“Blowing The Fuse – 31 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox In 1958” by VARIOUS ARTISTS. A Review Of The Award-Winning 2006 Bear Family CD Compilation

"…Hound Dog Barking Upside The Hill…Love Is Dragging Him Through The Mill…"

The "Blowing The Fuse" series of CD compilations stretches across 16 volumes from 1945 to 1960 and was then followed by Bear Family's equally magnificent "Sweet Soul Music" series of 10 sets from 1961 to 1970 (I've reviewed all 10 of those in detail). Having been drawn in by the truly beautiful sound and presentation of the Soul discs, I knew it would be a big blow to my bank balance buying even one of these R&B issues - and it was! Get even one and you're screwed - you'll have to own the lot.

"Blowing The Fuse - 31 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox In 1958" is on Bear Family BCD 16713 AS and was released April 2006. Each US-based yearly compilation comes in a 3-way foldout card digipak sleeve. The left flap pictures either a 7" single or album relevant to the year (1958 has the 7" single of "Maybe" by The Chantels), the centre flap holds a 80 to 90 page oversized booklet that slips out so you can read it separately and the right flap a colour-themed CD that matches the outer packaging. As with the 10 "Sweet Soul Music" compilations, each of the 16 R&B spines makes up a whole photo when placed alongside each other (a fantastic black & white shot of a crowd of hip dudes and their gals dancing at some Saturday night bar). As you can see from the cover photos of these compilations too, the theme of people dancing and artists enjoying themselves is repeated right across all of these wonderfully restored photographs (they're from The Showtime Music Archive in Toronto). This 1958 issue has 86-pages in its booklet (yes 86!) and the CD runs to a generous 76:49 minutes.

Dave "Daddy Cool" Booth took his time with this - actually playing the set through - mixing in the famous with the obscure but in a new order - and the result is a truly satisfying listen rather than a patchy one. The compilation begins in January and in rough chronological order ends in December. Also, because of the extended playing time, there's usually only a one second space between each track, so it feels like you're listening to a jukebox of the time - or a good DJ cueing up song after song - seamlessly segueing one cool tune after another. And even the way-too-familiar tracks on here like "For Your Precious Love", "Lonely Teardrops" and "Yakety Yak" are sorted out by the next big plus...the beautifully clear sound...

THE SOUND/TRACK CHOICES:
Bear Family have gotten all the ORIGINAL master tapes from each record company (both Mono and Stereo) and their resident expert JURGEN CRASSER has mastered them with care - and given the wildly varying sources, the sound is uniformly GLORIOUS. The organ on Gene Allison's "You Can Make It If You Try" is incredibly clear as is the blasting brass on the instrumental that follows it - "Walkin' With Mr. Lee" by Lee Allen. The wildness of Little Richard's "Good Golly Miss Molly" is still exciting and the remaster makes you hear the band literally trying to keep up with him as he frantically batters those piano keys. The Doo Wops all sound great despite their varying rough 'n' ready recordings while both Sam Cooke's beautiful "I'll Come Running Back To You" and "For Your Precious Love" by Jerry Butler And The Impressions predate soul by years. "Talk To Me, Talk To Me" by Little Willie John is surprisingly romantic too.

Obscurities and genius choices go to the infectious doo-wop-pop of Roy Hamilton's "Don't Let Go" (lyrics above), while the equally brilliant lyrics of "Itchy Twitchy Feeling" by Bobby Hendricks (a cash-in on Rock'n'Roll song titles) is followed perfectly by the strumming doo wop melodrama of "You Cheated" by The Shields. The Atlantic sides sound fresher too and all of it finishes in a flurry of truly great vocalists - Dee Clark, Jackie Wilson, Harvey Fuqua of The Moonglows, Clyde McPhatter, Fats Domino - all of them sounding like they were recorded yesterday. In fact as you finish listening to 1958, you realise it's an embarrassment of riches - and presented in a genuinely classy way by people who care.

THE BOOKLET:
Although slightly different in layout, like the "Sweet Soul Music" series, the booklet is to die for. With an intro on Page 4, the text for the songs begins on Page 5 and ends on Page 85 (pictures of Fats Domino and his band grace Pages 86 and 87), so there's very little wasted space. Each artist is pictured using quality publicity shots, the 7" single itself is there - or if not a trade advert for the label - and every now and then - a beautiful full colour plate of lesser-seen album sleeves (Lee Allen's rare "Walkin' With Mr. Lee" LP and Little Willie John's "Talk To Me" LP are on Pages 13 and 31 in full-colour and are a wow). Each song then has a 2 to 3 page essay on its history by noted writer COLIN ESCOTT with knowledgeable contributions from BILL MILLAR and DAVE BOOTH and Marv Goldberg's online R&B site. And because the booklet allows Escott to spread out on each song, the details come thick and fast - like Dahl's work on "Sweet Soul Music" - it's a fabulously entertaining and informative read.

Niggles - the glossy card sleeve is easy to smudge and mark and that's about it! Mostly there's just too much great stuff on here to whinge about.

To sum up - even though they're expensive as imports, I think once long-time collectors actually get their hands on even one of these compilations (no matter what the date) - they'll be irresistibly hooked. For the casual buyer just looking for a great one-stop account of R&B Music for a given year - "1958" is 'the' place to start.

Compilations like this live or die based on a few key ingredients - great track choices, properly remastered sound and all of it wrapped up in knowledgeable and (if you're lucky) sumptuous presentation. Well "Blowin The Fuse" wins on all counts - it really does. The entire series is gorgeous to look at and especially to listen to.

As with every single one of the other years in this extraordinary series, I'm properly taken aback - I cannot recommend these beautiful compilations enough. Well done to all involved...

