"Machine Head: 5-Disc Deluxe 50th Anniversary Edition" by DEEP PURPLE – March 1972 UK Sixth Studio Album on Purple Records and April 1972 USA on Warner Brothers Records featuring Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Roger Glover and Ian Paice (March 2024 UK Universal/Purple/Warner Brothers 5-Disc LP-Sized Box Set with 3CDs, 1 BLU RAY, 1 x Purple-Smoke Coloured VINYL LP and Dweezil Zappa Remixes with Andy Pearce/Matt Wortham Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

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*** Presentation ***** Original Album *** Bonus Material ***** Remasters

OVERALL RATING: ***

"...Big Fat Tyres And Everything..."

Oh dear! And oh yes! I suspect like so many men of a certain age (and given that it's almost two years overdue as a '50th Anniversary' Reissue and comes complete with an extortionate £100 price tag) - this March 2024 latest version of Deep Purple's Classic 70ts Rock album "Machine Head" is going to conflict and thrill in equal measure. 

Off the bat - I really don't get the Dweezil Zappa Remix at all - feels like an ugly reworking of an album I love. And why oh why is ONLY his remix on Vinyl and NOT the brilliant Andy Pearce/Matt Wortham Remaster? BOTH versions should have been pressed on VINYL and put in a gatefold sleeve with the lyric insert - instead of now being asked to accept a REMIX and an overblown foldout page of lyrics as a 'poster' of sorts? To put this into context - should you be lucky enough to get your purchase-hands on the Creedence Clearwater Revival 2CD/1DVD set "The Singles Collection" from November 2009 (see separate review) - you are greeted with one of the most beautiful foldout posters of single-sleeves from around the world that I have ever seen. Why couldn't something like that have been done for this 50th Anniversary Super Deluxe set? Deep Purple fans are a fanatical bunch and in conjunction with fan clubs and devotees - there must surely have been more to see? 

You don't even get proper release dates, catalogue numbers for the album, singles - the "In Concert '72" set on which CD2 is based was a hugely collectable industry-only 8-track LP release called 'Stereo Pop Special-12' on BBC Transcription Discs CNN 1513 recorded for the BBC's famous 'Sounds Of The Seventies' series - but it's not pictured! The 'Selected Albums Gallery' on Page 14 doesn't show either a British or US issue on the newly formed Purple Records Label or Warner Brothers out of the States. The 'Selected Singles Gallery' is fabulous to look at - old issues from around the world (Turkey and Portugal included for "Never Before") and reissues of "Smoke On The Water (Live)" from 1980 - but again - would have made a worthy POSTER of itself.  

The Andy Pearce and Matt Wortham Remaster of the 1972 Classic album as is however shines lights in corners previously deadened (so damn clean and yet powerful) and the live stuff (even if Disc 2 has been available before) shows the band in its staggering pomp (see notes below on CD3). But truth be painfully told - there is a gnawing feeling of let-down here when it should be reeking celebration. Still - let's go space truckin' - here be the fretboard details...

UK/EU released Friday, 29 March 2024 - "Machine Head: 5-Disc Deluxe Anniversary Edition" by DEEP PURPLE on Universal/Purple/Warner Brothers/Rhino R2 725876 - 603497828852 00600753993149 (Barcode 600753993149) is an LP-Sized 5-Disc Reissue Box Set containing 3 x CDs, 1 x BLU RAY AUDIO DISC and 1 x VINYL LP (Purple-Smoke Coloured Vinyl) with a Bonus B-side added to Side 2. The VINYL LP has the Dweezil Zappa Remix Only of the album but does include the "When A Blind man Cries" B-side on Side 2 as a Bonus Track – a first. 

The Overall package offers two versions of the "Machine Head" album on CD1 - a Dweezil Zappa Remix with a Bonus Track and an Andy Pearce/Matt Wortham straightforward Remaster of the album only, Previously Unreleased Live Material from 1971 (CD3) and Previously Released Live Material from 1972 (CD2). The BLU RAY DISC has 1974 Quad Mixes of the Entire album, a Rare 45-Single Non-LP B-side, a 2024 Dolby Atmos and 5.1 Surround Sound Mixes. There is a Reproduced Lyrics Poster and a New LP-Sized 18-Page Booklet. Discs play out as follows:

CD1 "Machine Head" (79:26 minutes):

2024 REMIX (Dweezil Zappa)

1. Highway Star [Side 1]

2. Maybe I'm A Leo

3. Pictures Of Home

4. Never Before

5. Smoke On The Water [Side 2]

6. Lazy 

7. Space Truckin'

Tracks 1 to 7 are DWEEZIL ZAPPA Remixes of the "Machine Head" album originally issued March 1972 in the UK on Purple Records TPSA 7504 and April 1972 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2607. Produced by DEEP PURPLE (Engineered by Martin Birch) - it peaked at No. 1 in the UK and No. 7 in the USA.

BONUS TRACK:

8. When A Blind Man Cries 

Track 8 is a Non-Album B-side to the 45-single "Never Before". Written by the whole band, it was released March 1972 in the UK as a 7" Single on Purple Records PUR 102 and the same month in the USA on Warner Brothers WB 7572 (charted at No. 35 in the UK but didn't chart USA).

2024 REMASTER (Andy Pearce)

9. Highway Star [Side 1]

10. Maybe I'm A Leo

11. Pictures Of Home

12. Never Before

13. Smoke On The Water [Side 2]

14. Lazy 

15. Space Truckin'

Tracks 1 to 7 are an ANDY PEARCE and MATT WORTHAM Remaster of the "Machine Head" album (from original tapes) first issued April 1972 in the UK on Purple Records TPSA 7504 and in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2607. Produced by DEEP PURPLE (Engineered by Martin Birch) - it peaked at No. 1 in the UK and No. 7 in the USA.

