"Capricorn Records Presents The Fire/Fury Records Story" by VARIOUS ARTISTS – Featuring 1958 to 1970 Single and Album Track Releases and Sessions on Fire, Fury, Enjoy, Gwenn, Fling, Everlast and Front Page Records (2 Previously Unreleased). Artists include Tarheel Slim, Wilbert Harrison, Buster Brown, Little Ann, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, Elmore James, Mighty Joe Young, Willis Jackson, Lightnin' Hopkins, Lee Dorsey, The Upsetters, Lewis Jones, Marshall Jones, Bobby Porter, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Titus Turner, King Curtis, Bobby Marchan, Dr. Horse, Joe Haywood, Wild Jimmy Spruill and more – All Bobby Robinson Productions (February 1993 US Capricorn Records 2CD 51-Track Cardboard 6" x 12" Long Book with Booklet and Lee Herschberg Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 <iframe sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mabasreofcdbl-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B00008G1HM&asins=B00008G1HM&linkId=91c42c23d222ebc43d5af90cb1675b28&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>

 

This Review Along With Over 215 Others Is Available in my

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites

"MANNISH BOY" 

BLUES, VOCAL GROUPS, DOO WOP, ROOTS

RHYTHM 'n' BLUES and ROCK 'n' ROLL ON CD 

Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters 

Thousands of E-Pages

All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs 

(No Cut and Paste Crap)

<iframe style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mabasreofcdbl-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B00NED95TW&asins=B00NED95TW&linkId=0061fb4ca8224304480e8a6f1c505bce&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>

 

"...Glory Be..."

 

There are some retrospective CD Box Sets that just get lost in the American rush. And as you can see from the list I have provided below – none of the six titles in the "Capricorn Records Presents" Series made any real inroads. Even now in June 2023 as I write this, they are forgotten and largely unknown. Which is a damn shame.

 

Case in point...formed by New Orleans independent entrepreneur and music hero Bobby Richardson, Fury Records began its life in 1957 (splinter labels included Fire, Enjoy, Gwenn, Fling, Everlast and Front Page) and as far as this Box Set's concerned continued into 1969 recordings. Richardson had (unbelievably) opened his Black Music Store called Bobby's Records on 125^th Street in Harlem, New York City just after the Second World War in 1946 – so Richardson had some serious pioneer history. His emporium was literally within eye-shot of the famous Apollo Theater and yards away from a favored steakhouse where legends chowed down. 

 

Both Fire and Fury also saw releases by huge names and influencers in the Blues and R&B genres – Elmore James, Wilbert Harrison, Lee Dorsey, Buster Brown, Saxophonist King Curtis, Lightnin' Hopkins, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, Titus Turner, Tarheel Slim with Jimmy Spruill busting his axe and even early debut Soul efforts by a 18-year old but already mature and classy Gladys Knight with her Pips. A glance down the songs credits I have provided will also show that he penned or co-penned a good number of the songs too and Bobby scored an impressive five No.1 R&B chart-toppers (the two-million selling "Kansas City" hit number 1 in both Pop and R&B).

 

For sure "...The Fire/Fury Records Story" has inaccuracies in its infuriatingly slapdash and kind of hokey booklet – only 15 of the 51-songs provided here hit the US R&B Billboard charts – and some of it is about as far away from Audio Nirvana as a body can get – but I absolutely love it as a Fifties and Sixties Blues and Rhythm and Blues listen. There is something fab about this forgotten gem and I want to champion it (two Previously Unreleased cuts too). None of the catalogue numbers or release dates is provided in the 16-Page Long Booklet (so I have done those), however, any single that charted has its peak positions on both Billboard R&B and Pop USA in the text (I have included those in the relevant entries too). To the details...

 

US released February 1993 - "Capricorn Records Presents The Fire/Fury Records Story" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Capricorn/Warner Brothers 9 42009-2 (Barcode 093624200925) is a 6" x 12" 2CD Cardboard Long Box Set with 16-Page Booklet and Lee Herschberg Remasters; it breaks down as follows (all catalogue numbers US 45-singles unless otherwise stated):

 

CD1: 69:19 minutes (25 Tracks):

1. Number 9 Train – TARHEEL SLIM (1958, Fury 1016, B-side of "Wildcat Tamer", Bobby Richardson song, TS is Alden Allen Bunn formerly of The Larks Vocal Group, Guitar on the Session by Wild Jimmy Spruill – see Track 17 on CD2)

2. Kansas City – WILBERT HARRISON (March 1959, Fury 1023, A-side, No.1 US Billboard R&B and Pop charts)

3. Fannie Mae – BUSTER BROWN (November 1959, Fury 1008, A-side, No.1 R&B, No.38 Pop)

4. Much Too Late – TARHEEL SLIM and LITTLE ANN (November 1959, Fire 1009, A-side – Alden Allen Bunn and Anna Lee Sanford)

5. That’s All Right – ARTHUR "BIG BOY" CRUDUP (from the 1962 US LP "Mean Ole Frisco" on Fire Records FLP 103)

6. The Sky Is Crying – ELMORE JAMES credited as Elmo James and His Dustbusters (April 1960, Fire 1016, A-side, No.15 chart peak R&B)

7. There Is Something On Your Mind, Parts 1 & 2 – BOBBY MARCHAN (June 1960, Fire 1022, A&B-sides, No.1 R&B, No.31 Pop)

8. Why Baby – MIGHTY JOE YOUNG (1960, Fire 1033, A-side)

9. Dust My Broom – ELMORE JAMES (1965, Enjoy 2027, A-side)

10. Good To The Bone – WILLIS JACKSON and BAND (featuring Bill Jennings) (September 1959, Fire 1003, A-side)

11. Mojo Hand – LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS (from the 1962 US LP "Mojo Hand" on Fire Records FLP 104 in Mono – see also Tracks 13 and 16)

12. Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby – BUSTER BROWN (July 1960, Fire 1023, B-side to "Don't Dog Your Woman", No.81 chart peak Pop)

13. Glory Be - LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS (from the 1962 US LP "Mojo Hand" on Fire Records FLP 104 in Mono – see also Tracks 11 and 16)

14. You Don't Have To Go – SAM MYERS (July 1960, Fury 1035, A-side)

15. Just Say The Word – THE JAY CEES (July 1962, Enjoy 1004, B-side of "The Waddle")

16. Santa - LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS (from the 1962 US LP "Mojo Hand" on Fire Records FLP 104 in Mono – see also Tracks 11 and 13)

