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"…Let Me Tell The World…"

Instead of going down the tried-and-tested hits route – Volume 2 in Ace’s superb CD retrospectives for Chicago’s “The Impressions” plums for B-sides, quality album cuts and lesser-heard rarities – and even as a lengthy listen - it works. Details are…

UK released July 2003 – "Definitive Impressions Part 2" by THE IMPRESSIONS on Ace/Kent-Soul CDKEND 213 (Barcode 029667221320) is a CD compilation of Remasters that breaks down as follows (75:49 minutes):

All tracks in Stereo except 16 and 19 in Mono:

1. (Man Oh Man) I Want To Go Back (1965 US 7" on ABC 10750, B-side of "You've Been Cheatin'")

2. I'm Getting Ready (from the 1968 US LP "We're A Winner" on ABC Records ABCS-635 (Stereo))

3. You Ought To Be In Heaven (1967 US 7" on ABC 10964, B-side of "I Can't Stay Away From You")

4. We're In Love (from the 1965 US LP "People Get Ready" on ABC-Paramount Records ABCS-505 (Stereo))

5. No One Else (1966 US 7" single on ABC-Paramount 10789, B-side of "Too Slow")

6. This Must End (1966 US 7" single on ABC 10831, B-side of "Can't Satisfy")

7. Little Brown Boy (from the 1968 US LP "We're A Winner" on ABC Records ABCS-635 (Stereo))

8. Love's A Comin' (1966 US 7” single on ABC 10869, A)

9. Gotta Get Away (from the 1966 US LP "Ridin' High" on ABC-Paramount ABCS-545 (Stereo))

10. I Love You (Yeah) (1964 US 7" single on ABC-Paramount 10554, B-side of "Keep On Pushing")

11. A Woman Who Loves Me (from the 1964 US LP "The Never Ending Impressions" on ABC-Paramount ABCS-468 (Stereo))

12. Aware Of Love (from the 1967 US LP "The Fabulous Impressions" on ABC Records ABCS-606 (Stereo))

13. Never Could You Be (1965 US 7" single on ABC 10710, B-side of "I Need You")

14. Le Me Tell The World (from the 1968 US LP "We're A Winner" on ABC Records ABCS-635 (Stereo))

15. I Need To Belong To Someone (from the 1966 US LP "Ridin' High" on ABC-Paramount ABCS-545 (Stereo))

16. You’ll Want Me Back (1963 US 7" single on ABC-Paramount 10487, B-side of "It's All Right", Mono)

17. Just Another Dance (from the 1965 US LP "People Get Ready" on ABC-Paramount Records ABCS-505 (Stereo))

18. That's What Love Will Do (from the 1964 US LP "The Never Ending Impressions" on ABC-Paramount ABCS-468 (Stereo))

19. You've Got Me Runnin' (1967 US 7" single on ABC 10932, B-side of "It's Hard To Believe", Mono)

20. She Don't Love Me (from the 1967 US LP "The Fabulous Impressions" on ABC Records ABCS-606 (Stereo))

21. Devil In Your Soul (unissued recording first appeared on the 1999 CD compilation "ABC Rarities" on Ace Kent-Soul CDKEND 170)

22. I've Found That I've Lost Love (from the 1965 US LP "People Get Ready" on ABC-Paramount Records ABCS-505 (Stereo))

23. Long, Long, Winter (1964 US 7" single on ABC-Paramount 10602, B-side of "Amen")

24. Sister Love (from the 1964 US LP "The Never Ending Impressions" on ABC-Paramount ABCS-468 (Stereo))

25. Puppy Love (unissued recording first appeared on the 1999 CD compilation "ABC Rarities" on Ace Kent-Soul CDKEND 170)

26. Don't Cry My Love (1968 US 7" single on ABC 11135, A)

27. Falling In Love With You (1965 US 7" single on ABC 10761, B-side of "Since I Lost The One I Love")

28. It's All Over (1967 US 7" single on ABC 11022, B-side of "We're A Winner")

Compiled ands Annotated by ADRIAN CROASDELL – the liner notes are full of those great ABC-Paramount sleeves and album covers while DUNCAN COWELL has mastered the largely Stereo tapes to perfection (only "You'll Want Me Back" and "You've Got Me Runnin'" are in Mono).