CD2 "In Concert '72" (79:36 minutes):

Original Recording, Paris Theatre in London, 9 March 1972

Produced by Pete Dauncey and Engineered by Adrian Revill

Previously Released UK 18 October 2012 as "In Concert '72" on Purple TPSA 7518 (Vinyl)

Reissued UK 2014 on Purple TPSAX 7518/Warner Brothers 825646294794

1. Introduction 

2. Highway Star 

3. Strange Kind Of Woman

4. Maybe I'm A Leo 

5. Smoke On The Water

6. Never Before

7. Lazy

8. Space Truckin'

9. Lucille

BONUS TRACK:

10. Maybe I'm A Leo (Soundcheck)

CD3 "Montreux '71" (79:09 minutes):

Previously Unreleased Live Show Recorded at The Casino, Montreux, Switzerland, 16 Apr 71

Recorded by Rene Ernest Finger

1. Swiss Yodel

2. Speed King

3. Strange Kind Of Woman

4. Into The Fire

5. Child In Time

6. Paint It Black

7. Wring That Neck (Hard Road)

8. Black Night

9. Lucille

DISC 4 BLU-RAY AUDIO

2024 ATMOS REMIX 

1. Highway Star [Side 1]

2. Maybe I'm A Leo

3. Pictures Of Home

4. Never Before

5. Smoke On The Water [Side 2]

6. Lazy 

7. Space Truckin'

8. When A Blind Man Cries 

1974 U.S. QUAD MIX

9. Highway Star [Side 1]

10. Maybe I'm A Leo

11. Pictures Of Home

12. Never Before

13. Smoke On The Water [Side 2]

14. Lazy 

15. Space Truckin'

5.1 MIXES 

16. When A Blind Man Cries

17. Maybe I'm A Leo

18. Lazy

DEEP PURPLE was:

IAN GILLAN - Lead Vocals 

RITCHIE BLACKMORE – Guitars

JON LORD – Keyboards

ROGER GLOVER – Bass

IAN PAICE – Drums

History first: The Purp's classic "Machine Head" hit the streets in April 1972 and we've been in love with its non-nonsense Classic Rock ever since - a No. 1 in the UK and a No. 7 in the States. Followed later in the year with the stunning double-live set "Made In Japan" - and with "Fireball" from 1971 and "Deep Purple In Rock" from 1970 already under their hard-rocking belt - the first three years of the Seventies was a slam-dunk for the 'Mark II' line-up of DEEP PURPLE. Fans however have been here before - specifically with the November 1997 '2CD Anniversary Edition' of "Machine Head" featuring Remixes and Remasters done by an impressive line-up of names - Peter Mew, Peter Denenberg, Roger Glover, Joe DiGiorgi and mastering by the legendary Greg Calbi. That twofer is still available on many auction sites for under a tenner (complete with its 28-page booklet). So, what's new here...

Fans are going to go straight for the PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED 1971 live set (recorded in Montreux) on CD3 first that includes faves like "Black Night", "Speed King" and "Child In Time" alongside two tasty covers – The Purps doing the Stones on "Paint It Black" and Little Richard on a frenzied "Lucille". The bad news is that the audio is obviously bootleg standard – starting out with a bit of fun as they doddle through "Swiss Yodel". Unfortunately, what should be a DP Mark II moment is destroyed with drop-outs and muddled sound – Blackmore displaying astonishing axework for "Speed King" even if Gillan seems ever so slightly disinterested and verbose with the crowd. A new single comes next "Strange Kind Of Woman" – but again like the rest of the set – the audio is passable at best. It’s criminal to hear corking material like "Into The Fire" and the "Paint it Black" mixed-up cover too far back in the mix. In all honesty, I don't know how many Purple fans are going to consider this reduced audio experience as a BONUS no matter how thrilling their playing was. 

Better - Mike Harding introduces the Purps to a rumbling crescendo-building "Highway Star" on CD2 – not as good as the "Made In Japan" version but getting close. Having originally been a BBC Transcription LP back in 1972 (they have used the CD reissue from 2012 with its extra tracks and not just the original eight) – the audio is lightyears ahead of the Bootleg on CD3 and the material being largely from "Machine Head" – that bit more exciting. You can feel the band and their electricity – hard rocking and unapologetic for it – Blackmore, Lord, Glover and Paice all so tight as they go into the final guitar solo stretch where RB lets rip. Gillan explains the darkness inherent in "Strange Kind Of Woman" – a trail of happiness and misery left by a gal who did not impress our hairy men. The groove in "Maybe I'm A Leo" is fantastic even if Gillan seems to be having difficulty controlled a presumably pissed-up crowd. And on it goes. It absolutely is not "Made In Japan" - but is at least period material worth rehearing and celebrating.

CD1 kind of baffles me – I really do not like the Zappa Remix where the vocals are supposedly given an amp-up but just feel abused and further away from clarity rather than running towards it. But I am absolutely loving the clarity and sheer punch-in-the-face power of the straightforward album Remaster done by Andy Pearce and Matt Wortham – two Audio Engineers who have had a long and fruitful relationship with Universal Classic Rock-Sound acts – Budgie, Rory Gallagher, ELP, Wishbone Ash, Free, Spooky Tooth and loads more. It may be hackneyed through over use, but when that riff and that rhythm section combine for "Smoke On The Water" – the Montreux in flames story song - you will feel it. Same goes for that huge Organ sound on "Lazy" – a Jon Lord boogie I still get a kick out of hearing. 

The KORY GROW 'We All Came Down To Montreux' Liner Notes in the LP-Sized booklet are dated 2023 and tell of the band's rise to Rock Superstardom – tours in Osaka and Tokyo after the LP's release that would produce the opus directly off the back of "Machine Head" - "Made In Japan". There is a UK trade advert, pictures of The Stones Mobile unit on which the album was taped, very cool period photos in both black and white and colour of the band/individuals, lyrics to the iconic "Smoke On The Water" - Jon Lord's organ awaiting its master - enthusiastic notes from Dweezil Zappa on the 2024 Remix of "Machine Head", Didi Zill who was the photographer on the scene the day after the fire in Montreux (he witnessed Gillan writing lyrics to "Smoke On The Water"), an appreciation of Ian Gillan's fantastic vocals from Sir Tim Rice who of course used his rasp as the voice of Jesus in the 1970 double-album musical smash "Jesus Christ Superstar". But at 18-pages, again you feel short-changed. 

I would surmise that what you have here is a three-star reissue of a five-star album and I would say get to hear it first before spending such serious dosh. I would also acknowledge as one of those 'old farts' this Reissue would be aimed at that Deep Purple's 1972 album "Machine Head" may be a seriously outdated listen to kids in 2024 - but you can't help feel that it has earned its place in Rock History and deserved something better than this rather obvious ***-cash-grab. 

Shame, because that Remaster is a blast even if the rest seems just a tad too superfluous to requirements...

