"The Platinum Collection" by ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS (March 2007 Warner Brothers Platinum CD Reissue/Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Here I Go Again…Thinking With My Heart…"

Celebrating 60 years of Atlantic Records - this UK released March 2007 Warner/Rhino CD set is part of a large series of budget-priced compilations offering generous amounts of classic music for peanuts money.

With all 20 tracks remastered to great sound throughout - "The Platinum Collection" by ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS on Warner Brothers Platinum 8122-79993-2 (Barcode 081227999360) gives you 16 soul songs from their 3 albums on the Atlantic label - along with 4 rare non-album 7" single sides. 

The inlay is basic (a gatefold slip of paper) and lacking in details at this price - so here's a breakdown of what's what (52:35 minutes total playing time)....

1. Tighten Up

15. When You Left, Heartache Began

18. You're Mine

20. Tighten Up (Part 2)

Tracks 1, 15, 18 and 20 from "Tighten Up" - May 1968 Stereo US LP on Atlantic SD-8181

2. I Can't Stop Dancing

3. Do You Feel It?

4. Do The Choo Choo

5. Love Will Rain On You

13. Monkey Time

19. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay

Tracks 2, 3, 4, 5, 13 and 19 are from "I Can't Stop Dancing" - 1968 Stereo US LP on Atlantic SD-8204

6. (There's Gonna Be) A Showdown

7. I Love My Baby

8. Girl You're Too Young

9. My Balloon's Going Up

14. Here I Go Again

16. Giving Up Dancing

Tracks 6, 7, 8, 9, 14 and 16 are from "There's Gonna Be A Showdown" - August 1969 US Stereo LP on Atlantic SD-8226

USA 7" Singles:

10 is "A World Without Music" - 1970 on Atlantic 2693 [A, Non-Album Track]

("Here I Go Again" was it's B-side - but it was also issued Sept 1972 as an A in the UK on Atlantic K 10210 - charted at number 11)

11 is "Don't Let The Music Slip Away" - 1970 on Atlantic 2721 [A, Non-Album Track]

12 is "Wrap It Up" - December 1970 on Atlantic 2768 [A, Non-Album Track]

17 is "Dog Eat Dog" - April 1968 on Atlantic 2478 [Non-Album Track, B-side to "Tighten Up"]

Forgotten gems include "Here I Go Again" and "Wrap It Up" - both are sort of Chi-Lites meets Motown dancers - really excellent. "Do The Choo Choo" is awful - a poor attempt at a dance craze after the number one success of "Tighten Up" on both sides of the pond. "Dog Eat Dog" - the rare non-LP B-side of their first British 45 "Tighten Up" on Atlantic 584 185 (May 1968) is a welcome addition to CD - great 60ts Soul. "When You Left Heartache Began" has been on Northern Soul compilations as a track to rediscover too.

Rare tracks, decent sound - this budget-priced remastered compilation is stunning value for money and makes available music that is increasingly hard to find now on original vinyl. 

Recommended big time as are frankly most compilations in this brilliant British set of CD releases…

PS: the other Atlantic artists in "The Platinum Collection" series are: LaVern Baker (see REVIEW), Brook Benton (see REVIEW), Booker T & The M.G.'s, Ruth Brown (see REVIEW), Solomon Burke, Clarence Carter, The Clovers (see REVIEW), Arthur Conley (see REVIEW), Don Covay, The Detroit Spinners, Eddie Floyd, King Curtis, Barbara Lewis (see REVIEW), The Mar-Keys, The Persuasions, Sam & Dave, Percy Sledge (see REVIEW), Carla Thomas, Rufus Thomas, (Big) Joe Turner and Betty Wright

Archie Bell & The Drells – Atlantic LP Discography

"Tighten Up!"

