"The Gospel Truth: The Complete Singles Collection" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – Thirty-Four Tracks from January 1972 to October 1974 – Seventeen US 45-Single-Sides (A&B) on the Stax-Related 'The Gospel Truth' Records Label – Featuring The Rance Allen Group, Terry Lynne Community Choir, Reverend Maceo Woods, Reverend Marvin Yancy, The 21st Century, Jacqui Verdell, Blue Aquarius, Jimmy Jones, Charles May and Annette May Thomas, Louise McCord, Joshie Jo Armstead and more (September 2020 US Craft Recordings/Stax 2CD 34-Track Compilation in a Three-Panel Gatefold Card Sleeve with Joe Tarantino Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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70ts Soul, R 'n' B, Funk, Jazz Fusion
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"…Just My Salvation…Running Inside Of Me…"

Although Stax was most closely associated with R&B, Soul and Funk for the Sixties and Seventies – between January 1972 and October 1974 when Stax was still a viable Record Company before their ignominious liquidation and closure in 1975 – they got behind the Lord.

Fans will know that smidgens of the American label The Gospel Truth have turned up on the Stax Singles Mega Boxes – particularly Volume 3 and 4 (I have reviewed all four separately). August 2010 also saw Ace Records of the UK via their Beat Goes Public label imprint offer up a CD compilation called "The Gospel Truth: The Gospel And Funk Of Stax Records" (see my separate review for Ace/Beat Goes Public CDBGP 222 - Barcode 029667522229 - and pictures below). But that 20-track compilation concentrated primarily on the album output of the label and leaned (as it said in the title) towards the Funk and Soul of the label. 

This double has some Funk and Soul but is primarily about secular themes and is the first time their Entire Singles output has been put into one place. Remastered from original tapes and presented to an unwitting world with genuine class – seventeen US 45s and their (mostly) Non-LP B-sides - thirty-four sides in total. These single-sides are rare, and on digital have received scant attention until now

I have found that everything Craft Recordings does regarding reissued-Stax and the label's astonishing legacy, is invariably a classy affair. And this wee twofer from September 2020 is no different. Craft even issued a 3LP version 8 January 2021 in the US on Craft Recordings CR00331 (Barcode 888072180383) – a beautiful piece of kit and if it sounds anywhere as good as this does – then turntable Nirvana is not far away. But back to the 2CD variant – and how the angels won the day…

US released 17 September 2020 – "The Gospel Truth: The Complete Singles Collection" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Craft Recordings/Stax CR00332 (Barcode 888072180468) is a 2CD 34-Track Compilation of Remasters covering US-only 45-Single releases between January 1972 and October 1974 that plays out as follows: 

CD1 (64:02 minutes):
1. Just My Imagination (Just My Salvation) – THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP
2. Up Above My Head – THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP
3. His Love Will Always Be – TERRY LYNNE COMMUNITY CHOIR
4. Consider Me – TERRY LYNNE COMMUNITY CHOIR
5. Don't Let The Green Grass Fool You (Don't Let The Devil Fool You) – REVEREND W. BERNARD AVANT, Jr., & THE St. JAMES GOSPEL CHOIR
6. God Is What You Let Him Be - REVEREND W. BERNARD AVANT, Jr., & THE St. JAMES GOSPEL CHOIR
7. There's Gonna Be A Showdown – THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP
8. That Will Be Good Enough For Me – THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP
9. The Magnificent Sanctuary Band (Marching For The Man) – REVEREND MACEO WOODS & THE CHRISTIAN TABERNACLE CONCERT CHOIR
10. Jesus Is Waiting - REVEREND MACEO WOODS & THE CHRISTIAN TABERNACLE CONCERT CHOIR
11. Keep My Baby Warm – CHARLES MAY & ANNETTE MAY THOMAS
12. Satisfied – CHARLES MAY & ANNETTE MAY THOMAS
13. Ride Out The Storm – JOSHIE JO ARMSTEAD
14. I Got The Vibes – JOSHIE JO ARMSTEAD
15. I Got To Be Myself – THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP
16. Gonna Make It Alright – THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP
17. Who's Supposed To Be Raising Who – THE 21ST CENTURY
18. All I Can Do – THE 21st CENTURY
NOTES ON CD1 (All Entries Below are US 45-Singles):
Tracks 1&2 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1201, January 1972 – a Gospel Cover of The Temptations Motown hit with words changed
Tracks 3&4 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1202, February 1972
Tracks 5&6 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1203, May 1972
Tracks 7&8 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1204, June 1972
Tracks 9&10 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1205, March 1972
Tracks 11&12 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1206, January 1973
Tracks 13&14 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1207, March 1973
Tracks 15&16 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1208, March 1973
Tracks 17&18 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1209, April 1973

CD2 (57:30 minutes):
1. I'm A Child Of The King – THE PEOPLE’S CHOIR OF OPERATION PUSH Under The Direction Of REVEREND MARTIN YANCY
2. He Included Me – as per Track 1
3. He's Mine – JACQUI VERDELL
4. We're Gonna Have A Good Time – JACQUI VERDELL
5. I Know A Man Who – THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP
6. Hot Line To Jesus – THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP
7. At The Feet Of The Master – BLUE AQUARIUS
8. Know Him While You Can – BLUE AQUARIUS
9. Stumblin' Blocks, Steppin' Stones (What Took Me So Long) – JOSHIE JO ARMSTEAD
10. Give A Little Loving – JOSHIE JO ARMSTEAD
11. Do It Yourself – JIMMY JONES
12. If I Had A Hammer – JIMMY JONES
13. Be True – THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP
14. We're The Salt Of The Earth – THE RANCE ALLEN GROUP
15. Reflections – LOUISE McCORD
16. There's No Need To Cry – LOUISE McCORD
NOTES ON CD2:
Tracks 1&2 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1210, September 1973
Tracks 3&4 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1211, August 1973
Tracks 5&6 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1212, September 1973
Tracks 7&8 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1213, November 1973
Tracks 9&10 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1214, April 1974
Tracks 11&12 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1215, March 1974
Tracks 13&14 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1216, May 1974
Tracks 15&16 are the A&B-sides of Gospel Truth GTA-1217, October 1974

The 16-page CD-sized Booklet may feel a tad scant once out of its card-flap, but all the key players are featured in the newly penned JARED BOYD liner notes – fresh interviews from STAX Records chief executive AL BELL, their mainman gospel artist RANCE ALLEN and MARY PEAK (aka Mary Peak Patterson) – one-time assistant to the legendary DAVE CLARK - both of whom helped establish the label under the auspices of the STAX umbrella. From Jackson in Tennessee and in the music game since the 1930s, Dave Clark was called on by Bell to instigate the label. Clark recalled a story in a 1972 interview about being run out of Mississippi with his Aristocrat Records black music station vinyl piles burned on the side of the road by the State Police. How Clark found it in his heart to forgive those white racist scumbags must be literally down to the Lord and a wellspring of forgiveness I would not have. Peak and Bell also made sure that artists on the Gospel Truth label were treated like mainstream stars when they went touring – great cloths – decent accommodation and venues where they were appreciated. It is a fascinating read on a lesser-told side to Stax.

But you will be even more impressed by the Glorious Audio – JOE TARANTINO having done the Transfers and Remasters – a name associated with the other huge Stax Box Sets. I don't know how these Craft Recordings sets have such illuminating audio over previous stabs at Stax – but they do. Listening to the vocal pyrotechnics of Rance Allen on the debut-45 (Tracks 1 and 2 on CD1) and you are hit with gorgeous clarity – and just enough oomph to make you feel the choir lifting of with the spirit.