In some ways Volume 2 is an even better listen than 1989's Volume 1 of "Definitive Impressions" (reissued in 2002 with different artwork) in that it allows choice LP track inclusions instead of just all singles and bolsters the lot up with rare B-sides and those two unreleased nuggets ("Devil In Your Soul" and "Puppy Love").

It opens with the brassy "It's All Right" wannabe B-side "(Man Oh Man) I Want To Go Back" and continues in that off-the-cuff not-the-hits vein. The Northern-Soul dancer "You Ought To Be In Heaven" stands out - as does "Gotta Get Away" and the lovely "now that she's gone" mid-tempo melody of "Long, Long Winter" (B-side to "Amen") – more effortless cool from Curtis Mayfield (again wrote almost everything here). "Falling In Love With You" is typical – those quivering strings – the three boys harmonising on the chorus – a slow classy melody caresses "...you held my hand so tight…" lyrics – so sweet.

If you want to go deeper – Ace put out the Sixties ABC-Paramount LPs on twofer CDs that are readily available in 2015 – all with great liner notes and top audio quality.

Classy, sweet and still able to make us swoon – The Impressions were indeed fabulous…

1989 CD Cover Art Above

2002 CD Re-Issue Artwork (Valid to 2020)

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"...It's All Right..."

Originally released way back in October 1989 as one of their first forays into CD compilations - as I recall Ace's Kent-Soul CDKEND 923 caused quite a stir at the time for two reasons - the rediscovery of The Impressions and just how uplifting their Soul Music is - and the truly gorgeous remastered sound from original tapes (Adam Skeaping did the deed). Hardly surprising then that Ace Records of the UK have chosen to reissue this much-praised CD compilation in 2002 - but with upgraded artwork (Kent Soul logo top left and the three boys in suits) and better TONY ROUNCE liner notes (photos of those cool ABC-Paramount labels and track-by-track discussions).

And even now in 2019 I'm reminded of just how beautiful these remasters are. Comprehensively covering their hugely productive period at ABC-Paramount Records between 1961 and 1968 before they veered off into Curtis's Curtom Records – CD Volume 1 of "Definitive Impressions" wallops you with hit after hit - practically one every two months in 1964 and 1965. Here are the people get ready details...don't need no baggage...just get on board...

Re-issued July 2002 - "Definitive Impressions" by THE IMPRESSIONS on Ace Records/ Kent-Soul CDKEND 923 (Barcode 029667292320) is a 28-Track CD Compilation (Volume 1 of 2) that breaks down as follows (72:38 minutes):

All tracks are US 7" singles in Stereo except 21 and 23 in Mono:

