“The Complete Private Music Blues, Rock ‘n’ Soul Albums Collection” by ETTA JAMES (March 2013 Sony/Legacy 7CD Mini Box Set.) - A Review by Mark Barry...

<iframe sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mabasreofcdbl-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B008AJ4GTO&asins=B008AJ4GTO&linkId=4f2da81347d319e927f6ce6e8387f557&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>

 

"...Love's Been Rough On Me..."

 

This dinky 7CD mini clamshell box set gathers together an unfairly overlooked period of Etta James’ extraordinary catalogue – not the Classic Chess and Cadet years of old – but six studio albums between 1997 and 2004 with a throwback Live Set done in 1994 (San Francisco) added on a tasty Bonus.

 

Subtitled 'Complete Album Collection' - it features the CD orientated PRIVATE MUSIC label and a string of albums considering by many fans as a second coming for the former Chess Records Blues and Rhythm 'n' Blues star. Here are the gin-soaked whiskey-guzzling TNT-smoking details...

 

USA released April 2012 - UK/EU released August 2012 - "The Complete Private Music Blues, Rock 'n' Soul Albums Collection" by ETTA JAMES is on Sony Music/Private Music/RCA Victor Legacy 88691905892 (Barcode 886919058925) is a 7CD Clamshell Box Set that breaks down as follows:

 

1. Love's Been Rough On Me (1997, 10 tracks, 41:11 minutes)

2. Life Love & The Blues (1998, 12 tracks, 59:38 minutes)

3. Matriarch Of The Blues (2000, 12 tracks, 64:25 minutes)

4. Burnin' Down The House (2002 Live Set, 12 tracks, 72:44 minutes)

5. Let's Roll (2003, 12 tracks, 58:35 minutes)

6. Blues To The Bone (2004, 12 tracks, 47:57 minutes)

7. (Bonus Disc) Live From San Francisco (1994, 8 Tracks, 42:15 minutes)

 

The Mini LP Repro Card Sleeves are all single issues with white borders and no inners - details of the albums all transferred into the info-packed 24-page booklet that features album-by-album annotation and a hugely affectionate 3-page essay on the great lady by renowned Soul/Jazz Writer and Presenter BOB PORTER (it is a functional booklet really rather than pouring it on). There is no remastering in this set – no need – all were beautifully produced in the first place with top class guitarists, keyboard players and horn sections pumping up every single track.

 

If I was to describe the guitar playing ("Love It Or Leave It Alone" is a good example) – think Gary Moore circa "Still Got The Blues" accompanied by a powerhouse rhythm section and Etta letting it rip on the vocals – you get the idea. When she does slow it right down like on "Cry Like A Rainy Day", "If I Had Any Pride Left At All" and her stripped-back cover of Otis Redding's "I've Been Loving You Too Long" – the keys come into the fore to really sweet effect. The production values are fabulous – so clear and yet still full of power…not sanitized in any way…

 

It isn't all misery either – covers like "Born Under A Bad Sign" (Albert King), "Spoonful" (Howlin' Wolf) and "Hoochie Coochie Gal [Man]" (Muddy Waters) see the band rock it out like The Fabulous Thunderbirds with a great female vocalist (Jimmy "Z" Zavala giving it superb harmonica wailing throughout). We even get slinky Sly Stone Soul in her cover of his "If You Want Me To Stay".

 

However - there are some strangely souless clunkers on "Matriarch Of The Blues". Even though she tries to boogie up and funkify Dylan's religious-period "Gotta Serve Somebody", The Stones' Some Girls gem "Miss You" and Creedence Clearwater Revival's "Born On The Bayou" – none is particularly good. Better is her slow bluesy cover of Ray Charles' 50ts Atlantic nugget "Come Back Baby" and her almost John Fogerty take on Presley's "Hound Dog". She gives it some Soul and Easy Listening in the near 10-minute medley of two huge Al Green tunes from his Hi Records days "Love & Happiness" and "Take Me To The River" with that old time perennial "My Funny Valentine" on the far better live set "Burnin' Down the House". Credited to Etta James & The Roots Band – "Burnin' Down The House" goes a long way to restoring faith after the uninspired covers on the "Matriarch..." album. Her version of "I Just Want To Make Love To You" which is mixed in with Steppenwolf's 60ts anthem "Born To Be Wild" is genuinely exciting hard-hitting boogie-band blues. And she tears the house down with "At Last" - a song that now seems inextricably associated with marriage - and Etta James.