"Atlantic Rhythm And Blues 1947-1974: Volume 8 - 1970-1974" by VARIOUS ARTISTS featuring Aretha Franklin, Jackie Moore, The Beginning Of The End, Wilson Pickett, Clarence Carter, King Floyd, The Spinners, Betty Wright, Blue Magic, Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway, The Persuaders and Major Harris (Inside the October 1991 USA Atlantic 8CD LP-Sized Box Set – Then March 2006 UK Singular CD Reissue with Same Tracks and Remasters but with Different Artwork) - A Review by Mark Barry...

Above - The April 1987 UK Seven x Double-Album VINYL BOX SET

(Originally Issued December 1985 in the USA)

Both Original Vinyl Box Sets (1985 and 1987) Had 186 Tracks

The Seven CDs in both countries however were Truncated Versions - Down to 163 Tracks 

The UK CDs Volumes 1 to 7 also originally issued April 1987 (reissued October 1990)

Below - The October 1991 8CD US-Only 203-Track Upgraded Box Set (CD only)

Volume 8 was NEW over the 1985 7 x 2LP Vinyl Box Set and 1987 Truncated 7 x CDs

 

Below: US October 1991 Volume 8 Addition by Itself - Newly Formed Artwork Too

Was Not Issued Individually in the USA

Except in UK/Europe in March 2006 in Different Artwork - see Next Set of Photos

                                                    

Below: UK/EU March 2006 Reissue on Rhino/Warner Platinum

Each Volume (1 to 8) Was Released Individually only in UK/EU

There Was Also a Card Wrap Version that gathered up all Eight Volumes

All were Budget-Priced (usually £3.99) and used the 1991 Remasters

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This Review Along With 333 Others Is Available In My

SOUNDS GOOD E-Book on all Amazon sites

HIGHER GROUND 
70ts Soul, R'n'B, Funk, Jazz Fusion
Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters  

Just Click Below To Purchase for £6.95 (2024 Update)

Thousands of E-Pages - All Details and In-Depth Reviews From Discs 

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"…Groove Me…"

Here in the spring of 2024 - this unassuming and admittedly rather naff-looking Soul CD compilation from Rhino and Warner Platinum has been in the UK and EUROPEAN budget-priced marketplace for almost the guts of 20-years. Issued back in March 2006 as Volume 8 of 8 – it was/is a bit-part showcase for the mighty Atlantic Records and their staggering Black Music Legacy.

In fact - none of the eight cheap-and-cheerful "Atlantic Rhythm And Blues 1947-1974" reissue volumes look like much – garish big-lettered front cover art with a piddly gatefold-inlay inside that barely lists titles and artists and not much else. But man oh man the music is fabulous. However, to understand what you have in hand and the journey as to how it got here requires some serious investigative history that is worth explaining (including the photos provided above. So, here goes… 

The Seven x Double-Albums VINYL BOX SET for "Atlantic Rhythm And Blues 1947-1974" was first issued in the USA in December 1985 on Atlantic 7-81620-1 and belatedly in the UK in April 1987 on Atlantic 781 620-1. Housed in distinctive black and red packaging (like their Fifties labels) - the individual 2LP sets inside each had unique artwork, extensive liner notes and were also issued as stand-alone 2LP sets. 

There was NO CD BOX SET VERSION for either the US or UK 1985 or 1987 issues – each Volume inside having been released individually. Worse - 6 of the 7 original CD volumes had their track lists truncated - reducing 186 on the vinyl doubles by 17 to 163 on CD. Those CDs were reissued again in October 1990 in the UK, and at that time, there was still no Volume 8. 

It then transpired that unspecified tracks across the whole seven-volume kaboodle had the wrong takes used. Atlantic USA decided to rectify this and reissue the entire box set again but with more tracks and only on CD. So in October 1991 "Atlantic Rhythm And Blues 1947-1974" was relaunched on Atlantic 7 82305-2 in the USA (Barcode 075678230523) - but this time as an 8CD 12" x 12" box set with 203 tracks (17 extra). The individual booklets that came with the original 7CDs were taken out (replaced with a simple gatefold track list inlays that used the old arywork) and expanded into a full-sized 36-page booklet. The reissue also used the distinctive black and red packaging of the 1985 vinyl box on the front, and the artwork style remained the same for each CD on the inside (collage photos). It also admitted that mistaken masters had been used on the original set but were now all correct. It was ONLY issued as an 8CD Box Set and ONLY in America. 

In March 2006 in the UK and Europe however, these 8 Volumes were reissued as stand-alone CDs for the first time (no vinyl), but with different artwork (I have pictured both). They were also released without the booklets that accompanied the 1987 issues or the 1991 reissue box - just basic inlays.

PS: To add further salt to a reissue wound - there was a 255-Track Japanese-Only issue of "Atlantic Rhythm And Blues 1947-1974" on Warners/Atlantic WPCR-14441 released 25 May 2012 - again with different artwork - which added on 52 new tracks on 2 NEW BONUS DISCS. Chosen by noted Japanese expert Keishi Suzuki - the two extra CDs contained very rare Fifties Blues and R'n'B on Disc 9 and lesser-seen Soul Sides on Disc 10 - much of it unavailable elsewhere. Those two extra volumes are NOT available anywhere else and are exclusive to that Japanese anthology. Time for a 10 or 12-CD celebration of Atlantic Records – anybody?

Back to the CD in hand. So, what you have here is an American-Based CD from 1991 subsequently issued 2006 in Europe. For this review – we will concentrate on Volume 8 of 8. Here are the track-by-track details…

Atlantic Rhythm & Blues 1947-1974 Volume 8: 1970-1974
UK/Europe released 20 March 2006 on Rhino/Atlantic/Warner Platinum 8122-77583-2 (Barcode 081227758325) – 20 Tracks, 73:26 minutes, 5 Bonuses:

1. Don't Play That Song (You Lied) – ARETHA FRANKLIN (2:57 minutes)
US 45: July 1970, Atlantic 45-2751, A-side
UK 45: August 1970, UK Atlantic 2091 027, A-side
US LP: "Spirit In The Dark", August 1970 on Atlantic SD 8265
UK LP: "Don't Play That Song", September 1970 on Atlantic 2400 021

2. Precious Precious – JACKIE MOORE (3:25 minutes) *
US 45: August 1970, Atlantic 45-2681, B-side of "Willpower" 
UK 45: February 1971, Atlantic 2091 054, A-side with "Willpower" as the B
US LP: "Sweet Charlie Babe", 1973 on Atlantic SD 7285
UK LP: "Sweet Charlie Babe", 1973 on Atlantic K 40544 
LP also contains "Willpower"

