"A Scene In-Between" by THE STAINED GLASS [featuring The Trolls] (2015 Ace CD Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry....

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"...If I Needed Someone..." 

Echoplex guitars, tinkling keyboards, swinging backbeat and layered vocals - snapping at the Psych boot heels of The Byrds and the sheer happy pop of The Mamas & The Papas - The Stained Glass (originally to be called The Stained Glass Window but someone made a typo on a letterhead and the short name stuck) are something of a genuine discovery. And although they managed only four US 45s (one as their former incarnation as The Trolls) - they are thoroughly deserved of this fabulous first-time-on-CD reissue.

Using their Big Beat Records label imprint - Ace Records of The UK have gone deep into the Nuggets From The Golden State on this South Bay Area one and come up with a doozy. You sit there listening to these 24 slices of Sunshine Music (San Jose in this case) and wonder just how the California State produced so much of this `should have made it big' quality with apparent effortless ease. Here are the things in-between details...

UK released December 2013 - "A Scene In-Between 1965-1967" by THE STAINED GLASS (featuring The Trolls) is a first-time CD compilation (limited edition of 1500 copies) on Ace/Big Beat Records CDLUX 014 (Barcode 029667057226) and pans out as follows (64:44 minutes):

THE TROLLS
1. Walkin' Shoes (January 1966 USA 7" single on Peatlore P-V 23267, A)
2. She's Not Right (2013, Previously Unreleased)
3. How Do You Expect Me To Trust You? (January 1966 USA 7" single on Peatlore P-V 23267, B-side of "Walkin' Shoes")
4. No Rhyme Or Reason (2013, Previously Unreleased)
5. Sweeter Than Life (2013, Previously Unreleased)
6. Such Good Friends (2013, Previously Unreleased)
THE STAINED GLASS
7. Broken Man (2013, Previously Unreleased)
8. Lonely Am I (2013, Previously Unreleased)
9. If I Needed Someone (July 1966 USA 7" single n RCA Victor 47-8889, A)
10. My Buddy Sin (September 1966 USA 7" single on RCA Victor 47-8952, A)
11. Vanity Fair (September 1966 USA 7" single on RCA Victor 47-8952, B-side of "My Buddy Sin")
12. Revenge Is Sweet (2013, Previously Unreleased)
13. We Got A Long Way To Go (April 1967 USA 7" single on RCA Victor 47-9166, A - Barry Mann/Cynthia Weil song - it's B-side "Corduroy Joy" is not on this CD)
14.Inside Ouch (1 February 1967 RCA Recording UPA3-4225 - 2013, Previously Unreleased)
15. Too Fit To Be Tied (Demo) (2013, Previously Unreleased)
16. Dollar Sign Friends (Demo) (2013, Previously Unreleased)
17. Second Day (Demo) (2013, Previously Unreleased)
18. Bubble Machine (5 September 1967 RCA Recording UPA3-7536 - 2013, Previously Unreleased)
19. Mediocre Me (October 1967 USA 7" single on RCA Victor 47-9354, A)
20. A Scene In-Between (October 1967 USA 7" single on RCA Victor 47-9354, B-side of "Mediocre Me")
21. Mr. Martyr (5 September 1967 RCA Recording UPA3-7536 - 2013, Previously Unreleased)
22. You Keep Me Hangin' On (Live) recorded end of 1966 in the San Francisco area, a cover of The Supremes hit written by Holland-Dozier-Holland
23. My Flash On You (Live) - recorded end of 1966 in the San Francisco area, a cover of an Arthur Lee song on Love's 1966 self-titled debut album
24. 2120 S. Michigan Avenue (Live) - recorded end of 1966 in the San Francisco area, a Rolling Stones cover version
[Notes: Tracks 2, 4 to 8, 12, 14 to 18 and 21 to 24 are 2013, Previously Unreleased. "No Rhyme Or Reason" is a Roger Hedge song, "Lonely Am I" and "Dollar Sign Friends" are Bob Rominger songs - all others except the noted cover versions are by Jim McPherson.

THE STAINED GLASS (formerly known as The Trolls) was:
JIM McPHERSON - Vocals, Harmonica, Keyboards and Bass
BOB ROMINGER - Lead Guitar and Vocals
ROGER HEDGE - Rhythm Guitar and Vocals (Except on Tracks 18 to 21)
DENNIS CARRASCO - Drums and Vocals

Don Peake - Guitar on "If I Needed Someone"
Billy Mure - Harmonica on "My Buddy Sin"

Quality names like ALEX PAULO and WALLY SOUND produced the compilation in conjunction with surviving band members and relatives - hence the chockers 28-page booklet is festooned with personal detail and fab colour snaps of the boys in action at Fraternity gigs and the Coconut Grove, Santa Cruz in 1966, outside RCA Hollywood, in the studio at the microphones, those rare 45 labels on Peatlore and RCA Victor, Acetates, handmade flyers and even a photo of Jim McPherson and Dennis Carrasco with their enormous man-sized homemade bass cabinet. It's beautifully done and features a dedication from Eve McPherson on her song-writing hubby that brims with pride and affection. Jim McPherson died in 1985 after a long illness - he'd gone on to be with Copperhead and contributed material to Quicksilver Messenger Service's debut album on Capitol. NICK ROBBINS - long-time Engineer for Ace Records has done a stunning job with the largely Stereo tapes - all spangly and new - sounding so full of life and promise. There are times for sure that the channel separation is very one-sided - but I suspect that's to do with the original masters. That this stuff is back out there at all is a minor miracle...