The Music: Northern Soul Dancers and Mod-moment chasers should know that "The Gospel Truth: The Complete Singles Collection" absolutely ain't loaded with 70ts Soul as we know it and only very occasionally gets Funky Righteous. But when it does – the results are (dare we say it) devilishly sexy. The Rance Allen Group takes on The Staples Singers "I Got To Be Myself" (Track 15) where the shouter gets all Sly & The Family Stone on the personal positivity vibe (he soon returns to Jesus on the equally good flipside). There are songs like "Keep My Baby Warm" by Charles May and Annette May Thomas on CD1 that have as lovely a Soul vibe as you've ever heard and does so without mentioning the man in the sky even once (their very Staples Singers flipside "Satisfied" is secular too but in a saved-my-soul Funky way). 

I can hear why the Ace CD featured The 21st Century – their fantastically Funky "Who's Supposed To Be Raising Who" towards the end of CD1 gets ants-in-its-pants about the generation gap – they need leadership and strenght - who is the child and who is the adult. The same social consciousness permates "If The Shoe Fits, Wear It" – the B-side which Ace did include on their CD in 2010. It ends CD1 of this twofer on a high and with cracking audio too. 

As I said before, in the main, the music is full-on Gospel-abandonment Good-Word-Spreading marching for the man type tunes (Jesus gets a lot of favourable mentions and there maybe occasional clapping). And that dominates CD2. It opens with a joyous palm-in-his-hand "I'm A Child Of The King" where Reverend Marvin Yancy lends his deeply rich and Soulful lead vocals to a huge choir – lovely and hopeful in tandem. As singular piano notes and a lone church organ sets the scene for the flipside "He Included Me" – Lead Vocalist Loretta Oliver and the Choir may just reduce your heathen heart to tears (a gorgeous find). Lush strings lead in Jacqui Verdell as she caresses "He's Mine" where she sanctifies how much she depends on the big guy – it’s a slow almost Stylistics groove and it's another lovely discovery. She decides to go Funky Piano on the B-side "We're Gonna Have A Good Time" – but her words are not about partying but the colours all getting together and digging the scene. 

Rance Alley goes soppy too for the Lord on his own "I Know A Man Who" advising us that He will let you leave your troubles behind (a more restrained vocal, but what a voice nonetheless). Funksters will dig the Mack Rice flipside with its clavinet keyboard chug – Rance calls on the man in "Hot Line To Jesus" then goes Halleujah (Good God!). Blue Aquarius decide to step right out of the Stax/Gospel Truth sound altogether and get ever so slightly Duncan Browne-Nick Drake-Al Stewart Spanish Guitar acoustic with their "At The Feet Of The Master". It's a Pop Love-Song to Jesus of 4:22 minutes length that feels very Folk UK in ways – halfway through it goes all Hair in its chorus about 'we're all love'. Unfortunately, its ooh-bop-bop-bop B-side is terrible sub-Fifth Dimension meets Sixties Neil Diamond and not in a good way. Better, deeply emotive and believing every note, Joshie Jo Armstead brings her fabulous set of pipes to a tale of coming out of cotton fields and finding that her stumbling blocks had become stepping stones to a higher way. She penned the flipside and sounding like a more mature Tammi Terrell doing a Jimmy Webb song - "Give A Little Loving" has Joshie Jo let rip on the kindness message. 

The astonishingly rich and canyon-deep Lou Rawls meets Fred Neil voice of Jimmy Jones wows in his time-for-action plea song "Do It Yourself". Mentions of inflation and politicians ignoring poverty sets the 1974 city scene (he does the Pete Seeger/Lee Hays anthem "If I Had A Hammer" on the flipside in a funky style but it feels hammy compared to the A). The set smooches home with Rance Allen and Louise McCord. Ace showed the Louise McCord US album "A Tribute To Mahalia Jackson" on the last page of their "The Gospel Truth: The Gospel Soul and Funk of Stax Records" CD booklet in 2010. Electric Organs and Sunday-Morning references fill her lovely "Reflections" (no giving up - keep on keeping on) coming into the back-stretch with her backing singers testifying on "There's No Need To Cry". God will heal your problems – McCord's rich voice filled with conviction as the love-ballad floats out of your speakers clear as a bell. 

For sure, much of what is on "The Gospel Truth: The Complete Singles Collection" will only be for a limited audience, but for STAX nuts like me and others even remotely interested in Soul, Funk and the occasional Righteous Groove that sometimes sidled up to those Genres – then this US 2020 2CD set on the wonderful Craft Recordings reissue label is a must own and a nice discovery all in one. 

Praise the Lord and ain't that the Truth, Gospel or otherwise…

"Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology" by THE CARS – Forty-Tracks from 1978 to 1987 LPs on Elektra Records Plus Some Non-LP B-sides, Demos and Unreleased Material. Band featured Ric Ocasek, Benjamin Orr, Elliot Easton, Greg Hawkes, David Robinson and Producer Ray Thomas Baker (November 1995 UK Elektra Traditions/Rhino 2CD 40-Track Compilation in a Jewel-Case with Bill Inglot and Dan Hersch Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…Let The Good Times Roll…"

The Cars arrived just when the 1978 Music Scene needed them. Unashamedly steeped in US Pop, Rock and New Wave shininess - right from the off, they had hooky Petty-type riffs, knowing lyrics and fabulous Radio-friendly Production values courtesy of Roy Thomas Baker. "The Cars" self-titled debut felt so cleverly cool - like Queen had mated with Eurythmics via The Motels and Talking Heads. 

I can still remember the impact of that fantastic-looking debut album in 1978 - just when Punk was threatening to disappear up its own aggro-addled arse. Dancers dug them - Alternative Rockers liked the gutsy riffage of tunes like "Good Times Roll" and "You're All I Got Tonight" and Radio just couldn't enough of wildly popular hits like "My Best Friend's Girl" and "Just What I Needed". We were indeed Moving In Stereo. Which brings me to 'The Cars Anthology'.

Although CD2 of this frighteningly good twofer drops two tracks I adore by The Cars - "Heartbeat City" from the album of the same name and "A Dream Away" from the hugely underrated fourth platter "Shake It Up" – the Remastered Audio is stonking - there's a half-decent smattering of unreleased sides for die-hards who have been starved on something new for years and a slew of those hard-to-find-on-digital US 45-single side versions instead of the more commonly available LP cuts. 

Th UK variant loses comes in a rather boring double-jewel case and I say this because the US one has a sort of glitter and glam card slipcase – like a Disco Ball which is worth seeking out. Both the British/European version (reviewed below) and the US variant are available cheaply these days (2024) – so collector's choice. Who's gonna drive you home tonight - well this one is my loyal best friend – to the glam gear sticks and smooth synth fenders…

UK released January 1996 (November 1995 in the USA in a Glitter Card Slipcase, UK issue in 2CD Jewel-Case Only) – "Just What I Needed: The Cars Anthology" by THE CARS on Elektra Traditions/Rhino 0349-73506-2 (Barcode 603497350629) is a 2CD 40-Track Compilation of Remasters covering 1978 to 1987 (including LP tracks, 45-Single Edits, Non-LP B-sides, Demos and Unreleased) and plays out as follows: 