 

2003's "Let's Roll" featured strong Delbert McClinton tunes like "Somebody To Love" and "Wayward Saints Of Memphis" with many of the others "Strongest Weakness" and "Old Weakness" written by long-time collaborator Gary Nicholson. Once again the band features blistering Zavala harmonica playing. The "Blues To The Bone" album gets all Stray Cats Strut at times and is another winner – the acoustic slide blues of "Little Red Rooster" is great fun as is the grooving boogie of Al Green's superb "Driving Wheel". And on it goes to another cracking live set…

 

For fans this box set offers nothing they don't already have. But if you've lapsed on the latter half of her career – then this lovely reissue holds a wad of goodies and in some quarters is available at less than a pound or a dollar per disc.

 

Jamesetta Hawkins was born in 1938 and passed away in 2012 having won every award there was in Soul, R 'n' B and even Rockabilly. This classy little release does her memory proud…

"Filth" - A Review Of The 2013 Film Now On BLU RAY.

This link will bring you to Amazon UK to buy this BLU RAY at the best price:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00FL31TFQ

"…I Just Wanted To Say Thanks…"

Bravely Produced by Trudy Styler and Written & Directed with panache by Jon S. Baird (adapted from Irvine Welsh’s 2008 book) – "Filth" comes at you like a freight train with a bulldog strapped to its front that hasn’t eaten for four days.

Principal lead actor James McAvoy returns to his Scottish roots to play Bruce Robertson – a hideously arrogant scheming misogynistic chauvinistic detective in the Lothian Borders Police force (it was filmed mostly in Glasgow and Edinburgh with some scenes in Germany). As Bruce sits in his Police debriefing room – we get a running commentary from his twisted and vicious mind about the general uselessness of the work colleagues who surround him – each of which he’s going to royally shaft in order to achieve a promotion (even if some of them view him as a best friend).

There’s his young but still-learning partner in drug-busts Jamie Bell (a man with a challenged appendage in his trouser area and a serious Charly infatuation in his nasal cavities), Emun Elliott as a copper who has questionable sexual preferences (for Scotland that is), the pretty but snootily aloof Imogen Poots whose a lot more savvied than the men think and Gary Lewis as the amiable but rather clueless bobby on the beat and all-round good egg and family man. This seemingly hapless bunch are all overseen by John Sessions as police chief Bob Toal – a winging-it buffoon who would prefer to be suckering up to the literary set at the local Mason’s Lodge (superb performance from Sessions).

The story goes like this… A gang of thugs has murdered a young Japanese student in an underpass and whoever solves the case – gets the leg up the ladder. But what Bruce was once good at (detecting crime) now seems to elude him because he’s on a twitching hallucinogenic slide into mental and physical madness. His working day consists of snorting copious amounts of cocaine in the toilets of strip bars - swigging whiskey is his car from a polystyrene cup - masturbating to dirty videos in his unkempt alcoholic’s flat - eating junk food on the go and last thing at night making obscene phonecalls to the frustrated wife of one of his workmates (a fantastic performance by Shirley Henderson as Bunty). He’s even having kinky suffocation sex with the wife of a soppy bifocal accountant he’s befriended at the Lodge (yet another stunning scene-stealing turn by Eddie Marsan). Jim Broadbent is his Doctor prescribing him with ever more powerful tranquilisers but in his increasingly encroaching visions becomes a hideous physiatrist from a Doctor Who set with a protracted head and images of tapeworms on his office walls…

As you can imagine this river of human nastiness, untamed debauchery and society miscreants makes "Filth" all a bit hard to take – so why bother? Because both Welsh and Baird are better writers than that – they’ve imbibed their characters with back-stories that make you care – especially when it comes to the lead character who features in almost every scene of a book they said was un-filmable. Sergeant Bruce keeps seeing the coal-covered ghost of his younger child-brother whom he couldn’t save – and images of his sexily dressed mid-30’s wife (Shauna MacDonald) saying how great their love life is – when you suspect that she’s up and left and taken their 6-year old daughter with her. Inside Bruce is a river of rage and hurt that’s hurtling towards the precipice – and as he seems unable to stop - he simply blitzes those feelings away with a tide of narcotics.