It opens with their debut 45 as The Trolls - a driving Harmonica bopper called "Walkin' Shoes" which is superb. Its B-side "How Do You Expect Me To Trust You?" is a pleading ballad that shows McPherson's knack for a warm melody (he was their principal songwriter). The 4 other Trolls cuts on here are previously unreleased and sound so like Arthur Lee's early Love albums ("Sweeter Than Life").

George Harrison's "If I Needed Someone" from The Beatles "Rubber Soul" LP had yet to see light of day in the USA (eventually showed on the American "Yesterday And Today" LP) even though it had surfaced in the UK in the winter of 1965. By the summer of 1966 - there was an opportunity to release their Beatles-esque soundalike version of it on RCA Victor and it did business in places like Rochester, New York. Its impossibly hip and Sixties cool with wonderful layered vocals and McPherson's harmonica playing giving it such a commercial edge. Speaking of that mouth instruments - Billy Mure plays fabulous Harmonica wails on the upbeat "My Buddy Sin". But what gets you is the excellence of the stuff that's been in the can for nearly five decades - McPherson's "Lonely Am I" is very impressive while there's choppy pop rhythm in "Revenge Is Sweet" which reminds me of The Monkees on a roll. The silly-titled "Inside Ouch" is excellent too with lovely shaking guitars and `groovin' vocals. The closest they get to The Byrds and that Roger McGuinn jangle comes with Rominger's excellent "Dollar Sign Friends" and "Mediocre Man" is surely going to make someone's day as a cool long-lost single that deserves re-airing.

Another fab release from Ace Records and surely one the reasons why this British reissue label (celebrating 40 years in the game in 2015) are held in such affection...

"Hard To Explain: More Shattered Dreams - Funky Blues 1968-1984" by VARIOUS ARTISTS (2014 Ace/BGP CD Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

  

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Back in my pre-Heart Attack and Vine days of 2011 – I excitedly reviewed the first Volume of "Shattered Dreams – Funky Blues 1967-1984" on Ace's Beat Goes Public Label (BGP) and duly raved about its many charms and butt-wobbling eblutions. Well take me up the back passage with Shergar's love truncheon but the crafty buggers have only gone and put out Volume 2 (no shame that lot) and it’s another star in a reasonably priced car. Here are the necessary toiletries...

UK released October 2014 (November 2014 in the USA) – "Hard To Explain: More Shattered Dreams – Funky Blues 1968-1984" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace/Beat Goes Public CDBGPD 285 (Barcode 029667528528) pans out as follows (63:08 minutes):

1. The Creeper – FREDDY ROBINSON (from the 1979 LP “Blue Monday: The Stax Blues Masters Vol.2” on Stax 3015)
2. Gimme Some Of Yours (I’ll Give You Some Of Mine) – ARTIE WHITE (1970 USA 7” single on Gamma 11112, A)
3. You Upset Me Baby – LARRY DAVIS (1968 USA 7” single on Pisces 8114)
4. Walk On – FINIS TASBY (1977 LP Big Town 1009)
5. Getting Down With You – OBREY WILSON (2014, Previously Unreleased Bastille Productions Recording)
6. It’s Hard To Explain – RAY AGEE (1972 USA 7” single on Romark RK-118, A)
7. Don’t Down Me People Part 1 – MEMPHIS SOUL (2014 USA 7” single Numero 027, A - 70s Recording from Phoenix, Arizona and not Memphis)
8. Lovemaker – LOWELL FULSOM (1978 USA LP “Lovemaker” on Big Town 1008)
9. Cold Sweat – ALBERT KING (1969 USA 7” single on Stax 0069, A)
10. I Want You – SMOKEY WILSON (2014, Previously Unreleased Modern Recording)
11. I Don’t Understand It – ICE WATER SLIM & THE FOURTH FLOOR 9174 USA 7” single on Hawk Sound HS 1001, A)
12. Go Go Train – SMOKEY WILSON (1976 USA 7” single on Big Town BT-711, A)
13. He Made You Mine – BID DADDY RUCKER featured with The Johnny Otis Show (1972 USA 7” single on Hawk Sound H-101,B-side)
14. Fine Something Else To Do – FINIS TASBY (1984 UK LP “Blues Mechanic” on Ace Records CH 122)
15. Getting’ Down With The Game – ADOLH JACOBS (1972 USA 7” single on Romark RK-117, B-side of “Do It”)
16. I Finally Got You – JIMMY McCRACKLIN (1972 USA LP “Yesterday Is Gone” on Stax STS 2047)
17. Them Love Blues – EARL WRIGHT (1969 USA 7” single on Virgo 101, A)
18. Hey Little Girl – TOMMY YOUNGBLOOD (1970 USA 7” single on Kent 4516, A” and on the “The Soul Of Tommy Youngblood” Kent LP)
19. Sister Rose –SHAKEY JAKE HARRIS (1974 USA 7” single on Grenade GR 1004, A)
20. It’s Real (Part 1) – JIMMY ROBINS (1968 USA 7” single on Kent 487, A)
Tracks 1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11 to 14, 16 and 18 to 20 are STEREO
Tracks 2, 3, 4, 7 10, 15 and 17 are MONO

The 16-page booklet has detailed and (deeply) affectionate liner notes from genre lover and expert DEAN RUDLAND – picturing along the way those rare American 45 labels like Romark, Hawk Sound, Big Town and Grenade. There’s colour photos of Lowell Fulsom (looking dapper with his guitar and a white suit), Albert King thrilling the crowds live at WattStax and a black and white snap of Jon Kincaid & Smokey Wilson live at the Pioneer Club in Los Angeles in November 1980. At the end there’s a two-page interview with Phillippe Rault about songwriter and singer OBREY WILSON and Rault’s recordings with him in New Orleans from 1975 through to the early Eighties. It’s the usual classy affair from Ace.

