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Thursday 26 December 2013

"Here Come The Nice" by SMALL FACES - (2014 Charly/Immediate 4CD Box Set with Memorabilia) - A Review by Mark Barry...





***** (5 Stars)

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CLASSIC ROCK & POP 1970 to 1974 - Exceptional CD Remasters  
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"…Close My Eyes And Drift Away…"

First things first - anyone expecting this box set to give them straightforward reissues of the four Small Faces albums covering the 'Immediate' label period should look elsewhere (for details on those see the PS below). What we have here is an entirely different beast...

January 2014's "Here Come The Nice" by SMALL FACES is a full-on vaults trawl - a 4CD Deluxe Presentation Box Set comprising of 41 Previously Unreleased tracks. In fact the full 75-song compliment has been newly remastered from the original studio multitrack session tapes for this release. The entire project was overseen by surviving band members IAN McLAGAN and KENNEY JONES - helped by project manager JEAN-LUC YOUNG. A team of three - NICK ROBBINS, ROB KEYLOCH and ROB CAIGER  - have handled the remastering with scrupulous tape sourcing promised by this team of revered Audio engineers who also did all four of the much-praised 2012 Universal/Sanctuary 'Deluxe Editions' reissues.

"Here Come The Nice" by SMALL FACES is on Charly/Immediate CHARLY 170 BX (Barcode 803415181032) and although initially rumoured on the Net to be a US-only release due to licensing issues - it is now a 28 January 2014 Worldwide release. Housed in a 10" x 10" hard card box - it's a limited edition of 3000 with the certificate inside signed by Kenny Jones and Ian McLagan. Here's a (very) detailed breakdown of the contents:

Disc 1: "Small Faces Singles - Worldwide As Bs & EPs", 20 Tracks, 54:16 minutes:
1. Here Come The Nice
2. Talk To You
3. (Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me
4. Something I Want To Tell You
5. Get Yourself Together
6. Become Like You
7. Green Circles
8. Eddie's Dreaming
9. Itchycoo Park
10. I'm Only Dreaming
11. Tin Soldier
12. I Feel Much Better
13. Lazy Sunday
14. Rollin' Over (Part II of Happiness Stan)
15. Mad John (7" single version)
16. The Journey (7" single version)
17. The Universal
18. Donkey Rides, A Penny A Glass (7" single version)
19. Afterglow of Your Love (7" single version)
20. Wham Bam Thank You Mam
All were issued as 7" single versions/edits around the world and are in MONO. The liner notes also advise which were used on the Mono variants of the albums. None are unreleased but timing errors on old CD reissues have been corrected.

Disc 2: "Small Faces In The Studio - Olympic, BBC & Trident Sessions - Part 1"
18 Tracks - 52:17 minutes. 1. Shades of Green (Take 4 Instrumental)
2. Green Circles (Take 1)
3. Green Circles (Take 1 - Alternate Mix 1)
4. Anything (Tracking Session)
5. Anything (Backing Track)
6. Show Me The Way (Stripped Down Mix)
7. Wit Art Yer (Tracking Session)
8. Wit Art Yer (Backing Track)
9. I Can't Make It (Alternative Mix)
10. Doolally (Tracking Session)
11. What's It Called? (Overdub Session)
12. Call It Something Nice (Take 9)
13. Wide Eyed Girl (Take 2)
14. Wide Eyed Girl On The Wall (Alternate Mix)
15. Donkey Rides, A Penny A Glass (Stripped Down Mix)
16. Red Balloon With a Blue Surprise (Take 5)
17. Red Balloon (Alternate Mix)
18. Saieide Mamoon (Tracking Session)
All tracks are previously unreleased versions - 1 to 3 and 10 to 12 are MONO - all others are STEREO.