3. Groove Me – KING FLOYD (3:01 minutes)
US 45: September 1970, Chimneyville CH-435, B-side of "What Our Love Needs" – US DJs played the flipside "Groove Me" and it then became the dominant hit
UK 45: Jan 1971, Atlantic 2091 051, A-side
US LP: "King Floyd", May 1971 on Cotillion SD 9047
UK LP: "King Floyd", 1971 on Atlantic 2466014

4. Patches – CLARENCE CARTER (3:09 minutes)
US 45: July 1970, Atlantic 45-2748, A-side
UK 45: September 1970, Atlantic 2091 030, A-side
US LP: "Patches", October 1970 on Atlantic SD-8267 
UK LP: "Patches", November 1970 on Atlantic 2400 027

5. Don't Knock My Love (Part 1) – WILSON PICKETT (2:23 minutes) *
US 45: April 1971, Atlantic 45-2797, A-side
UK 45: July 1971, Atlantic 2091 124, A-side
US LP: "Don't Knock My Love", December 1971 on Atlantic SD 8300
UK LP: "Don't Knock My Love", December 1971 on Atlantic K 40319

6. Funky Nassau (Parts 1 & 2) – BEGINNING OF THE END (5:10 minutes)
US 45: March 1971, Alston 4595, A&B-sides
UK 45: July 1971, Atlantic 2091 097, A&B-sides
US LP: "Funky Nassau", 1971 on Alston SD 33-379
UK LP: "Funky Nassau", 1974 on Atlantic K 40304

7. Thin Line Between Love And Hate – THE PERSUADERS (3:23 minutes)
US 45: July 1971, Atco 45-6822, A-side
UK 45: November 1971, Debut on Atlantic 2091 164, A-side
US LP: "Thin Line Between Love And Hate", 1972 on Win Or Lose SD 33-387
UK LP: "Thin Line Between Love And Hate", 1972 on Atlantic K 40370

8. Rock Steady – ARETHA FRANKLIN (3:12 minutes) 
US 45: October 1971, Atlantic 45-2838, A-side
UK 45: November 1971, Atlantic 2091 168, A-side

9. Day Dreamin' – ARETHA FRANKLIN (3:58 minutes) *
US 45: February 1972, Atlantic 45-2866, A-side
UK 45: March 1972, UK Atlantic K 10154, A-side
Tracks 8 and 9
US LP: "Young, Gifted & Black", January 1972 on Atlantic SD 7213
UK LP: "Young, Gifted & Black", January 1972 on Atlantic K 40323

10. You've Got A Friend – ROBERTA FLACK and DONNY HATHAWAY (3:24 minutes)
US 45: May 1971, Atlantic 45-2808, A-side
UK 45: June 1971, Atlantic 2091 116, A-side
A Carole King cover version (from her February 1971 LP "Tapestry"; also a hit for James Taylor from his April 1971 LP "Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon")
US LP: "Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway", May 1972 on Atlantic SD 7216
UK LP: "Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway", June 1972 on Atlantic K 40380

11. Clean Up Woman – BETTY WRIGHT (2:47 minutes)
US 45: November 1971, Alston A-4601, A-side
UK 45: March 1972, Atlantic K 10143, A-side
US LP: "I Love The Way You Love", February 1972 on Alston SD 33-388
UK LP: "I Love The Way You Love", March 1972 on Atlantic K 40364

12. Could It Be I'm Falling In Love – SPINNERS (4:13 minutes)
US 45: December 1972, Atlantic 45-2927, A-side
UK 45: April 1973, Atlantic K 10283, A-side as The Detroit Spinners
US LP: "Spinners", March 1973 on Atlantic SD 7256
UK LP: "The Detroit Spinners", May 1973 on Atlantic K 40477

13. Killing Me Softly With His Song – ROBERTA FLACK (5:52 minutes)
US 45: January 1973, Atlantic 45-2940, A-side
UK 45: February 1973, Atlantic K 10282, A-side

US LP: "Killing Me Softly With His Song, January 1973 on Atlantic SD 7271

UK LP: "Killing Me Softly With His Song, February 1973 on Atlantic K 50021

14. Where Is The Love - ROBERTA FLACK and DONNY HATHAWAY (2:42 minutes)
US 45: April 1972, Atlantic 45-2879, A-side
UK 45: July 1972, UK Atlantic K 10202, A-side
US LP: "Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway", May 1972 on Atlantic SD 7216
UK LP: "Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway", June 1972 on Atlantic K 40380

15. I'll Be Around – THE SPINNERS (3:13 minutes)
US 45: July 1972, Atlantic 45-2904, B-side of "How Could I Let You Get Away"
UK 45: September 1972, Atlantic K 10243, B-side of "How Could I Let You Get Away" – credited as The Spinners in both the USA and UK - although they were known as THE DETROIT SPINNERS in the UK. Sometime in September or October 1972, the British 45 was then flipped and reissued with "I'll Be Around" listed as the A-side and the band finally credited as The Detroit Spinners. The backing band was essentially MFSB – Norman Harris on Guitar, Ronnie Baker on Bass and Earl Young on Drums
US LP: "Spinners", March 1973 on Atlantic SD 7256 
UK LP: "The Detroit Spinners", March 1973 on Atlantic K 40477

16. Feel Like Makin' Love – ROBERTA FLACK (2:55 minutes)
US 45: July 1974, Atlantic 45-3203, A-side
UK 45: June 1974, Atlantic K 10467, A-side

US LP: "Feel Like Makin' Love", March 1975 on Atlantic SD 18131

UK LP: "Feel Like Makin' Love", April 1975 on Atlantic K 50049

17. One Of A Kind (Love Affair) – SPINNERS (3:32 minutes) *
US 45: April 1973, Atlantic 45-2962, A-side 
UK 45: July 1973, Atlantic K 10311, A-side, credited as The Detroit Spinners
US LP: "Spinners", March 1973 on Atlantic SD 7256 
UK LP: "The Detroit Spinners", March 1973 on Atlantic K 40477

18. Sideshow – BLUE MAGIC (4:08 minutes) *
US 45: March 1974, Atco 45-6961, A-side
UK 45: August 1974, Atlantic K 10494. A-side

19. Mighty Love, Pt. 1 – SPINNERS (4:55 minutes)
US 45: January 1974, Atlantic 45-3006, A-side
UK 45: March 1974, Atlantic K 10416, A-side, credited as The Detroit Spinners
NOTE: The playing time is mistakenly noted on the rear and in the inlay as 3:19 minutes but it plays the Full LP version at 4:55 minutes; the 4:55 minutes playing time was noted correctly as such on the 1991 US Box Set issue