NICK ROBBINS at Sound Mastering has handled the Transfers and Remasters – and there’s loads of Funky oomph and punch in these recordings - even the Mono cuts like “Gimme Some Of Yours (I’ll Give You Some Of Mine)” and the wildly brilliant “Don’t Down Me People – Part 1” punch way above their weight.

It opens with a belter from a 1979 Stax LP I used to own and treasure called “Blue Monday: The Stax Blues Masters Vol.2” which primarily featured Previously Unreleased Funky Blues cuts from that great label. Ace Records have smartly chosen Freddy Robinson’s infectious “The Creeper” to kick off proceedings in all its groovy Stereo glory. We dip aurally to Mono for the excellent “Gimme Some Of Yours” from Artie White but the Larry Davis cover of B.B. King’s classic “You Upset Me Baby” is a funk-version that doesn’t really work. Sounding stylistically similar to BB – guitarist Finis Tasby gives us a mid-tempo shuffle on “Walk On” - but things get infinitely better and Sly Stone/Millie Jackson biting Funky with Obrey Wilson on the nasty and lyrically loaded “Getting Down With You” where he assures his lady his love is “doggone hard” (which is very big of him you have to say).

Organ Blues gets a lovely outing with “It’s Hard To Explain” by Roy Agee – a very cool groove similar to Albert King on Stax with strings. One of the compilation highlights is the mysterious group Memphis Soul giving it some Hendrix Guitar/James Brown’s JBs backing on the fabulous “Don’t Down Me People” – a stunning groove that Funks along in a Bluesy Rock way and just won’t quit (I wish they’d included Part 2). It’s cleverly followed by the title track to a long forgotten Lowell Fulsom album “Lovemaker”. Johnny Otis had a hand in the writing of “He Made You Mine” along with Ervin “Big Daddy” Rucker – probably the most straight up Blues cut on here. Some tracks like “Them Love Blues” and “It’s Real” try hard but don’t really excite while others like the sly hook for “I Finally Got You” from Jimmy McCracklin and the wicked guitar-boogie of “Sister Rose” (is alright with me) by Shakey Jake Harris are growers that will be on one of my home compilations real soon.

A more-than-worthy compliment volume to 2011’s “Shattered Dreams” – Volume 2 is making me groove the more I listen to it. And when it comes to Funky Blues I likes that a whole lot...

“Goldmine Standard Catalogue Of American Records 1948-1991 (7th Edition)” by MARTIN POPOFF - A Review of the 2010 American Reference Source by Mark Barry...

“Goldmine Standard Catalogue Of American Records 1948-1991 (7^th Edition)” by MARTIN POPOFF - (A Review of the 2010 American Reference Source)

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"…Tramps Like Us…"

The 5th Edition of this massive American publication came out in 2000 and at 1226 pages (A4 size) was an impressive beast. Version 6 turned up in 2008 and had expanded to a gargantuan 1392 pages and even contained a DVD attached to the back cover (both issues covered 1950 to 1975). This review is for the 7th Edition from 2010 with 1344 pages. More importantly - Edition 7 opened its parameters to give us American releases between 1948 and 1991 for the first time - and covered many more genres than its predecessors (note there’s also my review for the 8th edition).

The layout is simple – each artist gets their 45’s first - with their LPs following (both in label alphabetical order). A fantastically helpful thing is that the 78" and 7" entries have their A & B-sides listed - while the LPs feature both Mono and Stereo issues where applicable. Some important Promo issues on LP and 12" singles are featured – especially on modern day artists like Madonna where different mixes attract the attention of collectors. The album entries don't list tracks (it would be ten times the size if it did) - but they do include a year of release and a Near Mint value in dollars. 

A point worth noting - the LP catalogue numbers in this reference source are not like the US Billboard Chart Books that concentrate only on the central set of numbers as a catalogue number. Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run" is not merely 'Columbia 33795' as per Billboard – here it gets the full monty - it’s PC 33795 for the 1975 original, JC 33795 for the 1977 reissue and HC 33795 for the 1981 Half-Speed Mastered version (lyrics from the song "Born To Run" title this review). This of course helps enormously when you're trying to work out what issue is what. But the range of this book doesn’t just stop there…

Take RAY CHARLES for instance – starting on Page 229 with his ABC Label 45’s – his Solo Discography ends on Page 231 with his "Would You Believe?" album from 1990 on Warner Brothers (A to W). But following that are entries for his 'collaborations' with Harry Belafonte, Betty Carter, Joe Hunter, Jimmy Rushing, Milt Jackson, Cleo Laine and finally The Ray Charles Singers (Page 232). The very end pages even provide info on Soundtracks, Stage Shows, Television and Various Artists compilations (Pages 1301 to 1344). As you can imagine the detail is staggering. 

