"The London American Label Year By Year: 1966" by VARIOUS ARTISTS (2015 Ace Records CD - Duncan Cowell Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Boo Bip Bip Yeah!" 

For many rabid collectors (and with 40 years of reissue experience) - Ace Records of the UK was always going to do a storming job cataloguing a British label that many feel put out the very best the US musical marketplace had to offer – LONDON RECORDS (or 'London American Recordings' to be more exact). Even today the mere sight of a London 45 single with its rather dull black and silver label design - sat neatly in one of those course paper bags with all those neatly spaced lines down them - elicits a perpendicular tingle of aural orgasm (and that’s just the left leg man).

Ace’s brilliant reissue series "The London American Label Year By Year" starts at 1956 and now reaches a landmark 11th CD for the year "1966". And what a winner "1966" is too. You get twenty-eight different tunes remastered from the very best sources (three of these 45s were withdrawn in the UK so they're rare) – genre benders like Thrashing Garage, Sunshine Pop, Northern Soul, Novelty Hits and (unfortunately) some insipid teen cheese-puff - not to mention a guy with a gun that the BBC banned. It's all here - and in glorious 7" Mono Technicolour too. There's a ton of tasty tunes to get through so once more good music people unto the stripy label bag breach...

UK released August 2015 (September 2015 in the USA) – "The London American Label Year By Year: 1966" on Ace Records CDCHD 1444 (Barcode 029667073622) is a 28-track CD and breaks down as follows (78:23 minutes):

1. Five O'Clock World – THE VOGUES
December 1965 US 7" single on Co & Ce 232 (peaked at 4)
January 1966 UK 7" single on London HLU 10014 (didn't chart)

2. Love's Made A Fool Of You – BOBBY FULLER FOUR
March 1966 USA 7" single on Mustang 3016 (peaked at 26)
May 1966 UK 7" single on London HLU 10041 (peaked at 33)
A Buddy Holly cover version

3. Cast Your Fate To The Wind – SHELBY FLINT
September 1966 US 7" single on Valiant 743 (peaked at 61)
August 1966 UK 7" single on London HLU 10068 (didn't chart)
A Vincent Guaraldi Trio cover version (1963) and Sounds Orchestral cover version (1965)

4. Open The Door To Your Heart – DARRELL BANKS
August 1966 US 7" single on Revilot 201 (peaked at 27)
August 1966 WITHDRAWN UK 7" single on London HLU 10070 (Demos Only Pressed)
Released September 1966 in the UK on Stateside SS 536

5. Come On In – BUTTERFIELD BLUES BAND
November 1966 US 7" single on Elektra EK-45609 (didn't chart)
December 1966 UK 7" single on London HLZ 10100 (didn't chart)
Paul Butterfield Blues Band with Elvin Bishop and Mike Bloomfield on Guitars and Paul Butterfield on Vocals/Harmonica

6. Don't Touch Me – JEANNIE SEELY
May 1966 USA 7" single on Monument 933 (peaked at 85)
June 1966 UK 7" single on London HLU 10052 (didn't chart)

7. Crazy Like A Fox – LINK CROMWELL
April 1966 USA 7" single on Hollywood 1107 (didn't chart)
May 1966 UK 7" single on London HLB 10040 (didn't chart)

8. The Pain Gets A Little Deeper – DARROW FLETCHER
December 1965 USA 7" single on Groovy 3001 (charted 1/1/66 at 23)
February 1966 UK 7" single on London HLU 10024 (didn't chart)

9. I'll Keep It With Mine – JUDY COLLINS
November 1965 USA 7" single on Elektra EK-45601 (didn't chart)
March 1966 UK 7" single on London HLZ 10029 (didn't chart)
Written by Bob Dylan, non-album track for him

10. The Rains Came – SIR DOUGLAS QUINTET
February 1966 USA 7" single on Tribe 8314 (peaked at 31)
February 1966 UK 7" single on London HLU 10019 (didn’t chart)
A cover version of a 1963 song by Big Sambo and The House Rockers

11. She Blew A Good Thing – THE AMERICAN POETS [known as THE POETS in the USA]
January 1966 USA 7" single on Symbol 214 (peaked at 2)
April 1966 UK 7" single on London HLC 10037 (didn't chart)

12. Mister Bang Bang Man – LITTLE HANK
November 1966 USA 7" single on Sound Stage 7 45-2566
November 1966 WITHDRAWN UK 7" single on London HLU 10090
Both Stock and Demo copies of the UK pressing exist and are extremely rare – listed at £150 each.
It was reissued in the UK on Monument MON 1045 in May 1970. It didn't chart in either country.