Atlantic SD-8181, May 1968 USA Stereo LP

Side 1: Tighten Up (Part 1 and 2)/I Don't Wanna Be A Playboy/You're Mine/Knock On Wood

Side 2: Give Me Time/In the Midnight Hour/When You Left Heartache Began/A Thousand Wonders/A Soldier's Prayer, 1967

"I Can’t Stop Dancing"

Atlantic SD-8204, 1968 USA Stereo LP

Side 1: I Can't Stop Dancing/(Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay/Do The Choo Choo/You're Such A Beautiful Child/Monkey Time

Side 2: Do You Feel It? /I've Been Trying/Jammin' In Houston/Love Will Rain On You/Sometimes I Wonder

"There’s Gonna Be A Showdown"

Atlantic SD-8226, August 1969 USA Stereo LP

Side 1: I Love My Baby/Houston, Texas/(There's Gonna Be A) Showdown/Giving Up Dancing/Girl You're Too Young/Mama Didn't Teach Me That Way

Side 2: Do The Hand Jive/My Balloon's Going Up/Here I Go Again/Go For What You Know/Green Power/Just A Little Closer

"The Hi Records Singles A's & B's" by ANN PEEBLES - 47 x US Single Sides From 1969 to 1981 on Hi Records (June 2002 UK Demon/Hi Records 2CD Compilation of Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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70ts Soul, R 'n' B, Funk, Jazz Fusion
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"…Love Power…"

Forty-seven Soul killers across 2CDs and hardly a duffer amongst them - not a bad track record by any reckoning for a decade long slew of hits. Ann Peebles knew how to milk a groove. Here are the 'give me some' credits...

UK released June 2002 - "The Hi Records Singles A's & B's" by ANN PEEBLES on Demon/Hi Records HEXD 54 (Barcode 740155205423) is a 2CD Compilation that breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (67:47 minutes):

1. Walk Away

2. I Can't Let You Go (1969, tracks 1 and 2 are the A&B of Hi 2157, B-side non album)

3. Give Me Some Credit

4. Solid Foundation (1969, tracks 3 and 4 are the A&B of Hi 2165)

5. I'll Get Along

6. Generation Gap Between Us (1970, tracks 5 and 6 are the A&B of Hi 2173)

7. Part Time Love

8. I Still Love You (1970, tracks 7 and 8 are the A&B of Hi 2178)

9. I Pity The Fool

10. Heartaches Heartaches (1971, tracks 9 and 10 are the A&B of Hi 2186, B-side non-album)

11. Slipped, Tripped And Fell In Love

12. 99 Lbs (1971, tracks 11 and 12 are the A&B of Hi 2198)

13. Breaking Up Somebody's Home

14. Trouble, Heartaches & Sadness (1971, tracks 13 and 14 are the A&B of Hi 2205)

15. Somebody's On Your Case

16. I've Been There Before (1972, tracks 15 and 16 are the A&B of Hi 2219)

17. I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down

18. One Way Street (1973, tracks 17 and 18 are the A&B of Hi 2232)

19. I Can't Stand The Rain (1973, track 19 is the A of Hi 2248, B-side was "I've Been There Before" (see 16))

20. (You Keep Me) Hangin' On (1974, track 20 is the A-side of Hi 2265, US B-side was "I Pity The Fool" (see 9))

21. Run, Run, Run (1974, track 21 is the B-side of "(You Keep Me) Hangin' On" in the UK on London HLU 10468)

22. Do I Need You

23. A Love Vibration (1974, tracks 22 and 23 are the A&B of Hi 2271)

24. Put Yourself In My Place

25. Until You Came Into My Life (1974, tracks 24 and 25 are the A&B of Hi 2278)

Disc 2 (72:38 minutes):

1. Beware

2. You Got To Feed The Fire (1975, tracks 1 and 2 are the A&B of Hi 2284)

3. Come To Mama

4. I'm Leavin' You (1975, tracks 3 and 4 are the A&B of Hi 2294, B-side non- album)

5. Dr. Love Power (1975, track 5 is the A-side of Hi 2302, the B-side was "I Still Love You" (track 8 on Disc 1))

6. I Don't Lend My Mind

7. I Needed Somebody (1975, tracks 6 and 7 are the A&B of Hi 2309)

8. Fill This World With Love

9. It Was Jealousy (1976, tracks 8 and 9 are the A&B of Hi 2320)

10. If This Is Heaven

11. When I'm In Your Arms (1977, tracks 10 and 11 are the A&B of Hi 77502)

12. Old Man With Young Ideas

13. A Good Day For Lovin' (1978, tracks 12 and 13 are the A&B of Hi 78509)

14. I Didn't Take Your Man

15. Being Here With You (1978, tracks 14 and 15 are the A&B of Hi 78518)

16. If You Got The Time (I Got The Love)

17. Let Your Lovelight Shine (1979, tracks 16 and 17 are the A&B of Hi 79528, A-side non-album)

18. Heartaches

19. I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love (1980, tracks 18 and 19 are the A&B of Hi 80533 - Single-only release)