Track List for the CD "Blowing The Fuse 1958"
(Label & Catalogue Number For The US 7" Single Follow The Title. If There's TWO Catalogue Numbers, The First Is The Original; The 2nd Is The Reissue In That Year)

1. Buzz-Buzz-Buzz - HOLLYWOOD FLAMES (Ebb 119)
2. You Can Make It If You Try - GENE ALLISON (Vee Jay VJ-256)
3. Walkin' With Mr. Lee - LEE ALLEN And His Band (Ember 1027)
4. Don't Let Go - ROY HAMILTON (Epic 9257)
5. Maybe - THE CHANTELS (End E-1005)
6. I'll Come Running Back To You - SAM COOKE (Specialty 619)
7. Good Golly, Miss Molly - LITTLE RICHARD And His Band (Specialty 624)
8. Get A Job - THE SILHOUETTES (Junior 391/Ember 1029)
9. Talk To Me, Talk To Me - LITTLE WILLIE JOHN (King 5108)
10. The Walk - JIMMY McCRACKLIN And His Band (Checker 885)
11. Don't You Just Know It - HUEY (PIANO) SMITH And The Clowns (Ace 545)
12. Book Of Love - THE MONOTONES (Mascot 124/Argo 5290)
13. What Am I Living For - CHUCK WILLIS (Atlantic 1179)
14. Do You Wanna Dance? - BOBBY FREEMAN (Josie 835)
15. Johnny B. Goode - CHUCK BERRY (Chess 1691)
16. One Summer Night - THE DANLEERS (Amp-3 2115/Mercury 71322)
17. Willie And The Hand Jive - THE JOHNNY OTIS SHOW (Capitol 3966)
18. Slow Down - LARRY WILLIAMS (Specialty 626)
19. Yakety Yak - THE COASTERS (Atco 6116
[Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller]
20. For Your Precious Love - JERRY BUTLER And THE IMPRESSIONS (Vee Jay VJ-280 and Falcon/Abner 1013)
21. Rockin' Robin - BOBBY DAY (Class 229)
22. Itchy Twitchy Feeling - BOBBY HENDRICKS (Sue 706)
23. You Cheated - THE SHIELDS (Tender 513/Dot 15805)
[The Shields featured Jesse Belvin]
24. Western Movies - THE OLYMPICS (Demon 1508)
25. This Little Girl's Gone Rockin' - RUTH BROWN (Atlantic 1197)
26. Tears On My Pillow - THE IMPERIALS (End 1027)
27. Nobody But You - DEE CLARK With The RILEY HAMPTON ORCHESTRA (Abner 1019)
28. Lonely Teardrops - JACKIE WILSON (Brunswick 55105)
29. Ten Commandments Of Love - HARVEY And The MOONGLOWS (Chess 1705)
30. A Lover's Question - CLYDE McPHATTER (Atlantic 1199)
31. Whole Lotta Loving - FATS DOMINO (Imperial 5553)

"Let The Days Go By/Sunny Side Of The Street" by BRYN HAWORTH - October 1974 UK Debut Solo Album and May 1975 Follow-Up LP Both on Island Records (June 2004 UK Gott Discs CD Compilation - 2LPs Remastered onto 1CD) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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"…And It Picks Me Up…Turns Me On…Puts Me On My Feet Again…"

Hailing from Blackburn in Lancashire, Bryn Haworth first came to notice on a series of amazing 7" singles by SHARON TANDY and beat darlings FLEUR-DE-LYS on Immediate, Polydor and Atlantic Records. These mid to late Sixties UK 45's now command huge money on the collector's market. Miscredited as ‘Bryn Hayward’, Haworth then played electric and acoustic guitars on “Get Yourself Together” on Andrew Leigh’s 1970 Polydor solo album “Magician” (ex Spooky Tooth, Matthews Southern Comfort). He also turned up on two Jackie Lomax albums - "Home Is Where My Head Is" from 1971 and "Three" from 1972 - both were on Warner Brothers and have been reissued by Rhino (with extra tracks) where he plays on almost every cut. He then took his songs to A&R man Richard Williams who signed him to Island Records in 1973. Which is where this CD comes in...

UK released June 2004 - "Let The Days Go By/Sunny Side Of The Street" by BRYN HAWORTH on Gott Discs GOTTCD003 (Barcode 881881000323) offers his first two albums on Island Records from 1974 and 1975 Remastered onto 1CD and breaks down as follows (78:46 minutes):

1. Grappenhall Rag

2. All I Want

3. I Won’t Lie (This Time)

4. Ee I Love You Lass

5. Miss Swiss

6. Let The Days Go By

7. Get Yourself A Man [Side 2]

8. Time Has Come

9. Whims And Ways

10. All I Need Is A Home

11. Anywhere You Want To Be

Tracks 1 to 11 are his debut album "Let The Days Go By" released October 1974 in the UK on Island ILPS 9287

12. Good Job

13. Pick Me Up

14. Darlin’ Cory

15. Dance

16. Peace Of Mind

17. Give All You Got To Give [Side 2]

18. Heaven Knows

19. Sunny Side Of The Street

20. Used

21. Thank The Lord

Tracks 12 to 21 are his 2nd and last album for the label released May 1975 on Island ILPS 9332. Both albums were first released on CD in Japan by Vivid Sound in 2003 in 5" card repro sleeves, but they're hard to find now and expensive. This 2004 issue is the first official UK CD release of these rare LPs. 

Both albums featured musicians from great British bands of the time - "Let The Days Go By" had Pete Wingfield (formerly of Jellybread) on Keyboards, Gordon Haskell (of Fleur-De-Lys and King Crimson) on Bass, John Porter (of Roxy Music) also on Bass, Terry Stannard, Alan Spanner and Mel Collins from Kokomo (ex Arrival and The Grease Band) on Drums, Bass and Saxophone - while John Rabbit Bundrick played Hammond Organ on "I Won't Lie (This Time)". The second album featured Dave Mattacks, Dave Pegg and Dave Swarbrick from Fairport Convention and again members of Arrival. Haworth played the mandolin and all electric and acoustic Guitars in his unique melodic sliding style.

