rage coming out ‘sideways’ (there was also an ugly court case regarding the hire company’s reckless endangerment of life). I suppose we all use subtle defence mechanisms when real hurt is involved.

But then just as the heartache threatens to swallow everything whole – he hits you with wonderfully recalled memories that bring the beautifully photogenic child on the front cover to life…that realize her spirit. When Billie picked up a stranded worm after a rainstorm and placed it in the grass again so that it could wriggle its way back to its family – when she giggled with pleasure at her no-nonsense 90-year old Aunt Alice who complained about the hardness of the carrots on her plate in a posh restaurant - feeding her army of 30 Teddy Bears and Dolls in her bedroom with cough syrup lest any of them get sick – standing at a wall overlooking a stream in Whitby when a kingfisher zipped by… This was a girl who had a teeshirt that said "Be Happy" (she was laid to rest in it).

The aftermath for the Clayton family is spoken about in shockingly candid detail too – coping with it, not coping with it. His own helplessness on the day as the river’s current physically beat him and the sweating water nightmares that followed for months - hearing the lyrics to "Tom Traubert’s Blues" by Tom Waits where the beaten soldier ruminates that "…everything’s broken…" - crossing a field and remembering a fence he once leapfrogged just to hear her laugh - their son Edward sobbing as Jon Voight tries to wake Dustin Hoffman on the bus into Miami at the end of “Midnight Cowboy” - his wife not being able to look at the last school photograph of her on her bedroom wall - the awkward silence of friends in local pubs who just don’t know what to say except to offer him a pint…

This is a father who has lost his daughter – a once living breathing hopeful creature who enchanted everyone she ever met – and he 'needs' to make her loss matter. "Our Billie" is not an easy read for sure, but it is a moving one. And as I look at her photograph – I wish I’d met her – shook her hand and told her how utterly brill she was.

Off the coast of Cleveland in the USA, a boat was shipwrecked on a stormy night for want of 'lower lights' from the town on the shore to guide it into safety. In 1871 a moved Phillip Bliss published a hymn about the avoidable tragedy called "Keep The Lower Lights Burning". It's subsequently become known as the 'Lighthouse Hymn' and the author sings it to himself sometimes when he’s out walking where his daughter walked.

A lyric from it titles this review.


"Keep The Lower Lights Burning" - A Hymn

1. Brightly beams our Father’s mercy,
From His lighthouse evermore,
But to us He gives the keeping
Of the lights along the shore.

Refrain:
Let the lower lights be burning!
Send a gleam across the wave!
Some poor struggling, fainting seaman
You may rescue, you may save.

2. Dark the night of sin has settled,
Loud the angry billows roar;
Eager eyes are watching, longing,
For the lights along the shore.

Refrain:

3. Trim your feeble lamp, my brother;
Some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,
Trying now to make the harbor,
In the darkness may be lost.

Refrain:

BUDDY And ELLA JOHNSON - LP DISCOGRAPHY - Referencing The 1992 4CD Bear Family Box Set.

BUDDY and ELLA JOHNSON - LP DISCOGRAPHY
Referencing "Buddy And Ella Johnson 1953-1964"
The 4CD 104-Track LP-Sized Box Set
Released 1992 on Bear Family BCD 15479
Featuring: Floyd Ryland, Ricky Harper, Gil Askey,
Nolan Lewis and Lee Thomas on Vocals
Purvis Henson on Tenor Saxophone
Sam "The Man" Taylor on Tenor Saxophone (4 tracks only)