A word has to be said about James McAvoy – his performance in “Filth” is magnificent in every sense of the word - wholly believable - and should have been Oscar-nominated despite the dark nature of the material. He portrays his character with full-on commitment. Bruce is in control one moment - scared shitless the next – tender in an instant to one woman then needlessly cruel to another. "Filth" is also very, very funny in a hugely un-PC kind of way – a rare and precious thing in films nowadays – and unashamed about it too. The talk John Sessions has with McAvoy about the Nancy-boy sexual orientation of one of his officers ("This Is Scotland for Gawd's sake!") and the scene where Eddie Marsan’s mild-mannered character gets slipped some speed in his lager in a nightclub is the kind of darkly brilliant stuff that will almost certainly develop cult status. And on it goes to more violence and more betrayal and more transgender jiggery-pokery…

But if was to nail one bit in the whole movie that shows how good the acting chops and writing is... There’s a scene where Bruce is exiting a florist and literally bumps into Mary – the widowed wife of a man Bruce tried to resuscitate in the street when everyone looked on and filmed his dying on their smartphones. Seconds earlier Bruce was physically and mentally vicious to a large sales girl inside the flower shop (pumping her on info about the murder) – but outside – he’s transformed. He recognizes Mary and knows that look on her face - her senseless and cruel loss bubbling under the veneer (a lovely turn by Joanne Froggatt who plays Anna Bates the ladies maid to Lady Mary in Downton Abbey). Suddenly his own pain surfaces and tears fill his eyes as she asks after him and thanks him for his kindness on the street that day. There are few actors who could portray such extremes so convincingly – where you can literally feel his hurt and devastation exuding through his pours and his subsequent need to get blasted again. My only misgiving is with the slightly jarrring and confusing ending - I would have preferreed it to have been more upbeat...

The BLU RAY image is a tale of two stories. In order to keep with the down and gritty feel of the drugs scene – the indoor shots are fast and suitably grainy – while the outside shots of the streets are immaculately HD. But the film is travelling so fast and the dialogue so filled with fire and expletives – "Filth" is not the kind of movie where picture quality is on your mind – ever.

The extras are good. There’s a feature-length Audio Commentary by Scottish Writer/Director Jon S. Baird, interviews with James McAvoy (10 minutes), Jon S. Baird (10 minutes) and Irvine Welsh (21 minutes), 4 Deleted Scenes, 7 Extended Scenes and a large number of very funny and informative outtakes featuring most of the actors and even Irvine Welsh as a reporter.

"Filth" won’t be everyone’s idea of a floral arrangement on Valentine’s Day and that’s for sure - but it’s a thoroughly ballsy British film, a brilliantly written and sublimely acted out parable that will stick in your craw for weeks after. Kudos to all who got it made and proof positive that Ireland, England and Scotland can produce world-class movies and actors who can roll with the very best of them.

Amazing and then some...

“Get It While You Can – The Complete Legendary Verve Sessions” by HOWARD TATE (March 2007 USA Hip-O Select CD - Suha Gur Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With 100s Of Others Is Available

In My SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on Amazon

SOUL, FUNK and JAZZ FUSION On CD

- Exceptional Remasters

Just Click Below To Purchase for £6.95

Thousands of E-Pages - All Details From Discs

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

"…Yes They Told Me To Watch Out For You…"

Some Soul singers garnish a reputation that borders on the hysterical – Luther Ingram, James Carr and even white boy Eddie Hinton spring to mind – and Macon Georgia’s Howard Tate is one of them. His album came into existence in 1967 – was reissued in 1969 with a slightly different track running order and then (like him) disappeared into virtual obscurity for nearly 30 years. But luckily for us – up steps Harvey Weinger at Hip-O Select who has saved the day and these fabulous torch-Soul sides for posterity. Here are the coiffured down-home details…

US released March 2007 as a numbered limited edition CD of 5000 – "Get It While You Can – The Complete Legendary Verve Sessions" by HOWARD TATE is on Hip-O Select B0002210-02 and its 29-tracks break down as follows (74:55 minutes):

Tracks 1 to 10 are his debut album “Get It While You Can” – it was released April 1967 on Verve V-5022 (Mono) and Verve V6-5022 (Stereo). The STEREO mix is used here (all the singles are the Mono variant).