13. Bird-Doggin' – GENE VINCENT
August 1966 USA 7" single on Challenge 59337 (didn't chart)
September 1966 UK 7" single on London HLH 10079 (didn't chart)
Written by Keith Colley

14. Teenager's Prayer – JOE SIMON
May 1966 USA 7" single on Sound Stage 7 45-2564 (peaked at 86)
July 1966 UK 7" single on London HLU 10057 (didn't chart)

15. Hand Jive – THE STRANGELOVES
June 1966 USA 7" single on Bang 524 (peaked at 100 for one week)
July 1966 UK 7" single on London HLZ 10063 (didn't chart)

16. The White Cliffs Of Dover – THE RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS
September 1966 USA 7" single on Philles 132 (didn't chart)
October 1966 UK 7" single on London HL 10086 (peaked at 21)
Produced by Phil Spector

17. Cherish – THE ASSOCIATION
August 1966 USA 7" single on Valiant 747 (peaked at No. 1)
September 1966 UK 7" single on London HLT 10074 (didn't chart)

18. You Left The Water Running – BARBARA LYNN
November 1966 USA 7" single on Tribe 8319 (didn't chart)
November 1966 UK 7" single on London HLU 10094 (didn't chart)
Written by Dan Penn and the Fame label’s Rick Hall

19. United – THE INTRUDERS
August 1966 USA 7" single on Gamble 201 (peaked at 78)
August 1966 UK 7" single on London HL 10069 (didn't chart)
Written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff

20. Ever see A Diver Kiss His Wife While The Bubbles Bounce About Above The Water? – SHIRLEY ELLIS
January 1966 USA 7" single on Congress 260 (didn't chart)
February 1966 UK 7" single on London HLR 10021 (didn't chart)

21. Party People – RAY STEVENS
November 1965 USA 7" single on Monument 911 (didn't chart)
January 1966 UK 7" single on London HLU 10016
Written by Joe South

22. I Can Hear Music – THE RONETTES
October 1966 USA 7" single on Philles 133 (peaked at 99)
October 1966 WITHDRAWN UK 7" single on London HLU 10087
Produced by Jeff Barry (not Phil Spector)

23. You Burn Me Up And Down – WE THE PEOPLE
September 1966 USA 7" single on Challenge 59340 (didn't chart)
November 1966 UK 7" single on London HLH 10089 (didn't chart)

24. Mr. Dieingly Sad – THE CRITTERS
August 1966 USA 7" single on Kapp 769 (peaked at 17)
August 1966 UK 7" single on London HLR 10071 (didn't chart)

25. 7 And 7 Is – LOVE
July 1966 USA 7" single on Elektra EK-45605 (peaked at 33)
September 1966 UK 7" single on London HLZ 10073 (didn't chart)
Written by Arthur Lee

26. I'm A Nut – LEROY PULLINS
June 1966 USA 7" single on Kapp K-758 (peaked at 57)
June 1966 UK 7" single on London HLR 10056 (didn't chart)

27. To Make A Big Man Cry – ROY HEAD
September 1966 USA 7" single on Back Beat 571 (peaked at 95)
November 1966 UK 7" single on London HLZ 10097 (didn't chart)

28. River Deep-Mountain High – IKE & TINA TURNER
May 1966 USA 7" single on Philles 131 (peaked at 88)
May 1966 UK 7" single on London HLU 10046 (peaked at No. 1)

The 20-page booklet is masterful stuff – beautifully laid out with large numbers of the London labels represented by their sought-after 'yellow label' demo versions. Inbetween the Record Retailer advert clippings are stunning informational paragraphs by TONY ROUNCE who outdoes his formidable track record for liner notes - it's a feast of properly indepth info and Ace have done "1966" proud. But best of all is those beautifully transferred MONO single mixes courtesy of Audio Engineer and long-time Ace Associate – DUNCAN COWELL. I've had some of these on other CD compilations and these variants sound awesome – full and kicking – singularly powerful and like they would have sounded when they sailed out of our transistor radios. And instead of slavishly sticking to chronological order (January to December) – compiler Rounce has mixed it up – smart sequencing making the rhythms flow better - and the listen a hundred times more enjoyable and interesting.