1. Gypsy Woman (November 1961, ABC-Paramount 10241, A)

2. Grow Closer Together (1962, ABC-Paramount 10289, A)

3. Little Young Lover (1962, ABC-Paramount 10328, A)

4. Minstrel And Queen (1962, ABC-Paramount 10357, B-side to "You've Come Home")

5. I'm The One Who Loves You (1962, ABC-Paramount 10386, A)

6. Sad, Sad Girl And Boy (1963, ABC-Paramount 10431, A)

7. It's All Right (September 1963, ABC-Paramount 10487, A)

8. Talking About My Baby (January 1964, ABC-Paramount 10511, A)

9. I'm So Proud (March 1964, ABC-Paramount 10544, A)

10. Keep On Pushing (June 1964, ABC-Paramount 10554, A)

11. I've Been Trying (March 1965, ABC-Paramount 10622, B-side of "People Get Ready")

12. Girl You Don't Know Me (1964, ABC-Paramount 10537, A)

13. I Made A Mistake (1964, ABC-Paramount 10544, B-side of "I'm So Proud")

14. You Must Believe Me (August 1964, ABC-Paramount 10581, A)

15. Amen (November 1964, ABC-Paramount 10602, A)

16. People Get Ready (February 1965, ABC-Paramount 10622, A)

17. Woman's Got Soul (April 1965, ABC-Paramount 10647, A)

18. Meeting Over Yonder (June 1965, ABC-Paramount 10670, A)

19. I Need You (September 1965, ABC-Paramount 10710, A)

20. Just One Kiss From You (1965, ABC-Paramount 10725, A)

21. You've Been Cheatin' (November 1965, ABC-Paramount 10750, A)

22. Since I Lost The One I Love (1966, ABC-Paramount 10761, A)

23. Can't Satisfy (August 1966, ABC 10831, A)

24. You Always Hurt Me (March 1967, ABC 10900, A)

25. I Can't Stay Away From You (October 1967, ABC 10964, A)

26: We're A Winner (January 1968, ABC 11022, A)

27: We're Rolling On (Part 1) (April 1968, ABC 11071, A)

28: I Loved And Lost (August 1968, ABC 11103, A)

Chicago's Impressions placed all but a handful of these in the American Top 50 R&B charts with "It's All Right", "Keep On Pushing", "Amen" and "We're A Winner" all reaching the coveted No. 1 spot. Coming close is "Gypsy Woman" and "I'm So Proud" both stalling at No. 2 while "You Must Believe Me" and "People Get Ready" hit No.3. The remasters are wonderfully atmospheric - the brass and drum shuffle of "It's All Right" with that flicking guitar over in the right speaker - so clear and full of that Sixties optimism.

You're then also reminded of the force of nature/powerhouse behind the group - CURTIS MAYFIELD who wrote almost everything on here. Something like say "We're A Winner" is perfect Pop Soul - an infectious lyric that is filled with positivity about that "blessed day has come...we're moving on up...I don't mind leaving here...to show the world we have no fear...because we're a winner..."

Gorgeous music - sound that does it justice too - what a winner indeed...

PS: As I pointed out above - Ace have reissued this 1989 CD in 2002. But rather confusingly they've used both the same catalogue (CDKEND 923) and Barcode (029667292320) again. So when ordering from an online retailer - make sure you request the 2002 upgrade (with its better booklet) - because both the 1989 and 2002 issues have the same barcode and an online retailer may not know the difference...

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"...You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good..."

A very clever CD reissue by Britain’s Edsel Records – the hugely popular "Wake Up Everybody" album from those Seventies Soul champs - Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes. Expanded with one bonus remix - here are the dope pusher and teach the children details…

UK released April 2010 – "Wake Up Everybody" by HAROLD MELVIN and THE BLUE NOTES on Edsel EDSM0002 (Barcode 740155000233) is an Expanded Edition CD Reissue and Remaster (One Bonus Track) featuring vocalists Sharon Paige and Teddy Pendergrass that plays out as follows (50:21 minutes):

1. Wake Up Everybody [Side 1]

2. Keep On Lovin’ You

3. You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good

4. Don’t Leave Me This Way [Side 2]

5. Tell The World How I Feel About ‘Cha Baby

6. To Be Free To Be Who You Are

7. I’m Searching For A Love

Tracks 1 to 7 are the album "Wake Up Everybody" released November 1975 on Philadelphia International Records PZ 33808 in the USA and January 1976 on Philadelphia International Records PIR 69193 in the UK. It was their 4th and final studio LP for the famous soul label - and easily their most successful and fondly remembered, reaching the coveted Number 1 spot on the US R'n'B charts that Christmas.

BONUS TRACK:

8. Don't Leave Me This Way (The Tom Moulton Mix) - an 11:02 minutes extended version remixed in 1977

The 20-page booklet provides you with band snaps, lyrics, pictures of the LP label and 7” singles taken off of it as well as superb liner notes by noted soul expert TONY ROUNCE. The CD has been mastered by TALL ORDER of the UK and the sound quality is fantastic – clear and hiss free – it really allows the lush Gamble/Huff MFSB production values to shine.