[1/3] = Track 1 on Disc 3, [12/2] = Track 12 on Disc 2 etc

1. "Rock 'N Roll"
BUDDY JOHNSON And His Orchestra
USA 1956 Debut 12” LP on Mercury MG 20209 (Mono Only)
Reissued in the USA in 1962 1st on Wing MGW 12005 using the same picture on the cover. Then reissued in the USA in 1963 as "Rock 'N Roll Stage Show" on Wing MGW 12111 using a different sleeve. Consists of tracks between 1953 and 1956.
Side 1:
1. I Don't Want Nobody (To Have My Love But You) (Vocal Ella Johnson) [12/2]
2. Doot Doot Dow (Instrumental) [11/2]
3. Bring It Home To Me (vocal Ella Johnson) [14/2]
4. You Got It Made (vocal Floyd Ryland) [13/2]
5. A Pretty Girl (A Cadillac And Some Money) (vocal Ricky Harper) [17/1]
6. Any Day Now (vocal Ella Johnson) [16/1]
Side 2:
1. It's Obdacious (vocal Buddy Johnson and Gil Askey) [7/2]
2. Crazy 'Bout A Saxophone (vocal Buddy Johnson) [25/1]
3. (Gotta Go) Upside Your Head (vocal Ella Johnson) [1/2]
4. Ain't But One (vocal Ella Johnson) [18/1]
5. A-12 (Instrumental) [6/1]
6. I'm Just Your Fool (vocal Ella Johnson) [5/1]

2. "Walkin'"
BUDDY JOHNSON
USA 1957 12” LP on Mercury MG 20322 [Mono Only]
Side 1:
1. Rockin' Time (Instrumental) [1/3]
2. They Don't Want Me To Rock No More (vocal Ella Johnson) [2/3]
3. There's No One Like You (vocal Nolan Lewis) [19/1]
4. Rock On! (vocal Buddy Johnson) [27/2]
5. Ain't Cha Got Me (Where You Want Me) (vocal Ella Johnson) [8/1]
6. Buddy's Boogie (Instrumental) [15/2]
Side 2:
1. Oh! Baby Don't You Know (vocal by Group) [23/2]
2. You'd Better Believe Me (vocal Ella Johnson) [24/2]
3. You're Everything My Heart Desires (vocal Floyd Ryland) [25/2]
4. So Good (vocal Ella Johnson) [9/2]
5. Bitter Sweet (Instrumental) [24/1]
6. Gone Walkin' (Instrumental) [10/2]

3. “Buddy Johnson Wails”
BUUDY JOHNSON And His Orchestra
1958 USA 12” LP on Mercury MG-20330 (Mono)/SR-60072 (Stereo)
Reissued in the USA in the 1960s on Wing MGW-12234 (Mono)/SRW 16234 (Stereo)
Reissued in Denmark in 1988 on Official 6010 with a different sleeve
Side 1:
1. Goodbye Baby Here I Go (vocal by Ella Johnson) [12/3]
2. They All Say I'm The Biggest Fool (vocal by Floyd Ryland) [9/3]
3. I Don't Care Who Knows (vocal Ella Johnson) [13/3]
4. Lil' Dog (Instrumental) [19/3]
5. You'll Get Them Blues (vocal Ella Johnson) [14/3]
6. Since I Fell For You (vocal Ella Johnson) [17/3]
Side 2:
1. Baby Don't You Cry (vocal Floyd Ryland) [11/3]
2. Minglin' (Instrumental) [20/3]
3. Please Mr. Johnson (vocal Ella Johnson) [16/3]
4. I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone (vocal Floyd Ryland) [18/3]
5. I Cry (vocal Floyd Ryland) [10/3]
6. Stop Pretending (vocal Buddy Johnson) [15/3]

4. “Swing Me”
ELLA JOHNSON with Buddy Johnson And His Orchestra
USA 1960 12” LP on Mercury MG 20347 (Mono)
Ella Johnson Lead Vocals on All Tracks
Side 1:
1. What A Day [19/2]
2. That’s What You Gotta Do [21/2]
3. I Still Love You [22/2]
4. Well Do It [23/1]
5. Someday [3/2]
6. If You’d Said Yes [21/1]
Side 2:
1. Alright Okay You Win [4/2]
2. It’s ‘Bout To Break My Heart In Two [6/2]
3. Thinking It Over [20/1]
4. It Used To Hurt Me [22/1]
5. If You Would Only Say You’re Sorry [5/2]
6. Goodbye Baby Here I Go [20/2]