17. Jaywalking – THE UPSETTERS (October 1960, Fire 1029, A-side)

18. Every Beat Of My Heart – GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (May 1961, Fury 1050, A-side, No.15 R&B, No.45 Pop)

19. Ya Ya – LEE DORSEY (July 1961, Fury 1053, A-side, Co-write with Bobby Richardson, No. 1 R&B, No.7 Pop)

20. Letter Full Of Tears – GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (November 1961, Fury 1054, A-side, No.3 R&B, No.19 Pop)

21. Do-Re-Mi – LEE DORSEY (December 1961, Fury 1056, A-side, Earl King song - see Track 24 for B-side, No.22 R&B, No.27 Pop)

22. Morning, Noon & Night – GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS (from the 1962 US LP "Letter Full Of Tears" on Fury Records FULP 1003 in Mono, Don Covay song)

23. Broadway On Fire – BUSTER BROWN (1963, Gwenn G-601, B-side of "Trying To Learn How To Love Me")

24. People Gonna Talk – LEE DORSEY (December 1961, Fury 1056, B-side – see Track 21 for A-side)

25. Let's Stick Together – WILBERT HARRISON (April 1962, Fury 1062, A-side)

 

CD2: 71:05 minutes (26 Tracks):

1. Shake Your Moneymaker – ELMORE JAMES (December 1961, Fire 504, B-side to "Look On Yonder Wall")

2. Sugar Babe – BUSTER BROWN (December 1961, Fire 507, A-side, Bobby Richardson song)

3. Soul Twist – KING CURTIS and THE NOBLE KNIGHTS (February 1962, Enjoy 1000, A-side, No.1 R&B)

4. Eenie-Meenie-Miny-Mo – LEE DORSEY (March 1962, Fury 1061, A-side, Bobby Richardson song)

5. People Sure Act Funny (When They Get A Lotta' Money) – TITUS TURNER (July 1962, Enjoy 1005, A-side)

6. Long Time No See – RONNIE MILLER and THE MANHATTANS (March 1964, Enjoy 2008, B-side of "Come On Back", co-write with Bobby Richardson)

7. Mr. Crow – KING CURTIS (from the Fire/Fury Sessions of 1962, first appearance here in 1994)

8. I Need Your Loving – DON GARDNER and DEE DEE FORD (May 1962, Fire 508, A-side)

9. Something For You, Baby – MARY "B" (April 1962, Fling 725, A-side, Mary Banks song)

10. Bow Wow (Life Ain't Nothing But Dog Eat Dog) – TITUS TURNER (1964, Enjoy 2010, A-side, credited as Titus Tee Turner)

11. Don't You Worry – DON GARDNER and DEE DEE FORD (August 1962, Fire 513, A-side, co-write with Bobby Richardson)

12. Jookin – NOBLE "Thin Man" WATTS (December 1962, Enjoy 1008, B-side of "What ya Gonna Do" by Nobel Watts and June Bateman, B-side credited to Nobel Watts only)

13. All Around The World – TITUS TURNER (1962 Recording for Enjoy Records of his June 1955 Wing Records single)

14. Jack, That Cat Was Clean – DR. HORSE (October 1962, Fire 514, A-side, real name Al Pittman, early Rap style Vocals – for B-side see Track 16)

15. Go Away Mr. Blues – NOBLE WATTS and THE POSUM BELLYS featuring JUNE BATEMAN (1965, Everlast 5033, B-side to "Possum Belly Overalls")

16. Salt Pork, West Virginia – DR. HORSE (October 1962, Fire 514, B-side, real name Al Pittman, early Rap style Vocals, Session also includes Billy Butler on Guitar with George Stubbs on Piano – for A-side see Track 14)

17. Cut And Dried – WILD JIMMY SPRUILL (1964, Enjoy 2006, B-side of "The Rooster" – for Spruill as Guitarist, see also Track 1 on CD1)

18. You Can Do It If You Want To – MARSHALL JONES (featuring ELMORE JAMES on Guitar) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED (Recorded 1963)

19. I Believe To My Soul – LEWIS JONES (1964, Enjoy 2009, A-side)

20. Harmonica Twist – KING CURTIS (Enjoy Sessions, 1964)

21. I Will Cry – KIP ANDERSON (October 1962, Everlast 5021, B-side of "I Feel Good")

22. Woke Up Happy - MARSHALL JONES (featuring ELMORE JAMES on Guitar) – PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED

23. Wiggle Wobble – LES COOPER and THE SOUL ROCKERS (August 1962, Everlast 5019, A-side, No. 12 R&B, No. 22 Pop)

24. Searching For Love – BOBBY PORTER (1965, Enjoy 2021, B-side of "Foxy Devil", Willy Hightower and Bobby Robinson song)

25. It Hurts Me Too – ELMORE JAMES (1965, Enjoy 2015, A-side, No.25 R&B)

26. Strong Feeling – JOE HAYWOOD (November 1970, Front Page 1000, A-side, Drummer and Singer, Recorded 1969)

 

Compiled by DIANA REID HAIG – there are written contributions from PHIL WALDEN then President of Capricorn Records, a Diana Reid Haig Introduction, biog comments especially for the project from label founder and songwriter Bobby Richardson on each of the artists represented on the 2CD Box, a three and a half page history of "The Fire/Fury Story" by JOHN MORTHLAND (pictures five of those rare album sleeves between the text) and finally Reissue Credits. It isn’t in colour, so loses some of the impact the pretty booklet cover has done like those old R&B gig posters and Trade Adverts for New Releases. The DRH liner notes are dated July 1992 – as is the Copyright date on the rear of the Box – but the release date wasn’t until 1993 – hence the 1993 date on the 1CD Promo for the Box.

 

There is a special thanks to LEE HERSCHBERG for his expertise with the Master Tapes (he has done loads of work with Warner Brothers, Randy Newman, Ry Cooder, Emmylou Harris etc). It's a mixed bag of the fabulous, the acceptable and the gutbucket. Audio-wise both "Let's Stick Together" by Wilbert Harrison (on CD1) and "Sugar Babe" by Buster Brown could not be more hole-in-bucket backdoor pit of peril Audio – grungy – amateur – and yet both are loaded to the gunnels with feeling and that homemade magic that you just can't describe sometimes. Is it any wonder Canned Heat and Bryan Ferry latched into the Wilbert Harrison tune. For Coolsville you have top go straight to the fabulous shuffling instrumental "Soul Twist" and the seriously hip "Jack, That Cat Was Clean" where Dr. Horse talks his smooth-as-silk way through the story of a Sixties Super Dude that can do no wrong with the chicks.