Philly's ace song-writing team - John Whitehead, Gene McFadden and Victor Carstarphen provided tracks 1, 2, 5 and 6 - while label founders Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff stumped up writing credits for tracks 3, 4 and 7 and produced the record with their usual lush MFSB arrangements.

The lovely SHARON PAIGE provided duet vocals on "You Know How To Make Me Feel So Good" and "I'm Searching For Love", but it was (Theodore) TEDDY PENDERGRASS who shone with lead vocals on all tracks - especially the huge title track "Wake Up Everybody" (which effectively launched Pendergrass as a solo star).

But for me one of the unheard gems on this album is Track 2 on Side 1, "Keep On Lovin' You" - as brill a Seventies soul tune as you can get (lyrics above). It's so good to hear it with such top sound quality.

Niggles - both "Tell The World How I Feel About 'Cha Baby" and "Wake Up Everybody" were released as 7" singles with rare edit versions which AREN'T included as bonus tracks here - and I would have preferred those than the rather tiresome extension of the overly familiar "Don't Leave Me This Way". Other than that - this is a superb Philly album - and pitched at a marketplace price that's less than a fiver - it's an absolute steal…

PS: other titles in the series are/will be...

1. Dance Your Troubles Away - ARCHIE BELL and THE DRELLS (1975) [due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0006]

2. Philadelphia Freedom - M.F.S.B. (1975) [due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0005]

3. When Love Is New - BILLY PAUL (1975) [April 2010, Edsel EDSM0003]

4. Family Reunion...Plus - THE O'JAYS (1975) [April 2010, Edsel EDSM0001]

5. The Three Degrees Live [aka Live In London] (1975) - THE THREE DEGREES (due Summer 2010, Edsel EDSM0004)

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"…I Want To Spend Some Time With You…"

I can vividly recall being in London on a warm spring Saturday morning in April 1981 (on Holiday from Dublin). Have graduated the year previous from Rock to Soul Music in a big way - I sauntered into the "Record Shack"- Funk Specialists located in the fruit and veg market area of Berwick Street in Soho. Up on the wall was 'Jazz Fusion' album of the month - "Winelight" by GROVER WASHINGTON, Jr.

I'd no idea at the time that it had been a Jazz sensation in the States for over 6 months - crossing over big time to the Pop realm - nominated for two Grammys (and winning). Then the guy behind the counter put the needle down for the umpteenth time that day. I only had to hear the first minutes of its title track and bought it immediately. And it's been on my turntable and on Jazz Radio Station playlists ever since. Here are the uncorked details...

UK released January 2001 - "Winelight" by GROVER WASHINGTON, Jr. on Warners Jazz/Elektra Masters 7559-62608-2 (Barcode 075596260824) is a straightforward transfer of the 1980 Elektra Records LP onto Remastered CD that breaks down as follows (39:14 minutes):

1. Winelight [Side 1]

2. Let It Flow (For "Dr. J")

3. In The Name Of Love

4. Take Me There [Side 2]

5. Just The Two Of Us [vocals Bill Withers]

6. Make Me A Memory (Sad Samba)

Tracks 1 to 6 are the album "Winelight" released November 1980 in the USA on Elektra Records 7E-305 and April 1981 in the UK on Elektra Records K 52262. It rose to Number 2 on the US Billboard R&B charts and Number 5 on Billboards Pop charts (UK Number 34 on the Pop charts in May 1981).

The gatefold digipak features the generic 'Warner Jazz' and 'Elektra Masters' logos on the front and rear - you get a very basic gatefold inlay with notes on the album by Chrissie Murray, then Editor of Jazzwise magazine. The inner gatefold flap has all the session details - a huge array of top musicians that are now household names to Soul, Funk and Jazz lovers - Washington, Jr on Alto, Soprano and Tenor Saxophones, Ralph MacDonald on Percussion (he also co-wrote "In The Name Of Love" with William Salter and "Just The Two Of us" with Bill Withers and William Salter), Marcus Miller on Bass, Steve Gadd on Drums, Eric Gale on Guitar and Richard Tee on Keyboards. Bill Withers famously provides vocals on "Just The Two Of Us" (a USA R&B Number 3 hit, Number 2 in the Pop charts).