Another point about which 'issue' is an original and which is a reissue: on artists like say Lou Donaldson, The Grateful Dead or Kurt Cobain’s Nirvana – their catalogues are small enough to be manageable reading. But when you get to the big boys like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, The Kinks, James Brown, Elvis Presley, David Bowie, Bob Dylan and The Who - they have sections that are massive and a bit unwieldy – so you need to look thoroughly for the issue you want. On some artists there are even Audiophile pressings listed on well respected labels – Audio Fidelity, DCC Compact Classics, Mobile Fidelity, Nautilus etc

CONTENT - while you would expect The Beach Boys, The Doors, Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Prince, Queen, R.E.M., Simon & Garfunkel, U2 and Neil Young to all be in here – it’s the artists in between the cracks that impress. How about Ryan Adams, Mike Bloomfield, Caravan, Lorraine Ellison, The Fireballs, Rory Gallagher, Richie Havens, Leo Kottke, Barbara Lewis, Laura Nyro, The Pixies, The Replacements, Ravi Shankar, Ten Years After, The Undisputed Truth, Suzanne Vega, Tom Waits, Tony Joe White, XTC, The Yardbirds and Warren Zevon.

In fact the sheer range of artists and genres covered is incredible – here's some more:

BLUES, DOO WOP, R'n'B and R'n'R – Chuck Berry, Johnny Burnette, The Clovers, Eddie Cochran, Bo Diddley, Fats Domino, Duane Eddy, The Everly Brothers, The Flamingos, Slim Harpo, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Buddy Holly, BB King, Smiley Lewis, Muddy Waters, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, Big Joe Turner, Gene Vincent and Jackie Wilson. 

COUNTRY – The Ames Brothers, The Carter Family, Johnny Cash, John Denver, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Jim Reeves, Hank Snow and Hank Williams

EASY LISTENING and EXOTICA – Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Percy Faith, Connie Francis, Judy Garland, Burl Ives, Stan Kenton, Peggy Lee, Julie London, Dean Martin, Johnny Mathis, Les Paul and Mary Ford, Frank Sinatra, Yma Sumac, Sarah Vaughan, Dionne Warwick, Lawrence Welk and Kitty Wells

JAZZ – Gene Ammons, Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Dave Brubeck, Donald Byrd, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Ella Fitzgerald, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett, Charles Mingus, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Nina Simone, Sonny Stitt, Stanley Turrentine, Phil Upchurch and Weather Report

POP, ROCK, PROG, METAL – The Animals, Badfinger, Black Sabbath, Budgie, Joe Cocker, Elvis Costello, Creedence, Deep Purple, Donovan, Echo & The Bunnymen, ELP, Fleetwood Mac, Genesis (and all Solo), Hall & Oates, Iron Maiden, Kiss, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Van Morrison (and Them), Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Talking Heads, Traffic (and all Solo), Velvet Underground (and all Solo), Yes, Frank Zappa and The Zombies 

SOUL, FUNK, MODERN R'n'B, HIP-HOP – The Beastie Boys, Bobby Bland, Mariah Carey, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, The Isley Brothers, Big Daddy Kane, Otis Redding, Rufus, 2 Live Crew and Stevie Wonder

PUNK and NEW WAVE – Black Flag, The Clash, The Damned, Dead Kennedys, Devo, The Jam, The Sex Pistols, Stiff Little Fingers, The Stooges, Television, The Undertones 

INDIE – The Cure, Depeche Mode, The Fall, Joy Division, My Bloody Valentine, New Order and The Smiths

Niggles – an artist like CHRIS ISAAK began his career in 1985, but his discography here doesn’t go past 1991 which gives his entries a half-finished feel. You get Tim Buckley but not Jeff Buckley - which just doesn’t seem right? There are artists missing like The Blue Nile and Icehouse, but you could say this about so many names…

Apart from those tiny whines – this is an incredible piece of work that has undoubtedly taken decades to collate. Compiler and Author MARTIN POPOFF is to be congratulated. 

To sum up - this extraordinary reference source is entirely American based (as its title clearly states) - but if you’ve any passing interest in the history of music – then this peach will serve you well for years to come. A genuine wow. Recommended – and then some…

“Young, Gifted and Black – The Story Of Trojan Records” by Michael de Koningh and Laurence Cane-Honeysett (2003 Sanctuary Books) - A Review by Mark Barry

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“…Lively Up Yourself…”

I've contributed large numbers of entries to the UK's "Record Collector Price Guide” (and on several occasions too) and have worked in the rare record mail-order business for 'too' many years. Why do I say all this - because I can tell you that its REGGAE MUSIC - and especially information about it 7" singles - that is so scarce, hard-to-find and problematic. 

Details are always sketchy. Sure, most of the Island Records and later Virgin Label Reggae stuff is now listed and documented, but you go off-the-beaten track a little bit and it's a whole different ballgame. Usually produced on a shoestring, pressed up as one-off pressings, then sold off vans to shops in the city that specialized in it...much of it never charted in the pop charts and is therefore something of a mystery. I've found that hard info about reggae (LPs or 7"s) is in the mitts of a handful of dedicated collectors and dedicated shop sources (like the now sadly defunct and brilliant "Daddy Kool" in Berwick Street in London) and the general public never gets a shoe in on what's what. Which is why this book is such an absolute sensation. 

After the main story of Trojan Records itself (which is a fantastic read) - Pages 119 to 156 give you all the supplementary stuff - Lists of R and B, Motown and Pop Covers that the label did, Musicland & Muzic City shops stocking Trojan from their incorporation in 1963 to their closure in 1976, pages of detailed Suggested Listening, then Suggested Reading, the Sources used to compile it all and Profiles of all the labels under the Trojan umbrella. But then - wait for it - there’s a discography that takes up much of the book stretching from Page 157 to 305. The detail and accuracy is astonishing and in many cases - first time info into the public domain. 