Disc 3: "Small Faces In The Studio – Olympic, IBC & Trident Sessions – Part 2":
16 Tracks – 49:47 minutes:
1. Wham Bam Thank You Mam (Alternate Mix)
2. I Can't Make It (Stripped Down Mix)
3. This Feeling Of Spring (Take 1)
4. All Our Yesterdays (Backing Track)
5. Talk To You (Alternate Mix)
6. Mind the Doors Please (Instrumental)
7. Things Are Going To Get Better (Stripped Down Mix)
8. Mad John (Tracking Session)
9. A Collibosher (Take 4)
10. Lazy Sunday Afternoon (Early Mix)
11. Jack (Backing Track)
12. Fred (Backing Track)
13. Red Balloon (Stripped Down Mix)
14. Kolomodelomo (Take 1)
15. Donkey Rides, A Penny A Glass (Alternate Mix)
16. Jenny's Song (Take 2)
All tracks are previously unreleased versions - 4 to 10 are MONO - all others are STEREO.

Disc 4: "Alternate Small Faces Outtakes & In Concert", 21 Tracks, 63:31 minutes:
1. Itchycoo Park (Take 1, Stereo Mix)
2. Here Come The Nice (Take 1, Stereo Mix)
3. I'm Only Dreaming (Take 1, Stereo mix)
4. Don't Burst My Bubble
5. I Feel Much Better
6. Green Circles (Take 1 – Italian Version)
7. Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow (Alternate Mix)
8. Piccanniny (Alternate Mix)
9. Get Yourself Together (Alternate Mix)
10. Eddie's Dreaming (Take 2 – Alternate Mix)
11. (Tell Me) Have You Ever Seen Me (Take 2 – Alternate Mix)
12. Up The Wooden Hills To Bedfordshire (US Alternate Mix)
13. Afterglow Of Your Love (Alternate Single version)*
14. (If You Think You're) Groovy – THE LOT (featuring PP Arnold & Small Faces)
15. Me You & Us Too
16. The Universal (Take 1, Stereo Mix)
17. Rollin' Over (Live)
18. If I Were A Carpenter (Live)
19. Every Little Bit Hurts (Live)
20. All Or Nothing (Live)
21. Tin Soldier (Live)
Tracks 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are Previously Unreleased. Tracks 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 are Live from the Newcastle City Hall on 18 November 1968 and are from the Pye Studio master tapes with pitch and speed corrected. Tracks 4, 6 and 12 to 15 are MONO - all others are STEREO.

The 75-page colour hardback book has a Foreword by Pete Townshend of The Who and liner notes by noted writer Mark Paytress with contributions from Kenney Jones, Ian McLagan, Rob Caigar, Tosh Flood, Barry Green, Gered Mankowitz, Ken Sharp and Jeff Slate. There are many other Rock celebrity names with quotes as well. As a coffee-table book it’s properly gorgeous and the last set of pages in particular (51 through to 69) are beautifully done - featuring song-by-song annotation of the highest quality with new info and great colour photographs.

Speaking of photography - I have to admit to massive disappointment at the rather dull-looking 'Lyrics' book. Apart from some full-page Repros of rare single and album artwork - the rest of it is all sepia-tinted black and white photos with not a jot of that great Sixties colour in evidence anywhere (rather like the terrible booklet in The Rolling Stones “London Years” box set). I suspected licensing costs at first (too cost prohibitive) - but its worse. According to Gered Mankowitz (who photographs are long since associated with the band) - Immediate got loads of full colour negatives but Gered never got them back. He was left with only a handful of colour negs literally and boxes of black and white. Hence all that beautiful colour artwork, all that great Sixties look, all that cool promo stuff appears to have been lost or chucked. I say this because after the beautiful colour images in the hardback - the dark pages of 'Lyrics' with all the images faded into the back of the text (making some of it almost unreadable) comes as a real visual let down. But - and I should stress this - they've done a classy job with what they've had to work with.   

There’s also a paper repro of the "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" Press Kit - a three-way fold-out 1967 rarity which pictures the album, the band and lists their personal details as well as some witty Immediate blurb and words.

There are 2 facsimile foldout posters in colour - a Live Gig Poster for Newcastle City Hall, June 8th with Gary Walker & The Rain, P.P. Arnold, The Nice & The Sect with John Peel as compere and a foldout advert poster for "Tin Soldier" single on Immediate IM062 (essentially the Picture Sleeve of the British issue). 