 

Galveston (Texas) Vocalist Lewis "Blues Boy" Jones only got one 45 out on Enjoy Records in 1964 – his highly rated cover of the Ray Charles song "I Believe To My Soul". So it's a reissue crime that the Bobby Richardson penned flipside "Hurry Baby" wasn't squeezed onto CD2 when there was room. You have to love the Take 1 count-in that breaks down in seconds for the Elmore James classic "Shake Your Moneymaker" – a slide slasher that Peter Green used on the February 1968 debut album for Fleetwood Mac on Blue Horizon Records – and is then picked up by EJ moments later. What a voice. There are great reminiscences about how Bobby and EJ were discussing the torrential rain as they watched and EJ called it "The Sky Is Crying". Bobby immediately suggested that was a great name for a song and they recorded it that day – Stevie Ray Vaughan smashing it on Epic decades later. The "Cut And Dried" flipside by guitarist Wild Jimmy Spruill is a monster as is his truly fantastic contributions to the CD1 opener by Tarheel Slim "Number 9 Train" – a R&B/Rockabilly blaster from 1958 that is a three-figure collector purchase for a reason. And of course there are remainders of forgotten greatness with Bobby Porter, Buster Brown and Joe Haywood while Saxophonist King Curtis seems everywhere (as usual).

 

The brill thing about a set like this is the dip and dive – the discoveries – and even though I wish the booklet especially was actually as lavish as some claim – I give this fab set a 5-stars because its fun and rocks and Bobby Robinson was a musical hero back when they mattered.

 

In Kansas City, they got some fine looking women there and I am gonna get me one, sang Wilbert Harrison. Get this twofer into your stereo and enjoy...

 

 

Titles in the "Capricorn Records Presents" Series

Each is American-only and Presented in 6" x 12" Cardboard Long Box Sets

Diana Reid Haig Compilations, Lee Herschberg Remasters

 

ELMORE JAMES – "Capricorn Records Presents King Of The Slide Guitar" (July 1992 2CD Set on Capricorn 9 42006-2 – Reissued May 1994 with the same catalogue number but different artwork - Barcode 093624200628)

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS – "Capricorn Records Presents The Cobra Records Story: Chicago Rock & Blues 1956-1958" (April 1993 2CD Set on Capricorn 9 42012-2 – Barcode 093624201229)

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS - "Capricorn Records Presents The Fire/Fury Records Story" (February 1993 2CD Set on Capricorn 9 42009-2 – Barcode 093624200925)

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS – "Capricorn Records Presents The Jewel/Paula Story" (April 1993 2CD Set on Capricorn 9 42014-2 – Barcode 093624201427)

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS – "Capricorn Records Presents The Scepter Story" (May 1992 3CD Set on Capricorn 9 42003-2 – Barcode 093624200321)

 

VARIOUS ARTISTS – "Capricorn Records Presents The Swing Time Records Story: R&B, Blues & Gospel 1946-1952" (July 1994 2CD Set on Capricorn 9 42024-2 – Barcode 789394202428)

"Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards" by TOM WAITS – 56 Tracks (Including Two Hidden Tracks on CD3) covering 1985 to 2004. Features 30 New Songs, Tribute Album Contributions, Soundtrack Songs, Collaborations, Original TW Versions of Songs Recorded by Others and More - Guests Include his wife Kathleen Brennan with Siblings Sullivan and Casey Waits on Guitar and Drums, Mitchell Froom (of Crowded House), Dave Alvin (of The Blasters), Ron Hacker, Mark Ribot, Brett Gurewitz (of Bad Religion), Mark Linkus (of Sparklehorse) and Larry LaLonde (of Primus) on Guitars, Larry "The Mole" Taylor of Canned Heat on Bass, Blues Harmonica Players Charlie Musselwhite and John Hammond, Pedal Steel Guitar Player Bobby Black of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Jazz Pianist Art Hillary and many more (November 2006 UK/EUROPE Anti- Records 3CD 56-Track 4-Panel Hardback Digibook with Audio restoration, Mixing and Editing by Karl Derfler and Gavin Lurssen Mastering)

<iframe sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mabasreofcdbl-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B000INAUZO&asins=B000INAUZO&linkId=dfe0ae324299f3e4cb73be4c907e6239&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>

"...Room For The Forsaken... "

 

It amazes me that this expensive (at the time) 3CD 56-Track trawl through his unreleased 'Orphan' recordings from 1985 to 2004 is the biggest seller Tom Waits has had to date (it came out in November 2006 after much preparation). Three years after its almost entirely positive reception from the press and public alike, Anti- Records even released a pricey 7 x VINYL LP variant of "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards" with six extra tracks on LP7 (see details below).

 

But then again, anything resembling a Box Set afforded to this giant of Alternative and Americana Music is the kind of thing that will get legions of his many admirers a tad excited. Tom Waits is God as far as I'm concerned. And I will have it no other way. There is a lot of dreaming of Knickerbockers on Fannin Street, yards of Buzz Fledderjohn, hobos throwing money off the back of a train and Moses looking to start another fire with used Pontiac Tyres. So let's bend down the branches my sea shanty people and get into details...

 

UK and EUROPE released 17 November 2006 - "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards" by TOM WAITS on Anti- 6677-2 (Barcode 8714092667721) is a 56-Track 3CD Hardback Digibook Compilation of New Songs and Outtakes from 1985 to 2004. It plays out as follows:

 

CD1 "Brawlers" (64:20 minutes):

1. Lie To Me

2. Low Down

3. 2:19

4. Fish In The Jailhouse

5. Bottom Of The World

6. Lucinda

7. Ain't Goin' Down To The Well

8. Lord I've Been Changed

9. Puttin' On The Dog

10. Road To Peace

11. All The Time

12. The Return of Jackie And Judy

13. Walk Away

14. Sea Of Love

15. Buzz Fledderjohn

16. Rains On Me

NOTES on CD1:

Track 3 ("2:19"), Track 8 ("Lord I've Been Changed" credited as ("I Know I've Been Changed") and Track 15 ("Buzz Fledderjohn") were all used on the 2001 CD album "Wicked Grin" by JOHN HAMMOND on Pointblank Records – a whole album of Tom Waits songs done by the American Blues Harmonica Player. The versions on "Orphans..." are the Tom Waits originals – as is "Fannin Street" (Track 10 on CD2)

Track 5 appears in the 2003 Documentary "Long Gone"

Track 7 is a Leadbelly cover version

Tracks 8 and 15 see Notes on Track 3 etc

Track 9 appears in the 1999 Comedy Drama "Liberty Heights"