CD1 (69:24 minutes):
1. Just What I Needed
2. My Best Friend's Girl
3. Good Times Roll
4. You're All I've Got Tonight
5. Don't Cha Stop
6. Moving In Stereo
7. Take Me Now – PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED Demo
8. Cool Fool – PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED Demo
9. Let's Go
10. Candy-O
11. Dangerous Type
12. Double Life
13. Got A Lot On My Head
14. It's All I Can Do
15. Nightspots (Early Version) – PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED Outtake
16. Slipaway – PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED Demo
17. That's It
18. Panorama
19. Gimme Some Slack
20. Don't Go To Pieces
NOTES ON CD1:
Track 1 is a US 45-Single Version (Their Debut 45), May 1978 on Elektra E-45491 (Charted No.27)
Track 2 is a US 45-Single Version, October 1978 on Elektra E-45537 (No.35)
Track 3 is a US 45-Single Version, February 1979 on Elektra E-46014 (No.41)
Tracks 4, 5 and 6 are from the debut album "The Cars", released June 1978 in the USA on Elektra 6E-135 (peaked US LP charts at No. 18) – Tracks 1 to 3 are also on the LP in Album Version form
Tracks 7, 8 and 15 and 16 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Track 15 is an unissued outtake Early Version of "Nightspots" from "The Cars" 1978 sessions – later version included on the 1979 "Candy-O" album
Track 9 is a US 45-single Version, June 1979 on Elektra E-46063, A-side (No.14) – see also Track 17 for Non-LP B-side
Track 10 is a US 45-single Version, December 1979 on Elektra E-46580, A-side (see also Track 12 for B-side)
Track 12 is a US 45-single Version, December 1979 on Elektra E-46580, Non-LP B-side of "Candy-O" (see also Track 10 for A-side)
Tracks 11 is from their second studio album "Candy-O", released June 1969 in the USA on Elektra 5E-507
Track 13 is a US 45-single version, September 1979 on Elektra E-46546, A-side – for Non-LP B-side see Track 14
Track 14 is a US 45-single version, September 1979 on Elektra E-46546, Non-LP B-side of "Got A Lot On My MInd" – for A-side see Track 13
Track 17 is a US 45-single Version, June 1979 on Elektra E-46063, Non-LP B-side of "Let's Go" (see Track 9 for A-side)
Track 18 is from their third studio album "Panorama", released August 1980 in the USA on Elektra 5E-514
Track 19 is a US 45-single Version, January 1981 on Elektra E-47101, A-side – for Non-LP B-side see Track 20
Track 20 is a US 45-single Version, January 1981 on Elektra E-47101, Non-LP B-side of "Gimme Some Slack"

CD2 (69:24 minutes):
1. Touch And Go
2. Don't Tell Me No
3. Shake It Up
4. Since You're Gone
5. I'm Not The One
6. Cruiser
7. The Little Black Egg
8. Funtime
9. You Might Think
10. Drive
11. Magic
12. Hello Again
13. Why Can't I Have You
14. Breakaway
15. Tonight She Comes
16. You Are The Girl
17. Strap Me In
18. Door To Door
19. Leave Or Stay (1977 Demo Version)
20. Ta Ta Wayo Wayo (1977 Demo Version)
NOTES ON CD2:
Track 1 is the Full-Length Album Version of "Touch And Go" from their third studio album "Panorama", released August 1980 in the USA on Elektra 5E-514; an edited Single Mix was issued August 1980 on Elektra E-47039 but is not included here
Track 2 is a US 45-single Version, November 1980 on Elektra E-47080, A-side
Track 3 is a US 45-single Version, November 1981 on Elektra E-47250, A-side (No.4)
Track 4 is a US 45-single Version, March 1982 on Elektra E-47433, A-side (No.41)
Track 5 is the original version from their fourth studio album "Shake It Up", released November 1981 in the USA on Elektra 5E-567; a remixed version of the song was issued on the "Cars Greatst Hits" LP and released January 1986 in the USA as a 45-single on Elektra 7-69569 (that version not included here)
Track 6 is a US 45-single version, November 1981 on Elektra 47250, A-side
Tracks 7 and 8 are PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED Demos recorded early 1981
Track 9 is a US 45-single version, March 1984 on Elektra 7-69744, A-side
Track 10 is a US 45-single version, July 1984 on Elektra 7-69706, A-side
Track 11 is a US 45-single version, May 1984 on Elektra 7-69724, A-side
Track 12 is a US 45-single version, October 1984 on Elektra 7-69681, A-side
Tracks 13 and 14 are the A&B-sides of a US 45-single issued January 1985 on Elektra 7-69657 – the B-side (Track 14) is Non-LP
Album Versions of Tracks 9, 10, 11 12 and 13 are on their fifth studio album "Heartbeat City", March 1984 US LP on Elektra 60296 (No.3)
Track 15 is a US 45-single version, October 1985 on Elektra 7-69589, A-side
Track 16 is a US 45-single version, August 1987 on Elektra 7-69446, A-side
Track 17 is a US 45-single version, October 1987 on Elektra 7-69427, A-side
Track 18 is from their sixth and final album "Door To Door", August 1987 US LP on Elektra 60747
Tracks 19 and 20 are PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED Demos, later versions of both tracks. Included on the "Door To Door" 
Only US Copies Had A Glossy Card Slipcase and Fat Jewel Cases
"Made In England/Nice 'N' Greasy plus Bonus Tracks"

BRETT MILANO does the new liner notes that includes interviews with principals like singer and Rhythm Guitarist Ric Ocasek, Bassist and Vocalist Benjamin Orr, Guitarist Elliot Easton as well as a surprising number of band and individual photos (Greg Hawkes by his keyboard banks) from the archives - their first European Tour etc. The last few pages give credits – picture the albums – original vinyl catalogue numbers – all the usual. It's thorough and in-depth. 

The BILL INGLOT Remasters punch like a mule - you would expect "Don't Cha Stop", "Let's Go" or "Drive" to float out of your speakers with the precision with which they were recorded - but listening to the superb outtake "Take Me Now" on CD1 and you realise to your shock that this in-yer-face Pop Gem could easily have been on the B-side of one of the debut's 45s. It sounds amazing, feels good too - and the also-unreleased "Cool Fool" is another audio winner (perhaps considered to be too Punky for their Pop-Rock debut). Fans would be hoping that the "Candy-O" tracks like the slinky "Dangerous Type" with its hard guitar solo and the echoed vocals of "Double Life" are given more muscle - and they are (drums a-whacking) - although you might have to give them more welly on the volume control (can I touch you, yes I can). 

And all will enjoy the three Non-LP B-sides - tracks like "It's All I Can Do" (cancel my flight that's going nowhere). The grunge groove inherent in the "Nightspots" version presented here is probably why the band felt it wasn't ready for an album at this point - not 'Cars' enough (if that makes sense). The unissued demo of "Slipaway" kicks strong enough, but it lacks the polish of the final. Another Non-LP flip comes in the form of "That's It" - but it feels very much like a cut that's second tier. Better are the Remasters for The Cure-sounding "Panorama" and the manic guitars/drums of the failed single "Gimme Some Slack" feel like the band is somehow losing its way and needs a new direction (and better tunes).  

I absolutely loved the "Shake It Up" album which I felt was a major return to Cars form - represented here by four goodies - cream being "I'm Not The One" and "Since You're Gone". Their big album "Heartbeat City" is represented by five tracks - albeit in their 'single' form - but God damn - do they sound good. The whole album sang for me - gatefold sleeve for the first time - hits a plenty - "Heartbeat City" felt like their "Rumours" or "Tango In The Night". It peaked at No. 3 (as did the less-deserving second album "Candy-O") and hit just when MTV was making stars out of everyone with even half a tune to flog. "You Might Think" and "Magic" are so 80ts Pop-Rock, but it's "Drive" that hammered home their greatness.

The years went past - a "Greatest Hits" with some new mixes and a new song "Tonight She Comes" filled something of a gap in October 1985 - but the last studio album "Door To Door" from October 1987 seemed like an afterthought and really didn't make the splash it should have. Ocasek and Orr went on to solo careers, but they will (like Lou Gramm and Foreigner) be forever linked to their principal band. 

"Just What I Needed..." is a cool reminder of why Boston's The Cars charted so many singles and clocked up two No. 3 US albums while two of the others were Top Ten. Enjoy...