5. “Go Ahead & Rock Rock Rock”
BUDDY JOHNSON ORCHESTRA featuring ELLA JOHNSON
USA 1959 12” LP on Roulette R 25085 (Stereo)/SR 25085 (Stereo)
Reissued in the 1960s in the USA on Forum 9022
Side 1:
1. Go Ahead And Rock (Instrumental) [13/4]
2. Real Fine Frame (Nellie Lutcher cover – vocal Buddy Johnson) [8/4]
3. Down Yonder (Instrumental) [12/4]
4. Get On Down The Road (vocal Ella Johnson) [14/4]
5. Sliding Horns (Instrumental) [15/4]
6. Don’t Fail Me Baby (vocal Ella Johnson) [1/4]
Side 2:
1. Walk ‘Em (vocal Buddy Johnson) [9/4]
2. You Better Change Your Ways (vocal Lee Thomas) [11/4]
3. Small Taste (Instrumental) [2/4]
4. I’m Tired Crying Over You (vocal Ella Johnson) [10/4]
5. Going To New York (Instrumental) [5/4]
6. Baby Hear My Humble Plea (vocal by Lee Thomas) [3/4]

6. “Rock 'N Roll Stage Show”
BUDDY JOHNSON And His Orchestra
USA 1963 12” LP on Wing MGW 12111 (Mono)
THIS IS A REISSUE of 1 using a different name – see 1 for details


"…I Gotta A Girl…Well She Can’t Be Beat…She’d Be Real Pretty…If She Had Some Teeth…"

“Buddy And Ella Johnson 1953-1964” by BUDDY and ELLA JOHNSON. A Review Of The 1992 4CD Bear Family Box Set.

"…I Gotta A Girl…Well She Can’t Be Beat…She’d Be Real Pretty…If She Had Some Teeth…"

“Buddy And Ella Johnson 1953-1964” is a 4CD LP-Sized Box Set first released in Germany in 1992 by the legendary Bear Family reissue label and offers up 104 songs covering their Mercury, Roulette and Old Town Records output.

60 of the songs make up the entirety of their 5 big albums from the period – “Rock ‘N Roll” (1956), “Walkin’” (1957), “Buddy Johnson Wails” (1958), “Go Ahead & Rock Rock Rock” (1959) and “Swing Me” (1960) – while 26 more are non-album single sides (78’s and 45’s) - leaving the remaining 18 as previously unreleased. I’ve compiled a detailed LP Discography in the ‘comment’ section attached to this review referencing the tracks on the box set (and who sang lead on what etc).

Outside of that - Bear Family BCD 15479 breaks down as follows:
Disc 1, 26 Tracks, 75:22 minutes:
Four tracks are previously unreleased – “Bring It Up, Van Dyke” (9), “My Old Man” (10), “Shut Your Big Mouth (Girl)” (13) and “Mush Mouth” (14)

Disc 2, 27 Tracks, 71:54 minutes:
Two tracks are previously unreleased – “Someday” (2) and “Rock On (Alternate Take)” (26)

Disc 3, 24 Tracks, 65:08 minutes:
Four tracks are previously unreleased – “Far Cry” (21), “Lover Bird” (22), “No More” (23) and “Buddy’s Tune” (24)

Disc 4, 27 Tracks, 67:33 minutes:
Eight tracks are previously unreleased – “Have Mercy On A Fool” (6), “Buddy’s Song” (7), “Come Here, Lovely Dovey” (16), “Buddy’s Rock” (18), “I’ll Be Glad” (20), “Ever So Grateful” (22), “Don’t Be Messin’” (24) and “I Gotta Talk To Somebody” (26)

The 20-page booklet has an overview written by PETER GRENDYSA whose superb work featured in the booklets of the two US Chess Box Sets "Blues" and "Rhythm & Roll". There's black and white studio photos, trade adverts, live shots of the band with Buddy, family portraits, each of the CD inlays features an album sleeve in colour and the very detailed discography is by Bear Family's owner RICHARD WEISZ. The full page photo of Buddy and Ella with Alan Freed, Joe Turner and Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records is very tasty.