20. Love Won't Let Me Wait – MAJOR HARRIS (3:46 minutes)
US 45: February 1975, Atlantic 45-3248, A-side
UK 45: July 1975, UK Atlantic K 10585, A-side

BONUS TRACKS: 
* Tracks 2, 5, 9, 17 and 18 are five 1991 Bonus Tracks not on the 1985 US 7 x 2LP Vinyl Box Set or the individual 1987 UK 7 x CD versions

Some had complained about the sound quality on the original 1987 CDs - as well as wrong versions of songs being used (personally I found the audio quality of the VINYL doubles to be superlative). So Atlantic made efforts with the 1991 CD reissue which is what these 2006 Euro issues are based on. That 1991 Box Set told us that all tracks were "digitally remastered from mono and true stereo originals" and that "in this edition, the proper tracks have been used in all cases" (these 2006 quote the same). BOBBY WARNER and JIMMY DOUGLAS carried out the Digital Transfers while ZAL SCHREIBER and STEVE INNOCENZI did the mastering. The quality on these CDs is shockingly good - full of life and clarity. Each is a joy to listen to. Sure in the decades since there have been reissues (by Bear Family especially) that knock spots off the 1991 sound (try their "Joe Turner Rocks" or their "Sweet Soul Music" volumes 1961 to 1975 – I have reviewed all of them). But what you do get is fantastic all the way to the finish. To the tunes…

The Aretha opener "Don't Play That Song (You Lied)" has never been one of my faves, but even on an average day - The Queen of Soul rocked and her vocal in the tune is fabulous. Dealing in dirt and looking at love as a two-way street - Jackie Moore stumps up Volume 8's first genuine classic and a largely forgotten sexy groove - her "Precious Precious" - a fantastic groover presented here in gloriously clear audio. Speaking of hey-there-sugar-dumpling - King Floyd struck B-side gold with his own "Groove Me" - all sock-it-to-me-mama Seventies Funk that still sounds so contemporary. Legend has it that blind Soul Singer and Songwriter Clarence Carter hated doing "Patches" and I can understand why - singing its truths must have felt both hick and hurtful at one and the same time. I can understand why it was a chart stormer back in the day, but in 2024 its 'washed all the crops away' story telling is something I don't want to ever hear.

Back to proper groovin' with the wicked Wilson Pickett givin' it some "Don't Knock My Love..." - Part 1 with a relentless toe-tapping backbeat while he fills in after the fuzz guitars with that distinctive vocal rasp of his. Volume 8 now gives you both Parts of "Funky Nassau" - the big moment for The Beginning Of The End. Mini and Maxi Skirts and Afro Hair Do's have the band taking care of business - playing it Funky now. Chrissie Hynde and her Pretenders did a stunning cover version of The Persuaders and their forgotten actions-speak-louder-than-words "Thin Line Between Love And Hate" - it's domestic misery vs. love of a wanderer vs. violence clearly striking a chord that unfortunately carries over to this day. But while "Thin Line..." is a stone winner - it's left in the dust by the staggering groove of Aretha's "Rock Steady". Exactly what it is - move your hips from side to side - what it is - what it is - is a Funky and lowdown feeling. With the gorgeous and moving ballad "Day Dreamin'" (a Bonus Track) following - her crown as The Queen of Soul genuinely starts to make sense as presented here by this lethal double-whammy (fantastic clarity - the band funking the nuts out of your speakers). 

Further nuggets include a young Betty Wright sounding far-too-experienced in her fabulous "Clean Up Woman" - an infidelity warning to other girls (hugely popular still on radio and dancefloors). The Spinners (known as The Detroit Spinners in the UK) start to make their classy presence known with two total winners from their March 1973 self-titled debut LP - perennial radio faves "Could It Be I'm Falling In Love?" and "I'll Be Around" - while "Mighty Love" from their second album is none too shabby either. That underrated debut (see separate review I did for the BBR UK CD Reissue) also had the superb socially-aware soft-Soul of "Ghetto Child" which unfortunately isn't included as a Bonus when there was room (mistake that). 

There's admitted fairly audible hiss on the Roberta Flack song "Killing Me Softly With His Song" but then the album its near six-minute heartbreak comes from has been notorious for that (even after Remaster) for years (apparently written about a Don McLean concert - the title refers to a moment when one of his acoustic love songs moved the listener to tears). The slinky bedroom lurve of "Feel Like Makin' Love" is an overlooked Roberta Flack gem while Blue Magic's "Sideshow" and Major Harris' "Love Won't Let Me Wait" are so-Seventies in their step-right-up chatty cheese vs. oh baby-baby moaning vocal styles that both will elicit far too many warped yet fond memories of clinches and longings at parties for listeners of a certain vintage (like moi). 

In 2024 and despite being technically deleted, you can get Volume 8 of 8 of Atlantic Rhythm & Blues 1947-1974 (or any of the others) individually on popular auction sites often for less than four quid. There was even a flimsy card wrap version in March 2006 that put all eight together as an all-in budget-priced package – usually available for about £30 to £35. 

But I would argue that such is the riches on offer across all eight volumes that you consider the big daddy - splashing out on that 1991 US LP-Sized 8CD Box Set with its full booklet and genuine sense of visual purpose. Set you back maybe £60 – but what a wow it is! If that isn't in your budget purview – then go for this Thunderbuck Ram of a CD compilation. 

But I warn you – the need for the other seven and booklet explanations will quickly manifest itself thereafter…

"Candi Staton" by CANDI STATON – September 1972 US Third Studio Album on Fame Records featuring Southern Soul songs by Clarence Carter, Mac Davis, Barbara Wyrick, George Jackson, Bobby Bloom, Raymond Moore and more with Rick Hall Productions and The Fame Gang of Musicians (March 2024 UK Ace/Kent Soul 'Mini LP' Repro Artwork CD Reissue with New Inner Sleeve Artwork, 12-Page Liner Notes Booklet and Duncan Cowell Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Candi-Staton/dp/B0CVS9YX2H?crid=B12VEHD7F645&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.nkIZP2i9BIew59DL75u7FQ.kRiBOJahtY-9fY3AjW8D19SGbEhAxkwoq02mL1umWYE&dib_tag=se&keywords=029667109727&qid=1711556074&sprefix=029667109727%2Caps%2C78&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=mabasreofcdbl-21&linkId=06d51b3f53fe91503eea3d66ab1afdb6&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

"...I Heard You Been Running Around..."