"The Very Best Of Jackson Browne" by JACKSON BROWNE - 32-Track 2CD JB-Produced Compilation of LP Tracks from his 1972 debut album "Jackson Browne" to 2002's "The Naked Ride Home" – Guests Include David Crosby, Graham Nash of CSNY, Lowell George, Bill Payne, Fred Tackett of Little Feat, Glenn Frey and Don Henley of Eagles, Jesse Ed Davis, David Lindley, Danny Kortchmar, Doug Haywood, Craig Doerge, Russ Kunkel, Leland Sklar, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Jai Winding, Scott Thurston, David Paich of Toto, Dan Fogelberg, Elton John, Terry Reid, J.D. Souther, Bonnie Raitt, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench and Stan Lynch of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers, Roy Bittan of The Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and more (March 2004 UK Elektra/Rhino/WSM JB-Produced 32-Track 2CD Compilation of LP Tracks from 1972 to 2002 with Doug Sax and Robert Hadley Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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1976

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"…Sky Blue And Black…"

"I wasn't sure there was a name for the life I sought...I don't know how I believed some of the things I thought...". 

Jackson Browne's songs (and to some degree his life) are one big confessional - themes to longing, loss and blagging second chances - melodies and words that for many of us olden-types shimmer with a hurt all too painfully recognisable. 

It's a rare artist remains this relevant and our tasty little twofer being reviewed here is already 20 years old in March 2024 (the lyrics quoted above are from the 2002 song that ends CD2 called "The Night Inside Me"). Lazy-assed title aside - you get solid track choices, muscular Remastered sound, a booklet full of those words and rhymes JB makes look so easy - what's not to Gaga. Let's saturate those details... 

UK released March 2004 - "The Very Best Of Jackson Browne" by JACKSON BROWNE on Elektra/Rhino 8122 78091-2 (Barcode 081227809126) is a 32-Track 2CD JB-Produced Remastered Compilation (no Unreleased) of LP Tracks from his 1972 debut album "Jackson Browne" to 2002's "The Naked Ride Home". It plays out as follows:

CD1 (77:28 minutes):
1. Doctor My Eyes
2. Jamaica Say You Will
3. Rock Me On The Water
4. Take It Easy
5. These Days
6. Redneck Friend
7. For Everyman
8. For A Dancer
9. Fountain Of Sorrow
10. Late For The Sky
11. Before The Deluge
12. Your Bright Baby Blues
13. The Pretender
14. Here Come Those Tears Again
15. The Load-Out
16. Stay
NOTES ON CD1:
Tracks 1 to 3 from his debut album "Jackson Browne" [mistakenly aka "Saturate Before Using" because of wording on the front cover artwork] (January 1972)
Tracks 4 to 7 from his second studio album "For Everyman" (October 1973)
Tracks 8 to 11 from his third studio album "Late For The Sky (September 1974)
Tracks 12 to 14 from his fourth studio album "The Pretender" (November 1976)
Tracks 15 and 16 from his fifth release and first live album "Running On Empty" (December 1977)

CD2 (78:14 minutes):
1. Running On Empty
2. You Love The Thunder
3. Boulevard
4. Somebody's Baby
5. Tender Is The Night
6. Lawyers In Love
7. In The Shape Of A Heart
8. Lawless Avenues
9. Lives In The Balance
10. I Am A Patriot
11. Sky Blue And Back
12. I'm Alive
13. The Barricades Of Heaven
14. Looking East
15. The Naked Ride Home
16. The Night Inside Me
NOTES ON CD2:
Tracks 1 and 2 from his fifth release and first live album "Running On Empty" (December 1977)
Track 3 from his sixth album "Hold Out" (June 1980)
Track 4 from the Motion Picture Soundtrack to "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" (August 1982)
Tracks 5 and 6 from his seventh album "Lawyers In Love" (August 1983)
Tracks 7 to 9 are from his eight album "Lives In The Balance" (February 1986)
Track 10 from the his ninth album "World In Motion" (June 1989)
Tracks 11 and 12 from his tenth album "I'm Alive" (October 1993)
Tracks 13 and 14 from his eleventh album "Looking East" (February 1996)
Tracks 15 and 16 from his twelth album "The Naked Ride Home" (Sept 2002)

Looking at total playing times of 77:28 and 78:14 minutes – you cannot accuse this twofer of not being value for money. You add in truly excellent DOUG SAX and ROBERT HADLEY Remasters from original tapes on material that has had precious little of it (especially the Seventies and Eighties stuff) and a Musician Guest List that is staggering (more of that later) and you must say that despite its stupefyingly dull moniker ("The Very Best Of…" for Gawd sake) – this is a compilation winner. And more often than not, it is on loads of auction sites for under a fiver – cheap as a hairpain in a pound shop. The 28-page booklet has a few lead-in paragraphs on JB by one-time Springsteen biographer DAVE MARSH (Bruce gave the speech as JB was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame) and gives all lyrics and musician credits for every song while then rear brings up the reissue credits. All very substantial actually even if it is lacking on any photo material. 

And as mentioned earlier, along with his core band and regular players across 30-years - David Lindley, Danny Kortchmar, Doug Haywood, Craig Doerge, Russ Kunkel, Leland Sklar, Sneaky Pete Kleinow, Jai Winding, Scott Thurston, Kevin McCormack and Mark Goldenberg – there are those big hitter guests. Included are David Crosby and Graham Nash of CSNY, Lowell George, Bill Payne, Fred Tackett of Little Feat, Glenn Frey and Don Henley of Eagles, guitarists Jesse Ed Davis and Rick Vito, Organist Michael Utley, Drummer Jeff Porcaro of Toto, Singers Dan Fogelberg, Elton John, Terry Reid, J.D. Souther with John Hall (of Orleans). Other flash-name regulars include Guitars, Keyboards and Drums from Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench and Stan Lynch of Tom Petty’s Heartbreakers, Piano from Roy Bittan of The Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Backing Vocals from Rosemary Butler, Bonnie Raitt, Lori Williams, Valerie Carter and Vonda Sheppard, as well as many other world-class collaborators (each track has a detailed list).

The singer-songwriter music may be melancholic, but it is incredibly moving, lyrically savvy in ways that are almost at times uncomfortable, and there is just a general decency (for the want of a better word) about everything that Jackson Browne records. His big Seventies LP moments - "Late For The Sky" (1974) and "The Pretender" (1976) get their fair shakes on CD1 – beauties like "For A Dancer" and "Your Bright Baby Blues" shimmer on this set. In absolute honesty and despite its supposed popularity in somehow having caught the wasted drug-barren hinterland zeitgeist of 1977 and 1978 America, I never did like much of the on-the-road and world-weary live concept album "Running On Empty". Released December 1977, it dominated much of 1978 (peaked at No. 3 on the Stateside Rock LP charts) and was a critics fave too, but truthfully, I only liked the title track for which Browne got a Grammy Nomination (benefits hugely from the muscle of the Remaster – an oomph it never seemed to have on orginal vinyl). The cover of the Maurice Williams 60ts hit "Stay" makes me want to puke like genuinely evil such as "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" or "The Birdie Song". 

Going backwards, his 1971 version of "Take It Easy" (a co-write with Eagle Glenn Frey that they made famous on their 1972 debut LP), the underratted "For Everyman" second album cuts (we get four) and "Before The Deluge" from the seriously beautiful and accomplished "Late For The Sky" LP (see my review for the 2014 Inside Recordings CD Remaster of it with JB’s involevment) are all early 70ts gems that still stand up after 50 years. Sure, the 80ts stuff has too much guitar bombast and JB seems uneasy with it (I liked "Boulevard" back in the day, but it feels dated now) while "Somebody's Baby" from the Ridgemont High Soundtrack is nice to have on a compilation even if it feels like sub-Huey Lewis & The News – JB trying for (God forbid) a slap-bass hit. Better is the roar of the approaching night – souls looking for another somebody - "Tender Is The Night" always a fave of mine. And his politics and outrage at mean-government America (never far from the surface) surfaces in the strangled cries of "Lawyers In Love". 