In 1953 South-Carolina born Buddy Johnson was 38 and a seasoned pro since the mid Thirties - Piano Player, Band Leader & Vocalist, his working Rhythm ‘n’ Blues Orchestra reigned supreme over the Southern circuit of the time. Along with other various crooners in the group (Floyd Ryland, Ricky Harper, Gil Askey, Nolan Lewis and Lee Thomas - see Discography) the other ace in the pack was his 30-year old sister ELLA JOHNSON who handled Lead Vocals on all of their big releases. Like a cross between Ruth Brown and Bessie Smith, she could imbibe a song with longing, sex, domestic abuse and heartache. In fact many of their albums followed a certain pattern – an Ella vocal first, then an Instrumental (usually featuring ace Saxophonist Purvis Henson), followed by a Nolan Lewis Vocal, then Buddy on Vocals, back to Ella - and so on. Their music rarely dipped into the Blues, but was instead rhythmic R’n’B with the horns to the fore – at times making it feel like a throwback to the Big Band period. The mix of smooth vocal tracks and danceable instrumentals made their albums a really varied listen – and as you rehear them now in 2010 – every fibre of your being is telling you that these are ‘forgotten gems’ that shouldn’t be. It really is shockingly good stuff – and lyrically as witty and clever as anything the beloved Louis Jordan pumped out in the decade earlier.

Favourites include “Hittin’ On Me”, “That’s How I Feel About You”, “(Gotta Go) Upside Your Head”, “I’m Just Your Fool” and the witty talking song “Rock On” (lyrics above). The previously unreleased material is far better than I had expected it to be - the Old Town outtakes “I Gotta Talk To Somebody” and “Don’t Be Messin’” with Ella on Lead Vocals are particularly catchy – hits in any decade.

The box is long-deleted and has acquired a crushing price tag – and in truth with subsequent releases (Ace Records of the UK have a 1996 CD with tracks not on here) – you can probably get the bulk of the tracks on 4 or 5 other CDs if you want. But this set is a very real reason as to why BEAR FAMILY is held in such affection and awe among collectors. It’s wonderful music, features great sound quality and all of it is presented with genuine respect shown…

A beautifully chronicled box set about a Rhythm ‘n’ Blues couple who deserved riches but ended up with a pittance. If you can go the cost, buy it – it’s an absolute gem.

PS: Thanks to Keith Mowser of Aquascutum, London for a lend of the set


BUDDY and ELLA JOHNSON - LP DISCOGRAPHY
Referencing "Buddy And Ella Johnson 1953-1964"
The 4CD 104-Track LP-Sized Box Set
Released 1992 on Bear Family BCD 15479
Featuring: Floyd Ryland, Ricky Harper, Gil Askey,
Nolan Lewis and Lee Thomas on Vocals
Purvis Henson on Tenor Saxophone
Sam "The Man" Taylor on Tenor Saxophone (4 tracks only)

[1/3] = Track 1 on Disc 3, [12/2] = Track 12 on Disc 2 etc

1. "Rock 'N Roll"
BUDDY JOHNSON And His Orchestra
USA 1956 Debut 12” LP on Mercury MG 20209 (Mono Only)
Reissued in the USA in 1962 1st on Wing MGW 12005 using the same picture on the cover. Then reissued in the USA in 1963 as "Rock 'N Roll Stage Show" on Wing MGW 12111 using a different sleeve. Consists of tracks between 1953 and 1956.
Side 1:
1. I Don't Want Nobody (To Have My Love But You) (Vocal Ella Johnson) [12/2]
2. Doot Doot Dow (Instrumental) [11/2]
3. Bring It Home To Me (vocal Ella Johnson) [14/2]
4. You Got It Made (vocal Floyd Ryland) [13/2]
5. A Pretty Girl (A Cadillac And Some Money) (vocal Ricky Harper) [17/1]
6. Any Day Now (vocal Ella Johnson) [16/1]
Side 2:
1. It's Obdacious (vocal Buddy Johnson and Gil Askey) [7/2]
2. Crazy 'Bout A Saxophone (vocal Buddy Johnson) [25/1]
3. (Gotta Go) Upside Your Head (vocal Ella Johnson) [1/2]
4. Ain't But One (vocal Ella Johnson) [18/1]
5. A-12 (Instrumental) [6/1]
6. I'm Just Your Fool (vocal Ella Johnson) [5/1]