It opens with a forgotten nugget – the hugely likeable "Five O’Clock World" by The Vogues with its yodelling chorus vocals. The joyous Northern Soul monster "Open The Door To Your Heart" was withdrawn in August 1966 by London (demos were pressed but will set you back a paltry £800 should you find one) only to repressed the following month on England's Stateside imprint  on SS 536 (yours for a piddling £300). What a tune and worth the dosh – you can literally smell the talcum powder as it plays and hear those shuffling British slacks as they shimmy and groove across the dancefloor towards some pretty girl. The pure country weepy "Don't Touch Me" by Jeannie Seely is a genius choice - and even if the Record Retailer advert on Page 9 of the booklet wrongly catalogues it as HLU 15002 instead of 10052 – it's an incredibly tender break-up song that embodies a Soulful ache and I can see why collectors would seek it out (beautifully transferred by Cowell too).

"...They call me neurotic...and say I'm psychotic... because I let my hair grow long..." - Link Cromwell moans lyrical in the naughtily rebellious "Crazy Like A Fox". He would later compile the much-revered "Nuggets" double-album in 1972 on Elektra and then become Guitarist for Patti Smith. One of the prizes on here is Judy Collins' gorgeous version of Bob Dylan's "I'll Keep It With Mine" – a song he never recorded commercially and her Elektra Records 45 debut. Moving away from her Folk roots and previous output – Judy made it into a Pop song loaded with that fabulous upbeat Sixties optimism. It also featured both Al Kooper and Mike Bloomfield who'd played on Dylan's "Bringing It All Back Home" LP in 1965. Why such a wickedly cool little tune (non-album Dylan too) didn't make a chart splash on either side of the pond is a genuine mystery to me. Even worse - because neither it nor Paul Butterfield nor Love charted in the UK – Blighty's 'London' label decided to give up on Elektra Records entirely - thereby missing out on The Doors, Tim Buckley, MC5, The Stooges, Bread, Carly Simon and loads more (imagine what those late 60ts London 45s would be worth now)...

While it's nice to finally hear The Sir Douglas Quintet 45 "The Rain Comes" on CD – in truth it isn't a patch as a song on the fab groove of their previous romper "She's About A Mover" from April 1965. Better is the gorgeous Motownish bopping Soul of "She Blew A Good Thing" by The American Poets with Ronnie Lewis chewing up the Lead Vocals (known simply as The Poets in the USA). It's been a Northern Soul stalwart for decades now and not surprising to see it listed at £200 and upwards in Price Guides. Genius choice time again – "Bird-Doggin'" is a fantastic Guitar-and-Harmonica-infused R&B dancer that thrashes like an American Garage version of Them – only it's by British Rock 'n' Roller Gene Vincent of all people (what a gem). Cleverly following that is the very Jerry Butler slow Soul of "Teenager's Prayer" by Joe Simon – yours for a surprisingly cheap £30 (if you can find a London HLU 10057 original). Written by Chuck Taylor "Mister Bang Bang Man" freaked the BBC out with its gunshots and swaggering dude walking the street toting his handgun like it was party time at gangster central – so Decca pulled it - despite both Demo and Stock copies having been pressed. With its sort of Ska/Bluebeat brassy backbeat – "Mister Bang Bang Man" has subsequently become a £150 sought-after rarity. Soul fans will dig "United" which Gamble & Huff gave to The Intruders while the magic of Dan Penn's songwriting (with the help of the Fame label’s Rick Hall) imbibes Barbara Lynn's "You Left The Water Running" with a whiteboy-soul sweetness. Written by Joe South – "Party People" by Ray Stevens tanked because its just too ordinary – something you can't say about the extraordinary "7 And 7 Is" by Arthur Lee's Love – a commercial failure but a "hey man" garage 45 triumph. The Ronettes make the third withdrawn entry on this CD compilation – the £100-listed "I Can Hear Music" – the only song of theirs 'not' produced by Phil Spector (Jeff Barry stepped in).

The utterly bizarre novelty record "Ever See A Diver Kiss His Wife While The Bubbles Bounce About Above The Water?" features Shirley Ellis engaging in a singing/talking word battle with her real-life hubby Lincoln Chase trying to sound like some Jamaican extra in "Dr. No". Better is the recorded-in-a-bucket garage of "You Burn Me Up And Down" by We The People – a magnificent slice of screaming guitar/vocal mayhem that feels like The Stooges rehearsing in 1966. Hardly surprising then that it sold zip and is listed at £135+. Rapidly back to novelty with the utterly lunatic "I'm A Nut" by Leroy Pullins - which feels like The Trashmen's "Surfin' Bird" sung by some hillbilly hick cross-pollenated with Ray Stevens as he records "The Streak"! Speaking of loveable loons - the celebrated and hugely missed British DJ/TV Comedian Kenny Everett used to play it on his BBC Radio Show - but sadly didn’t include it on his masterpiece of laughter LP "The World's Worst Record Show" from 1978. K-Tel issued the album of 20 dreadful records on a delightful slather of puke-coloured vinyl and I frankly treasure that album with an almost gun-totting passion (anyone goes near it and they die). "1966" ends on the inevitable Spector monster of "River Deep-Mountain High" sung by the Soulful Superlungs of Tina Turner trying to be heard over all those strings and echo effects.