A nice touch also is that there’s a set of 16 full-sized colour plates inset at the centre - photos of Bob & Marcia from 1970 (the hit and title of the book - “Young, Gifted and Black”), trade adverts for Symarip’s “Skinhead Moonstomp” and Judge Dread’s “Big 8”, a cool-looking Toots and The Maytals standing by the railings as they contemplate “Funy Kingston”, an LP advert from December 1971 for a whole range of releases, publicity photos of Bob Andy, John Holt, The Dynamites (Clancy Eccles’ studio band) as well as several label bags and 7” single variations. 

It should also be noted that while the TROJAN name and label is well known, its subsidiary labels are not. The discography includes both singles & LPs of the following labels for the first time: 

Amalgamated, Attack, Big, Big Shot, Black Swan, Blue Cat, Bread, Clandisc, Doctor Bird, Down Town, Duke, Duke Reid, Dynamic, Explosion, Gayfeet, GC, GPW, Grape, Green Door, Harry J, High Note, Horse, Hot Rod, Jackpot, J-Dan, Joe, JJ, Jump-Up, Moodisc, Pressure Beat, Pyramid, Q, Randy's, Smash, Song Bird, Spinning Wheel, Summit, Techniques, Treasure Isle, Trojan and Upsetter. Wow!

As if this isn't good enough, there's a superlative 12-track CD attached to the inside of the front sleeve with both rare and well known Trojan titles - its track list is:

1. Everything Crash by The Ethiopians, 1968 UK 7" single on JJ Records DB 1169

2. Pressure Drop by The Maytals, 1969 UK 7" single on Trojan Records TR 7709

3. Poor Rameses by The Pioneers, 1969 UK 7" single on Trojan Records TR 698 

4. Mr. Midnight (Skookiaan) by Clancy Eccles & The Dynamites, 1969 UK 7" single on Clandisc CLAN 200

5. Shocks Of Mighty by Dave Barker & The Upsetters, 1970 UK 7" single on Upsetter US 331

6. Skinhead Revolt by Joe The Boss, 1970 UK 7" single on Joe Records JRS 9

7. Shanghai by Freddie Notes & The Rudies, 1970 UK 7" single on Trojan Records TR 7713

8. You Don't Know by BOB ANDY, 1973 UK 7" single on Green Door Records GD 4060 (Recorded in 1970, released in 1973)

9. Melody Maker by Keith Hudson, 1972 UK 7" single on Summit Records SUM 8541

10. (That's The Way) Nature Planned It by KEN BOOTHE, 1974 UK 7" single on Trojan Records TR 7910 (a cover version of The Four Tops hit)

11. Red, Gold & Green by I-Roy, 1973 UK 7" single on Trojan Records TRLS 63

12. Nice & Easy by Susan Cadogan, 1974 UK 7" single on Trojan Records TR 9028 (a Lee Perry production)

Another really cool touch is that the singles discographies provides ‘both’ the A&B side info and the Producer on almost each entry because that often determines the collectability of a single in the world of Reggae collecting. Each label is presented in rising numerical order with those catalogue numbers that are unreleased, not known about or not yet found - given a NYT entry - not yet traced. 

I can't praise this book enough and its researcher’s extraordinary work. I dragged out my 8 "Tighten Up" album compilations and have been petting them and playing them like a favourite child ever since. 

A sensational book then with a groundbreaking and detailed Discography - I can’t recommend “Young Gifted And Black - The Story Of and Trojan Records” enough (something I'll be dipping into for years to come). Lively up yourself and your musical world by acquiring it…

The Virgin Book Of TOP 40 CHARTS by DAVID McALEER - A Review by Mark Barry of the 2009 Reference Book...

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“…Me…I’m Just A Lawnmower…You Can Tell By The Way I Walk…” 

When I got this brill November 2009 1053-page paperback (with an introduction by compiler DAVID McALEER) - I hardly knew where to start...the detail is gargantuan. It contains every Top 40 UK Singles chart beginning at 10 March 1960 and ending at 3 January 2009 (US customers should note this is ONLY the charts for UK 7” singles).

“The Virgin Book Of TOP 40 CHARTS” breaks down like this… To the far left is the chart position (1, 2, 3 etc), then to the right of that is a column that gives you 'last week's chart position' - which allows you to trace back when the record first showed up on the charts. The title of the song is in BLOCK CAPITOLS while the artist is standard print so you can differentiate quickly and easily which is which. It then gives you the label (Capitol, HMV, RAK, Bell, Polydor etc), but unfortunately not the catalogue number (you need the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles for that). It is updated to 2009 - which the Guinness one isn't. 

Another real ace is a track-by-track index in the rear; say you want to check on "Give Me The Night" by GEORGE BENSON - it tells you look at the week ending 2/8/80 which is when it first charted - you know exactly where to locate it - very handy. The final column to the far right gives you the number of weeks it’s been on chart (3, 7 etc).

Browsing through the years if of course half the fun. You notice stuff. There were an awful lot of Number 1’s that were truly awful – and seemed to stay there for an eternity. It’s also interesting to notice that despite having actually lived when "Ride A White Swan" by T.REX first hit the charts in October 1970 - there are titles in that week and the subsequent weeks that I don't remember at all (and some you'd rather forget). 

I then figured I'd try to set up some of these Top Forty lists in iTunes on my computer. I chose a week from 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973 - and I found to my astonishment that even with 46,000 songs at my disposal (don't ask!), I only had about half in each list. Many are elusive on CD still.

Downsides - there's no pictures at all to break the monotony - and all those dry lists have little to accompany them by way of text on the changing face of music and the charts - like the Guinness books do (there are a few pages at the beginning on Chart statistics). But it’s still a fantastic reference source. And long overdue too.