20. Be For Me (Alternate B-side for "Heartaches" - track 19)

21. Mon Belle - Amour

22. Waiting (1981, tracks 21 and 22 are the A&B of Hi 81534, Single-only release, both sides feature DONALD BRYANT)

The 12-page booklet features track-by-track writer credits, catalogue numbers and chart placing. Well-written Mick Patrick & Malcolm Baumgart liner notes give a detailed history of her stay at Hi Records with Producer Willie Mitchell - and the excellent mastering has been done by PETER RYNSTON at Tall Order in the UK.

Along with Al Green, Syl Johnson, O.V. Wright and Otis Clay (her label mates at Hi) - Peebles had an extraordinary 7" singles career on the American Billboard R&B charts - eight in the top fifty ("Pity The Fool" and "I Can't Stand The Rain" hitting No. 7 and No. 6 respectively) with the rest inside the Top 100 of the Billboard charts. The Missouri Gospel singer struck a chord with buyers when her gritty Soul songs filled the airwaves - "Breaking Up Somebody's Home" and "I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down" having since been covered by numerous artists (many in the Rock sphere).

Tunes like Clay Hammond's "Part Time Love" and George Jackson's "Slipped, Tripped And Fell In Love" are typical of her groove - the Ann Peebles sound - gutsy vocals, real world lyrics about heartache, lust and cheating backed up by tight guitars and complimentary brass. But what's so cool about this compilation is getting to hear those 'just as good' B-sides like the aching "I Still Love You" and Don Bryant's "99 Lbs". And then there's those low end chart songs you've forgotten about like Earl Randie's "Somebody's On Your Case" and her superb Soulful take on the Gosdin Brothers country classic "(You Keep Me) Hangin' On".

Like Al Green - the sides Ann Peebles did at Hi Records never seem to date - but only get better as the decades pass as more and more Soul searchers stumble on her musical legacy. Start tearing your playhouse down right here...

"Shakespeare: The Illustrated Edition' by BILL BRYSON (2009 Reprint in Hardback with CD) - A Review by Mark Barry...

Who Is This William Shakespeare Geezer 

And Why Is Bill Bryson Saying All These Nice Things About Him...

This review is for the 2009 Hardback Reprint of "Shakespeare: The Illustrated Version" with 256 'oversized' pages (it was originally published as a plain-pages version in 2007 entitled "Shakespeare: The World As Stage"). Bryson’s reprint was initially £20 as a hardback but in 2018 is now available on the used marketplace for a lot less and is most definitely the version to own (note that original issues of "The Illustrated Version" also came with an exclusive CD of selected sonnets read by Sir John Gielgud - used copies may not have this).

In this gorgeously illustrated and brilliantly written account of the English language's greatest wordsmith - William Shakespeare - Bill Bryson does a fabulous job of 'informing us'. I mention this because in 2007 when Bryson's original bare-bones variant was published there were some 24 to 25 thousand books on The Bard and what Bryson found so amusing (and frustrating) during years of research is that most knew next-to-diddly about the man. Actual details on WS and what he thought, believed, felt or even how his process of writing came about are scarce and because we’re dealing with the 16th Century – notoriously difficult to confirm as authentic.

Worse - there are then the 5000+ books by debunkers (some with silly surnames like J. Thomas Looney, Sherwood E. Silliman and George M. Battey - I kid you not) who want to say that The Earl Of Sussex (Edward De Vere) was in fact the real Shakespeare. Or was it Christopher Marlowe (his portrait is on Page 123) – or perhaps Francis Bacon - relative of the mildly demented American lady Delia Bacon - say the Baconists? These determined revisionists produce clever suppositions and enticing connections that tell us an obvious truth (to them) – that William Shakespeare wasn’t in fact William Shakespeare. Rather missing the point though is that after four hundred or more years - little real evidence of this hypothesis has ever surfaced anywhere (the mother of all cover ups baby).