Track 12 is a Ramones cover version that appeared on the 2003 tribute album to the American Band called "We're A Happy Family"

Track 13 was on the 1996 Soundtrack Album "Dead Man Walking"

Track 14 is a cover version of 1959 Phil Phillips classic "Sea Of Love" and appeared in the 1989 Al Pacino film of the same name

Track 16 is a co-write with Chuck E. Weiss and first appeared on his 1999 album "Extremely Cool"

 

CD2 "Bawlers" (69:37 minutes):

1. Bend Down The Branches

2. You Can Never Hold Back Spring

3. Long Way Home

4. Widow's Grove

5. Little Drop Of Poison

6. Shiny Things

7. World Keeps Turning

8. Tell It To Me

9. Never Let Go

10. Fannin Street

11. Little Man

12. It's Over

13. If I Have To Go

14. Goodnight

15. The Fall Of Troy

16. Take Care Of All My Children

17. Down There By The Train

18. Danny Says

19. Jayne's Blue Wish

20. Young At Heart

NOTES ON CD2:

Track 1 first appeared on a Various Artists 2002 CD compilation of children’s songs called "For The Kids"

Track 2 first appeared in the 2005 Roberto Benigni film "The Tiger And The Snow"

Track 3 first appeared on the 2001 CD Soundtrack to "Big Bad Love" and was covered by singer Norah Jones on her 2004 album "Feels Like Home

Track 5 first appeared on the Soundtrack to the 1997 Wim Wenders film "The End Of Violence" and again in 2004 (in a different form than the one here) on the Dreamworks animated film "Shrek 2"

Track 6 is an outtake from the 2002 "Blood And Money" album and also appeared in the Robert Wilson production of Georg Büchner's unfinished 1837 play Woyzeck

Track 7 appeared on the 2001 Soundtrack to the movie "Pollock"

Track 8 first appeared as "Louise (Tell It To Me)" in 1998 on the Ramblin Jack Elliott CD album "Friends Of Mine" on Hightone Records; this version is by Tom Waits only and differs to the duet

Track 9 appeared in the 1992 Martin Bell film "American Heart"

Track 10 – see Notes on Tracks 3, 8 and 15 on CD1 – a Leadbelly cover version

Track 11 released on the 1991 album "Mississippi Lad" by Teddy Edwards

Track 12 previously appeared in the 1999 Comedy Drama "Liberty Heights", but in a different version

Track 13 "If I Have To Go" was first used in 1984 as "Rat's Theme" on the documentary film "Streetwise", later became an outtake "If I Have To Go" from the 1986 "Franks Wild Years" album - appeared in the theatre play version of "Franks Wild Years" but not on the album

Track 14 is a Leadbelly cover

Track 15 was on the 1996 Soundtrack Album "Dead Man Walking"

Track 16 was in the 1984 documentary film "Streetwise"

Track 17 from the 2003 documentary film "Long Gone" (Johnny Cash had done a version of it on his 1994 comeback album "American Recordings")

Track 18 is a Ramone cover version

Track 19 first appeared on the 2001 CD Soundtrack to "Big Bad Love"

Track 20 is a cover version of the Standard done by the likes of Frank Sinatra

 

CD3 "Bastards" (55:20 minutes – see NOTES):

1. What Keeps Mankind Alive

2. Children's Story

3. Heigh Ho

4. Army Ants

5. Book Of Moses

6. Bone Chain

7. Two Sisters

8. First Kiss

9. Dog Door

10. Redrum

11. Nirvana

12. Home I'll Never Be

13. Poor Little Lamb

14. Altar Boy

15. The Pontiac

16. Spidey's Wild Ride

17. King Kong

18. On The Road

19. Dog Treat (Not Credited, Hidden Track)

20. Missing My Son (Not Credited, Hidden Track)

NOTES:

Track 1 from the 1930s Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill production "Threepenny Opera"; also on the 1985 Various Artists Tribute Album "Lost In The Stars: The Music Of Kurt Weill"

Track 3 is a cover version of the famous Disney song from "Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs" – first appeared on the 1988 compilation "Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films"

Track 4 is a Skip Spence (ex Jefferson Airplane and Moby Grape) cover version first issued 1999 on the Various Artists Tribute Album to his lone solo album "Oar"

Track 9 is with Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse and is on their 2001 album "It's A Wonderful Life"

Track 11 has lyrics by the famous American writer Charles Bukowski

Track 12 has lyrics by the famous American hobo Jack Kerouac

Track 15 originally released on the 1987 Spoken Word compilation "Smack My Crack"

Track 17 is a Daniel Johnston cover version – first appeared on the 2004 Tribute Album "The Late Great Daniel Johnston: Discovered Uncovered"

Tracks 19 and 20 are Hidden Songs - the track list for CD3 on the rear has only 18 titles and neither are amongst the Six Bonuses issued on the 2009 VINYL EDITION of the Box Set.

 

Is this an Anthology Book Set of Previously Unreleased – a new 3CD compilation with new songs and stragglers? The packaging "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards" doesn't actually elaborate in most cases – but with so many of the songs having been on other discs that stretch from 1985 up to 2004 – then I am calling it a Box Set.

 

The Hardback Digibook is a lovely thing to behold, but is a tad infuriating in some respects. It is very easy to snap the spine due to the rigidity of the thing – there is a Musicians Credits Page at the end of the lyric pages for each CD – Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards – unfortunately it gives you a core band and Guests but not who played on what or when. The lyrics are a fantastic read (bulk of nearly 80-pages), but again other than a Brennan/Waits writer credit in most cases, no details on where to find any track or history.

 

Guests include his wife Kathleen Brennan with Siblings Sullivan and Casey Waits on Guitar and Drums (respectively), Mitchell Froom (of Crowded House), Dave Alvin (of The Blasters), Ron Hacker, Mark Ribot, Joe Gore, Brett Gurewitz (of Bad Religion), Mark Linkus (of Sparklehorse) and Larry LaLonde (of Primus) on Guitars, Larry "The Mole" Taylor of Canned Heat on Bass, Blues Harmonica Players Charlie Musselwhite and John Hammond, Pedal Steel Guitar Player Bobby Black of Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen, Jazz Pianist Art Hillary and many more. While you can so hear Pedal Steel player Bobby Black on say "If I Have To Go" (so you can guess it), others are not so easy to identify.