I got my copy for just under seven on-line - despite its official twenty-pound price tag. A very, very good reference source and a great fun-trip down our music's 50 Year Memory Lane…

"TAMLA MOTOWN: The Stories Behind The UK Singles" by TERRY WILSON - A Review by MARK BARRY of the 2009 Cherry Red Books Publictation...

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"...And The Lord God Looked Down On Motown in Detroit And Verily Thought...I Must Set Up A British Branch..."

Did you know that following the departure of his principal hit-writers Holland Dozier and Holland, Berry Gordy wanted to reinstate the Supremes as a number act after a year of dullard releases, so he locked all his remaining writers in a hotel room and told them they weren't coming out until they penned a winner for his wife. They promptly raided the hotel bar and got completely pissed in retaliation. But the following morning they threw out the number one hit "Love Child" anyway. Or that Stevie Wonder's manager sang his newly released "Higher Ground" single into his ear in 1973 as Stevie lay dying on a hospital bed having had a freak accident where a huge log crashed through his windscreen and into his skull - and it brought him back. Or did you know that the original version of Marvin Gaye's masterpiece "What's Going On" had a question mark removed from the end of the title - so that you didn't know whether he was asking a question or making a statement? Neither did I...

A book like this is a treasure trove of such juicy trivia, but it wouldn't amount to more than a long list of staid statistics if the rest of the text weren't imbibed with wit, affection and a genuine thirst for knowledge and understanding - on every single entry. Americans know that Brits are soul mad, but this book proves it like no other. There's stuff in here that even the guys who wrote the music don't know about!

First, in order to convey just how deep this work goes, let's get to the details.

Published by Cherry Red Books in 2009 (a division of Cherry Red Records) – “TAMLA MOTOWN: The Stories Behind The UK Singles” by TERRY WILSON is a tall paperback with over 710 pages. The 72 singles from 1959 to mid 1965 issued on London (4), Fontana (4), Oriole (19) and Stateside (45) are all here - each given an individual essay on their release and history. Topping the essay over each single is other relevant info - Timing, Writers, Producers, Recording Date, UK Release Date, B-side, UK Chart Position, US catalogue number, US release date and finally the US chart position attained in both Billboard's Pop and R&B charts.

The two-word 'Tamla Motown' identity was started by Gordy specifically to deal with UK issues (it was either the single word 'Motown', 'Tamla' or 'Gordy' in the USA). Its first 7" single release came in March 1965 on TMG 501 - "Stop! In The Name Of Love" by The Supremes. While it topped the charts in the States, it made Number 7 in the UK (the title was a remark made by a producer to his argumentative girlfriend). From this point on page 68, the releases stretch all the way to page 606 and the February 2006 release of Stevie Wonder's "From The Bottom Of My Heart" on TMG 1513. Every single one!

This is then followed by the ARTIST SUMMARY section - which gives you their releases at a glance - 1 for Jerry Butler and 9 for The Commodores and so forth - very handy. There's then a section on STATISTICS, FACTS and FEATS; followed by AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF TRACKS; followed by a section on MOTOWN EPs and 12" SINGLES. Then there's a section on the off-shoot labels, Rare Earth, Mo-West and Gaiee labels...and a COLLECTORS section dealing with label bags, different texts, matrix numbers etc. and finally a REFERENCES section that in itself goes on for pages.

Some entries are long - "Tears Of A Clown" by SMOKEY ROBINSON & THE MIRACLES (an instrumental first presented to Smokey by Stevie Wonder at a Christmas party), others are short because they deserve to be "A Little Bit For Sandy" by PAUL PETERSEN (a child actor originally on The Donna Reed Show) - it was produced by R DEAN TAYLOR and sank without a trace.  The social consciousness period of Norman Whitfield's 1970s productions (Temptations, Undisputed Truth) I found fascinating and full of amazing info. In fact I can't imagine the thousands of hours it must have taken to assemble all this information, cross check every entry and then present the whole lot in an interesting way. His assessment of Marvin's "What's Going On" as a song that "says so little, yet means so much to so many people..." is both insightful and true.

I would say - however - that a very real down point is the complete lack of visuals. There should have been 10 or 12 pages of colour pictures, label variations, rare picture sleeves, early issues - but maybe on the next run.

Also, I went into 5 West End book stores and none had it for sale let alone knew of its existence - and Cherry Red books need to address that pronto - because it's criminal to see a book of this stature go unnoticed - reviewed online by some Irish nutter in a second-hand record shop in London. I would also prep a 'download' version for the net with better front artwork and a slew of picture pages from collectors with a far cheaper price to make it more accessible. Those minor nitpicks aside, both Cherry Red and the author are to be congratulated for this wonderful tome.

I can tell you now with all confidence that even as Moses was parting the Red Sea with the sound of hooves and chariots in his shelllikes, he was secretly thinking, I can't wait for 2009 and Terry Wilson's detailed book about Tamla Motown in England...

To say I'm impressed folks is like saying the Sistine Chapel is an ok painting - a fantastic achievement...and well done to Terry Wilson and all involved...

"I’ll Take You There: Mavis Staples, The Staple Singers And The March Up Freedom’s Highway" - A Book by GREG KOT - A Review by Mark Barry

AMAZON UK Link Above - AMAZON USA Link Below



“…You’re Not Alone…”

Father of two, all-round-good-egg and a respected critic at the Chicago Tribune since 1990 - GREG KOT has also authored three acclaimed music books - "Ripped: How The Wired Generation Revolutionized Music", "Wilco: Learning How To Die" and "Beatles vs. Stones: Sound Opinions On The Great Rock 'n' Roll Rivalry". This is his 4th musical tome...