2. "Walkin'"
BUDDY JOHNSON
USA 1957 12” LP on Mercury MG 20322 [Mono Only]
Side 1:
1. Rockin' Time (Instrumental) [1/3]
2. They Don't Want Me To Rock No More (vocal Ella Johnson) [2/3]
3. There's No One Like You (vocal Nolan Lewis) [19/1]
4. Rock On! (vocal Buddy Johnson) [27/2]
5. Ain't Cha Got Me (Where You Want Me) (vocal Ella Johnson) [8/1]
6. Buddy's Boogie (Instrumental) [15/2]
Side 2:
1. Oh! Baby Don't You Know (vocal by Group) [23/2]
2. You'd Better Believe Me (vocal Ella Johnson) [24/2]
3. You're Everything My Heart Desires (vocal Floyd Ryland) [25/2]
4. So Good (vocal Ella Johnson) [9/2]
5. Bitter Sweet (Instrumental) [24/1]
6. Gone Walkin' (Instrumental) [10/2]

3. “Buddy Johnson Wails”
BUUDY JOHNSON And His Orchestra
1958 USA 12” LP on Mercury MG-20330 (Mono)/SR-60072 (Stereo)
Reissued in the USA in the 1960s on Wing MGW-12234 (Mono)/SRW 16234 (Stereo)
Reissued in Denmark in 1988 on Official 6010 with a different sleeve
Side 1:
1. Goodbye Baby Here I Go (vocal by Ella Johnson) [12/3]
2. They All Say I'm The Biggest Fool (vocal by Floyd Ryland) [9/3]
3. I Don't Care Who Knows (vocal Ella Johnson) [13/3]
4. Lil' Dog (Instrumental) [19/3]
5. You'll Get Them Blues (vocal Ella Johnson) [14/3]
6. Since I Fell For You (vocal Ella Johnson) [17/3]
Side 2:
1. Baby Don't You Cry (vocal Floyd Ryland) [11/3]
2. Minglin' (Instrumental) [20/3]
3. Please Mr. Johnson (vocal Ella Johnson) [16/3]
4. I Wonder Where Our Love Has Gone (vocal Floyd Ryland) [18/3]
5. I Cry (vocal Floyd Ryland) [10/3]
6. Stop Pretending (vocal Buddy Johnson) [15/3]

4. “Swing Me”
ELLA JOHNSON with Buddy Johnson And His Orchestra
USA 1960 12” LP on Mercury MG 20347 (Mono)
Ella Johnson Lead Vocals on All Tracks
Side 1:
1. What A Day [19/2]
2. That’s What You Gotta Do [21/2]
3. I Still Love You [22/2]
4. Well Do It [23/1]
5. Someday [3/2]
6. If You’d Said Yes [21/1]
Side 2:
1. Alright Okay You Win [4/2]
2. It’s ‘Bout To Break My Heart In Two [6/2]
3. Thinking It Over [20/1]
4. It Used To Hurt Me [22/1]
5. If You Would Only Say You’re Sorry [5/2]
6. Goodbye Baby Here I Go [20/2]

5. “Go Ahead & Rock Rock Rock”
BUDDY JOHNSON ORCHESTRA featuring ELLA JOHNSON
USA 1959 12” LP on Roulette R 25085 (Stereo)/SR 25085 (Stereo)
Reissued in the 1960s in the USA on Forum 9022
Side 1:
1. Go Ahead And Rock (Instrumental) [13/4]
2. Real Fine Frame (Nellie Lutcher cover – vocal Buddy Johnson) [8/4]
3. Down Yonder (Instrumental) [12/4]
4. Get On Down The Road (vocal Ella Johnson) [14/4]
5. Sliding Horns (Instrumental) [15/4]
6. Don’t Fail Me Baby (vocal Ella Johnson) [1/4]
Side 2:
1. Walk ‘Em (vocal Buddy Johnson) [9/4]
2. You Better Change Your Ways (vocal Lee Thomas) [11/4]
3. Small Taste (Instrumental) [2/4]
4. I’m Tired Crying Over You (vocal Ella Johnson) [10/4]
5. Going To New York (Instrumental) [5/4]
6. Baby Hear My Humble Plea (vocal by Lee Thomas) [3/4]

6. “Rock 'N Roll Stage Show”
BUDDY JOHNSON And His Orchestra
USA 1963 12” LP on Wing MGW 12111 (Mono)
THIS IS A REISSUE of 1 using a different name – see 1 for details

“Charlie Rocks” by CHARLIE RICH. A Review Of The 2009 Bear Family CD Compilation.