There's Two Gered Mankowitz Fine Art Prints - the boys holding the Itchycoo Park sign (in colour) and four children holding the same sign upside down (in black and white)

There are 5 x Immediate Postcards - photos on front and adverts for singles and albums on the other side

The signed certificate is presented on a repro of A Tape Box

The 4 x 7" singles are:
1. "Mystery" - Repro of a 1-Sided Emidisc Acetate (on Black Vinyl) delivered to Andrew Loog Oldham in 1967. It was intended to be a single but withdrawn. A handful of the acetates were made.
2. "Album Sampler" - Repro of the rare UK promo 'Immediate AS 1' album-sampler for the "Small Faces" LP in a Immediate Label Bag on Red Vinyl (this was not on the DELUXE EDITION of "Small Faces"). It has excerpts from 5 tracks with British DJ Tommy Valance introducing in between tracks. The original is very rare.
3. Itchycoo Park EP - repro of a rare 1967 French 4-track Immediate Records Extended Play 45 on Blue Vinyl - tracks are Itchycoo Park/I'm Only Dreaming/Green Circles/Eddie's Dreaming
4. Here Comes The Nice EP - repro of a rare 1967 French EP on Immediate Records Extended Play 45 on White Vinyl. Tracks are Here Come The Nice/Became Like You/Talk To You/Get Yourself Together

Finally there's a full-sized INFO PAGE on the rear of the box but of course like so many of these US issues it falls off the moment you remove the shrink-wrap which is a pain.

SOUND:
CD 1 is all MONO and features UK and worldwide single releases - and right from the "Here Come The Nice" opener - you can hear the quality - very clean and full of presence. "Talk To You" is just stunning as are the rarely heard single edits of "Mad John" and "The Journey" (coupled as a single in Australia). The sheer mono whack of "Rollin' Over" still sends chills up my spine ("where at man!" indeed!).

CD 2, 3 and 4 is where the fun begins. Most tracks on CD2 are stop-start studio run-throughs with cool Londoner wide-boy dialogue in between takes - "...I've broken a string man!", "...This will be Take 24...", "...Go up an octave Ronnie...", "...bit faster Ken..." or "...we can do better than that!" - and so on. "Wit Art Yer" turns out to be Take 1 of "I Can't Make It" (full of rocking effects guitar and swirling keyboards) which in turn leads into a superb Alternate Stereo take of the song proper. The slang-named "Doolally" has Marriott shouting "Hey!" throughout its multiple stops and starts and there's some amazing heavy lead guitar on Take 9 of "Call It Something Nice".

A string of great alternates open Disc 3 while Take 1 of "That Feeling Of Spring" mainlines you right back to the Summer of 1967 with all its echo and giggling. The brass instrumental "All Our Yesterdays" sounds like a Magical Mystery Tour outtake while the Alternate of "Talk To You" in rocking Stereo is so Sixties I can smell the Joss sticks. "Mind The Doors Please" is essentially a 5-minutes drum solo superfluous to anyone's requirements - but far better is a trio of tracks that feel like you're eavesdropping on an acoustic unplugged Small Faces session - "Things Are Going To Get Better", "Mad John" and "Fred". I liked these a lot - intimate and stripped down.

Another belter and compilation fave of mine is the rocking instrumental "Collibosher" - which was on both the "Autumn Stone" double album and opened Side 2 of the "In Memoriam" LP. Here we get Take 4 and fabarooney it is too. Another shocker is the genuine tenderness in Take 2 of "Jenny's Song" where Marriott sounds like he's Terry Reid doing the gorgeous "May Fly" ballad from 1969. Disc 4 opens with a trio of complete initial stereo takes which are only slightly different brill nonetheless and even more impressive is the rarely heard Mono Northern Soul smack of "(If You Think You're) Groovy" track by The Lot which is P.P. Arnold with The Small Faces. But for me the highlight of the entire set is proper remaster quality given to "Me You And Us Too" which is "Wham Bam Thank You Mam" under another name and with different lyrics. It absolutely rocks and encapsulates what I loved about the band's sound at that time (I think it's been on previous CD reissues of dubious origins but never sounding this good). The live stuff is drenched in panting screaming girls and raucous to say the least - but more than anything you get the sheer sonic assault of the band and what a ludicrously exciting live act they were. Impressive trouser snakes boys...