Packaging - each record initially came with inner sleeves, but neither is reproduced in the 16-page booklet - however, the booklet more than makes up for it. You get the lyrics and full musician credits for the two albums, a 4-page history by Mark Chatterton and even a picture of his band on tour in 1974. The colour photo on the back of the booklet is the rear sleeve of "Let The Days Go By" and beneath the see-through CD tray there's even a glowing NME review of his debut album.  It's very tastefully done. The outer card wrap tells us it's digitally remastered but doesn't advise by who or where (licensed from Universal music). The sound quality is excellent, certainly clearer than the vinyl counterparts I've worn out after years of use.

Musically - his debut is far removed from that Sixties psych and beat sound - it's more CSNY with religious lyrics. It's all plucked acoustic guitars, mandolins, a gorgeous instrument called a Harpoleck and superb slide electric guitar. Haworth made the Harpoleck something of a feature on his albums; it looked like a Harp in your lap - or the inside of a small piano - and when you drew the plectrum across its taught strings, it gave a sort of elevated 12-string guitar sound - beautiful. The second album rocked out a bit more with very catchy tunes like "Picks Me Up" (lyrics above) - even showing a bit of menace on "Used".

If you wanted a lay-of-the-land, "Darlin' Cory" appeared on 2009's "Meet On The Ledge" 3CD box set featuring Island's Folk and Folk/Rock acts - it's a Denis Blackham remaster and is available on iTunes as a purchase or a listen.

There's a certain peaceful and positive quality about these albums that I've always loved. "Heaven Knows" is as sweet as Seventies singer-songwriter gets. Great stuff. Recommended.

PS:

Further places to look for his work:

Haworth played guitar on Badger's "White Lady" (Epic EPC 80009) and John Cale's "Fear" (Island ILPS 9301) both from 1974. He put in lovely Mandolin work on "Somebody Who Loves You" and menacing slide guitar on "Like Fire" on "Joan Armatrading" - her extraordinary "Love & Affection" album from 1976. He plays guitar on Andy Fairweather-Lowe's 1976 album "Be Bop & Holla" (AMLH 64602). Haworth then signed to A&M Records and released probably his most accomplished album - the varied and beautiful "Grand Arrival" (1978 on AMLH 68462). Around this time, he even secured an end of program slot on Bob Harris's "Old Grey Whistle Test" in the UK where he and his band did a blistering version of "Beans On Toast" from "Grand Arrival". "Grand Arrival" was in turn followed by "Keep The Ball Rolling" (1979 on AMLH 68507) which featured Cliff Richard on 2 tracks and Pete Wingfield again on Keyboards. He later played on Ian Matthews "Stealin' Home" album and several of the Gerry Rafferty Eighties albums. He did work for Chris De Burgh, Cliff Richard, Amazing Blondel and even Dana Gillespie. There after it was full-on Christian Music LPs on the Chapel End and Word labels (UK only releases) and other CDs right up to the 2010 where he's released 2 new albums and still commands a dedicated and loyal audience.

PPS: Would someone please reissue “Smith Perkins Smith” – it was on Island Records in 1972 – they sounded like the UK’s answer to CSNY. Only made one album but it was a sweetie… 

“Never A Dull Moment” by ROD STEWART (2009 Audio Fidelity 24 KT Gold Audiophile CD Reissue) - A Review by Mark Barry...

"…It Appears To Be Raining Again…You Know I Wouldn’t Tell You No Lie…"

Half way through the second song on this CD "Lost Paraguayos" - I turned it off. I thought to myself maybe it's my CD player, maybe it's me, because the sound on this supposed audiophile CD reissue is incredibly muffled and dull and nothing like what it should be.

Audio Fidelity AFZ 058 is a 24 Karat Gold CD (HDCD encoded) of "Never A Dull Moment" by ROD STEWART issued November 2009 in the USA and is a numbered limited edition of 3000 (33:36 minutes).

AF's releases have had very mixed reviews despite the blurbs all over their gold die-cut card-wrap packaging about "Ultimate Sound Quality", no "compression" and analogue masters being put through "digital converters" etc. It's odd, because I raved about their Joe Walsh CD "The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get" which is fantastic - so why are some of their issues so underwhelming (Faces, Montrose, Randy Newman jump to mind as well).

I then dug out my "Reason To Believe - The Complete Mercury Studio Recordings" 3CD set from 2002 with its stunning SUHA GUR remasters (has done loads of great work for Hip-O Select on Motown and Verve recordings) - and there's the sound I want - full, lively, every instrument alive - kicking like an audiophile title is supposed to do.

I now find that there's controversy about their recent Simon & Garfunkel CD for "Parsley, Sage, Rosemary And Thyme" too which sounds exactly like the Columbia CD on a few years ago that you can get for a few cents. And to ad insult to injury - Audio Fidelity have even removed the "From The Original Master Tapes" wording from the card sleeve of their new 2010 "Talking Book" reissue by Stevie Wonder! An audiophile reissue company that doesn't want to have the words "original master tapes" on their reissues - how ludicrous can you get.

The packaging too came in for flack, it's a CD single jewel case inside and not an album one - with the original album artwork reproduced in card form - but you can't read anything off it. But that's not what any punter is buying this for - they're looking for the best sound - and for me - it's just not there. The "Reason To Believe" set with 5 full albums, non-album single sides and previously unreleased outtakes and a decent booklet is the winner you want - with genuinely great remastered-sound from an award-winning engineer.