Back to the 2009 reprint - as you turn the large-leaf pages and devour the sleuth-like facts that we do know about him - you begin to see the problem with Willy Boy. Despite three pages of Selected Bibliography and two pages of image credits at the rear of Bryson’s tome - there are only a few actual likenesses of William Shakespeare known to exist. And of course, someone, somewhere, more knowledgeable than you or I - always disputes them.

William, the son of Jon Shakespeare, a humble and not well educated leather tanner, was born 23 April 1564 and while Billy’s name began to appear as early as 1598 on the title pages of quarto editions of his plays (famous while he was alive) - the depths and true emotional innards of this icon of literature remain infuriatingly opaque and elusive (he passed aged 52 in 1616).

One exciting development came from a two feet square portrait of a dapper but intelligent looking gent hanging for centuries in the stately home of the Cobbe Family in Newbridge House outside Dublin in Ireland. Long thought to have been a homage to Sir Walter Raleigh - one of the Cobbe family was visiting an exhibition in London's National Portrait Gallery and realised that their portrait might in fact be someone a tad more famous and historically important. Subjected to three years of rigorous tests including carbon-dating, X-Rays and atmospheric dendrochronological probes (trying saying that with a few jugs of ale) - as recently as 2006 - the Cobbe portrait was declared by the Chairman of The Birth Place Trust (Shakespearean experts) that it was in fact a new likeness of William Shakespeare.

I divulge all of this because outside of casual mentions in other people’s legal documents, a visiting Dutchman who wrote a short note on a play he saw at The Globe Theatre and had miraculously sketched what The Globe looked like (only discovered in 1888), Anne Hathaway's thatched cottage in Shottery (his wife), the cryptic almost nonsensical verse on his supposed burial place (where of course he isn't buried at all) and some signatures that may or may not be his own hand (a deed of mortgage for one of his homes at Blackfriars in 1613) - there is no paperwork, no evidence of religious beliefs, political leanings, no handwritten notes, corrections, ideas – naught, zip, and you guessed it - nadda.

Hell a huge number of the 154 Sonnets were actually dedicated to a man succinctly described by subsequent hetro historians as a fair youth. So was Shakespeare gay? Or was it the opposite? Sonnet Numbers 127 to 154 refer to a dark lady - so was our Wills in fact a rake – a bounder - a 16th century cad engaged in a lurid and ultimately rejected love affair as these bitter verses implied?

What we do know is that his wife Anne had born him three children, a son called Hamnet who died 1596 aged only eleven in mysterious circumstances and two daughters Judith and Susanna who lived to a ripe old age of 66 and 67 but never produced children so his line faded with them. In fact if it hadn't been for the diligence of his two friends John Heminges and Henry Condell who published the famous "First Folio" in 1623 (seven years after WS's death in 1616) containing and saving all of his written work (there are three variants of "Hamlet" alone with vastly differing lengths) - we might not have known of him except through other people's accounts or poor variants of the plays published while he was alive.

The First Folio was meant to correct all the preceding inferior versions of his work. But is it informative after eight years of prep? Is it bugger! The First Folio typically has a portrait of Shakespeare done from memory yonks after he died and offers a single dedication page that manages to tell you zilch whilst at the same time being more baffling than Brexit negotiations (so long and thanks for all the butter). Shakespeare also based loads of his plays in Italy but its known that he never travelled there...

So, despite lifetimes devoted to the great man and centuries of digging and cross-referencing - we may in 2018 be more in the dark than ever towards WS. 

Be that as it may - "Shakespeare: The Illustrated Edition" published by Harper Collins (ISBN: 9780007325238) is a fantastic read and one that's immeasurably enhanced by a huge plethora of images that illuminate and educate - hand carvings, legal documents, wills, the dedication page of The Sonnets addressed to Mr. W.H., the site of his grave and the famously odd four lines of doggerel, one of the 66 different copies of The First Folio on a pedestal and held at The Henry Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington (750 is reputed to be the number first printed though few know how many have actually survived the ravages of centuries).