The "Lives In The Balance" and "World In Motion" albums played out the Eighties with sad keyboard songs about longing for love and catechism sisters being drowned in economics when all they really wanted to do is go Dancing In The Dark with a handsome beau (or two) on those "Lawless Avenues" (both sides of the coast). His uses of the Pan Pipes and Panama Rhythms in the lyrically brilliant "Lives In The Balance" so works – a charged song where the blacked ink of the media equates to bodies in the dirt in some country far away. But, once into the Nineties and Twenties songs like the gorgeous "Sky Blue And Black", the upbeat positivity despite crushed dreams in "I'm Alive ", the calming guitar-and-keyboard loveliness of "The Barricades Of Heaven" (trying to find his voice in L.A.) and "The Naked Ride Home" hammer home why fans love his melodies – hooky and touching – like Don Henley or The Boss at their best. Immigrant desperation and anger sufface in "Looking East" – a trio of great guitar players riffing up its God-sized rage (Mark Goldenstein, Scott Thurston and Waddy Watchell with Benmont Tench of The Heartbreakers providing Hammond Organ while Vonda Shepard duest on vocals with JB). In fact, those steeped and immersed in Seventies Jackson Browne may be taken aback by how much they dig the final three tracks – an artist still vibrant and kicking. 

Shame "The Very Best Of" doesn’t have his fantastic "Solo Acoustic Vol.2" live version of "My Stunning Mystery Companion" complete with girlfriend preamble crowd chat from 2008 – but that is something else to seek out after this.

Like so many of my childhood and teenage heroes, Jackson Browne and his touching musical turns have been in my life for over fifty-two years now and show no sign of abating as the grey hairs march relentlessly on. Running On Plenty if you ask me and much of its better stuff is here. Driving down five lanes and no-one notices the defiant look in her eyes or her nakedness – two bodies in a car - but one of those heart beats alone. Buy this and find out why…

"OK Computer" by RADIOHEAD – 2009 vs. 2017 2CD Reissues Comparisons - June 1997 UK Third Studio Album on Parlophone Records featuring Thom Yorke, Colin Greenwood, Ed O'Brien, Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway (March 2009 UK/EUROPE EMI/Parlophone Records 2CD Collector's Edition Reissue with The Album on CD1 while CD2 Contains Tracks from Three CD Singles and a BBC Radio 1 Session from 1997 – No Remastering – June 2017 UK XL Recordings 20th Anniversary 2CD Remaster with Three New Tracks) - A Review by Mark Barry...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/OK-COMPUTER-OKNOTOK-1997-2017/dp/B071DTQH43?crid=3KT9N17U50JRE&keywords=634904086824&qid=1707483199&sprefix=634904086824%2Caps%2C85&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=mabasreofcdbl-21&linkId=f9e74493416802ed5afa2f04c276a2a3&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

"…Scrolling Up And Down The Neon Sign…"

Pretentious – Brilliant – Unique – Ludicrously Overrated. Radiohead do my brain in. 

When I worked at Reckless Records in both Islington and Soho (legendary used record shops that have been in business more than 40-years) - there was barely a few days went by without the unholy trio of "Pablo Honey" or "The Bends" or "OK Computer" going into shuffle play only to witness an entire shop of browsers groove and head nudge to the Art Rock noises of Thom Yorke & Co.

But I have always thought – and despite polls telling us that "OK Computer" is the greatest album ever made (which I believe to be absolute bollox) – that their second platter "The Bends" is far better. I also dug CD2 on the infuriating 2009 2CD Collectors Edition of "OK Computer" sometimes more than the album (call me zealot, arrange a beheading, public flogging etc). Then they did the June 2017 OKNOTOK 1997 2017 '20th Anniversary' Reissue – more bloody differences - more CD2s possibly better than CD1. Some history is needed here first... 

When Radiohead ended their contract with EMI – the label still owned rights to the previous three albums – so EMI naturally did what many believe was a 2009 cash-grab in the RHEAD CD3 two-disc reissue. Radiohead get their rights back years later (they are named after a Talking Heads song) and decide to do a proper band-sanctioned 20th Anniversary reissue of "OK Computer" in June 2017. This time they edit the song number on CD2 down from fifteen to eleven, add three outtakes at the beginning (three new, eight old is the new break-down), have top audio engineer BOB LUDWIG remaster the whole kaboodle (not done on the 2009 version) and add the wording "OKNOTOK 1997 2017" beneath the title on the front cover so you have a visual differentiation. So CD1 is OK and CD2 is cleverly NOTOK. 

Their new label, XL Recordings, also reissued the Double-Album in 2017 on VINYL – a very popular item indeed (there is a 3LP variant too). But in a staggeringly absent-minded move - the 20th Anniversary 2017 issue lost its 24-page booklet which left only a four-panel foldout gatefold card sleeve with no lyrics to an album that feels too dense to understand without them.

Booklet missing aside - as you can see from the listings below - CD2 of the 2017 version is a different listening beast to the CD2 of the 2009 issue. So, which is best? I own both frankly, because I feel there is advantages to each. Before I endanger my life any further with rabid head fans, to the details, OK or NOT…

2009 ISSUE:
UK/EUROPE released Friday, 23 March 2009 - "OK Computer" by RADIOHEAD on EMI/Parlophone Records RHEADCD 3 – 50999 6 93623 2 3 (Barcode 5099969362323) is a 2CD Collectors Edition Reissue that plays out as follows:

CD1 (53:29 minutes):
1. Airbag
2. Paranoid Android
3. Subterranean Homesick Alien
4. Exit Music (For A Film)
5. Let Down
6. Karma Police
7. Electioneering
8. Fitter Happier
8. Climbing Up The Walls
9. No Surprises
10. Lucky
11. The Tourist
Tracks 1 to 11 are their third studio album "OK Computer" – released 17 June 1997 in the UK on CD on Parlophone CDNODATA 02 – 7243 8 55229 2 5 (released 21 May 1997 in Japan and 1 July 1997 in the USA). It peaked at No.1 in the UK and No. 20 in the USA.

CD2 (60:42 minutes):
Paranoid Android (CD Single)
1. Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2)
2. Pearly
3. A Reminder
4. Melatonin
Karma Police (CD Single)
5. Meeting In The Aisle
6. Lull
7. Climbing Up The Walls (Zero 7 Mix)
8. Climbing Up The Walls (Filla Brazillia Mix)
No Surprises (CD Single)
9. Pala Alto
10. How I Made My Millions
11. Airbag (Live In Berlin)
12. Lucky (Live In Florence)
BBC Radio One Evening Session 28.05.07
13. Climbing Up The Walls
14. Exit Music (For A Film)
15. No Surprises

2017 ISSUE:
UK/EUROPE released Friday, 23 June 2017 - "OK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017" by RADIOHEAD on XL Recordings XLCD868 (Barcode 634904086824) is a 2CD 20th Anniversary Remastered Edition Reissue with Three New Outtakes on CD2 and a Remaster of all Material that plays out as follows:

CD1 OK (53:30 minutes):
Same Track List as CD1 above

CD2 NOTOK (39:12 minutes):
1. I Promise
2. Man Of War [features Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Robert Ziegler Conductor]
3. Lift
4. Lull
5. Meeting In The Aisle
6. Melatonin
7. A Reminder
8. Polyethylene (Parts 1 & 2)
9. Pearly
10. Alto
11. How I Made My Millions

Which edition is better? There is no doubt that CD2 of the 20th Anniversary Edition Reissue works so much better than the 2009 issue – especially the way it feels like a sneakily brilliant companion album – ten coherent band songs - then the piano loneliness of "How I Made My Millions" ends the listen. But I still miss me those two Climbing Up The Walls mixes – maybe not so much the BBC stuff which feels ever so slightly dead for some reason (I can understand why Radiohead wanted to lose these, maybe they felt they were badly played or recorded even with great album cuts covered like "Exit Music (For A Film)" and "No Surprises"). 