With it's iffy packaging, high price tag and above all suspect sound - I would say that this is a reissue to avoid I'm afraid.

“Blowing The Fuse – 29 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox In 1959” by VARIOUS ARTISTS. A Review Of The Award-Winning 2006 Bear Family CD Compilation

"…Don’t Bother Us…Leave Us Alone…We Almost Grown…”

The “Blowing The Fuse” series of CD compilations stretches across 16 volumes from 1945 to 1960 and was then followed by Bear Family’s equally magnificent “Sweet Soul Music” series of 10 sets from 1961 to 1970 (I’ve reviewed all 10 of those in detail). Having been drawn in by the truly beautiful sound and presentation of the Soul discs, I knew it would be a big blow to my bank balance buying even one of these R&B issues – and it was! Get even one and you’re screwed – you’ll have to own the lot.

"Blowing The Fuse - 29 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox In 1959" is on Bear Family BCD 16714 AS and was released April 2006. Each US-based yearly compilation comes in a 3-way foldout card digipak sleeve. The left flap pictures either a 7" single or album relevant to the year (1959 has “The Exciting Lloyd Price” LP sleeve in colour), the centre flap holds a 80 to 90 page oversized booklet that slips out so you can read it separately and the right flap a colour-themed CD that matches the outer packaging. As with the 10 “Sweet Soul Music” compilations, each of the 16 R&B spines makes up a whole photo when placed alongside each other (a fantastic black & white shot of a crowd of hip dudes and their gals dancing at some Saturday night bar). As you can see from the cover photos of these compilations too, the theme of people dancing and artists enjoying themselves is repeated right across all of these wonderfully restored photographs (they’re from The Showtime Music Archive in Toronto). This 1959 issue has 88-pages in its booklet (yes 88!) and the CD runs to a generous 79:54 minutes.

Dave “Daddy Cool” Booth took his time with this - actually playing the set through - mixing in the famous with the obscure but in a new order - and the result is a truly satisfying listen rather than a patchy one. The compilation begins in January and in rough chronological order ends in December. Also, because of the extended playing time, there's usually only a one second space between each track, so it feels like you're listening to a jukebox of the time - or a good DJ cueing up song after song - seamlessly segueing one cool tune after another. And even the way-too-familiar tracks on here like "Kansas City", "The Twist" and "16 Candles" are sorted out by the next big plus...the beautifully clear sound...

THE SOUND/TRACK CHOICES:
Bear Family have gotten all the ORIGINAL master tapes from each record company (both Mono and Stereo) and their resident expert JURGEN CRASSER has mastered them with care – and given the wildly varying sources, the sound is uniformly GLORIOUS. When the guitar and drums kick-in about half through the opener “Try Me” by James Brown, the clarity is shocking – like you’ve never heard the song before.

But for me the biggest bonus is the new clarity to the Atlantic tracks (one of my favourite labels) like “I Cried A Tear” by LaVern Baker, “What I’d Say” by Ray Charles and “Poison Ivy” by The Coasters. It’s like they’ve been lifted out of their former muddiness – you can literally hear the squeaking of Ray Charles’ electric piano keys as he pounds away in its famous opening instrumental part. The huge sound continues on the two Dinah Washington and Brook Benton tracks too, while it’s difficult to imagine a better chronicler of a generation than Chuck Berry on “Almost Grown” – it’s just so good (lyrics above).

Obscurities and genius choices go to the boppin’ “Pretty Girls Everywhere” by Eugene Church, the chaotic doo-wop of The Impalas on “Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home)” while a truly great combo is to follow the overly-familiar but still hauntingly beautiful “I Only Have Eyes For You” by The Flamingos with an instrumental called “The Clouds” by The Spacemen. You wouldn’t think it would work, but it ‘so’ does. Big Jay McNeely’s original of “There Is Something On Your Mind” is also here (there’s a stunning remake of it by Bob Marchan on 1960), so is the lovely “Sea Of Love” by Phil Phillips and it all ends in real style with the raucously joyful “You Better Know It” by Jackie Wilson sounding like it was recorded last week by an engineer who took pride and care in his work.

Some of the vocal group stuff sounds crude (recorded on meagre budgets), but more crucially, none of it sounds out of place. And a real smart inclusion is “Say Man” by Bo Diddley which some claim is the first ‘rap’ record in its style.


THE BOOKLET:
Although slightly different in layout, like the “Sweet Soul Music” series, the booklet is to die for. The text for the songs begins on Page 4 and ends on Page 85, so there's very little wasted space. Each artist is pictured using quality publicity shots, the 7" single itself is there - or if not a trade advert for the label - and every now and then – a beautiful full colour plate of lesser-seen album sleeves (Jackie Wilson at the end is a wow). Each song then has a 2 to 3 page essay on its history by noted writer COLIN ESCOTT with knowledgeable contributions from BILL MILLAR and DAVE BOOTH. And because the booklet allows Escott to spread out on each song, the details come thick and fast – like Dahl’s work on “Sweet Soul Music” - it's a fabulously entertaining and informative read.

Niggles – the glossy card sleeve is easy to smudge and mark and that’s about it! Mostly there’s just too much great stuff on here to whinge about.

To sum up - even though they're expensive as imports, I think once long-time collectors actually get their hands on even one of these compilations (no matter what the date) - they'll be irresistibly hooked. For the casual buyer just looking for a great one-stop account of R&B Music for a given year - "1959" is 'the' place to start.

Compilations like this live or die based on a few key ingredients - great track choices, properly remastered sound and all of it wrapped up in knowledgeable and (if you're lucky) sumptuous presentation. Well "Blowin The Fuse" wins on all counts - it really does. The entire series is gorgeous to look at and especially to listen to.