 

The Three Card Pouches offer right-way-up and upside-down typed fact sheets on stuff like who was the first to invent a Pipe Organ, the miseries of famous people in history – so very Tom Waits. The photographs in black and white too – pics of TW with Keith Richards, John Hammond, JJ Cale and John Lee Hooker, actors Nicholas Cage, Fred Gwynne of Munsters fame and Italian actor Roberto Benigni when he did the movie Down By Law in 1986. There are snaps of the house band, pianos, his sons, other images of cars, barns, book shops full of Pulp Fiction paperbacks, stains on wooden floors and concrete (probably blood), loudhailers, prison mugshots, old black and whites of family, interesting looking individuals and so on. The photo credits include great names like Anton Corbijn, Julianne Deery (cover photography), Jim Jarmusch, Jane Rose and Strangers.

 

Audio Restoration, Additional Digital Editing, Mixing and Remixing was done by KARL DERFLER at Bay View Studios while top Audio Engineer GAVIN LURSSEN did the Mastering. The sound is fantastic throughout even when the vaudeville madness on CD1 and CD3 threatens, there is always clarity to the organized musical chaos and the beauty of the stripped-back ballads on CD2 is simply hair-raising and a gorgeous contrast in overall tone. "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards" feels like the White Album by The Beatles in many ways - you dip and dive and always come up trumps with another discovery you missed first time round or just plumb forgot about. It says a lot of Tom Waits that if this is the stuff he missed or fell by the wayside – and yet it still sounds this good and relevant – this yeah baby. To the music...

 

For someone who is notoriously unwilling to accommodate any kind of autobiography written about him (he famously told friends and acquaintances not to cooperate with one) – Waits has collaborated with so many (check out the number of Soundtrack songs he has done). But what is fascinating about this set is getting to hear his originals (so to speak). If you take the John Hammond CD album "Wicked Grin" for instance – his "2:19" is about five and half minutes long and overstays its welcome, Hammond shortened it to about 4:20 but that smaller playing time tightened it so much. Yet his "Buzz Fledderjohn" is the opposite – better by him than by Hammond. Stuff like "Lucinda" is fabulous and the plaintive "Rains On Me" might have lyrics that repeat just a tad too much, but it is a real find.

 

For me the gem here is CD2 where the mood is mellow and love songs like "Tell It To Me", "Down There By The Train" and "If I Have To Go" (Barry Beckett on Pedal Steel) are gorgeous. But he does not do soppy for too long. To counter the wounded piano of "World Keep Turning", TW of course throws in the croaking acidity rhythms of "Little Drop Of Poison" (a rat always knows when he’s in with weasels). Or jostling beside the witty and entirely suitable covers of "Goodnight Irene" by Leadbelly and the crooner standard "Young At Heart" made famous by Sinatra – Waits floors you with the bury-the-axe ring-in-the-pawnshop desperation in his gravel vocals for "Never Let Go" – where a loverman may put a rope over the cross-leg tree but he will not let go the hand of his loved one. Silver twine from a Valentine beauty permeates the banjo and oboe of the deceptively simple "Shiny Things". It might be a bit hissy too, but "Fannin Street" has a lost and never found loveliness to its lonesome story. "Little Man" sees him hog a piano – words drawn out as the notes creak and moan before the Sax and High-hat shuffle comes in like a pair of sinners heading into adjacent confessionals. In "It's Over", you can hear too how he reused the music and themes in another song but this is still as good – always me whenever there is trouble – a feather left by his woman on an unmade bed.

 

CD3 begins as it intends to rant, rave and shock and maybe even make you laugh along the way – pump organ and lyrics about seven deadly sins and starving first mates (a Kurt Weill song called "What Keeps Mankind Alive"). Then comes a spoken piece called "Children's Story" where he describes the earth as an overturned piss-pot and then says night-night to the child presumably listening (hoping for a peaceful night's kip). The mania continues with heavily treated vocals for "Heigh Ho" where it sounds like a Christmas Carol meets a creepy movie. The witty and erratic continues as Waits talks about "Army Ants" – wasps and female ants who bite off the head of their lovers (nice). Tunes actually appear in a brilliant cover version of "Books Of Moses" – an Alex Spence (ex Jefferson Airplane, then Moby Grape) cover version from his lone and famous "Oar" – when the Spence song actually sounds like Waits wrote it first. The madness continues with Harmonica wailing for the almost unlistenable one minute and three seconds of madness that is "Bone Chain". Traditional sea shanty "Two Sisters" has Waits accompanied only by a lonesome violin. 

 

You gotta love any musician who opens a sideways song to his wife Kathleen with lyrics like "She drove a big old Lincoln with suicide doors and a sewing machine in the back..." – a song about a woman who was struck by lightning eight times and collected bones of all kinds (well of course she did). And even though it sounds like it was recorded in an echoing muddy bucket, Waits somehow makes "Home I'll Never Be" touching (shame there are no lyrics for it in the booklet). And on the humor and whack goes to a live (uncredited) song called "Dog Treat" where he schmoozes the audience with a story about a Bull Penis that has become a snack for canines (his comedic genius shining). The last un-credited track called "Missing My Mom" is again spoken – a story about a Chinese Mom who meets TW in a supermarket and has an unusual request for him. Both are an absolute hoot and a truly great way to end a box set even Captain Beefheart would have given the nod too.

 

Genius is a word bandied about liberally when it comes to off-centre musicians and artists – too damn often truth be told. But after time with this fantastic, funny and yes moving American songsmith – you will know why Tom Waits elicits such passion amongst his fans – and yes – smiles. Time to go bringing in Bo Peep for a date with a Transylvanian Chimney Sweep who just wants to show her his fabulous one-of-a-kind soot collection (it's dark baby). Genius...and then some...

 

PS: 8 December 2009 also saw a Limited Edition 7 x 180-Gram LP VINYL VERSION of "Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers & Bastards" released in the UK/EUROPE on Anti- 86677-1 (Barcode 8714092667714) which contained a 34-Page Booklet and six songs that were not on the 3CD original release of November 2006. The six are all on LP7 ("Bonus") as follows:

Side 1:

1. Crazy 'Bout My Baby (Fats Waller cover)

2. Diamond In Your Mind (Brennan/Waits song)

3. Cannon Song (Eugen Brecht/Kurt Weill cover)

Side 2:

1. Pray (Brennan/Waits and more song)

2. No One Can Forgive Me (Tom Waits song)

3. Mattie Grove (Traditional cover, Arranged by Brennan/Waits)

"Higher!" by SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE – 10" x 10" 4CD Book Set Anthology Covering 1964 to 1977 Recordings, Single Mixes and LP Cuts on Autumn and Epic Records in Mono and Stereo Including Seventeen Previously Unreleased (August 2013 UK Sony Music/Epic/Legacy 4CD Book Set with 77-Tracks, A 104-Booklet, 17 Previously Unreleased and Vic Anesini Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

 <iframe sandbox="allow-popups allow-scripts allow-modals allow-forms allow-same-origin" style="width:120px;height:240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="//ws-eu.amazon-adsystem.com/widgets/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&OneJS=1&Operation=GetAdHtml&MarketPlace=GB&source=ss&ref=as_ss_li_til&ad_type=product_link&tracking_id=mabasreofcdbl-21&language=en_GB&marketplace=amazon&region=GB&placement=B002KD0OS8&asins=B002KD0OS8&linkId=0f1a3f81ff79849deb69e7f1d736665e&show_border=true&link_opens_in_new_window=true"></iframe>

 

"...Different Strokes For Different Folks..."