The three new songs are slow and ponderous but feel magnificent nonetheless, of which "I Promise" and "Man Of War" must be the cream of the crop. The 2017 Ludwig Remaster gives subtle oomph to "Paranoid Android", the spacey "Let Down" and the otherworldly "Karma Police" wants to pulverise your stereo. You can feel its power when "Airbag" starts to go ape – the same when "The Tourist" shuffles the album out. I own both issues (pictured above) because I'm loath to lose anything off either!

The 2017 Reissue of "OK Computer" is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Rachel Owen (Thom Yorke's life-and-marital partner for more than two decades) who passed in 2016 after a brave battle with cancer, aged only 48. A lovely gesture.

Yes, for sure, the missing booklet or perhaps some new annotation would have lifted this up to the stratosphere as this groundbreaking album fully deserved. But as it is – the 2017 '20th Anniversary' 2CD variant of "OK Computer" just leaves the music to do the talking and that would be the one I'd go for coming into it now. 

It's a more honest yet even vaguer listen – how very Radiohead…

"Sam Cooke's SAR Records Story 1959-1965" by SAM COOKE and VARIOUS ARTISTS – Sixty-Seven-Track 2CD Long Book Compilation featuring Sour Stirrers (including Sam Cooke), R.H. Harris and His Gospel Paraders, The Womack Brothers/The Valentinos including Bobby, Curtis, Cecil, Harry, Friendly Sr. and Friendly Jr. Womack, Mel Carter, The Simms Twins, Johnnie Taylor, Johnnie Morisette, L.C. Cooke and Billy Preston - Featuring Singers, Musicians and Writers J.W. Alexander, Fred Smith, Jimmie Outler, Rene Hall, Bumps Blackwell, Alvin 'Red' Taylor, Ernest Booker, Johnny 'Guitar' Watson, Cliff White, Lou Rawls, Patrice Holloway and more (September 1994 US ABKCO/SAR Records 2CD Long Book Compilation in a Card Slipcase with an 86-Page Booklet, Previously Unreleased Material and Teri Landi Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Sar-Records-Story-Sam-Cooke/dp/B000003BD4?crid=2X4N0MLYS66HO&keywords=018771223122&qid=1707138287&sprefix=018771223122%2Caps%2C88&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=mabasreofcdbl-21&linkId=da284f507efbc8e3f25e03dd47b554c7&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

"…Hear My Cry…"

Every now and then I take down "Sam Cooke's SAR Records Story 1959-1965" from my overcrowded Rhythm and Blues, Gospel and Soul shelves, plop the track-heavy CDs into my trusty Marantz combo – and marvel. 

Although I would admit, CD1 (especially) is top heavy with mentions of the great man in the sky and therefore might drive some listeners to drink. And for such a beautifully outfitted tribute/legacy set where obvious care and heart went into its presentation - "Sam Cooke's SAR Records Story 1959-1965" doesn't elicit rabid must-have feelings among collectors. This primarily Gospel, hybrid Rhythm and Blues and Early Soul twofer can be bought on certain sites for under seven bucks – which when you consider the audio and musical glory contained within seems like a bit of God-given deal to me.

Cooke was running a three-tier career for the period covered by this Book Set – his output with Keen Records in the mid to late Fifties where "You Send Me" had gone to No.1 (this set contains a rare Demo of it for the first time) - a 1960 signing to RCA Records towards huge Pop and Soul stardom ("Soothe Me" and "Meet Me At The Twisting Place") and this – the independently-owned SAR Records – his own record label which was a groundbreaking thing for any coloured artist of stature at that heavily segregated time. 

All the heroes of the SAR Record label are here – The Soul Stirrers Vocal Group first, of which Sam Cooke was an integral part (others singers Richard Gibbs – Paul Foster – Jimmie Outler – Le Roy Crume – J.J. Farrelly – S.R. Crain), R.H. Harris and His Gospel Paraders next (Harris was one of the original vocalists with the Stirrers) and The Womack Brothers / The Valentinos (The Womack Brothers became The Valentinos) including Bobby, Curtis, Cecil, Harry, Friendly Sr. and Friendly Jr. Womack. Then you get classy singers like Mel Carter, The Simms Twins (Bobbie and Kenny), Johnnie Taylor (ex-Soul Stirrers himself), Johnnie Morisette, L.C. Cooke (Sam's younger brother) and future Beatles-pal during the 'Abbey Road' and 'Let It Be' sessions Billy Preston (plays keyboards too). Other featured Singers, Musicians and Writers included legends like J.W. Alexander, Fred Smith, Rene Hall, Bumps Blackwell, saxophonists Alvin 'Red' Taylor and Plas Johnson, Dr. John (on Keyboards), Guitarists Johnny 'Guitar' Watson and Cliff White, Drummers Earl Palmer and Charlie Blackwell with Vocalists Lou Rawls, Patrice Holloway and loads more (all cited in the very detailed booklet). 

The compilation is also roughly broken up into the secular material on CD1 with Sam going Pop, R&B and early Soul on CD2 – CD2 also bringing in the vocal prowess of Johnnie Taylor, Johnnie Morisette and Bobby Womack – all of whom had pipes – just not as smooth as the main man. And as synchronistic timing would have it – Friday, 9 February 2024 (this week) sees a first-time US-only 4LP Vinyl Set issued for "Sam Cooke's SAR Records Story 1959-1965" on ABKCO Records 018771217619 – a limited edition almost thirty years after the digital event. Better late than never. 

In the meantime, there is a huge amount of detail to wade through on this 2CD original, so let's have at it…

US released 27 September 1994 - "Sam Cooke's SAR Records Story 1959-1965" by SAM COOKE and VARIOUS ARTISTS on ABKCO/SAR Records 2231-2 (Barcode 018771223122) is a 67-Track 2CD Long Book Compilation in a Card Slipcase with an 86-Page Booklet, Remasters and Unreleased Material that plays out as follows (all catalogue numbers are US 45-singles and LPs unless otherwise stated):