As you can tell, I'm properly taken aback - I cannot recommend these beautiful compilations enough. Well done to all involved...

Track List for the CD “Blowing The Fuse 1959”
(Label & Catalogue Number For The US 7" Single Follow The Title.
If There’s TWO Catalogue Numbers, The First Is The Original; The 2nd Is The Reissue In That Year)

1. Try Me – JAMES BROWN And The FAMOUS FLAMES (Federal 12337)
2. So Fine – THE FIESTAS (Old Town 1062)
[Written by Johnny Otis]
3. Pretty Girls Everywhere – EUGENE CHURCH And The FELLOWS (Class 235)
4. I Cried A Tear – LaVERN BAKER (Atlantic 2007)
5. Stagger Lee – LLOYD PRICE With The DON COSTA ORCHESTRA (ABC-Paramount 9972)
6. Sorry (I Ran All The Way Home) – THE IMPALAS With The LeROY HOLMES ORCHESTRA (Cub 9022)
7. It’s Just A Matter Of Time – BROOK BENTON (Mercury 71394)
[Benton co-wrote this with Clyde Otis and Belford Hendricks]
8. Kansas City – WILBERT HARRISON (Fury 1023)
9. The Twist – HANK BALLARD And The MIDNIGHTERS (King 5171)
10. 16 Candles – THE CRESTS (Coed CO-506)
11. Farmer John – DON & DEWEY And Their Band (Speciality 659)
[Don Harris and Dewey Terry]
12. The Happy Organ – DAVE “BABY” CORTEZ (Clock 1009)
13. There Is Something On Your Mind – BIG JAY McNEELY And Band (Swingin’ 614)
14. You’re So Fine – THE FALCONS (Flick 001/Unart 2013)
[Featuring Eddie Floyd, Joe Stubbs and Mack Rice]
15. Almost Grown – CHUCK BERRY (Chess 1722)
16. What A Diff’rence A Day Makes – DINAH WASHINGTON (Mercury 71435)
17. There Goes My Baby – THE DRIFTERS (Atlantic 2025)
[Featuring Ben E. King]
18. What’d I Say, Parts 1 & 2 – RAY CHARLES And His Orchestra (Atlantic 2031)
19. Sea Of Love – PHIL PHILLIPS With The TWILIGHTS (Khoury’s 711/Mercury 71465)
20. Love Potion No. 9 – THE CLOVERS (United Artists 180)
[Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller]
21. Hey Little Girl – DEE CLARK (Abner 1029)
22. Shout, Parts 1 & 2 – THE ISLEY BROTHERS (RCA Victor 47-7588)
23. I Only Have Eyes For You – THE FLAMINGOS (End 1046)
24. The Clouds – THE SPACEMEN (Alton A 254)
25. You Got What It Takes – MARV JOHNSON (United Artists UA 185)
26. I Want To Walk You Home – FATS DOMINO (Imperial 5606)
27. Say Man – BO DIDDLEY (Checker 931)
28. Poison Ivy – THE COASTERS (Atco 6146)
[Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller]
29. You Better Know It – JACKIE WILSON (Brunswick 55149)

“Blowing The Fuse – 31 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox In 1960” by VARIOUS ARTISTS. A Review Of The Award-Winning 2006 Bear Family CD Compilation

"…You Can Have My Husband…But Please Don’t Mess With My Man…"

The “Blowing The Fuse” series of CD compilations stretches across 16 volumes from 1945 to 1960 and was then followed by Bear Family’s equally magnificent “Sweet Soul Music” series of 10 sets from 1961 to 1970 (I’ve reviewed all 10 of those in detail). Having been drawn in by the truly beautiful sound and presentation of the Soul discs, I knew it would be a big blow to my bank balance buying even one of these R&B issues – and it was! Get even one and you’re screwed – you'll have to own the lot.

"Blowing The Fuse - 31 R&B Classics That Rocked The Jukebox In 1960" is on Bear Family BCD 16715 AS and was released April 2006. Each US-based yearly compilation comes in a 3-way foldout card digipak sleeve. The left flap pictures a 7" single in its label bag relevant to the year (1960 has “Handy Man” by Jimmy Jones on Cub Records – covered by James Taylor in the Seventies), the centre flap holds a 80 to 90 page oversized booklet that slips out so you can read it separately and the right flap a colour-themed CD that matches the outer packaging.
As with the 10 “Sweet Soul Music” compilations, each of the 16 R&B spines makes up a whole photo when placed alongside each other (a fantastic black & white shot of a crowd of hip dudes and their gals dancing at some Saturday night bar). As you can see from the cover photos of these compilations too, the theme of people dancing and artists enjoying themselves is repeated right across all of these wonderfully restored photographs (they’re from The Showtime Music Archive in Toronto). This 1960 issue has 87-pages in its booklet (yes 87!) and the CD runs to a generous 78:43 minutes.

Dave “Daddy Cool” Booth took his time with this - actually playing the set through - mixing in the famous with the obscure but in a new order - and the result is a truly satisfying listen rather than a patchy one. The compilation begins in January and in rough chronological order ends in December. Also, because of the extended playing time, there's usually only a one second space between each track, so it feels like you're listening to a jukebox of the time - or a good DJ cueing up song after song - seamlessly segueing one cool tune after another. And even the way-too-familiar tracks on here like "Save The Last Dance For Me", "Spoonful" and "Walking To New Orleans" are sorted out by the next big plus...the beautifully clear sound...