Published in 2014 by Scribner of the USA in Hardback (308 Pages) - "I'll Take You There: Mavis Staples, The Staples Singers, And The March Up Freedom's Highway" is the first fully sanctioned autobiography of what many feel is an American institution long overdue hysterical praise - a God given thing of wonder - the voice and heart of MAVIS STAPLES. I'll be blunt here. I've loved her voice, her music, her spirit and her healing effect fro my whole life - having been a lifetime fan since those STAX Records sides in the early Seventies (the book takes its title from their 1972 hit). I'd high expectations for "I'll Take You There" and I'm thrilled to say it doesn't disappoint. 

And what a journey it's been - filled with never-before-told stories of growing up in segregation Thirties and Forties Mississippi - onwards with Pops and The Staples Singers to shaking church rafters with Sam Cooke in the Fifties - becoming both Gospel and cross-over artists in the explosive civil-rights Sixties - and global bone-fide Soul Superstars in the Seventies. The book then goes into the desert of the Eighties and re-emerges with Prince in the Nineties and Jeff Tweedy of Wilco in the Naughties. You wouldn't mind if her last two albums "You Are Not Alone" (2010) and "One True Vine" (2013) were no good - now in her late Seventies they're probably the best of her career.

KOT cleverly keeps the chapters short and sweet - they last only 6 to 8 pages each and there's 43 of them - each packed with extraordinary names that crossed the family's path across nearly 7 decades (Charlie Patton, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy and Ella Johnson, Lou Rawls, John Carter of The Flamingos and The Dells, Johnnie Taylor, Mahalia Jackson, Sam Cooke, Bobby Womack, Aretha Franklin, Martin Luther King, Harry Belafonte, Billy Preston, Levon Helm of The Band and Hilary Clinton to name but a few). One of fourteen children himself - Roebuck "Pops" Staples was 18 when he married his childhood sweetheart Oceola Ware in 1933 (she was 16). By early 1936 and with his trusting wife and two young kids in tow (Cleotha and Pervis - Pervis would later manage the band) - hothead Pops defied his father's advice, scrounged for a whole year until he had the $12 bus fare needed and left the dead-end South for the music of Chicago. Yvonne Staples came in 1937 and Mavis followed in July 1939. Soon the family of singing siblings were doing ensemble vocal renditions of Gospel songs with Dad on his trademark guitar - practising in their apartment as a way to pass the time. But after they earned $7 one Sunday afternoon by wowing the Gospel crowds with their sheer spirit and uncanny harmonising - Pops began to see how he could support his family long term. Little did he know that such a humble beginning would spawn a musical career lasting way past his sad passing in 2000.

The beauty of a book like this is that it covers so much of America' turbulent history - a virtual step-by-musical-step through Americana. You get example after example of horrible racism, the civil rights movement and the redeeming bringing-together power of music. Through interviews - Kot gets the good and the bad of what happened - and to whom. Yet throughout Mavis remains positive and forgiving - bad career decisions - broken marriages - never having children - all of it anchored by family, music and a mighty, mighty faith. The chapters also document the very real difficulty the family had with their peers as they tried endlessly shed purist Gospel for their version of righteous Soul - how their success at Stax elicited howls of sell out derision - and how they toured in places where blacks just didn't go. We get her brief affair with Bob Dylan, support shows with Rock acts like Love, Steppenwolf and Traffic - collaborations with Steve Cropper of Booker T & The MG's as she took her first tentative steps into a solo career in 1969. There's stuff on Iran in 1970, Ghana in 1971, the WattStax Festival in 1972 with "Respect Yourself" on to headlining an anti-apartheid South Africa concert in 1975. There's stuff on Vee-Jay, Epic, Stax and Warner Brothers. 

Her meeting the mercurial Prince is described as Holy Ghost Moment and that same collaborative magic happened again with Jeff Tweedy of Wilco. His "You Are Not Alone" is probably the single most gorgeous song Mavis has sung in damn near 40 years - full of great message and heart - a hopeful Soulful ballad of hope ("I wanna get it through to you...you're not alone...every night I stand in your place..." Isn't that beautiful - much like her good self and this uplifting book...

"Lights, Camera, SOUNDTRACKS: The Ultimate Guide To Popular Music In The Movies" by MARTIN C. STRONG with BRENDAN GRIFFIN - A Review Of This Superb Book

"Lights, Camera, SOUNDTRACKS: The Ultimate Guide To Popular Music In The Movies" by MARTIN C. STRONG with BRENDAN GRIFFIN

“...Love Me Tender...” 

The key thing to note about Martin Strong's Movie-Music tome (yet another truly amazing body of work) is to 'not see' the word SOUNDTRACKS emblazoned in the centre of it's 10" x 8" cover. What you need to focus on is the subtitle below - "The Ultimate Guide To Popular Music In The Movies". This needs some explaining...