CD1 (69:42 minutes):
1. Wade in The Water (Studio Chatter) - SOUL STIRRERS - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
2. Wade In The Water – SOUL STIRRERS (April 1960, SAR Records S 103, B-side)
3. I'm A Pilgrim – SOUL STIRRERS (September 1960, SAR Records S 108, A-side, see also Track 18 for B-side)
4. Praying Ground – SOUL STIRRERS (March 1963, SAR Records S 140, A-side)
5. Somebody (Studio Chatter) - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
6. Somebody – R.H. HARRIS & HIS GOSPEL PARADERS (October 1962, SAR Records S-135, A-side, see also 7)
7. Sometime - R.H. HARRIS & HIS GOSPEL PARADERS (October 1962, SAR Records S-135, B-side)
8. Amazing Grace – SOUL STIRRERS (from the 1963 US LP "Encore! With The Soul Stirrers" on SAR Records LPM-504 in Mono)
9. Pass Me Not – R.H. HARRIS & HIS GOSPEL PARADERS (March 1962, SAR Records SAR-127, A-side)
10. Oh Mary, Don't You Weep (Studio Chatter) - SOUL STIRRERS - PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
11. Oh Mary, Don't You Weep – SOUL STIRRERS (March 1964, SAR Records SAR 150, A-side, for B-side see Track 21)
12. Since I Met The Savior – SOUL STIRRERS (from the 1963 US LP "Encore! With The Soul Stirrers" on SAR Records LPM-504 in Mono – no 45)
13. God Is Standing By – SOUL STIRRERS (January 1962, SAR Records SAR 124, B-side, for A-side see Track 26)
14. Lead Me To Calvary (Rehearsal) – SOUL STIRRERS – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
15. Listen To The Angels Sing – SOUL STIRRERS (January 1961, SAR Records SAR-110, A-side)
16. Don't Leave Me Alone – SOUL STIRRERS (from the 1961 US LP "Jesus Be A Fence Around Me" on SAR Records SAR-LPM-501 in Mono)
17. Stand By Me Father – SOUL STIRRERS (September 1959 Debut 45, SAR Records SAR-101, A-side)
18. Jesus Be A Fence Around Me – SOUL STIRRERS (September 1960, written by Sam Cooke, SAR Records SAR-108, B-side to "I'm A Pilgrim", see also Track 2 for A-side)
19. Lead Me Jesus – SOUL STIRRERS (October 1961, SAR Records SAR-120, A-side)
20. Free At Last – SOUL STIRRERS (July 1963, SAR Records SAR-145, B-side of "His Love")
21. Looking Back (Studio Chatter)
22. Looking Back – SOUL STIRRERS (March 1964, SAR Records SAR 150, B-side of "Oh Mary, Don't You Weep", for A-side see Track 11)
23. Born Again – R.H. HARRIS & HIS GOSPEL PARADERS – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
24. Wait On Jesus – R.H. HARRIS & HIS GOSPEL PARADERS (August 1963, SAR Records SAR-146, B-side of "Even Me")
25. Time Brings About A Change – SOUL STIRRERS (from the 1963 US LP "Encore! With The Soul Stirrers" on SAR Records LPM-504 in Mono – no 45)
26. Must Jesus Bear The Cross Alone – SOUL STIRRERS (January 1962, SAR Records SAR 124, A-side, for B-side see Track 13)
27. Yield Not To Temptation (Studio Chatter)
28. Yield Not To Temptation – THE WOMACK BROTHERS (July 1961, SAR Recordings SAR 118, B-side to "Somebody's Wrong")
29. Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray – THE WOMACK BROTHERS (December 1961, SAR Records SAR 123, A-side)
30. Somewhere There's A God – THE WOMACK BROTHERS (December 1961, SAR Records SAR 123, B-side)
31. That's Heaven To Me – SAM COOKE (from the 1961 US LP "Presenting Gospel Pearls" on SAR Records SAR-LPM-503 in Mono)
NOTES ON CD1:
All Studio Chatter features SAM COOKE who is also Producer on all tracks

Tracks 1, 5, 10, 14 and 23 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Tracks 2, 3, 14 and 26 feature PAUL FOSTER on Lead Vocals
Tracks 4, 8, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 18 to 22 and 25 feature JIMMIE OUTLER on Lead Vocals
Track 17 features JOHNNIE TAYLOR on Lead Vocals
Tracks 28 and 30 feature CURTIS WOMACK on Lead Vocals
Track 29 features BOBBY WOMACK on Lead Vocals
Track 31 features SAM COOKE on Lead Vocals
Tracks 8, 12, 16, 25 and 31 are LP-Only Tracks 
Tracks 11, 22, 24, 28, 29 and 30 are 45-Single-Only Releases (as well as being singles - many tracks here presented were also featured on Mono US LPs - see list below CD2 to see which titles aren't included on these 2CDs - there's quite a few)

CD2 (77:50 minutes):
1. You Send Me (Demo) – SAM COOKE – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (Recorded 1957 at Specialty Studios)
2. Just For You – SAM COOKE (November 1961, SAR Records SAR-122, A-side – for B-side see Track 4)
3. Somewhere There's A Girl – SAM COOKE – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (Recorded 28 June 1961 at Universal Recording Chicago)
4. (You Were) Made For Me – SAM COOKE (November 1961, SAR Records SAR-122, B-side – for A-side see Track 2)
5. When A Boy Falls In Love – MEL CARTER (June 1963, Derby D-1003, A-side)
6. Soothe Me – THE SIMMS TWINS (June 1961, SAR Records SAR-117, A-side)
7. That's Where It's At (Studio Chatter) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
8. That's Where It's At – THE SIMMS TWINS (March 1963, SAR Records SAR-138, A-side)
9. Everybody Wants To Fall In Love – THE VALENTINOS (October 1964, SAR Records SAR-155, A-side)
10. Keep On Loving You – JOHNNIE TAYLOR – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (Recorded 7 December 1964, Unknown Location, Johnnie Taylor song and Production)
11. I'll Always Be In Love With You – JOHNNIE TAYLOR (October 1963, Derby D-1006, B-side of "Baby, We've Got Love" – for A-side, see Track 13)
12. Baby, We've Got Love (Studio Chatter)
13. Baby, We've Got Love – JOHNNIE TAYLOR (October 1963, Derby D-1006, A-side – for B-side, see Track 11)
14. Baby, Lots Of Luck – THE VALENTINOS (July 1963, SAR Records SAR-144, B-side of "She's So Good To Me")
15. Put Me Down Easy – L.C. COOKE (PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED Alternate Version of January 1964 US 45 on SAR Records SAR 148, A-side)
16. Rome (Wasn't Built In A Day) – JOHNNIE TAYLOR (April 1962, SAR Records SAR-131, A-side)
17. Greazee Part I & II – BILLY PRESTON (March 1963, Derby 1002, A&B-sides)
18. I Gopher You – THE SIMMS TWINS (October 1962, SAR Records SAR-136, A-side – for B-side see Track 28)
19. I Gopher You (Studio Chatter)  THE SIMMS TWINS (as per Track 18)
20. You're Always On My Mind – JOHNNIE MORISETTE (September 1960, SAR Records SAR-107, B-side of "Dorthy")
21. I Need Lots Of Love – JOHNNIE TAYLOR (May 1964, Derby Records 1010, B-side of "Getting Married Soon")
22. Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong – JOHNNIE MORISETTE (March 1963, SAR Records SAR 139, A-side – an Albert King cover version)
23. Black Night – JOHNNIE MORISETTE (October 1963, SAR Records SAR 147, B-side of "I Don't Need Anybody But You")
24. Damper – JOHNNIE MORISETTE (April 1961, SAR Records SAR 113, B-side of "Don't Cry Baby")
25. You Can Run (But You Can't Hide) – JOHNNIE TAYLOR (January 1965, SAR Records SAR 156, B-side of "Oh How I Love You")
26. Meet Me At The Twisting Place (Studio Chatter) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
27. Meet Me At The Twisting Place – JOHNNIE MORISETTE (January 1962, SAR Records SAR-126, A-side)
28. Good Good Lovin' – THE SIMMS TWINS (October 1962, SAR Records SAR-136, B-side of "I Gopher You"– for A-side see Track 18)
29. The Wobble – L.C. COOKE [credited as L.C.] (April 1963, SAR Records SAR 141, A-side, written by Sam Cooke)
30. Lookin' For A Love (Studio Chatter) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
31. Lookin' For A Love -THE VALENTINOS [Lead Vocals by Bobby Womack] (June 1962, SAR Records SAR-132, A-side)
32. I've Got Love For You – THE VALENTINOS [Lead Vocals by Bobby Womack] – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
33. I've Got A Girl (Studio Chatter) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
34. I've Got A Girl – THE VALENTINOS [Lead Vocals by Bobby Womack] – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
35. Tired Of Living In The Country – THE VALENTINOS [Lead Vocals by Curtis Womack] – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
36. It's All Over Now – THE VALENTINOS [Lead Vocals by Bobby Womack] (May 1964, SAR Records SAR-152, A-side)
NOTES on CD2:
Tracks 1, 3, 7, 10, 12, 15, 19, 26, 30, 32, 33, 34 and 35 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Tracks 2, 3, 4, 6, 11, 13, 15, 18, 27, 29, 35  written by Sam Cooke
Track 3 written by Sam Cooke and Roscoe Robinson 
Track 5 written by Sam Cooke and Clinton Levert, Jr.
Track 8 written by Sam Cooke and J.W. Alexander
Track 16 written by Sam Cooke with Betty and Beverly Prudhomme
Track 34 written by Sam Cooke and Bobby Womack
Track 9 written by Bobby Womack and J.W. Alexander
Track 10 written by Johnnie Taylor
Track 14 written by John Greek and has Curtis Womack on Lead Vocals
Track 17 written by J.W Alexander, Fred Smith and Billy Preston
Track 20 written by J.W. Alexander
Track 22 is an Albert King cover version; Track 28 is a James Brown cover
Track 25 written by Johnnie Taylor
Track 31 written by J.W. Alexander and Zelda Samuels
Track 32 recorded 24 March 1962 at United Recording, Hollywood – written by Bobby Womack
Track 36 written by Bobby and Shirley Womack