THE SOUND/TRACK CHOICES:
Bear Family have gotten all the ORIGINAL master tapes from each record company (both Mono and Stereo) and their resident expert JURGEN CRASSER has mastered them with care – and given the wildly varying sources, the sound is uniformly GLORIOUS. The clarity of the Harmonica on Buster Brown’s infectious “Fannie Mae” is incredible as is the shuffling drum-brushes and vocals on Dee Clarks’ “How About That”. “The Madison Time Part 1” by THE RAY BRYANT COMBO combines great sound with a seldom-heard gem, the kind of hipster tune you’d hear playing out the credits of an episode of HBO’s “Mad Men”. I’ve heard both Jerry Butler’s “He Don’t Love You” and Dinah Washington and Brook Benton’s “Baby (You’ve Got What It Takes)” sound really great on other CDs, but again – here they’ve just got that little extra oomph.

Genius choices go to Irma Thomas’s infidelity song “Don’t Mess With My Man” (lyrics above) and the follow of Jimmy Reed’s “Baby, What You Want Me To Do” after the operatic vocals of Jackie Wilson on “Doggin’ Around” is a very clever combo. Then there’s the cross-dressing singer Bobby Marchan’s extraordinarily cheesy remake of “There Is Something On Your Mind, Part 2” - a melodrama talking song about shooting your baby and your best friend who’s been… well, let's just say the guy deserved to get shot. Big Jay McNeely’s more sedate original is included on the 1959 set.

The only two that sound rough are “Heartbreak (It’s Hurting Me)” by Jon Thomas and “I Want To Know” by SugarPie DeSanto, but both are properly soulful songs and foretell the music of the decade to come – so smart inclusions for the year 1960.


THE BOOKLET:
Although slightly different in layout, like the “Sweet Soul Music” series, the booklet is to die for. The text for the songs begins on Page 4 and ends on Page 86, so there's very little wasted space. Each artist is pictured using quality publicity shots, the 7" single itself is there - or if not a trade advert for the label - and every now and then – a beautiful full colour plate of lesser-seen album sleeves. Each song then has a 2 to 3 page essay on its history by noted writer COLIN ESCOTT with knowledgeable contributions from BILL MILLAR and DAVE BOOTH. And because the booklet allows Escott to spread out on each song, the details come thick and fast – like Dahl’s work on “Sweet Soul Music” - it's a fabulously entertaining and informative read.

Niggles – the glossy card sleeve is easy to smudge and mark and some of the tracks are not to my liking, but mostly there’s just too much great stuff on here to whinge about.

To sum up - even though they're expensive as imports, I think once long-time collectors actually get their hands on even one of these compilations (no matter what the date) - they'll be irresistibly hooked. For the casual buyer just looking for a great one-stop account of R&B Music for a given year - "1960" is 'the' place to start.

Compilations like this live or die based on a few key ingredients - great track choices, properly remastered sound and all of it wrapped up in knowledgeable and (if you're lucky) sumptuous presentation. Well "Blowin The Fuse" wins on all counts - it really does. The entire series is gorgeous to look at and especially to listen to.

As you can tell, I'm properly taken aback - I cannot recommend these beautiful compilations enough. Well done to all involved...

Track List for the CD “Blowing The Fuse 1960”
(Label & Catalogue Number For The US 7" Single Follow The Title. If There’s TWO Catalogue Numbers, The First Is The Original; The 2nd Is The Reissue In That Year)

1. Fannie Mae - BUSTER BROWN (Fire 1008)
2. Handy Man – JIMMY JONES (Cub K 9049)
3. Money (That’s What I Want) – BARRETT STRONG (Anna 1111/Tamla 54027)
4. I’ll Take Care Of You – BOBBY BLAND (Duke 314)
[Written by Brook Benton]
5. How About That – DEE CLARK (Abner 1032)
6. Just A Little Bit – ROSCO GORDON (Vee Jay VJ 332)
7. Baby (You've Got What It Takes) – DINAH WASHINGTON & BROOK BENTON (Mercury 71565)
8. Doggin' Around – JACKIE WILSON (Brunswick 55166)
9. Baby, What You Want Me To Do – JIMMY REED (Vee Jay VJ 333)
10. Let The Little Girl dance – BILLY BLAND (Old Town 1076)
11. Don’t Mess With My Man – IRMA THOMAS (Ron 328)
12. I Love The way You Love – MARV JOHNSON (United Artists 208)
[Co-write featuring Berry Gordy]
13. All I Could Do Was Cry – ETTA JAMES (Argo 5359)
14. The Madison Time, Part 1 – RAY BRYANT COMBO (Columbia 4-41628)
15. Think – JAMES BROWN and THE FAMOUS FLAMES (Federal 12370)
16. BOBBY MARCHAN – There Is Something On Your Mind, Part 2 (Fire 1022)
[The original version of this by Big Jay McNeely is on the 1959 set]
17. Ooh Poo Pah Doo, Part 2 – JESSIE HILL (Minit 607)
18. Heartbreak (It’s Hurtin’ Me) – JON THOMAS And ORCHESTRA (Paramount 45-10122)
19. Walking To New Orleans – FATS DOMINO (Imperial 5675)
20. Spoonful – HOWLIN’ WOLF (Chess 1762)
[Written by Willie Dixon]
21. Tonight’s The Night – THE SHIRELLES (Scepter 1208)
22. A Million To One – JIMMY CHARLES And The REVELETTES With PHIL MEDLEY’S ORCHESTRA (Promo 1002)
23. I Want To Know – SUGARPIE DeSANTO and PEE WEE KINGSLEY BAND (Veltone 103/Check 103)
24. Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go – HANK BALLARD And The MIDNIGHTERS (King 5400)
25. He Will Break Your Heart – JERRY BUTLER (Vee Jay VJ 354)
[Butler co-wrote this with Curtis Mayfield and Calvin Carter]
26. Kiddio – BROOK BENTON (Mercury 71652)
27. A Fool In Love – IKE and TINA TURNER (Sue 730)
28. Stay – MAURICE WILLIAMS And The ZODIACS (Herald 552)
29. Save The Last Dance For Me – THE DRIFTERS (Atlantic 2071)
30. You Talk Too Much – JOE JONES (Ric 972/Roulette 4304)
31. New Orleans – GARY U.S. BONDS (Legrand 1003)

JULIA LEE And HER BOY FRIENDS - LP Discography - Referencing “Kansas City Star” The 1995 Bear Family CD Box Set.