This 2008 large-sized paperback publication on Canongate (UK) does not give you endless discographies on every Soundtrack ever released (what book could) - but instead largely deals with 'music within movies' and the artists who contributed to those scores (an impressive 900 + Pages). This can be confusing. In a book with the word SOUNDTRACKS at its very centre - fans will be astonished when they go to the Index at the rear to 'not find' names forever associated with Film Music like John Barry, Roy Budd, Bernard Herrmann, Maurice Jarre, Ennio Morricone, Lalo Schifrin, Thomas Newman, Alan Silvestri, John Williams and Gabriel Yared - but instead find references to T-Bone Burnett, Willie Hutch, Daniel Lanois, Penguin Café Orchestra, The Ramones and Neil Young. So what do you get? Like his two Folk Music Volumes (see reviews) - Strong has chosen to break his monster work into three separate sections:

1. Rock Movies/Musicals and Pop Fiction - Pages 1 to 420

2. Rockumentaries and Performance Movies - Pages 421 to 594

3. Pop/Rock Scores and Blaxploitation - Pages 595 to 906

4. Index - Page 907

Inside each entry you get details like year of release, film-company, director, stars, music soundtrack listed and a properly great appraisal of the movie and the music contained within. Take for instance Barry Newman's ubercool "Vanishing Point" from 1971 - you get a soundtrack review that touches on Strong's staggering knowledge on Mountain, Delaney & Bonnie and Big Mama Thornton whose music peppers the film. The "FM" soundtrack entry provides stuff about Steely Dan and all the other artists involved (even has vinyl discographies for selected artists too). There's three different sets of eight-page colour plates (one for each section) breaking up the endless facts and details and feature artwork for soundtracks like "Almost Famous", "Stardust", "The Girl Can't Help It", "Slade In Flame", "Buena Vista Social Club", "Down From The Mountain (concert from O Brother, Where Art Thou?)" and Badly Drawn Boy's "About A Boy" as well as photos of musical icons featured throughout the book like Jimmy Page, Nick Cave, Curtis Mayfield and Tangerine Dream.

And while you would expect to see entries on obvious monster-music-movies like American Graffiti, The Blues Brothers, The Commitments, Dirty Dancing, Easy Rider, 8 Mile, Evita, Fame, Footloose, Good Morning Vietnam, A Hard Day's Night, Love Me Tender, No Nukes, Purple Rain, Rock Around The Clock, Saturday Night Fever, The Wall and Woodstock - you also get Coolsville and Retro Fun in Bill And Ted's Excellent Adventure, The Crow, Earth Girls Are Easy, Empire Records, Grand Theft Parsons, High Fidelity, Natural Born Killers, O Brother, Where Are Thou?, Pretty In Pink, Pulp Fiction, Repo Man, Reservoir Dogs, The Rutles, School Of Rock, Stomp The Yard, This Is England, Trainspotting, Velvet Goldmine and Wayne's World. And how good is to see minor masterpieces like "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" (Beatlesmania), "Shag: The Movie" (Sixties Dance Craze) and "This Is Spinal Tap" (Metal Spoof) be given decent entries of their own.

You get superlative biopics like Walk The Line (Johnny Cash), Ray (Ray Charles), The Doors (The Doors), Bound For Glory (Woody Guthrie), Lady Sings The Blues (Billie Holliday), That'll Be The Day (Buddy Holly) and Great Balls Of Fire (Jerry Lee Lewis). And how cool is to see Nick Cave and Warren Ellis in a guide like this along with Orbital, Sigur Ros, Serge Gainsbourg and Vangelis.

Rockumentaries include The Last Waltz (The Band), Let It Be (The Beatles), Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll (Chuck Berry), 101 (Depeche Mode), Renaldo And Clara and No Direction Home (Bob Dylan), Concert For George (George Harrison), Rainbow Bridge (Jimi Hendrix), The Song Remains The Same (Led Zeppelin), Let's Make Love In London Tonite (Pink Floyd), The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (Sex Pistols), Stop Making Sense (Talking Heads), Rattle And Hum (U2), The Kids Are Alright (The Who) and 200 Motels (Frank Zappa).

The Blaxsploitation section features the Soul, Funk and Social Consciousness of James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Miles Davis, Curtis Mayfield, Bobby Womack and Mario Van Peebles to name but a few. You get entries on Shaft, The Payback, Cleopatra Jones, The Harder They Come, Black Caesar, Superfly, Across 110th Street, Hell Up In Harlem and WattStax. But weirdly this section also has stuff like Simon & Garfunkel's superb inserts into "The Graduate", Bowie's work on "The Buddah Of Suburbia", Keith Emerson's keyboards on "Nighthawks" and Willie Nelson's country contributions to "The Electric Horseman".

What's also fascinating is to see the double-association entries (first the film then the artist most closely associated with it) - Buffalo 66 (Vincent Gallo), The Namesake (Nitin Sawhney), Aguirre Wrath Of God (Popol Vuh), Paris, Texas (Ry Cooder), Local Hero and Brooklyn Bridge (Mark Knopfler), Gladiator (Lisa Gerrard), Chelsea Walls (Jeff Tweedy of Wilco), Birdy, Passion: The Last Temptation Of Christ, Long Walk Home and Rabbit-Proof Fence (Peter Gabriel), The Assassination Of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford (Nick Cave and Warren Ellis) and One From The Heart (Tom Waits).

It has to be said that the omissions and inclusions will infuriate - you find frivolous crud like "Popeye" is given a detailed entry but the brill retro Fifties Rock 'n' Roll of "Back To The Future" isn't here. While I can dig Prince's fabulous funk in "Batman" - do I ever want to read about Howard The Duck or Xanadu. But these are minor niggles in a book that I know I will be dipping into for years to come and still finding something interesting to read about.

So if you want your "Leningrad Cowboys Go America", "Expresso Bongo", "Purple People Eater" and "Young, Hot 'n' Nast Teenager Cruisers" explained in detail - look no further than this fabulous splurge of info on Music in Movies.

Even if it frustrates at times (the split layout) - I love this Martin Strong reference book and can only imagine the years it took to research and collate. Both he and Brendan Griffin deserve your fistful of dollars - they genuinely do. Genius and a Yellow Submarine thrown into the bargain...