I can’t think of any other writer who could have produced a book about William Shakespeare that is both detached in its arguments yet clearly and madly in love with its subject matter - even awestruck by the man's unparalleled written achievements (2000+ extra words are in the English language because of him and over 10% of all quotations are attributable to his pen).

Why do we mere mortals and the diligent Bryson adore this ancient scribe so much (some of his work is exactly that – bloody hard work)? Can we dig up that missing Elizabethan nugget of evidence hidden behind an inglenook somewhere that will finally prove Shakespeare's genius was all his own - once and for all?

Will a sweaty Neanderthal-like bricklayer stumble on a copy of his lost play Cardenio behind a flimsy wall in a Midlands timber-framed shack one day? Cue an edited Sonnet 116...

"...Love...Is An Ever Fixed-Mark...That Looks On Tempests And Is Never Shaken..."

WOW!

"Images" by THE CRUSADERS (June 2009 Universal/Verve 'Originals' CD Remaster in a Card Digipak) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Bayou Bottoms…"

"Images" by THE CRUSADERS was first issued in a single sleeve LP in July 1978 in the USA on Blue Thumb BA-6030 and on ABC Records ABCL 5250 in the UK. This single CD reissue is a straightforward transfer of that long forgotten Jazz Funk album.

US-released June 2009 (September 2009 in the UK) - "Images" by THE CRUSADERS on Universal/Verve 0602517995710 (Barcode 602517995710) is part of Universal's 'Originals' CD Reissue series and is issued in a card digipak (no booklet unfortunately) at mid-price. It breakdowns like this (39:46 minutes):

1. Fairy Tales (Joe Sample song)

2. Marcella's Dream (Nesbert "Stix" Hooper song)

3. Bayou Bottoms (Wilton Felder song)

4. Merry Go Round (Joe sample song) 

[Tracks 1 to 4 made up Side 1 of the original LP]

5. Cosmic Reign (Robert "Pops" Popwell song)

6. Covert Action (Wilton Felder song)

7. Snowflake (Joe Sample song)

[Tracks 5 to 7 made up Side 2 of the original LP]

THE CRUSADERS line-up for "Images" was:

JOE SAMPLE - Keyboards

WILTON FELDER - Saxophones

BILLY ROGERS - Guitar

ROBERT "POPS" POPWELL - Bass

NESBERT "STIX" HOOPER - Drums & Percussion

Additional Guests were:

DEAN PARKS - Guitar (All Selections)

ROLAND BAUTISTA - Guitar (On "Fairy Tales", "Bayou Bottoms" and "Covert Action")

PAULINHO DaCOSTA - Percussion (All Selections)

Possessing not the greatest album sleeve in history - "Images" was nonetheless a bit of a Jazz-Funk peach. Produced by "Stix" Hooper, Wilton Felder & Joe Sample for "Crusader Productions, Inc." and mastered by long-standing expert Bernie Grundman, it followed so much of their Seventies output - really well-produced instrumental funky tracks followed by mellow ones that filled both the floor and the heart at one and the same time.

Remastered from the original tapes by KEVIN REEVES at Universal Mastering in the States, it now sounds FABULOUS - really clear and defined - and virtually hiss-free.

With juts a poor-sounding 1990 US CD to go on - and only "Snowflake" and "Fairy Tales" on the superior sounding "Gold" 2CD set from 2007 (see separate review) - that means that 5 of these 7 tracks are only now getting the sonic upgrade they've deserved for so long. The funk bliss that is "Bayou Bottoms" now sounds stupendous and had me throwing some very embarrassing shapes on our living room carpet. Other tracks like "Cosmic Reign" and “Merry Go Round” are so "Aja" in their arrangements too - and to be compared with Steely Dan's 1977 masterpiece is the highest compliment really.

After a whole decade and umpteen albums of their particular type of funk & jazz, the same team that handled "Images" would finally hit paydirt a year later in 1979 with the global smash of "Street Life" and make Randy Crawford a star.

"Images" is a forgotten Crusaders album and one that now sounds as fresh as it did over 31 years ago - recommended.