"…I Used To Run Away From The Stuff…But Now Somehow…I Can’t Get Enough…"

JULIA LEE And HER BOY FRIENDS
LP Discography Referencing “Kansas City Star”
The May 1995 Box Set On Bear Family BCD 15770 EI (5CDs)

Notes:
15/4 = Track 15, Disc 4
12/3 = Track 12, Disc 3 etc
All albums credit her as JULIA LEE and HER BOY FRIENDS

1. “Party Time” [aka Julia Lee’s Party Time]
1950 USA 10” LP on Capitol H-228 [Mono]
Side 1:
1. King Size Papa [16/3]
2. (Opportunity Knocks But Once) Snatch And Grab It [14/2]
3. You Ain't Got It No More [15/4]
4. Tell Me, Daddy [22/3]
Side 2:
1. Tonight's The Night [7/4]
2. I Didn't Like It The First Time (The Spinach Song) [20/3]
3. Ain't It A Crime [3/3]
4. Don't Save It Too Long [13/4]

2. “Party Time” [aka Julia Lee’s Party Time]
1955 USA 12” Reissue LP on Capitol T-228 [Mono]
[4 Extra Tracks Over The 10” Original, Slightly Different Artwork]
Side 1:
1. King Size Papa [16/3]
2. (Opportunity Knocks But Once) Snatch And Grab It [14/2]
3. You Ain't Got It No More [15/4]
4. Tell Me, Daddy [22/3]
5. Last Call (For Alcohol) [16/5]
6. I Was Wrong [11/3]
Side 2:
1. Tonight's The Night [7/4]
2. I Didn't Like It The First Time (The Spinach Song) [20/3]
3. Ain't It A Crime [3/3]
4. Don't Save It Too Long [13/4]
5. After Hours Waltz [14/4]
6. My Man Stands Out [8/4]

3. “The History Of Jazz Volume 2 – The Turbulent ‘Twenties”
1956 Various Artists USA 12” LP on Capitol T-794 [Mono]
1. (It Will Have To Do) Until The Real Thing Comes Along [24/3]

4. “KC In The 30’s” [Kansas City]
1958 Various Artists USA 12” LP on Capitol T-1057 [Mono]
1. Dragging My Heart Around [19/4]
2. My Sin [9/3]
3. When You’re Smiling [10/3]
4. I Was Wrong [11/3]

5. “Julia Lee & Her Boy Friends”
1964 USA LP on Capitol T 2038 [Mono]
Side 1:
1. King Size Papa [16/3]
2. Dragging My Heart Around [19/4]
3. My Man Stands Out [8/4]
4. Crazy World [21/3]
5. Gotta Gimme What'cha Got [3/2]
6. After Hours Waltz [14/4]
Side 2:
1. (Opportunity Knocks But Once) Snatch And Grab It [14/2]
2. There Goes My Heart [13/2]
3. Tonight's The Night [7/4]
4. I Was Wrong [11/3]
5. You Ain't Got It No More [15/4]
6. Last Call (For Alcohol) [16/5]

6. “Tonight’s The Night”
1983 UK LP on Charly R&B Records CRB 1039 [Mono]
(* = Referenced in the BF Discography)
Side 1:
1. (Opportunity Knocks But Once) Snatch And Grab It [14/2]
2. I Didn't Like It The First Time (The Spinach Song) [20/3]
3. Come On Over To My House [9/1]
4. That's What I Like [15/3 *]
5. Knock Me A Kiss [4/3 *]
6. King Size Papa [16/3]
7. Can't Get Enough Of That Stuff [3/5 *]
8. Gotta Gimme Whatcha Got [3/2]
Side 2:
1. My Man Stands Out [8/4]
2. Tonight's The Night [7/4]
3. Don't Come Too Soon [11/4]
4. All This Beef And Big Ripe Tomatoes [12/5 *]
5. Mama Don't Allow It [1/3]
6. Trouble In Mind [10/1]
7. Take It Or Leave It [14/3]
8. Last Call (For Alcohol) [16/5]

7. “Ugly Papa”
1983 Swedish LP on Jukebox Lil JB-603 [Mono, Reissued on CD in 1991 on RBD 603]
Side 1:
1. Do You Want It? [9/4]
2. Dream Lucky Blues [14/1]
3. Lotus Blossom [13/1]
4. Ugly Papa [12/4]
5. Julia's Blues [1/2]
6. If You Hadn't Gone Away (I Wouldn't Be Where I Am) [15/2]
7. Bleeding Hearted Blues [18/2]
8. Oh, Chuck It (In A Bucket) [17/4]
Side 2:
1. It Won't Be Long [1/5]
2. Decent Woman Blues [18/4]
3. Scream In The Night [5/5]
4. I Know It's Wrong (The Diet Song) [6/5]
5. Bop And Rock Lullaby [24/5]
6. Goin' To Chicago Blues [15/5]
7. King Size Papa [23/5]
8. Scat You Cats [21/5]

8. “Julia Lee And Her Boy Friends”
1983 USA-only LP on PA USA Records PR 9020
Side 1:
1. King Size Papa [16/3]
2. Draggin My Heart Around [19/4]
3. My Man Stands Out [8/4]
4. Crazy World [21/3]
5. Gotta Gimme Whatcha Got [3/2]
6. After Hours Waltz [14/4]
Side 2:
1. (Opportunity Knocks But Once) Snatch And Grab It [14/2]
2. There Goes My Heart [13/2]
3. Tonight's The Night [7/4]
4. I Was Wrong [11/3]
5. You Ain't Got It No More [15/4]
6. Last Call (For Alcohol) [16/5]