WEAKNESSES/NIGGLES:
Following on from the opening paragraph - it has to be said out loud that this is 'fan stuff' - the casual listener will find it all a bit wearing. I thought CD2 was the weakest of the unreleased stuff (bit cheeky called a 36-second segment a track) but CD3 and 4 more than make up for it. Overall - these are minor complaints and the box has been worth the wait.

SUM UP:
For a band so notoriously mishandled down through the decades - there’s a real sense of people making sure this reissue comes up to muster. And as I drool over the hardback book and listen to that cool Take 1 of "Itchycoo Park" in Stereo once more - I wonder will we ever see their like again. At least this box set remembers them with style and class.

It really was all too beautiful folks...

PS:
The four albums from the period are available as follows - "Small Faces" (Immediate Label) and "Ogden's Nut Gone Flake" are already issued as 'Deluxe Editions' (see my 2012 reviews for those 3CD and 2CD sets) and there is very little duplication with the content of this box. Third is the American LP "There Are But Four Small Faces" which can be sequenced from the 2 DELUXE EDITIONS and the 4th is the sought-after double album "Autumn Stone" which is rumoured to be a DE in 2014 in its own right (we'll believe that when when we see it).

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PPS: There is also a very tasty VINYL EDITION of the the whole Box Set also as a LIMITED EDITION

Wednesday 25 December 2013

"I Just Can't Help Myself" by TERRY CALLIER (2013 Japan 'Chess Best Collection' CD Remaster) - A Review by Mark Barry...



This Review Along With 333 Others Is Available In My
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HIGHER GROUND 
70ts Soul, R'n'B, Funk, Jazz Fusion
Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters  
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"...Lead Me To The Bridge Of Bright Tomorrows…”

Hailing out of Chicago and a childhood pal of Curtis Mayfield, Terry Callier had put out his debut album "The New Folk Sound Of Terry Callier" on Prestige in July 1965 and then did 2 albums on the Cadet Concept label prior to this - "Occasional Rain" in 1972 and "What Color Is Love" in early 1973.

The third and final album for the famous Chicago label "I Just Can't Help Myself" (October 1973) has been missing on CD for decades. Bootleg copies of the vinyl LP have been in London shops for over 15 years now because the US original is so rare. Which brings us to this welcome digital release - part of a 2013 Japanese-only CD series called 'Chess Best Collection'. Here are the helpful details...

Japan released 12 Dec 2013 - "I Just Can't Help Myself" by TERRY CALLIER on Universal Japan/Chess UICY-75986 (Barcode 4988005792747) is a new CD remaster with glorious sound that plays out as follows (40:54 minutes):

1. (I Just Can't Help Myself) I Don't Want Nobody Else
2. Brown-Eyed-Lady
3. Gotta Get Closer To You
4. Satin Doll
5. Until Tomorrow
6. Alley-Wind Song
7. Can't Catch The Trane
8. Bolwin' Green
Tracks 1 to 8 are the album "I Just Can't Help Myself" – released October 1973 in the USA on Cadet Records CA 50041.

You may see this CD reissue called 'Chess 1000 Collection' in some quarters which refers to the price code - 1000 Yen or less. Depending on exchange rates this translates into 7 to 9 dollars, 5 to 7 pounds and a similar amount in Euros. Even with P&P costs - this weighs in at less than nine pounds for UK customers - which is very cheap for quality Japanese releases. It's in a jewel case - the foldout inlay sandwiched between a paper repro of the sleeve (back and front). Typical of these Japanese reissues - the inlay has an essay you can't read - and a decent stab at printing the English lyrics for all the songs. It doesn't say who or where this was remastered but the sound is GORGEOUS.