PS: For those interested in delving a little deeper - I've posted a full list to 2009 of the 120+ titles in the "ORIGINALS" CD series in the 'Comment' section attached to this review…

"Fever [1983]/Electric Lady [1985]" by CON FUNK SHUN (October 2014 UK Robinsongs/Cherry Red Compilation - 2LPs Remastered Onto 1CD) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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LET'S GO CRAZY - 80ts Music On CD

Your All-Genres Guide To Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters

Classic Albums, Compilations, 45s

All In-Depth Reviews from the Discs Themselves

Over 1,800 e-Pages of Info

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"…Can You Feel The Groove Tonight…"

It's hard to argue with 17 hit singles in a row (1977's "Ffun" even hit the No. 1 slot) and seven charted albums into the bargain – so Robinsongs of the UK have reissued the lot across 3 CDs (see list below). This 4th title in the series adds CON FUNK SHUN's 1983 and 1985 efforts on Mercury Records – and does so with style.

Released October 2014 – "Fever/Electric Lady" by CON FUNK SHUN on Cherry Red/Robinsongs Records CDMRED 636 (Barcode 5013939163638) features 2 full albums Remastered onto 1 CD as follows (71:07 minutes):

1. Can You Feel The Groove Tonight

2. Indiscreet Sweet

3. Baby, I'm Hooked (Right Into Your Love)

4. Thinking About You, Baby

5. Don't Let Your Love Grow Cold

6. Lovin' Fever

7. Hard Lovin'

8. If I'm Your Lover

Tracks 1 to 8 are their 8th album "Fever" released November 1983 in the USA on Mercury 814 447-1 M-1

9. Turn The Music Up

10. Rock It All Night

11. I'm Leaving Baby

12. Tell Me What You're Gonna Do

13. Electric Lady

14. Don't Go (I Want You Back)

15. Circle Of Love

16. Pretty Lady

Tracks 9 to 16 are their 9th album "Electric Lady" released May 1985 in the USA on Mercury Records 824 345-1 M-1

The 12-page booklet has detailed (and honest) liner notes by CHARLES WARING of Soul Jazz Records and Mojo Magazine fame with a full-throated remaster by ALAN WILSON. This CD sounds amazing – full of punch – even when the Eighties Drums threaten to deaden everything. The guitar and synth solos in "Turn The Music Up" are in your face.

"Baby, I'm Hooked (Right Into Your Love)" is a sweet ballad with an infectious vocal and slinky radio-friendly beat. A bit of a smoochy standout on the album - it was released in November 1983 as 45 in the USA (Mercury 814 581-7) and not surprisingly rose to Number 5. "Thinking About You Baby" is the first disappointment – very filler. Better is the Side 2 opener "Don't Let Your Love Grow Cold" – again released as a 45 (Mercury 818 369-7) – but it's Doobie Brothers "Minute By Minute" vibe 0feels like its four years too late for the party. Its B-side "Lovin' Fever" opens with that funky synth flicker that seemed to afflict so many songs of the period – it's good but it lacks the hook to take it out of the ordinary. 

We get all Brothers Johnson slap bass funky with "Hard Lovin'" while "Fever" ends proceedings on an upbeat "She's A Bad Mama Jama (She's Built, She's Stacked)" Carl Carlton tip. The album "Fever" managed a healthy Number 12 on the Billboard R&B charts. The follow-up album "Electric Lady" did better at Number 9 – helped by catchy hits – the Gap Band infused "Electric Lady" (4), the lovely ballad "I'm Leavin' Baby" (12) and one that bubbled under in the Discos - "Tell Me (What I'm Gonna Do)". The album sleeper is the "PYT" Michael Jackson vibe of "Pretty Lady" – another potential single.

A clever reissue and another tick in the copybook of Robinsongs

PS: other CON FUNK SHON titles reissued by Robinsongs:

1. Loveshine (1978) / Candy (1979) – Robinsongs CMDRED 428

2. Touch (1980) / 7 (1981) / To The Max (1982) – Robinsongs CDBRED 519

3. Con Funk Shun (1976) / Secrets (1977) – Robinsongs CDMRED 555