 

"Let The Music Take You Higher!" - the sticker blurb heralds on this beautifully laid out 2013 Epic/Legacy 4CD vaults trawl for Prince's Soul Brother from another mother – Sly Stone and his Family of – well – Stoners.

 

"Higher!" encompasses 77-Tracks - those early Mono Mix 45s on Autumn Records and of course Epic – Seventeen Previously Unreleased (primarily 1967 and 1968 sessions) – one of the most lavishly annotated 104-page booklets I have ever seen (nipping at the buds of Bear Family, it's that good) – and all of it Remastered from first generation tapes by a name you can trust – VIC ANESINI. Anesini has handled Presley, Paul Simon, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Byrds, Nilsson, Simon & Garfunkel, Mott The Hoople, Santana, Kansas, Nick Lowe, The Jayhawks, Mountain, Jeff Beck and oodles more. There is mucho to document...

 

UK and EUROPE released 23 August 2013 - "Higher!" by SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE on Sony Music/Epic/Legacy 88697536652 (Barcode 886975366521) is a 4CD 10" x 10" Book Set with 77-Tracks recorded between 1964 and 1977 and a 104-Booklet – it plays out as follows (all tracks by Sly & The Family Stone except where stated otherwise):

 

CD1 (64:58 minutes):

1. I Just Learned How To Swim – SLY STEWART

2. Scat Swim – SLY STEWART - Tracks 1 and 2 are August 1964 US 45-single on Autumn Records 3, A&B-sides

3. Buttermilk (Part One) – SLY - August 1965 US 45-single on Autumn Records 14, A-side

4. Dance All Night – SLY & FREDDIE [Sly and Freddie Stewart] - Recorded July 1965, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED VERSION

5. Temptation Walk (Part One) – SLY - December 1965 US 45-single on Autumn 26, A-side

6. I Ain't Got Nobody – SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE

7. I Can't Turn You Loose – SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE (see NOTES for Tracks 6 and 7)

8. Higher (Mono Single Master, Promo-Only First Pressing)

9. Underdog (Mono Single Master)

10. Bad Risk (Mono Single Master) - Tracks 8, 9 and 10 see NOTES)

11. Let Me Hear It From You (Mono Single Master) - November 1967 US 45-single on Epic 5-10256, Unique Mix and B-side to "Dance To The Music"

12. Advice (Mono) - from the October 1967 US LP "A Whole New Thing" on Epic LN 24324 in Mono – there was a Stereo variant of the LP in the States also on Epic BN 26323 – neither received an issue in the UK

13. If This Room Could Talk (Mono) - same as Track 12

14. I Cannot Make It (Mono) - same as Track 12

15. Trip To Your Heart (Mono) - same as Track 12

16. I Hate To Love Her (Mono) - same as Track 12

17. Silent Communication – Recorded July 1967, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

18. I Get High On You (Version One) – recorded August 1967, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

19. I Remember – recorded July 1967, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

20. My Woman's Head – recorded July 1967, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

NOTES on CD1:

Tracks 1 to 5, 8 to 16 in MONO; Tracks 6, 7 and 17 to 20 in STEREO

Tracks 4 and 17 to 20 are PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

Tracks 6 and 7 – Track 6 "I Ain't Got Nobody" was initially known as "For Real" and is the first recording made as a Demo in January 1967 where the band is credited Sly And The Family Stone – Track 7 "I Can't Turn You Loose" is from the same January 1967 session. A later re-recording of "I Ain't Got Nobody" is on the "Dance To The Music" LP in 1967. But when the band became chart-toppers in America and around the world, the 1967 Demo Versions of both Tracks 6 and 7 surfaced as a semi-bootlegs twice – 1970 in France on BYG Records 129 018 credited as "Good For Real" – the B-side to "I Can't Turn You Loose" (an Otis Redding cover version) in a picture sleeve – and September 1972 in the USA as the A&B-sides of Loadstone 3951. The label sides of Loadstone 3951 are on Page 37 of the booklet

Tracks 8, 9 and 10 - August 1967 saw a US-only Promo-only 45-single on Epic 5-10229 with "Higher" as the B-side to "Underdog". It was quickly withdrawn and September 1967 saw Epic 5-10229 repressed with "Bad Risk" as the flipside to "Underdog" on the A. All three tracks are included here

 

CD2 (67:16 minutes):

1. What's That Got To Do With Me – recorded July 1967, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

2. Fortune And Fame recorded July 1967, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

3. What Would I Do – August 1967 recording unissued until it was used as a Bonus Track on the 1997 Expanded Edition CD of "A Whole New Thing" on Epic/Legacy 82796 90277-2

4. Only One Way Out Of This Mess (same as Track 3)

5. I Know What You Came To Say – recorded July 1967, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

6. Dance To The Music (Mono Single Master) – November 1967 US 45-single on Epic 5-10256, A-side)

7. Ride The Rhythm – from the April 1968 US 2^nd studio album "Dance To The Music" on Epic BN 26371 in Stereo (see also NOTES)

8. Color Me True (Colour Me True in the UK) (see NOTES)

9. Are You Ready - from the April 1968 US 2^nd studio album "Dance To The Music" on Epic BN 26371 in Stereo

10. Don't Burn Baby - from the April 1968 US 2^nd studio album "Dance To The Music" on Epic BN 26371 in Stereo

11. We Love All – recorded September 1967, first appeared 2007 on the Expanded Edition CD reissue of "Dance To The Music" on Epic/Legacy 82796 90274-2

12. Danse A La Musique (Mono Single Master) – THE FRENCH FRIES – March 1968 US 45-single on Epic 5-10313, A-side

13. Small Fries (Mono Single Master) – THE FRENCH FRIES – Side B of Track 12 (both Tracks Sly Stone originals)

14. Chicken (Mono Single Master) – Cancelled before release US 45-single would have been Epic 5-10333

15. Into My Own Thing – from the album "Life" released November 1968 in the USA on Epic BN 26397 (Stereo only) and January 1969 in the UK as "M'lady" on Direction 8-63461 (Stereo only)