9. “A Porter’s Love Song”
1985 Swedish LP on Jukebox Lil JB-614 [Mono]
Side 1:
1. If It’s Good [16/1]
2. When A Woman Loves A Man [4/2]
3. Show Me Missouri Blues [12/1]
4. I’ll Get Along Somehow [6/2]
5. A Porter’s Love Song [7/2]
6. Young Girl’s Blues [11/2]
7. Since I’ve Been With You [9/2]
8. Oh, Marie [5/2]
Side 2:
1. Doubtful Blues [2/3]
2. On My Way Out [12/2]
3. Wise Guys (You’re A Wise Guy) [20/2]
4. All I Ever Do Is Worry [13/3]
5. Breeze (Blow My Baby Back To Me) [19/3]
6. Christmas Spirits [23/3]
7. The Glory Of Love [6/4]
8. Charmaine [1/4]

10. “Of Lions And Lambs”
1988 UK LP on Charly R&B Records CRB 1175 [Mono]
(* = Referenced in the BF Discography)
Side 1:
1. When Jennie Does That Lowdown Dance [9/5 *]
2. Don't Save It Too Long [13/4]
3. Back Street [aka Living Back Street For You] [19/2]
4. Tell Me, Daddy [22/3]
5. I Was Wrong [11/3]
6. When A Man Has Two Women [4/5 *]
7. Away From You [5/4 *]
8. You're Gonna Miss It [2/5 *]
Side 2:
1. It Comes In Like A Lion [10/4 *]
2. Lotus Blossom [13/1]
3. Ain't It A Crime [3/3]
4. When Your Lover Has Gone [16/4 *]
5. Oh, Chuck It (In A Bucket) [17/4]
6. Nobody Knows You When You're Down And Out [16/2]
7. You Ain't Got It No More [15/4]
8. I Got News For You [14/5 *]

“Crazy Heart”. A Review Of The 2009 Film Now Released On DVD and BLU RAY In 2010.

"…The Good Ones Feel Like They’ve Always Been There…"

As every film lover knows, Jeff Bridges has been putting in great performances for years - but “Crazy Heart” is different.
Quietly magnificent throughout the entire movie, he owns the Oscar on this one.

“Bad Blake” is a 57-year old country singer, drunk most of the time and shuffling with a cigarette in his gob towards another small time venue he doesn’t care about. As he empties a plastic carton of piss into the parking lot of a bowling alley (having been on the road for hours), he can think about only one thing – not family, not music, not love – but how can he get a bottle of McClure’s Whiskey into his liver with only $10 left in his jeans?

Without any new material to make money from, wifeless for the 4th time and with deteriorating health, “Bad” is still a legend among his fans and when he’s on stage, him and his beloved songs like “I Don’t Know” can still cut it. But the younger bucks have replaced him – especially his despised protégé Tommy Sweet (a brilliantly cast Colin Farrell) who now has 3 huge articulated trucks to haul his equipment from one arena to the next and not a beat-up convertible called ‘Bessie’.

Then “Bad” gets a lucky break. He is interviewed by a local Santa Fe journalist Jean Craddock, a divorced Mum in her Thirties with a bubbly 4-year old son Buddy whom she protects from – you guessed it - ‘bad’ men. Yet despite all her rules, both Jean and Buddy fall for the charms of the big kid with the guitar and the ten-gallon hat. And on the story goes, heartbreak to joy, joy to heartbreak and back again…

The support cast are convincingly enamored small town folks - Tom Bower as the store manager and Rick Dial as the local band's piano player. Colin Farrell sings amazingly well too and is a perfect foil for the aging singer (he's also superb in "Ondine"). Significant others shimmy around Bad's constant verbal abuse too - Paul Herman as his long-suffering manager Jack Greene and Robert Duvall as the bar-owner who never seems to give up on "Bad" and is maybe his only real friend (Duvall is still such a great actor at 79).

Although this kind of movie harks back to Duvall’s own “Tender Mercies”, it feels a lot richer in its details. There’s a particularly tough scene where Bad decides to finally call his son of 28. Bad hasn’t seen him since he was 4 years of age – never helped him, never been there for him. There are very few words in the scene, but there’s a lot of pain. The grown-up son is not surprisingly unforgiving - especially with his Mom having passed away two years earlier. With the receiver to his ear, there is a look on Bridge’s face that is pure destruction – a horrible realization that he has caused agony with his cavalier stay-away life and won’t easily get forgiveness for it. In the hands of another actor, there might have been histrionic tears when the call abruptly finishes – but Bridges just does what an alcoholic would do, not mend his ways, but look cravenly at the kitchen for a bottle to get lost in. And on it goes until he finally does something really selfish and stupid in a shopping mall with a boy who now looks at him with affection. It’s brilliantly relaised stuff, it really is.

Niggles – his recovery is too swift and too painless – alcohol abuse over that length of time is never that easy to shake off, and even though she’s a magnificent actress, there’s a nagging disbelief in the relationship between her character and his – would she really fall for such a car-crash as “Bad Blake”. But these are minor points.

“Crazy Heart” (based on the novel by Thomas Cobb) isn’t quiet a masterpiece, but it's damn close. And while the other actors, the T-Bone Burnette music and Scott Cooper’s superb direction all add so much to the film - ultimately it belongs to its leading man. Bridges imbibes it with believability and a soul few actors could even get near.

As Jean asks what is it that makes a great song – Bad answers with the title of this review – “The good ones feel like they’ve always been there…” You may feel the same about “Crazy Heart”.

Put it high on your rental/to buy list.