This album is firmly in the FOLK-SOUL category and for me is very much a tale of two Sides - Side 1 being not that great - while Side 2 is magical. Tracks 1 to 5 make up Side 1 which features three of the songs co-written with LARRY WADE - "(I Just Can't Help Myself) I Don't Want Nobody Else", "Brown-Eyed Lady" and "Gotta Get Close To You". Unfortunately they're trying too hard to be commercial - like Barry White but not in a good way. Things get better as they slow down considerably on his cover of Duke Ellington's "Satin Doll" which is lovely. And Charles Stepney's arrangement of "Until Tomorrow" (closes Side 1) give it a sweeping feel with strings vying with the acoustic rhythms.

But for me Side 2 is incredible. It's like Callier suddenly changed tack and realised that less is more. Less production - more Soul. It has only 3 tracks - two of which "Alley-Wind Song" is nine minutes long while "Bowlin' Green" (co-written with Holmes Daley) is nearly eight. They are very much in the Folky Soul tradition - acoustic guitars with the occasional Bongo flourish and scat vocals. "Alley-Wind Song" is just so good (lyrics from it title this review). It's an acquired taste - but a stunning one if you get bitten. "Can't Catch The Trane" sees him scat faster and faster to a point where he almost vocally loses it towards the song end (great Alto Sax by DON MYRICK sails in at the song reaches its climax). "Bowlin' Green" is masterful - building all the time - but never getting out of control - oboes and strings softly introduced as his vocals become ever more impassioned. Personally the three simpler tracks on Side 2 (all Callier originals) makes for much satisfying and genuinely Soulful listen.

I should also mention that CHARLES STEPNEY freaks will need to own this. Stepney is another big name in small circles - a hero of sorts for soul lovers. He was involved in The Rotary Connection with Minnie Riperton, produced four albums with The Dells and even twiddled the knobs on the iconic and now much-vaulted psych-blues-fusion album "Electric Mud" by Muddy Waters. I'd personally scour down anything he had a hand in...a genius...

In the end - Terry Callier had morphed (like Richie Havens) into a sort of elder statesman of Soul - still spreading his gospel of love and understanding right up his sad passing in 2012. His "Lean On Me" song with Beth Orton on the "Best Bit EP" in 1997 is truly beautiful. Also check out his "Timepeace" set from 1998 - unbelievably good and relevant to the now and not just past glories.

Like Donny Hathaway's Atlantic output - it's hard for me to be rational about Terry Callier's fabulous run of albums with Charles Stepney on the cool Cadet Concept label. And even though "I Just Can't Help Myself" isn't the best of the three (a three-star album given a four-star CD reissue) - try to find a way to buy this CD album before it gets deleted in mid 2014. RIP Terry Callier you lovely journeyman...

PS: I've also reviewed "The New Folk Sound Of Terry Callier”, "Occasional Rain" and "What Color Is Love"

Monday 23 December 2013

"Classic Album Selection" by J.J. CALE. A Review by Mark Barry Of The March 2013 Universal 5CD Box Set Which 'Isn't' Remastered...





"...Devil In Disguise..."

Since his tragic loss in July 2013 renewed interest in J.J. Cale and his wonderfully laid-back songwriting magic has never been higher - so this box set 'claiming' to be 2013 remasters is a very tempting deal indeed (and for newcomers it is a good buy). But as usual with so many major label reissues these days - fans replacing old discs for new remasters need to know that there's snakes in the grass...

I recently bought and reviewed two of the truly amazing Japanese SHM-CD reissues of his first 8 albums ("Troubadour" and "5"). The titles released in Japan are "Naturally" (1972), "Really" (1973), "Okie" (1974), "Troubadour" (1976), "5" (1979), "Shades" (1981), "Grasshopper" (1982) and No. 8" (1983) - all of which ARE REMASTERED to superlative effect.