So there you have it. In truth not all of "1966" will appeal – but l love its diversity and its brilliantly clever choices/sequencing (collectors will also dig those first-time-on-the-digital-format rarities). Even as someone who claims 'to know his stuff' – there are tracks on here I haven’t heard and clearly needed to.

"...Boo Bip Bip Yeah!" – Arthur Lee shouts on the manic Elektra Records 45 "7 And 7 Is" by LOVE. And who am I to disagree with a visionary!

PS: Titles in "The London American Label Year By Year" Ace Records CD Series are:
1. The London American Label Year By Year: 1956 (Ace CDCHD 1347, June 2012)
2. The London American Label Year By Year: 1957 (Ace CDCHD 1318, January 2012)
3. The London American Label Year By Year: 1958 (Ace CDCHD 1310, June 2011)
4. The London American Label Year By Year: 1959 (Ace CDCHD 1285, November 2010)
5. The London American Label Year By Year: 1960 (Ace CDCHD 1237, August 2009)
6. The London American Label Year By Year: 1961 (Ace CDCHD 1249, January 2010)
7. The London American Label Year By Year: 1962 (Ace CDCHD 1265, June 2010)
8. The London American Label Year By Year: 1963 (Ace CDCHD 1302, March 2011)
9. The London American Label Year By Year: 1964 (Ace CDCHD 1366, May 2013)
10. The London American Label Year By Year: 1965 (Ace CDCHD 1417, October 2014)
11. The London American Label Year By Year: 1966 (Ace CDCHD 1444, August 2015)

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"The Complete Studio Recordings" by MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT (2000 Ace/Vanguard 3CD Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Coffeehouse Blues In Beulah Land..." 

You could argue that Mississippi John Hurt isn't a Blues Artist at all - but a Folk Singer like Josh White who happened to be a black entertainer. But that's to downplay or even dismiss the quiet majesty and magic that exudes from these 1966 recordings of just a man and his guitar (literally). There's a sweetness to his fingerpicking delivery of songs about wanderlust men ("Talking Casey"), frisky gals with their daddies gone out on Saturday night ("Richland Woman Blues") and murder in small town America ("First Shot Missed Him") - a sort of calming effect as his nimble fingers roll over the frets and the stories unfold. Here are the burdens laid down...

UK released 31 October 2000 (November 2000 in the USA) – "The Complete Studio Recordings" by MISSISSIPPI JOHN HURT on Ace Records/Vanguard Masters 3VCD 181 (Barcode 090204991754) is a 3CD set and breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 – "Today!" – 43:50 minutes:
1. Pay Day
2. I'm Satisfied
3. Candy Man
4. Make Me A Pallet On Your Floor
5. Talking Casey
6. Corinna, Corinna
7. Coffee Blues [Side 2]
8. Louis Collins
9. Hot Time In The Old Town Tonight
10. If You Don't Want Me Baby
11. Spike Driver Blues
12. Beulah Land
Tracks 1 to 12 are the album "Today!" – released 1966 in the USA on Vanguard VSD-79220

Disc 2 – "The Immortal Mississippi John Hurt" – 37:48 minutes:
1. Since I've Laid My Burden Down
2. Moaning The Blues
3. Stocktime (Buck Dance)
4. Lazy Blues
5. Richland Woman Blues
6. Wise And Foolish Virgins (Tender Virgins)
7. Hop Joint
8. Monday Morning Blues [Side 2]
9. I've Got The Blues And I Can’t Be Satisfied
10. Keep On Knocking
11. Chicken
12. Stagolee
13. Nearer My God To Thee
Tracks 1 to 13 are the album "The Immortal Mississippi John Hurt" – released in 1967 in the USA on Vanguard VSD-79248. He died in his sleep November 1966 aged 73.