"…Fast Talkin'…Slow Walkin'…Good Lookin'…"

Released June 2009 on Bear Family BCD 16513 AR, "Charlie Rocks" offers up 31 slices of the Silver Fox’s varying styles – Rock ‘n’ Roll, Blues, R’n’B, Crooner and even Sixties Pop. It covers 1958 to 1966 on Sun Records, Phillips International, Groove, Smash, Phillips and Mercury - and at a 74:34 minutes doesn't scrimp it on content or value for money.

Like all the titles in this extensive series, "Charlie 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 USA 45” for “Big Boss Man" – his fantastic cover of Jimmy Reed’s blues standard - complete with its 1965 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 28 by HANK DAVIS with a Discography for all 31 tracks from Page 29 to 36 by COLIN ESCOTT, HANK DAVIS, MARTIN HAWKINS and Bear Family’s owner RICHARD WEIZE. It’s peppered with several full colour plates of Rich from a previously unreleased photo session and many of his American 45’s are pictured throughout the Discography - a typically top job done by Bear.

The remastered sound is by MARCUS HEUMANN and given the difference sources and years – it’s uniformly superb - even on the unreleased rough ‘n’ ready Sun sides. By the time you get to the Sixties stuff (recorded in good studios with top musicians), the sound quality is rocking.

CONTENT:
1. Whirlwind (Undubbed Version)
2. Everything I Do Is Wrong
3. Philadelphia Baby
4. Big Man
5. Rebound
6. That's Rich
7. Lonely Weekends (Master Take)
8. Break Up
9. Midnite Blues
10. Little Woman Friend Of Mine
11. Goodbye Mary Ann (Take 3)
12. You Made A Hit
13. Red Man
14. Donna Lee
15. Popcorn Polly
16. Gentle As A Lamb
17. Charlie's Boogie
18. Stop Thief
19. Right Behind You Baby
20. Lonely Weekends (Undubbed Alternate Take)
21. Yes Ma'am
22. Big Man (Undubbed Alternate Take)
23. Big Boss Man
24. The Ways Of A Woman In Love
25. Mohair Sam
26. I Washed My Hands In Muddy Water
27. Just A Little Bit Of Time
28. It Ain't Gonna Be That Way
29. That's My Way
30. Just A Little Bit Of You
31. So Long

Tracks 1, 6, 10, 12 and 14 through to 21 are all from the 1998 4CD Bear Family box set “Lonely Weekend – The Sun Years 1958-1962” and were previously unreleased at the time.

Tracks 8, 11, 13 and 22 are all PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED and exclusive to this set.

All the other tracks are singles or album sides on the labels mentioned above.

His huge hit “Lonely Weekend” is on here twice – the master is track 7, while track 20 is a previously unreleased Undubbed Alternate Take. “Midnite Blues”, “The Ways Of A Woman In Love” and “Mohair Sam” (lyrics above) epitomise his Sixties cool – like Roy Orbison at his sly best – great vocals, clever lyrics and an instantly catchy tune every time. There’s a few tracks off his two superb albums for Smash Records in 1965 and 1966 – “The Many News Sides Of…” and “The Best Years” which will make you want more and talk of forgotten genius {“It Ain’t Gonna Be That Way”). The “If you keep your hands clean, you won’t those bloodhounds on your trail…” lyrics of “I Washed My Hands In Muddy Waters” has a great piano rocking feel as it chugs along – the kind of bluesy tune Presley might have tackled on his superb “Elvis Is Back” album from 1960. Speaking of which…

Looking at the booklet and listening to the CD, you’re struck by three things (1) Charlie Rich was a handsome son of a bitch, (2) like Presley and Orbison, he had a voice to die for and could sing anything and (3) a whopping 24 of these 31 cuts are his own compositions, So he looked good, sounded awesome and wrote his own tunes. So why wasn’t he huge?