16. Life (Mono Single Master) – June 1968 US 45-single on Epic 5-10353, A-side – different Lead Vocal to the Stereo version on the LP

17. Love City (Mono) – recorded May 1968, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED MONO MIX

18. M'lady (Mono Single Master) – June 1968 US 45-single on Epic 5-10353, as B-side, then flipped as Promoted as the A-side

19. Dynamite! – recorded April 1968, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

20. Undercat (Instrumental) – recorded August 1967, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED (see NOTES)

NOTES on CD2:

Tracks 6, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17 and 18 in MONO; all others in STEREO

Tracks 1, 2, 5, 17, 19 and 20 are PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

Tracks 7 and 8 also appeared as Tracks 1 and 2 on Side 2 of a 45-single 4-Track Free Mini LP play played at 33 1/3 album speed (Epic S EPC 3048) that came with January 1972 UK copies of the LP "There's A Riot Goin' On" (Epic 64613)

Track 20 would see elements of "Undercat" develop and evolve into the song "Plastic John" that appeared on the "Life" album of 1968

 

CD3 (77:36 minutes):

1. Everyday People (Mono Single Master) - see Track 2

2. Sing A Simple Song (Mono Single Master) – Tracks 1 and 2 are the A&B-sides of a November 1968 US 45-single on Epic 5-10407

3. I Get High On You (Version 2) – recorded February 1968, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED (see NOTES)

4. Wonderful World Of Color – recorded May 1968, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

5. Pressure – recorded August 1968, unissued outtake that first appeared on the 2007 Expanded Edition CD reissue of "Life" on Epic/Legacy 82876 83945-2

6. I Want To Take You Higher (Mono Single Master) – March 1969 US 45-single on Epic 5-10450, B-side of "Stand!"

7. Seven More Days – as per Track 5

8. Feathers (Instrumental) – recorded September 1968, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

9. Somebody's Watching You – from the album "Stand!" released April 1969 in the USA on Epic BN 26456 (Stereo only) and July 1969 in the UK on Direction 8-63655 (stereo only)

10. Sex Machine – as per Track 9

11. Hot In The Summertime (Mono Single Master) – July 1969 US 45-single on Epic 5-10497, A-side

12. Everybody Is A Star (Mono Single Master)

13. Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – Tracks 12 and 13 are the B&A-sides of a December 1969 US 45-single on Epic 5-10555

14. Stand! (Live) – see NOTES

15. You Can Make It If You Try (Live) – see NOTES

16. Dance To The Music (Live) – Tracks 16 and 17 see NOTES

17. Medley: Music Lover/I Want To Take You Higher/Music Lover (Live)

NOTES on CD3:

Tracks 1, 2, 6, 11 and 13 in MONO; all others in STEREO

Tracks 3, 4, 8, 16 and 17 are PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

Tracks 14 and 15 were from the 1971 US 3LP Various Artists set "The First Great Rock Festivals Of The Seventies – Isle Of Wight – Atlanta Pop Festival" on Columbia G3X 30807. On the original triple, the Isle of Wight Medley was run as one 10:14 minute track; here it is divided into two. Tracks 16 and 17 were recorded on the same day also at the Isle of Wight Festival, 30 August 1970, but left off the 3LP set. They are issued here for the first time

 

CD4 (72:39 minutes):

1. Luv N' Haight (Single Master, 4:02 minutes)

2. Family Affair – Tracks 1 and 2 are the B&A-sides of an October 1971 US 45-single on Epic 5-10805

3. Brave And Strong (Mono Single Master)

4. Runnin' Away (Mono Single Master) - Tracks 3 and 4 are the B&A-sides of a January 1972 US 45-single on Epic 5-10829

5. (You Caught Me) Smilin' (Single Master) – March 1972 US 45-single on Epic 5-10850, A-side

6. Spaced Cowboy – from the album "There's A Riot Goin' On" released November 1971 in the USA on Epic KC 30986 and January 1972 in the UK on Epic S EPC 64613

7. You're The One (Live) – recorded September 1975 in Mono at Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

8. In Time – from the August 1973 LP "Fresh" on Epic KE 32134

9. If You Want Me To Stay (Single Master) – June 1973 US 45-single on Epic 5-11017, A-side

10. Frisky (Mono Single Master) – October 1973 US Promo-Only 45-single on Epic 5-11060, A-Side

11. Skin I'm In - from the August 1973 LP "Fresh" on Epic KE 32134

12. If It Were Left Up To Me (Mono Single Master) - October 1973 US Promo-Only 45-single on Epic 5-11060, A-Side

13. Time For Livin' (Mono Single Master) – June 1974 US 45-single on Epic 5-11140, A-side

14. Can't Stain My Brain (Single Master) – October 1974 US 45-single on Epic 8-50033, B-side of "Loose Booty"

15. Loose Booty – from the album "Small Talk" released July 1974 in the USA on Epic PE 32930 and August 1974 in the UK on Epic S EPC 69070

16. Le Lo Li (Single Master) – SLY STONE - December 1975 US 45-single on Epic 8-50175, A-side

17. Crossword Puzzle (Single Master) – SLY STONE - February 1976 US 45-single on Epic 8-50201, A-side

18. Family Again – January 1977 US 45-single on Epic 8-50331, A-side - featuring Johnny Colla, later Saxophonist with Huey Lewis and The News

19. Hoboken – SLY STONE - recorded October 1975 and April 1977, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

20. High – SLY STONE – recorded October 1975, PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

NOTES on CD4:

Tracks 3, 4, 7, 10, 12 and 13 in MONO; all others in STEREO

Track 3 would eventually be re-recorded by Sly for inclusion on his 1975 album "High On You"

Tracks 7, 19 and 20 are PREVIOUSLY UNISSUED

 

The Deluxe 10 x 10 Packaging is a visual assault and in all the best ways. The rear title-sheet on the rear lips beneath the box set but of course once the shrink-wrap is removed is left dangling as stand-alone card. I had to put the entire package in a LP heavy gauge sleeve to protect the damn thing. But what will get to you as you remove the 104-page booklet from its slipcase slot is the content. I cannot imagine the amount of months it must have taken to collate together this amount of period memorabilia into coherent pages. It is gorgeous. The time line from March 1943 (his birth) to 2013 (aged 70) begins on Page 77 with a full-page colour shot of the band in full 1967 dude-apparel. The text is by EDWIN and ARNO KONINGS and edited by ALEX PALAO. However, there are a few annoying niggles. You just wish the track-by-track details actually went deeper – I have provided the release dates and catalogue numbers and which is an A-side or B – the pages here kind of half do that. But the colour and black and white photos are many and stunning. – Pages 24 and 25 mixing in a 1971 concert poster (Rare Earth and Ruth Copeland on the same bill) with on-stage photos of a band finally arriving. VIC ANESINI did the Remasters - typically clean, clear and muscular. CD3 and CD4 are fabulous sounding – primarily Stereo.