1. Ain’t Nobody Home 2. Part-Time Love 3. Glad I Knew Better 4. How Blue Can You Get 5. Get It While You Can 6. Baby, I Love You 7. I Learned It All The Hard Way 8. Everyday Have The Blues 9. How Come My Bulldog Don’t Bark 10. Look At Granny Run Run

Tracks 11 and 12 are "Stop" and "Sweet Love Child" - two STEREO tracks that were added onto the February 1969 reissue LP on Verve Records V6-5072 (it also had different artwork which is on the first page of the booklet).

Tracks 13 and 14 are "Ain't Nobody Home" and "How Come My Bulldog Don't Bark" – the A&B sides of a June 1966 USA 7" single on Verve VK 10420 (Mono)

Tracks 15 and 16 are "Look At Granny Run Run" and "Half A Man" – the A&B sides of a December 1966 USA 7" single on Verve VK 10464 (Mono)

Tracks 17 and 18 are “Get It While You Can” and “Glad I Knew Better” – the A&B sides of a March 1967 USA 7” single on Verve VK 10496 (Mono)

Tracks 19 and 20 are "Baby, I Love You" and "How Blue Can You Get" – the A&B sides of a May 1967 USA 7" single on Verve VK 10525 (Mono)

Tracks 21 and 22 are "I Learned It All The Hard Way" and "Part-Time Love" – the A&B sides of an August 1967 USA 7" single on Verve VK 10567 (Mono)

Tracks 23 and 24 are "Stop" and "Shoot 'Em All Down" – the A&B sides of a December 1967 USA 7" single on Verve VK 10573 (Mono)

Tracks 25 and 26 are "Everyday I Have The Blues" and "Night Owl" – the A&B sides of a June 1968 7" single on Verve VK 10604 (Mono)

Tracks 27 and 28 are “Sweet Love Child” and “I’m Your Servant” – the A&B sides of a November 1968 USA 7” single on Verve VK 10625 (Mono)

(Bonus) Track 29 "Give Me Some Courage" is an alternate mix first issued in 1995 on the Mercury Chronicles CD set “Get It While You Can: The Legendary Sessions”. It is freshly mixed for this CD.

Hip-O Select have used a favorite remaster engineer of mine – SUHA GUR. He’s had his hand in many great Soul reissues (especially on the Motown front) and received unanimous praise for them all. The sound is fantastic – punchy, present and full of sock-it-to-em emotion. It’s housed in a three-way foldout card digipak and is numbered in Gold to 5000 on the rear. The 20-page booklet has contributions from long time fan Harvey Weinger and musical associate, mentor and album Producer Jerry Ragovoy. It also reproduces the original liner notes from both issues of the album and well as track-by-track annotation.  

Most white boys like me will know “Get It While You Can” and “Look At Granny Run Run” from Janis Joplin and Ry Cooder (both songs penned by the dynamic duo of Jerry Ragovoy and Mort Shuman). “Get It While You Can” got soul-rocked on Janis’ Joplin’s sublime “Pearl” album in 1971 while Ry Cooder did a furiously funny version of “Look At Granny Run Run” on his fabulous Americana “Bop Til You Drop” album in 1979. Even Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper and Stephen Stills covered “Stop” on their wicked Blues Rock album “Super Session” in 1968.

I love the huge feel of the STEREO album – tracks like “Glad I Knew Better” sound just amazing – instruments and his aching Little Richardesque vocals leaping out of the speakers (lyrics from it title this review). Both “Stop” and “Sweet Love Child” added on in 1969 only made an already perfect album even better.

I have the “Howard Tate” album he made on Atlantic in 1972 on the "Atlantic Soul Legends" 20CD Mini Box Set issued in 2012 (see separate review) that is a cracker as well. Unfortunately this CD quickly sold out and in 2014 has built up a hefty price tag – but this is one of those occasions where spending the wedge is worth it.

Beautiful stuff and one of the reasons why Hip-O Select is held in such affection by Soul fans and collectors…

“Where’s There’s A Will There’s A Way – The ABC-Dunhill Recordings” by BOBBY WHITLOCK. A Review Of The 2013 Light In The Attic CD Reissue Which Remasters His First Two Vinyl Albums “Bobby Whitlock” (1972) and “Raw Velvet” (1973).