Disc 3 – "Last Sessions" – 46:51 minutes:
1. Poor Boy, Long Ways From Home
2. Boys You're Welcome
3. Joe Turner Blues
4. First Shot Missed Him
5. Farther Along
6. Funky Butt
7. Spider, Spider
8. Waiting For You
9. Shortnin' Bread
10. Trouble, I've Had It All My Days
11. Let The Mermaids Flirt With Me
12. Good Morning, Carrie
13. Nobody Cares For Me
14. All Night Long
15. Hey, Honey, Right Away
16. You've Got To Die
17. Goodnight Irene
Tracks 1 to 17 are the album "Last Sessions" which feature February 1966 sessions finally released 1972 in the USA on Vanguard VSD-79327.

TOM VICKERS produced the reissue and the 8-page inlay has liner notes by JOHN MILWARD who has contributed articles to the New York Times and Rolling Stone. He talks of John Hurt's extraordinary life – born into Carroll County in Mississippi – recording his first sides in 1928 for Okeh Records – then disappearing into varying work for the next 38 years. Then at the sprightly age of 71 – he’s rediscovered by collectors to be still living in Avalon – records these sides and after the debut album release in 1966 – gets a second chance – picked up upon by an adoring American public who have gone gaga for both Folk and Blues music. Legendarily he recorded the music on this 3CD set in only three days – just him and his guitar. The first album came out in 1966, the second in 1967 (after he'd sadly passed away in November 1966) and the third set showed up posthumously in 1972. The 3CD compilation was engineered for release by JEFF ZARAYA using the original analogue tape and remastered to 20-bit digital using the Sonic Solutions process. The Audio is lovely – just him and his Acoustic – small amounts of hiss – but nothing that detracts too much.

It opens with "Pay Day" which establishes his fingerpicking style – a soft rolling rhythm he uses on almost every song (those expecting slashing slide and bottleneck should turn away). Favourites of mine are "Coffee Blues" where he sings the praise of Maxwell House and the chipper upbeat rollick of "Hot Time In Old Town Tonight". His huge personal warmth comes out in "If You Don't Want Me Baby" where he recounts "...I tried my best to do my father's will..." and the simple but touching "Spike Driver Blues" where "...John Henry was a steel-driving man..." The album ends with another Americana picker called "Beulah Land" where his 'mother is way beyond the sky'...

The 2nd LP offers more of the same – but in my book has the better tunes. It opens with the load-off song "Since I Lay My Burden Down" and the superb dual guitars of "Moaning The Blues". He slaps the guitar frame on "Stocktime (Buck Dance)" with his fingertips while the short but cool "Lazy Blues" is 1:30 minutes of acoustic magic. His lyrics on "Wise And Foolish Virgins (Tender Virgins)" could have been pervy but end up being so obtuse that you don't know what Buddah was doing (probably best that way). Another nice doubling-up of guitars comes with "Monday Morning Blues" – a sweet lollygagging tune that ambles in and wins your heart. For me the "Last Sessions” record is the worst of the three - feeling like stuff that was tried but not deemed good enough. "Joe Turner Blues" is uncharacteristically bitter (Big Joe dipping his toes into bedrooms he should stay out of) but the delightfully titled "Funky Butt" has that charm and wit that served him so well on the first two albums.

It's not all genius as some claim and after a while the same song and style can wear – but sometimes like Springsteen's "Nebraska" or Muddy's "Folk Singer" – it's that very sparseness that you crave. And as he sings "Nearer My God To Thee" (only a few months later, he would be) – it's hard not to be just a little in love with this gentle and humble troubadour.

The lonesome train rattles down the tracks in the midday sun and old Mississippi John Hurt is riding it...heading to that great gig in the sky...a smile on his lived-in face...with his trusty acoustic guitar in hand...going home...

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"Gold/Mr. Mean" by OHIO PLAYERS - November 1976 and January 1978 US Albums on Mercury Records (August 2015 UK Beat Goes On Records (BGO) Compilation - 2LPs onto 2CDs - Andrew Thompson Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

This Review Along With 145 Others Is Available In My

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MORE THAN A FEELING 

1976

Your All-Genres Guide To 

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"...Sweet Sticky Thing..." 

After 10 albums of hard-hitting Funk-Soul since their 1969 debut on Capitol Records and with renewed success on Mercury Records – Dayton's OHIO PLAYERS were due a 'Best Of' and 1976's compilation album "Gold" fitted the bill nicely. Armed with nine chart hits including four monster No.1 singles - "Fire”, "Love Rollercoaster", "Sweet Sticky Thing" and "Who'd She Coo?" and one new track "Feel The Beat (Everybody Disco)" – it's hardly surprising that the gatefold LP climbed to No. 2 on the US R 'n' B album charts in November 1976.