MISSING LP Tracks (15 in total): 
From the 1961 US Mono LP "Jesus Be A Fence Around Me" by The Soul Stirrers on SAR Records SAR-LPM-501 – five of the twelve are not here - "Toiling On", "He's Been A Shelter For Me", "I'm Thankful", "I Love The Lord" and "He Cares".

1961 US Mono LP "Presenting Gospel Pearls" by Various Artists on SAR Records SAR-LPM-503 – five of twelve are not here - "Deep River", "I Thank God", "Heaven Is My Home", "Steal Away" and "Troublin' Mind".

1963 US Mono LP "Encore! With The Soul Stirrers" on SAR Records SAR-LPM-504 – five of ten are not here - "His Love", "No Need To Worry", "Something Here Inside", "Joy In My Soul" and "Where Jesus Is".

As you can see from the 'missing' notes above - "SAR Records Story 1959-1965" is far from being a warts n' all twofer - but you do get rare B-sides making their digital debut alongside a seriously tasty spattering of unreleased. And the fabulous TERI LANDI Remasters and Tape Preparations sound glorious - take for instance the lethal CD2 trio of Billy Preston's cool as "Green Onions" instrumental "Greazee Part I & II", the so-smooth Soul of "I Gopher You" by The Simms Twins and the gritty guitar-shuffling Blues of Johnnie Morisette shredding his throat on a cover of Albert King's "Don't Throw Your Love On Me So Strong" (itself followed by a brilliant "Black Night") - the audio is full, clean and wonderfully alive. Even on CD1 when you're dealing with four or five Acapella voices and minimal rhythm accompaniment - the dreaded hiss doesn't really appear. It's all clean but not dampered-down. 

The card slipcase looks good on opening but actually irritates a bit because it soon implodes on its card self once the hard-card pouch is taken out (as you can see from the photos provided my well used copy is showing worse for implosion wear). But the removable 84-page booklet is gorgeous if not a tad difficult to hold open. The period photos come on strong - Sam with Aretha Franklin - with his wife Barbara Campbell - with Bumps Blackwell - Allen Klein - gospel group beginnings with the Highway QCs (had a very young Sam Cooke) - the Soul Stirrers of course and The Pilgrim Travelers that had a great line-up including J.W. Alexander, Ernest Booker, Jesse Whitaker and Lou Rawls. All the big names associated with SAR get a page and gorgeous publicity photos - Johnnie Taylor - Billy Preston - Johnnie Morisette - L.C. Cooke - The Simms Twins - the mighty Bobby Womack etc. The text is highlighted in places to show who is being discussed (Johnny "Guitar" Watson for instance on Page 29) while the musician and reissue credits at the rear are extensive. The listen - I'll admit that I go for the more R 'n' B and Soul-Pop sides of CD2 every time - stuff like L.C. Cooke doing "The Wobble" providing me with my now-you're-doin'-it needs (Mama says Soul).  

In the liner notes (smart enough to allow those still living to have their say) – Bobby Womack talks of Cooke’s insistence on (almost) perfection. He would not accept a take or a phrase that was out of kilter and dominated (in a good way) in the control booth. You can hear this alongside the friendly rivalry and respect paid the man in the thrilling studio chatter segments – Cooke was essentially selling himself through other artists on SAR Records and he was not going to settle for rough and ready because his crew was eyeing the door or a nearby bar/jump house. As you play track-after-track – especially when you get to CD2 and his Pop career is surging – the arrangements, the players and the Production values all reek of class and commitment. 

CD2 opens with a rough demo of "You Send Me", accompanied by a strummed Martin guitar and his foot tapping – made in 1957 – history in the making. But that is whomped by his own "Just For You" – a 24 July 1959 Pop/Soul recording made at Capitol Recording Studios in Hollywood. Fans are then treated to a real gem – an unreleased oohing-and-aahing Soulful smoocher called "Somewhere There's A Girl" recorded June 1961 at Universal Recording Studios in Chicago and in fine audio shape (what a find). Admittedly the echoed as-sure-as-there-are-stars-above sappiness of "You Were Made For Me". Things change with the very Stylistics voice of Mel Carter as he goes full-on Cooke with "When A Boy Falls In Love" – all plucked strings and perfect rhythms. Better is another Sam Cooke cover from The Simms Twins – SAR Records SAR 117 recorded 5 June 1961 – Bobbie and Kenny Simms rise to lovely piano fills – their efforts rewarded with a rightful No.4 R&B chart position (No. 42 on Pop). 

Sam then praises The Simms Twins for great feel as we get studio chatter pre-empting their lovely "That's Where It's At" – another shuffler from the pen of Cooke and J.W. Alexander. The fantastic and distinctive lead vocals of Bobby Womack come a-sailing in when The Valentinos start a run of now-listen Soul tunes on CD2 with "Everybody Wants To Fall In Love". The brass arrangements give the sway an added punch. The unreleased Johnnie Taylor track "Keep On Loving You" is good but slightly let down by a Production that is way rougher than what has gone before (lady backing vocals doing him proud). So very Sam Cooke – Taylor does a similar-vocal cover in his interpretation of "I'll Always Be In Love With You" – good but the original is better. The brass and rhythm punch-in for "Baby, We've Got Love" – Taylor again giving it pretty lips (kiss me back) – a Sam Cooke song and Production. Unfortunately, you can hear why "Tired Of Living In The Country" was unreleased - it's adeqeute but not much else. the set is saved by Womack doing "It's All Over Now" - a tune so many would cover including The Rolling Stones and Uber admirers Rod Stewart and Faces. 

"SAR Records Story 1959-1965" romps home with a best-ever-sounding "Lookin' For A Love" and "I've Got Love For You" following in similar upbeat joyous Soul. For sure - there will be those who only want Cooke's Soulful sides ("The RCA Albums Collection" 8CD set is reviewed elsewhere) - but it would be a crime to miss all this good stuff that satellites around Sam Cooke. 

Gunned down in his early prime via a senseless tit-for-tat, Cooke's funeral in December 1964 was attended by 5,000 mourners in a church that held maybe 1,500 - such was the love and impact SC left behind. He didn't get to see a change gonna come, but personally, I'm with Rod Stewart on Sam Cooke as being the greatest vocalist ever - so I love this twofer that celebrates his spirit. If you see "Sam Cooke's SAR Records Story 1959-1965" at a good price (there is a more compact reissue that sells cheaply too) - then go for it - because his recorded legacy will send you...