This review 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

"…You're The Only One…"

These two albums used to fill out the racks of used record stores and just sit there. And even though the self-titled debut contained heavy hitters - like George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann (of "Revolver" fame), Delaney & Bonnie Bramlett, Chris Wood of Traffic, Rick Vito (Bonnie Raitt's band, Bob Seger's band and Fleetwood Mac) and even The Edwin Hawkins Singers  - both were largely ignored by the buying public. Now at last top US reissue label Light In The Attic (using their Future Days Recordings imprint) has given them a newfound respect with a world-class CD reissue.

Released June 2013 - "Where’s There’s A Will There’s A Way: The ABC-Dunhill Recordings" by BOBBY WHITLOCK on Light In The Attic/Future Days Recordings FDR 602 (Barcode 82626853060226) offers 2LPs Remastered onto 1CD and breaks down as follows (70:29 minutes):

1. Where There’s A Will

2. Song For Paula

3. A Game Called Life

4. Country Life

5. A Day Without Jesus

6. Back In My Life Again

7. The Scenery Has Slowly Changed

8. I’d Rather Live The Straight Life

9. The Dreams Of A Hobo

10. Back Home In England

Tracks 1 to 10 is his debut album "Bobby Whitlock" issued March 1972 in the USA on ABC-Dunhill DSX 50121 and on CBS Records S 65109 in the UK.

11. Tell The Truth

12. Bustin’ My Ass

13. Write You A Letter

14. Ease Your Pain

15. If You Ever

16. Hello L.A., Bye Bye Birmingham

17. You Came Along

18. Think About It

19. Satisfied

20. Dearest I Wonder

21. Start All Over

Tracks 11 to 21 is his 2nd album "Raw Velvet" issued November 1972 in the USA on ABC-Dunhill DSX-50131 and in the UK in early 1973 on CBS Records S

65301.

Produced by Andy Johns and Bobby Whitlock - the debut was recorded in London's Olympic Studios and featured an impressive array of British based Rock musicians. George Harrison and Eric Clapton (guitars) join Bobby Keys on Saxophone (practically an honorary member of The Rolling Stones), Klaus Voormann on Bass with Jim Price on Trumpet and Trombone and Jim Gordon on Drums. That amazing line-up grace three - "Where There's A Will", "A Day Without Jesus" and "Back In My Life Again" while Clapton also plays beautiful solo guitar on the lovely ballad "The Scenery Has Slowly Changed".  In fact the softer songs are far better than the rather frantic rushed tunes that are just trying too hard and getting nowhere. Chris Wood of Traffic adds flute to the lovely acoustic "A Game Called Life" - for me a nugget on this rather patchy album (lyrics from it title this review).

The second album ups the amps on Side 1 in an attempt to capture the 'rawk' market. 
It opens with "Tell The Truth" - a co-write with Eric Clapton. The countrified cover of Hoyt Axton's "Ease Your Pain" and the almost gospel-rock of "Bustin' My Ass" feature The Edwin Hawkins Singers to great effect. "Hello L.A. Bye Bye Birmingham" features a co-write with Mac Davis and mean slide guitar from Clapton. Things mellow out with Side 2 where he often only employs acoustic guitars, a piano and the Los Angeles Symphony on strings. "You Came Along" is undeniably lovely and Rick Vito's lead playing on "Satisfied" is superb. It ends sounding like "Sun King" from The Beatles "Abbey Road" album with "Start All Over" - all swirling and prettily ethereal.

The remaster is properly great - incredible clarity and presence - even when the raucous ensemble threatens to engulf everything. And the exceptional 48-page booklet entitled "The Bobby Whitlock Story" is done with complete co-operation from the singer himself - photos from his private archives, publicity material, repros of the album labels, detailed track-by-track annotation including his own reminiscences on each song. A lot of work and passion went into this and it shows...

To sum up - neither album is undiscovered genius by any stretch of the imagination - but there's plenty of here worthy of reappraisal. And like Rodriguez, Jim Sullivan, Michael Chapman and The City (featuring Carole King) - once again Light In The Attic has given a voice to an artist who deserved better and should be re-heard.

Check this one out...