This clever and brill-sounding 2015 CD reissue from England’s Beat Goes On Records lumps that classic together with a lesser-heard 1978 platter called "Mr. Mean" where their dominance of the Soul/Funk scene was beginning to wane (although the music was still cool). Here are the dudes with big hats, funky horns and album covers with ladies wearing very little else....

UK released August 2015 (September 2015 in the USA) – "Gold/Mr. Mean" by OHIO PLAYERS on Beat Goes On Records BGOCD 1218 (Barcode 5017261212184) is a Compilation that offers 2LPs Remastered on 1CD and breaks down as follows (79:39 minutes):

1. Feel The Beat (Everybody Disco)

2. Love Rollercoaster

3. I Want To Be Free

4. Fopp

5. Far East Mississippi

6. Skin Tight

7. Fire [Side 2]

8. Sweet Sticky Thing

9. Jive Turkey (Part 1)

10. Only A Child Can Love

11. Who'd She Coo?

Tracks 1 to 11 are the compilation LP "Gold" – released November 1976 in the USA on Mercury SRM-1-1122 and in the UK on Mercury 9100 030

12. Mr. Mean

13. Fight Me, Chase Me

14. The Controller's Mind

15. The Big Score

16. Magic Trick [Side 2]

17. Good Luck Charm

18. Speak Easy

Tracks 12 to 18 are the album "Mr. Mean" – released January 1978 in the USA on Mercury SRM-1-3707 (no UK release).

You get the tasty card slipcase and a 16-page booklet with new liner notes by noted Mojo contributor and genre expert CHARLES WARING along with full album credits and photos from the album covers. ANDREW THOMPSON has carried out the 2015 remasters at Sound Performance in London and the audio (as you might expect) punches like a mule – especially when you’re getting your speakers hammered with those big brassy sections and that Marshall Jones Bass thumping backbeat that so many admire and love.

Collating together all the hits from the Mercury years (begins 1974) - the "Gold" compilation hits you with no less than eight chart smashes – a rare B-side and one new song. It opens with the passable newbie "Feel The Beat (Disco Everywhere)" which just about scraped Number 19 - but things go Funky Central with the wicked "Love Rollercoaster". Both it and the other infectious Number 1 "Sweet Sticky Thing" were lifted off the August 1975 album "Honey" (also featured "Fopp")  – an album sleeve with a naked lady slurping from a large jar of – well – honey.

The Side 2 opener "Fire" also charged up to the top of the charts (December 1974) while "I Want To Be Free" hit a respectable No. 6 in April 1975 (both taken from the "Fire" album of November 1974). But I'd forgotten just how socially conscious they were – hitting both your head and your heart with the superb groove of "Far East Mississippi" – Charles Satchell doing the vocal huffing and puffing while Leroy "Sugar" Bonner licks that Harmonica. "Skin Tight" has that Steely Dan brass section thing going too. Also included on the "Gold" compilation was the mid-tempo talking smooch of "Only A Child Can Love" - a non-album B-side to the 7" of "Far East Mississippi" which rose to No. 26 on the R&B singles chart in late November 1976. It ends on the "...Are you ready..." Funk of "Who'd She Coo?" – a party animal of a groove and a deserved Number 1.

The "Mr. Mean" album (recorded in 1977) sees the songs stretch out into seven and nine-minute workouts – and despite not having any hit singles – it still managed a healthy No. 11 placing on the US R’n’B album charts in the first week of 1978. Both the title track and "Fight Me, Chase Me" are heavy on the brass with the second cut even having some fusion stuff going on in there. "The Controller's Mind" is one and half minutes of synth and drum machines searching for a groove but ends up feeling kind of pointless. Side 1 finishes on the 7:35 minutes of "The Big Score" – a Funky Tour de Force where the frantic pace is filled out with synth fills and brass runs. 

"Magic Trick" comes closest to the magic combo of old – a Funky Groove with 'yow!' vocals and those chunky brass arrangements (the remaster is fabulous too). But for me this has always been a one-track album - the wonderful and sexy groove of "Good Luck Charm" which at 9:35 minutes feels epic (loving those slinky keyboard runs). It opens with drums rolls, has some "Sugar" vocals but eventually settles into a Guitar Groove with the Saxophone that lasts forever - the kind of slinky tune that has punters rushing to the counters of Soul shops everywhere wanting to know who it is...