As you can see from the list below - 5 of those 8 titles are in this mini box set "Classic Album Selection" (Barcode 600753418918) - but this UK/European March 2013 Universal mini box set absolutely IS NOT REMASTERED despite what Amazon UK and USA claim. Here's a breakdown and I hope an explanation:

1. Naturally - 32:13 minutes, cata no 0600753418949
2. Troubadour - 36:27 minutes, cata no. 06000753418956
3. Shades - 33:20 minutes, cata no. 060075348925
4. Grasshopper - 35:09 minutes, cata no 0600753418963
5. No. 8 - 29:59 minutes, cata no. 0600753418932

There is an outer hard-card box with five gatefold digipaks contained within (no booklet). The CDs look exactly like the old Eighties and Nineties issues except for the longer catalogue number listed above - the old Mercury designed labels of silver and orange lines. My Mac even remembered the old track references I'd personally put on tracks when I put the discs in to read them. I tried an outside source - like a desktop CD player - same thing - same old discs - absolutely not new. So where does this '2013 Remaster' claim come from? I suspect from the Japanese SHM-CD reissues that seem to exclusively have remasters.

The point is that the sound difference between the SHM-CD issues and the ordinary 'digitally mastered' discs in this 2013 "Classic" box is literally like chalk and cheese. Don't get me wrong - the discs in the "Classic" box set sound good - they do - especially the 3 criminally underrated Eighties LPs "Shades", "Grasshopper" and "No. 8" which were beautifully produced anyway. And the box is cheap too. But it's his classy first five albums from the Seventies that need the remastering most. And if you're a real fan - once you get an earful of the SHM-CD of "Troubadour" (which actually has extended playing times too) or "Naturally" for that matter - you'll have to own the lot because the sound upgrade is so great.

To sum up - if you're a newcomer to the great man then "Classic" will suffice and is properly good value for money. But if you're a real fan - then you need the real remasters - the Japanese SHM-CD reissues (list below).

J.J. Cale was one of my audio heroes growing up - and his influence on Eric Clapton, Dire Straits and even John Mayer is undeniable.
What a loss and what an artist.

The albums in the June 2013 Japanese CD reissue series are (with Barcodes to identify the right issue on Amazon):
1. Naturally (1972 - his debut) on Universal UICY-75627 (Barcode 4988005771582) [SEE REVIEW]
2. Really (1973) on Universal UICY-75628 (Barcode 4988005771599)
3. Okie (1974) on Universal UICY-75629 (Barcode 4988005771605) [SEE REVIEW]
4. Troubadour (1976) on Universal UICY-75630 (Barcode 4988005771612) [SEE REVIEW]
5. "5" (1979) on Universal UICY-75631 (Barcode 4988005771629) [SEE REVIEW]
6. Shades (1981) on Universal UICY-75632 (Barcode 4988005771636)
7. Grasshopper (1982) on Universal UICY-75633 (Barcode 4988005771643)
8. No. 8 (1983) on Universal UICY-75634 (Barcode 4988005771650)

Saturday 21 December 2013

"Rock & Roll" by JOE TURNER. A Review Of His Stunning 1956 Atlantic Album Now Remastered Onto CD In 2012 As Part Of The Japanese "Atlantic 1000:Best R&B Collection" Series.


This Review Along With 100s Of Others Can be Found In My E-BOOK
"BLUES, VOCAL GROUPS, RHYTHM & BLUES and ROCK & ROLL
Exceptional CD Remasters"
Available on Amazon for £3.95


"...Give Me One More Kiss...Hold It A Long Long Time..." 

"Rock & Roll" by JOE TURNER 
(2012 Japan-Only CD Remaster - Part of the “Atlantic 1000: Best R&B Collection” Series)

Since October 2012 going through to August 2014 and beyond - Warner Brothers Music Japan has been engaged in a massive reissue campaign covering all the labels under the Atlantic Records umbrella - it's called the "Atlantic 1000: R&B Best Collection" series. The 1000 refers to the Yen price - most are about 950 yen and at current exchange rates averages about 8 to 10 dollars or 5 to 6 pounds - with P&P - they can cost as little as 8 to 10 pounds per disc - which is cheap for quality like this. 