Friday, 27 October 2023 saw Ace Records of the UK reissue Candi Staton's first two albums for Rick Hall's American label Fame Records - "I'm Just A Prisoner" from April 1970 and "Stand By Your Man" from December 1970 (those British CD reissues are pictured at the bottom of this review).

Now for Friday, 29 March 2024, the UK gets door number three – the self-titled "Candi Staton" LP originally released September 1972 in the USA as her third studio album of Southern Soul on Fame Records FAS-1800 (no UK variant). Also like the first two reissues - "Candi Staton" is available as both a CD and Black Vinyl LP - the LP variant being Ace/Kent Soul HIQLP 130 - Barcode 029667022217 (comes with an inner sleeve that appears to have all the info of the 12-page CD booklet crammed onto both sides).

Also, like the first two 2023 CDs - "Candi Staton" on Ace/Kent Soul CDKENM 519 (Barcode 029667109727) comes in 'Mini LP Repro Artwork' that boasts a New Inner Sleeve, a fully-featured 12-Page Liner Notes Booklet and the whole set has Remasters from Original Tapes. It looks and sounds fantastic with clearly huge leaps having taken place in recording techniques by 1972 - because while "I'm Just A Prisoner" and "Stand By Your Man" from 1970 sounded so damn good – this 1972 beast leaps out of your speakers with a clarity that is frightening – real muscle and power to every single song. A top-quality job done in Audio transfer.

Downsides: at 28:19 minutes total playing time, "Candi Staton" CD could of course have done with some Single Edits and maybe even the unreleased stuff that showed up June 2011 on the fabulous 2CD compilation "Evidence: The Complete Fame Records Masters" on Ace/Kent Soul CDKEN2 353 (Barcode 029667235327). But what is here, rocks. Elvis Presley even wrote her a personal note about how much he enjoyed her cover of "In The Ghetto" – a single lifted off of Side 1 before the album was released. To the details…

1. Do It In The Name Of Love [Side 1]

2. Darling You're All That I Need

3. Blackmail

4. In The Ghetto

5. Wanted: Lover

6. The Best Thing You Ever Had [Side 2]

7. Lovin' You, Lovin' Me

8. I'll Drop Everything And Come Running

9. You Don't Love Me No More

10. The Thanks I Get For Loving You

Tracks 1 to 10 are her third studio album "Candi Staton" - released September 1972 on Fame Records FAS-1800 in STEREO (no UK issue). Produced by RICK HALL at Fame Studios in Alabama - it peaked at No. 37 on the US R&B Billboard charts.

As already mentioned, Candi Staton and Ace Records fans have been here before - June 2011 seeing the fabulous 2CD compilation "Evidence: The Complete Fame Records Masters" on Ace/Kent Soul CDKEN2 353 (Barcode 029667235327). That twofer CD set gives you all three of her superb Southern Soul American LPs on Rick Hall's Fame Records plus non-LP single-sides and unreleased - all from her stay there between 1969 and 1972. So, if you own that digital anthology from 2011, then you might want to give these 2023 and 2024 single CD reissues a jaundiced wallet eye and a hard pass. But then you clock the cool CD artwork, the new inner sleeve and booklet (pictured above) and capitulation may not be far off because these things are just so damn cute.

I don't know if Ace Records of the UK has given the reissues a 'name' per say - Mini LP Series or something like that. But by way of description, what you have is a Mini LP Oversized Card Sleeve with the CD Remaster from original STEREO tapes, a new Colour Inner Sleeve (pictured) and a 12-page liner-notes booklet complete with photos, trade adverts, label repros, sheet music memorabilia and new interviews with Candi by Soul aficionado IAN SHIRLEY.

The "Candi Staton" album was preceded in the USA by "In The Ghetto" b/w "Sure As Sin" – the Mac Davis-penned A-side issued 20 May 1972 on Fame Records 91000 as the first US 45-single. But any true fan will notice that the CD album 'as is' offers a total-playing-time of just 28:19 minutes, hardly busting a nut in terms of value for money. Worse - "Sure As Sin" is a Non-LP flipside penned by Eddie Hinton and Marlin Greene that could (and should) have been included as a very cool Bonus. The "In The Ghetto" song had of course been issued by Elvis in April 1969 and become a huge late-career hit for him – a message song about social injustice. Two other female artists had also had a go – Dolly Parton and Bobbie Gentry. Candi’s cover managed an 11-week stay and rose to No. 48 on the US Billboard R&B charts. 

A month after the 10-track "Candi Staton" LP hit American record shops, Fame paired two of its better tracks as single number two. October 1972 saw "Lovin' You, Lovin' Me" b/w "You Don't Love Me No More" issued as the second US 45-single on Fame 91005. The Barbara Wyrick-penned A-side and the Clarence Carter/Candi Staton co-write on the flipside reached No. 40 on the US R&B charts and even managed a No.83 placing on the Billboard Top 100 Pop Hits Chart. 

Third and final single from the album was the Bobby Bloom and Neil Goldberg song that opened Side 1 "Do It In The Name Of Love" b/w the Candi Staton original "The Thanks I Get For Loving You". Issued December 1972 on Fame 91009, this funky dancefloor-orientated pairing did best of all reaching No. 17 on the US R&B charts and No.63 on the Billboard Top 100 Pop Hits.

The audio punch of the 'lay it on me' and 'you can make me talk so easy' opener "Do It In The Name Of Love" is fantastic – its slick Bass line like The Staple Singers over on Stax while the brass jabs ape the JBs on Polydor. John Bettis and Kerry Chater penned the sleepless-night pine in "Darling You're All I Need" – Candi moaning about the one sure thing she threw away. Gloria Jones and Pamela Sawyer wrote the jaunty agony of "Blackmail" while guitarist Travis Wammack (part of the Fame crew that played on the album) pointed Candi to "Darling You're All That I Had" – a song he had recorded with Fame too for his own self-titled debut album "Travis Wammack" on Fame Records FAS-1801 which also came out late 1972. Leonard Caston and Lloyd Webber end Side 1 with a call-and-response funky-funky shimmering guitar-groover "Wanted: Lover" – only good men should apply for this job – no experience necessary – but the benefits will of course be worth it.