So there you have it – a killer compilation and an album that has its moments. I don't know if I'd lick the spoon clean over this one – but if you're a fan or just a casual buyer – you need the stunning audio and those fantastic forgotten Soul/Funk grooves (like "Good Luck Charm") on both records...

"Folk Singer" by MUDDY WATERS featuring Buddy Guy on Guitar, Otis Spann on Piano, Willie Dixon on Bass and James Cotton on Harmonica (1999 MCA/Chess Expanded CD Reissue – Eric Labson Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"...Put Me In Your Lay Away Plan..."

Muddy Waters hadn’t seen chart action since 1958. But what was chewing up American Radio and the burgeoning live circuit in colleges and campuses across the country was a huge renewed interest in downhome Folk music as sung by their 'tell the truth' artists – people like The Kingston Trio, The Rooftop Singers and the hugely popular Peter, Paul & Mary. Against all the Pop odds (and with Dylan causing such an impact too) - these groups, these storytelling singers and custodians of history were all regularly making the top ten – and in some cases knocking on that big number one chart door on several occasions.

Being record men, part-time pimps and full-time genre hustlers - Leonard and Phil Chess thought – to hell with it – let's get Bluesman Muddy Waters in for an 'acoustic' session – get some old guy from down in the Delta who knows how to play Acoustic Slide on lead – get Willie Dixon on Bass and Clifton James on Drums to be the rhythm section and record the whole sucker cheaply in a few loose days in September 1963. So that's what they did...

Although Buddy Guy was literally cursed out by the infamous dynamic duo on the morning he arrived to do the session (both Leonard and Phil considered him 'too young' to know what to do) – Muddy insisted on his presence and once they heard his incredibly accomplished playing – the canny Jewish men cursed Buddy Guy again (but in a nice way) and the tapes started rolling. And thus the most unlikely part of Morgan McKinleyfield's career got the shot in the arm it needed and a recording/audiophile legend was born.

The January 1964 Chess album "Folk Singer" should actually read "Folk Blues" – because this is a long way from the heavy riffing of "Mannish Boy" and the loud Electric Guitar Blues of the 40s and 50s. But man oh man does it work. Deftly produced by WILLIE DIXON and RALPH BASS – "Folk Singer" has always been an Audiophile recording to me (unusual for the Blues genre of the time) and the kind of recording Mobile Fidelity have put out on 180grams reissue LP. But what sends this superb 1999 CD reissue into the stratosphere is not just the truly stunning ERICK LABSON Remastered sound quality - but five very cool bonus tracks which count among their numbers - what I feel are his best ever sides. "The Same Thing" and "You Can't Lose What You Never Had" are the A&B of Chess 1895 from May 1964 – a genius combo with "You Can’t Always..." used extensively by Director Martin Scorsese on his "Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues: A Musical Journey" TV Series in 2004. And as if that's not enough – like some neglected masterpiece few seem to know exists – "Folk Singer" is on sale in some places for less than three quid! Let's say hello to little schoolgirls and big-legged women (and try not to get arrested in the mean time)...

US released July 1999 – "Folk Singer" by MUDDY WATERS on MCA/Chess CHD-12027 (Barcode 008811202729) is an Expanded Edition CD reissue and plays out as follows (48:51 minutes):

1. My Home Is In The Delta [Side 1]

2. Long Distance

3. My Captain

4. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl

5. You Gonna Need My Help

6. Cold Weather Blues [Side 2]

7. Big Leg Woman

8. Country Boy

9. Feel Like Going Home

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "Folk Singer" – released January 1964 in the USA on Chess LP 1483 and May 1964 in the UK on Pye International NPL 28038 (Mono). All tracks feature the following four – Muddy Waters on Lead Vocals and Lead Guitar, Buddy Guy on Lead Guitar, Willie Dixon on Bass and Clifton James on Drums – except "Feel Like Going Home" which in Muddy Waters on Guitar and Vocals only.

BONUS TRACKS:

10. The Same Thing

11. You Can't Lose What You Never Had (tracks 10 and 11 are the A&B-sides of a May 1964 US 7" single on Chess 1895)

Tracks 10 and 11 recorded 9 April 1964 with Otis Spann on Piano, James "Pee Wee" Madison on Guitar, Willie Dixon on Bass and S.P. Leary on Drums.

12. My John The Conqueror Root

13. Short Dress Woman (tracks 12 and 13 are the A&B-sides of a November 1964 US 7" single on Chess 1914; track 12 previously unreleased on US LP)

14. Put Me In Your Lay Away – A-side of a May 1965 US 7" single Chess 1921. Its B-side is "Still A Fool" from 1951 - so isn’t included on this CD.