The genres covered are Blues, Rhythm 'n' Blues, Soul, Funk, Fusion, Disco, Gospel and some Jazz. Others labels featured are STAX, ELEKTRA and CURTOM as well as tiny Atlantic subsidiaries like Cat. Each release is in a jewel case - the artwork is repro’d in the booklet - there's an Obi strip around the outside and the CD label itself usually mimics the original vinyl album design. The big news however is not just the breath of the titles issued - but that all are 2012 to 2014 DSD remasters from the original tapes. And that's where this wonderful CD reissue for Joe Turner comes in…

1. Shake, Rattle & Roll
2. Flip, Flop & Fly
3. Feeling Happy 
4. Well All Right 
5. The Chicken And The Hawk 
6. Boogie Woogie Country Girl 
7. Honey Rush
8. Corrine Corrina [Side 2]
9. Midnight Special Train
10. Hide And Seek
11. Oke-She-Moke-She-Pop
12. Crawdad Hole
13. Sweet Sixteen
14. Chains Of Love

Released 7 November 2012 on Warner Brothers WPCR-27563 (Barcode 4943674126477) - "Joe Turner - Rock & Roll" is an exact repro of his famous 1957 14-track MONO album on Atlantic 8005 (total playing time 38:05 minutes). Page 1 of the 12-page booklet repros the front sleeve while the last page is the rear with all the recording details. In between you get a Japanese essay and the lyrics in English and naught else. The label (like the other 2) is Green. But the big news is the sound...

I've already reviewed Bear Family's superb "Rocks" CD by Joe Turner - and these remasters equal them. The sound quality is truly fantastic here - very clean - the stunning piano playing of PETE JOHNSON jumping out of every track. As for the LP - it's mostly a collection of rocking hit singles and their B-sides stretching back as far as 1951 and 1952 - gems like "The Chicken And The Hawk", "Shake, Rattle & Roll" (with its saucy lyrics not sanitized by Bill Haley's version), "Crawdad Hole" and so on. The hits just keep on coming - "Sweet Sixteen", "Boogie Woogie Country Girl" and the cool "Flip, Flop & Fly" (lyrics from it title this review). The only downer is that the last track "Chains Of Love" (his first 7" single for Atlantic back in 1951) is clearly from a badly corrupted tape or vinyl. But outside of that - fans of Fifties R'n'B will have to own it - "Corrine Corrina" sounding this good has to be heard to be believed.

Big Joe Turner and his superlative Atlantic sides - are GOD in our house - and this fabulous sounding remaster does him rocking proud…

PS: Here are some of the Blues and R'n'B titles available in this series so far:

1. LaVern Baker [aka "Rock & Roll"] (1957) - LaVERN BAKER
2. The Wildest Guitar (1959) - MICKEY BAKER
3. Ruth Brown [aka "Rock & Roll"] (1957) - RUTH BROWN
4. Late Date With Ruth Brown (1958) - RUTH BROWN
5. Yes Indeed! (1960) - RAY CHARLES
6. The Coasters (1958) - THE COASTERS
7. The Clovers (1956) - THE CLOVERS
8. Dance Party (1959) - THE CLOVERS
9. Don't Turn Me From Your Door (1963) - JOHN LEE HOOKER
10. Have Tenor Saxophone Will Blow (1959) - KING CURTIS
11. Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters [aka "Rock & Roll"] (1956) - CLYDE McPHATTER & THE DRIFTERS
12 The Boss Of The Blues (1956 Mono) - JOE TURNER [see REVIEW]
13. Joe Turner [aka "Rock & Roll"] (1957 Mono) - JOE TURNER [see REVIEW]
14. Big Joe Rides Again (1959 Stereo) - JOE TURNER [see REVIEW]
15. T-Bone Blues (1959 - includes 4 Bonus Tracks) - T-BONE WALKER
16. The King Of The Stroll (1958) - CHUCK WILLIS

A list of all 250 + titles in the series are on my Blog Site if you want a deeper look.

Google "Atlantic 1000: R&B Best Collection" and you’ll find it…

INDEX - Entries and Artist Posts in Alphabetical Order