Side 2 opens with a George Jackson groove - "The Best Thing You Ever Had" – Candi telling her ex that his new squeeze has naught on his ex. Strings and keyboards all clear – the neck-jerking suffering making you want to shimmy to the dancefloor. Gorgeous audio too on the Barbara Wyrick ballad "Lovin' You, Lovin' Me" – Acoustic Guitar and Strings complimenting the gently touch my hand lyrics. A team of four funky dudes coughed up the 'I know you have another baby too' groover "I'll Drop Everything And Come Running" (Larry Chambers, George Jackson, Melvin Leaks and Raymond Moore) – Candi still hankering after Mr. Right whilst settling for Mr. Right Now. The piano and good-woman guitar ballad "You Don't Love Me No More" is a fabulous Southern Soul pleader (his kiss not lasting long enough) with a great brass fade out that will send Northern Soul lovers into an arm-folding trance. She brings the album to a close with a very Clarence Carter sounding (is this) "The Thanks I Get For Loving You" – a fantastic Seventies Soul groove (its keyboard-slinky opening nicked liberally from the Sixties) that will surely show up in a TV Series on Netflix any day now (lyrics from it title this review).

Another cool Kent Soul re-release then (those HIQLPs are gorgeous too) and a timely reminder as to why we love Soul Music so much from that halcyon decade. Rick Hall's label released two more 45s for Staton in 1973 (could have been bonuses) and Candi Staton would leave Fame Soul behind when she demanded that "Young Hearts..." should run free in her mid Seventies Warner Brothers Disco years - thereafter becoming a household name.

But the trio of "I'm Just A Prisoner", "Stand By Your Man" and "Candi Staton" LPs from 1970 and 1972 is where the Southern Soul smarts started. Buy this and the others and bathe yourself in the audio juices (now don't be rude) of some criminally forgotten peaches...

The Other Two Titles In This Ace/Kent Soul Series - See Separate Reviews

"Choctaw Ridge: New Fables Of The American South 1968-1973" by VARIOUS ARTISTS [Bob Stanley and Martin Green Present] – Featuring Lee Hazlewood, Chris Gantry, Jerry Reed, Jeannie C. Riley, Hoyt Axton, Tom T. Hall, Dolly Parton, Charlie Rich, Kenny Rogers, Tony Joe White and more (July 2021 UK Ace Records CD Compilation – Nick Robbins Remasters) - A Review by Mark Barry...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Choctaw-Ridge-Fables-American-1968-1973/dp/B096WBXB7D?crid=3GNGBYCF8ZFN&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.dp_WRSjIWuUHMFiDPFpwdw.GTBVdiqp5vV8rt8HxYfKGbZc3kOCg7kc2Wo4hDx3IgA&dib_tag=se&keywords=029667102322&qid=1711183099&sprefix=029667102322%2Caps%2C74&sr=8-1&linkCode=ll1&tag=mabasreofcdbl-21&linkId=0e7107fa02b05e5a5c0b7193276bf66d&language=en_GB&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

"...Shavings Of Your Mind..."

Blame it all on "Ode To Billie Joe" – Bobbie Gentry's 1967 Southern Country Rock anthem to infidelity, appetite loss, sawmills and death by Tallahatchie bridges. 

Coming on like a really, really good Lee Hazlewood album that you haven't yet heard – compilers Bob Stanley and Martin Green have pulled out a genuine winner with Ace Records' 2021 compilation "Choctaw Ridge..."

Available as a CD and 2LP Vinyl Album (24-tracks for both, see below for catalogue numbers and barcodes) - there is much to savour on here that even diehard collectors will not have heard. So let's return to the back side of Dallas, Logan courthouses, summer coming early to Strawberry Farm and marooned pregnant girls longing for wayward straw-hatted beaus chasing other unwedded pageant queens with pedal steel guitars down in Dover...

UK released Friday, 30 July 2021 - "Choctaw Ridge: New Fables Of The American South 1968-1973" by VARIOUS ARTISTS on Ace Records CDCHD 1585 (Barcode 029667102322) is a 24-Track CD and 2LP VINYL compilation (Ace Records XXQLP2 078 – Barcode 029667012911) that plays out as follows (76:51 minutes): 

1. The House Song – LEE HAZLEWOOD (June 1968 US 45-single on Reprise 0699, B-side of "Morning Dew" – also on the 1968 US Stereo LP "Love And Other Crimes" on Reprise RS 6297)

2. If Only She Had Stayed – CHRIS GANTRY (from the 1968 US Stereo LP "Retrospection" on Monument SLP 18100)

3. Endless Miles Of Highway - JERRY REED (from the 1972 US LP "Smell The Flowers" on RCA Victor LSP 4660)

4. The Back Side Of Dallas - JEANNIE C. RILEY (from the 1969 US Stereo LP "Things Go Better With Love" on Plantation PLP 3)

5. Way Before The Time Of Towns - HOYT AXTON (from the 1969 US Stereo LP "My Griffin Is Gone" on Columbia CS 9766)

6. Strawberry Farms - TOM T. HALL (from the 1969 US Stereo LP "Homecoming" on Mercury SR 61247)

7. Down From Dover - DOLLY PARTON (from the 1970 US Stereo LP "The Fairest Of Them All" on CA Victor LSP 4288)

8. July 12, 1939 - CHARLIE RICH (from the 1970 US Stereo LP "The Fabulous Charlie Rich" on Epic BN 26516)

9. What Am I Doing In L.A.? - NAT STUCKEY (July 1970 US MONO 45-single on RCA Victor 47-9884, B-side of "Whiskey, Whiskey" – Stereo Version also on the 1970 US LP "Country Fever" on RCA Victor LSP 4389)

10. Mr. Stanton Don't Believe It - ROB GALBRAITH (from the 1970 US Stereo LP "Nashville Dirt" on Columbia CS 1057)

11. Saunders' Ferry Lane - SAMMI SMITH (August 1971 US 45-single on Mega 615-0039, A-side - also from the 1970 US Stereo LP "He's Everywhere" on Mega Records M31-1000 - renamed "Help Me Make It Through The Night" with the same catalogue)

12. Four Shades Of Love - HENSON CARGILL (March 1970 US 45-single on Monument MN45-1198, B-side to "The Most Uncomplicated Goodbye I've Ever Heard" - and from the 1970 US Stereo LP "The Uncomplicated Henson Cargill" on Monument SLP 18137)

13. Drivin' My Nails In The Wall - WAYLON JENNINGS & THE KIMBERLYS (from the 1969 US Stereo LP "Country-Folk" on RCA Victor LSP 4180)