He would of course enjoy global success in the early Seventies with “Behind Closed Doors” and “The Most Beautiful Girl In The World” which galvanized his ‘Silver Fox’ crooner image. But this disc gives us his preceding rocking years and it’s an absolute eye-opener as to his talent and great way with a song…

I’m so glad I bought this CD - another cracker from those nice archiving people in Germany.

Recommended big time...

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 [see REVIEW]
21. Bob Luman
22. Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers
23. Carl Mann
24. Amos Milburn [see REVIEW]
25. Ella Mae Morse [see REVIEW]
26. Ricky Nelson
27. Carl Perkins
28. Roy Orbison
29. Lloyd Price
30. Piano Red (aka Dr. Feelgood) [see REVIEW]
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

“I Came To Dance” by NILS LOFGREN. A Review Of The 1977 Album Now Remastered & Reissued On A 2010 Hip-O Select CD.

NILS LOFGREN is part of my Series "SOUNDS GOOD: Exceptional CD Remasters 1970s Rock And Pop" 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

"…It’s A Rhythm Romance…"

1977 saw Nils Lofgren running on empty. “I Came To Dance” is not his best work and I remember being hugely disappointed by it at the time - especially given the preceding brilliance of “Nils Lofgren” (1975) and “Cry Tough” (1976). But – and this is the big but – if you’re a fan of the record and remember it with affection - then this 2010 reissue is an absolute must buy.

It’s a new ERICK LABSON REMASTER and is sparkling in its sound quality (has over 900 mastering and audio restoration credits to his name and is one of Universal’s top engineers). It’s also the first of the Hip-O Select remasters to get a get a British release – hence a price of less than six quid for UK fans.

“I Came To Dance” was his 3rd solo album released March 1977 on A&M SP-4628 in the USA and A&M AMLH 64628 in the UK – this 2010 CD is a straightforward 36:21 minute reissue of that LP (Hip-O Select B0014387-02). Released on their own site in June, it received an August release date in the States – and now September 2010 in the UK. The insert that came with original vinyl copies is fully repro’d in the foldout inlay (complete with lyrics and recording credits). The band featured Nils and his brother Tom Lofgren on Lead and Rhythm Guitar, Wornell Jones on Bass, Patrick Henderson on Piano and Andy Newman on Drums (who also co-produced the album with Nils). “I Came To Dance”, “Rock Me At Home”, “Home Is Where The Hurt Is” and “To Be A Dreamer” featured PATTI AUSTIN on backing vocals – while “Code Of The Road”, “Happy Ending Kids”, “Goin’ South” and “Jealous Gun” featured LUTHER VANDROSS on backing vocals too.

It opens on an absolute high – the irrepressibly upbeat “I Came To Dance” which had me dancing round the kitchen like – well – a dancing fool (lyrics above). The remaster has also brought out the drums and bass on “Rock Me At Home” and “Home Is Where The Hurt Is”. And of course there’s the main deal - that guitar playing that sounds like water flowing. On “Code Of The Road” he just makes that sucker sing – an amazing axeman. I’d have to admit that irritatingly some of the guitar work still seems buried back in the mix somewhere (the weirdly recorded “Goin’ South”), but Labson’s remaster is subtle – it’s there – just fuller and clearer than before. The overdone backing vocals always felt wrong to me – and the years haven’t changed that. “Happy” ends it well – even if it does sound like a take on the song of the same name on The Stones “Exile On Main St.”

“I Came To Dance” is the kind of album that has some great tunes on it and the rest are filler. But oh the good ones…

Recommended – especially given the new sound quality.

PS: I’ve also reviewed the 2007 Hip-O Select remaster of his solo debut “Nils Lofgren” (1975). There’s also a TAG above for both Erick Labson and Hip-O Select to see more of his work and their titles.

PPS: check out his sublime guitar-playing on “Shot At You” from 1992’s “Crooked Line” and “Driftin’ Man” on the double 2003 live set “Nils Lofgren Band Live” – blissful stuff