Tracks 12, 13 and 14 recorded October 1964 with J.T. Brown on Tenor sax and Clarinet, Sam Lawhorn on Guitar, James Cotton on Harmonica, Otis Spann on Piano, James "Pee Wee" Madison on Guitar, Milton Rector on Bass and S.P. Leary on Drums

The 12-page booklet features a short essay of the album's genesis and history by noted Blues Historian Mary Katherine Aldin who did Hip-O Select’s annotation for their magnificent Volume 2 of Muddy Waters' complete Chess recordings "Hoochie Coochie Man..." in 2004. Pages 7, 8 and 9 reproduce the original liner notes by Producer Ralph Bass with the remainder taken up with reissue credits. Good names like ANDY McKAIE and BETH STEMPEL have coordinated the series – but the big news is new Remastering by ERICK LABSON at Universal. His credits list runs like a who’s who of Chess artists (Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson, Etta James, The Dells, Rotary Connection) as well as many prestigious Rock catalogues (Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, Mamas and Papas, Neil Diamond, Wishbone Ash and The Who) to name but a few. The Audio here is mindblowingly good – and I think its safe to say remains one of my favourite Blues transfers ever. The casual yet tight feeling of these sessions is part of why I play it so often – and that same gorgeous Audio applies even more to the five bonus cuts. A nice touch is that there are sepia-coloured outtake photos from the sessions beneath the see-through inlay.

The album opens with a very slow and moody "My Home Is In The Delta" followed by the equally cool "Long Distance" (both Muddy originals). The sound is amazing – the slow whack of the drum – the double bass plucked – Guy playing those beautiful little flourishes while Muddy moans and lays into that slide at appropriate moments ("...hear my phone ringing...sound like a long-distance call..."). The eerie 5:13 minutes of "My Captain" is the only Willie Dixon composition on here and is so quite at times it almost feels 'bare'. There is natural tape hiss but nothing too much to detract. What you do get is that gorgeous Buddy Guy playing which is all feel and talent. Things are livened up big time with Sonny Boy Williamson’s "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" – which along with "My Home Is In The Delta" are the two tracks represented on the "Gold" 2CD anthology. The audio is awesome on this salacious tune – boogieing out of your speakers with those drum flicks and Guy’s zippy playing.

It’s straight into funeral Blues – slow and brooding with "You're Gonna Need My Help" – the interplay between the two guitars thrilling the air every few seconds. Things drop to quiet again with another McKinleyfield original "Cold Weather Blues" – the slight echo on Muddy's whoops giving the tune a huge otherworldly chasm vibe ("...going down south people where the weather suits my cold..."). Things get physically animated in the trouser area on the witty John Temple song "Big Leg Woman" where our hero implores his ladies to "...keep your dresses down..." lest he gets too excited and goes all bulldog on their jellyrolls (yikes). His long-suffering gal has to put up with Muddy excuses like "...don't say I don’t love you because I stays out all night long..." on the beautifully simple "Country Boy”. Both it and the final nugget "Feel Like Going Home" have some of the finest playing too – guitars squeaking and groaning as the necks get worked. "Feel Like Going Home" in particular is just him and his guitar and is truly fabulous stuff...all mojo man and Blues feeling dripping off every lick and moan...

The five Bonus Tracks are all studio efforts too – singles from April and October 1964 sessions – but this time with a full band in tow. With the added visceral power the beautiful remaster gives them – the extras come as a welcome addition after all that acoustic Blues. For me the double-whammy of "The Same Thing" b/w "You Can't Lose What You Never Had" on Chess 1895 is the one of the finest examples of Chess genius. The brilliantly witty Willie Dixon A-side has Muddy chronicling the downfall of all men – the lure of a big-legged woman – while "You Can't Lose What You Never Had" is one of those stunning atmospheric B-sides you hear about but can never locate. And while the boogie of "My John The Conqueror Root" is great – the Saxophone sounds ever so slightly out of place. Better fun is another naughty "way up around her knee" tune written by Saxophonist John T. Brown called "Short Dress Woman" which has an almost New Orleans vibe going on in there – both Otis Spann on Piano and James Cotton on Harmonica playing up a blinder.

"...Put me in your lay away plan...with just a small deposit down..." - Muddy Waters sings in the last track on this fantastic "Folk Singer" expanded CD – and that sounds like damn good advice to me...

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