14. Ruby, Don't Take My Love To Town - KENNY ROGERS & THE FIRST EDITION (May 1969 US 45-single on Reprise 0829, A-side - also from the 1969 US Stereo LP "'69" on Reprise Records RS 6328)

15. Why Can't I Come Home - ED BRUCE (from the 1968 US Stereo LP "If I Could Just Go Home" on RCA Victor LSP 3948)

16. Mr. Walker, It's All Over - BILLE JO SPEARS (February 1969 US 45-single on Capitol 2436, A-side - also from the 1969 US Stereo LP "Mr. Walker, It's All Over" on Capitol ST 224)

17. Harlan County - JIM FORD (August 1969 US 45-single on Sundown SD-115, A-side - also on the 1969 US Stereo LP "Harlan County" on Sundown JHS 1002)

18. Widow Wimberly - TONY JOE WHITE (from his 1970 3rd US Stereo LP "Tony Joe" on Monument SLP 18142)

19. Belinda (Alternate Take) - BOBBIE GENTRY (recorded in 1970, first issued on the September 2018 UK/Europe 8CD Box Set "The Girl From Chickasaw County (The Complete Capitol Masters)" on Universal/UMC 5383971)

20. Joanne - MICHAEL NESMITH & THE FIRST NATIONAL BAND (from his 1970 US Stereo LP "Magnetic South" on RCA Victor LSP 4371)

21. Mr. Jackson's Got Nothing To Do - JOHN HARTFORD (from his 1969 US Fifth Stereo LP "John Hartford" on RCA Victor LSP 4156)

22. Alone - LEE HAZLEWOOD & SUZI JANE HOKOM (November 1969 Promo-Only MONO US 45-single on LHI Records LHI 19, B-side to "Same Old Songs")

23. Fabulous Body And Smile - SIR ROBERT CHARLES GRIGGS [aka Bobby Charles] (1973 US 45-single on Capitol 3714, A-side - also from his 1973 US Stereo LP "The Legend Of Sir Robert Charles Griggs" on Capitol St-11234)

24. I Feel Like Going Home - CHARLIE RICH (August 1973 US 45-single on Epic 5-11040, B-side of "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World")

NOTES: All Tracks in STEREO except No. 9 and 22 in MONO

The 24-page booklet is a thoroughly satisfying feast of knowledge and affection from compiler BOB STANLEY (with nods to friends who helped) that's also jam-packed with rare US 45/LP artwork with the occasional trade adverts (full pages to Michael Nesmith and Charlie Rich). Top quality Audio is by Ace's long-standing and mucho-experienced NICK ROBBINS - 22 Stereo cuts with only Nat Stuckey and the Lee Hazelwood/Suzi Jane Hokom duet in Mono. VINYL collectors should also note that all Ace Records issues of the double are black vinyl, but there's a rare GREEN VINYL variant of 500 copies (with the same catalogue number) on Rough Trade, which was available direct from their mail order. To the chunes... 

The underling menace/relationship-sleaze inherent in the song "Ode To Billie Joe" acts as an idea springboard for this collection of lesser-heard 60ts and 70ts Country and Folk Rock from Southern States USA (not surprisingly most of these songs were on RCA Victor or Columbia - two principal homes of Country). What comes as something of a surprise though is how this compilation proves the extraordinary reach of that song - its unusual structure, words, weirdly downbeat yet intriguing story - all of it – beguiling and inspiring. Five tracks in and it's pretty clear that huge swathes of great artists had heard Bobby Gentry and her stunning 'Son Of A Preacher Man' type-tune and had been duly blown away (Tony Joe White practically started writing his own material because of it). Seizing the sluice-gates day, they too began aping its searing lyrical honesty and between 1968 and 1970 (especially) tackled subjects usually off-limits to a three-minute radio song appealer. 

But amongst these knowing tales of serial cheaters, guitar-case railroad-track walkers and swamp-rocking widows are surprisingly touching odes to genuinely tremulous hurt and loss. It opens with a gorgeous remastered Stereo cut from Lee Hazlewood (the king of deadpan drama, lyrics from it title this review) where a tempestuous marriage puts the house up for sale every Wednesday morning only to see it taken off the market that afternoon once their even hastier make-up kicked in. Dolly Parton too – so often seen as a bubble-headed Barbie Doll in mock Cherokee tassels singing about good old Kentucky gals – stuns with her open-wound pain story of a pregnant girl hiding her smock bump - abandoned by a huckster in "Down From Dover". Bob Stanley quite rightly calls it brave at a time when so many in her genre wouldn’t have gone near such real-world nastiness with a barge pole. And just how early-morning God-of-life beautiful is Hoyt Axton's "Way Before The Time Of Towns" – a stunning soft-as-silk orchestrated acoustic epic from a writer normally associated with Rock stuff like Three Dog Night's keyboard-upbeat chart-topper "Joy To The World" and Steppenwolf's hard-hitting anti-drug song "The Pusher".

Gentry herself gets a showing with an Alternate Acoustic rendering of "Belinda", a song that turned up on her fifth and final album "Patchwork" for Capitol Records in 1970. Its first appearance came on CD7 of the exemplary and seriously sought after September 2018 8CD Box Set "The Girl From Chickasaw County". Sat on the front-door steps of some large house in her patchwork dress, tasselled hair and wicker basket of oh-so-darlin' flowers - it's a pared-back acoustic rendering and a clever choice over the issued version – this brute being starker and darker and better for it. Before the Nancy Sinatra duets, Lee Hazlewood over on his Lee Hazlewood Industries LHI label had been pairing with Suzi Jane Hokom and their Jack Nitzsche-arranged "Alone" makes for another slyly dark sleeper (a Promo-only 7" in the USA). Other genius inclusions are the hard-to-find-on-CD B-side "I Feel Like Going Home" by Charlie Rich (flip of the Silver Fox's huge hit "The Most Beautiful Girl") and anything from the Country-Soulful Jim Ford album "Harlan County" is a doozy in my books. And on it goes...

I would admit that this CD would be an acquired-taste listen for some – a lick-of-the-lips they don't ever want to experience. But "Choctaw Ridge..." is the kind of compilation that's rare in the 2020s - the listen is good (discoveries galore); it sounds great and has on-the-money annotation that will make you dig deeper and explore. And all of it collated by British men brandishing brave trouser choices - decent chappies proffering us American Country Music cultural-less Neanderthals with tunes and artists we really need to pay more attention to/reappraise. Top stuff and well done to all involved...