 

CD1 opens with the yeah-yeah-yeah mid 60ts R&B dancer "I Just Learned How To Swim" – Sly neglecting his homework in favour of things more youthful and picturesque. The B-side sees Sly scat words and sounds – "Ugh! And Come On Now!" shouted out every few moments (surprisingly good audio). Sly don’t want a steady woman as he sings "Dance All Night" – his non-daylight brain focused on the Philly and The Watusi come the sun going down (punchy Mono on this one too). Speaking of that sound - I would have to say though and despite their rarity on digital - the Mono Single Mixes of "Underdog" and "Bad Risk" disappoint somewhat. I go back the LP Stereo cuts all day long. I am super impressed however at how good the two French Fries tracks sound - even in that super-silly distorted voice like he is Mickey Mouse (him under another name). And the withdrawn "Chicken" 45 seems like a mistake because it was surely Funky and cluck-cluck catchy enough to have been a hit. Got to love that spacey feel to "Silent Communication" too.

 

The second LP "Life" from 1968 did not proffer those all-important hit singles – so despite the Mono 45 sides for both "Life" and "M'lady" being plugged by Columbia as A-sides – they did not do the business and the album stalled the group (there is a lovely full-page Promo Ad for the album reproduced on Page 46 of the beautiful booklet). CD2 opens with three Previously Unissued cuts made in the summer of 1967 that first appeared on Epic/Legacy CD reissues - "What's That Got To Do With Me" and the smoocher come lounge-room-lizard vibe to "Fame And Fortune". The third and best is the slow sexy Soul of "What Would I Do" – a tune that surely would have made a great Non-LP B-side. "Dance To The Music" sees the band hit their Funky stride – still such a tune. Clever choice is the frantic boogie of "Ride The Rhythm" from 1968 that British fans got on a 4-track Free Mini LP 45-single that played at LP-speed (it was given away as a bonus when they bought copies of the "There's A Riot Goin' On" LP in the UK in January 1972). Do you know how to avoid becoming sick they asked in "Color Me True" – another brassy funk workout – and again a track on the Free Mini LP bonus EP. You can hear why they left off "We Love All", too many radical and challenging lyrics maybe and that stop-start trippy construction - but I think it more interesting and positive than some of the released stuff – and a real find.

 

Magic opens CD3 with a double-whammy – the double A-side 45 Mono Mixes of the racially joyous "Everyday People" and the do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do Funk of "Sing A Simple Song" (1 November 1968, the picture sleeve and its 45 are pictured on Page 48 of the booklet). The unreleased "Wonderful World Of Color" is Fuzz Guitar and Organ instrumental that is mostly awful to my ears – though I dare some might find it compelling enough because of its off-kilter sound. Back on boogie-track for "Pressure" – another outtake that is worthy of rediscovery – all right now. The full-blown Funk-a-thon 13:46 minutes of "Sex Machine" from the 1973 platter "Fresh" can either be seen as indulgence or pre-Prince-like genius – or somewhere planter firmly between both. It sure packs an aural punch here. Lightening things up considerably is the throwback to the Soft 60ts sound of "Hot Fun In The Summertime" – here in its Mono form as is the 45-version of "Everybody Is A Star" – good songs but hardly great. Straight into Isley Brothers slap-Bass funk with the brilliant "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)" – a sound so ludicrously ahead of everything to come in the Seventies. The disc ends in four live shots in a row – all taped 30 August 1970 at the Isle of Wight Festival in England – Sly in full preacher mode before he grabs the crow with Soul and Funk they did not know they needed.

 

After a near two-year hiatus as far as the public was concerned - CD4 starts out with the big one for fans of Seventies Funk and Social Consciousness – the "There's A Riot Goin' On" LP with its seriously messed-up muddied tapes. Anesini has clearly done the best with what he had at hand – legendarily dubbed on dubbed on dubbed homemade edits. So I am amazed at the sonic whack off of "Luv N' Haight" – here in its 4:02 minute single variant. Quickly followed of course by the big Daddy of his hits - "Family Affair" – a duet vocal with Rose Stone and Billy Preston on the Fender Piano that did so much to define the song’s iconic sound. Bobby Womack was also in there on Rhythm Guitar. I never liked the Poppy Herb Alpert sound of "Runnin' Away" – however fans are going to dig the great audio on display here. Better for me is the slinky Bass and Keyboard swizz of "(You Caught Me) Smilin'" – Sly distorting those vocal lines while Brass pumps up the tight backbeat. "Spaced Cowboy" was typical of the Beatbox-distortion that greeted buyers of the LP "There's A Riot Goin' On" – a Soul yodel song! The live track "You're The One" is not great audio wise and if it is unreleased – I would not want to hear it ever again.

 

The "Fresh" album from 1973 was worth the wait, the seriously funky and wildly unusual rhythms Sly wanted on "In Time" for instance provided by England's Andy Newmark after many other Drummers had been auditioned and failed. Huge Bass greets you with "If You Want Me To Stay" – a badass hook with Rhythms and Brass that makes you think of Blaxsploitation movies where gangsters treat their molls with unenlightened attitudes. Larry Graham left the band to form Graham Central Station – his replacement Rustee Allen makes his presence known with the brilliantly Funky "Frisky" (Allen would actually play Bass on Robin Trower albums for Chrysalis Records in the 80ts). There is great musicality in "Loose Booty" – and again a Robin Trower Band tie-in with Drummer Bill Lordan sharing both stools. The "High On You" LP sessions of 1975 produced the Bass-driven "Le Lo Li" – his new reassembled band then featuring the vocals of Dawn Silva, who would later become part of the George Clinton collective The Brides Of Funkenstein. And on it goes...

 

I would not say that everything on this lavishly presented Book Set is genius – I find CD1 and 2 with their heavy-on-the-Mono leans a hard listen if I am truthful. But I hit the CD player with CD3 and 4 often to get those LP cuts in top Funky Audio. Booty for you indeed...