The remaster is lovely too (doesn't say who did) - warm and sexy. Speaking of which - it isn't just that the "Winelight" album is Funky - it's sensual - in a way that many records after it tried to chase and more often than not - failed. "Winelight" also scored by only having 3 tracks on each side - each beautifully produced (Washington, Jr and MacDonald did the Production) and Engineered (Richard Alderson). Songs often come at you sideways - like the gorgeous "Make Me A Memory (Sad Samba)" indeed poured out of your speakers like good wine with friends. Try resisting that sensational bass into to "Let It Flow (For "Dr. J") that slinks out of your speakers like the love-child of Steely Dan's "Aja" - fabulous stuff.

This CD and most titles in the Elektra Masters series are dirt-cheap now (2019) - often less than three quid from some online retailers. Forget Sainsbury's Chardonnay - here's a glass of aural class for an awful lot less and with a far sweeter aftertaste...

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"…We Be's Gettin' Down…"

Funky as a Mosquito doing the Michael Jackson Moon Walk on a Cocaine line in a Mexican Jail - Graham Central Station hit the ground running in 1974 with a debut album as brill as "AWB" - a Soul/Funk band that somehow crossed over and appealed to the white Rock audience. Hardly surprising really - especially as Larry Graham had served his Bass Player apprenticeship with Sly & The Family Stone. And with the now-deleted 2001 Rhino 2CD Anthology "The Jam" commanding a very nasty price tag (fabulous compilation though) - this 5-album Mini Box Set pitched at under twelve quid is a bit of a deal (and they're all remasters too). Here are the dudes in big hats and even bigger flares...

UK released September 2013 - "Original Album Series" by GRAHAM CENTRAL STATION (featuring Larry Graham) on Warner Brothers 8127796513 (Barcode 081227965136) offers five albums in Single Mini LP Card Repro Sleeves (Remasters) that breaks down as follows:

Disc 1 (38:30 minutes):

1. We've Been Waiting

2. It Ain't No Fun To Me

3. Hair

4. We Be's Getting' Down

5. Tell Me What It Is [Side 2]

6. Can You Handle It?

7. People

8. Why?

9. Ghetto

Tracks 1 to 9 are their debut album "Graham Central Station" released February 1974 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2763 and Warner Brothers K 46286 in the UK

Disc 2 (37:32 minutes):

1. G.C.S.

2. Release Yourself

3. Got To Go Through It To Get To It

4. I Believe In You

5. 'Tis Your Kind Of Music [Side 2]

6. Hey Mr. Writer

7. Feel The Need

8. Today

Tracks 1 to 8 are their 2nd album "Release Yourself" released October 1974 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2814 and in the UK on Warner Brothers K 56062

Disc 3 (42:07 minutes):

1. The Jam

2. Your Love

3. It's Alright

4. I Can't Stand The Rain

5. It Ain't Nothing But A Warner Bros. Party [Side 2]

6. Ole Smokey

7. Easy Rider

8. Water

9. Luckiest People

Tracks 1 to 9 are their 3rd studio album "Ain't No 'Bout-A-Doubt It" released August 1975 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 2876 and in the UK on Warner Brothers K 56147

Disc 4 (38:09 minutes):

1. Entrow

2. Love (Covers A Multitude Of Sins)

3. Mirror

4. Do Yah

5. Save Me [Side 2]

6. I Got A Reason

7. Priscilla

8. Forever

Tracks 1 to 8 are their 4th studio album "Mirror" released June 1976 in the USA On Warner Brothers BS 2937 and on Warner Brothers K 56235 in the UK

Disc 5 (40:27 minutes):

1. Happ-E-2-C-U-A-Ginn

2. Now Do-U-Wanta Dance

3. Last Train

4. Love And Happiness

5. Earthquake

6. Crazy Chicken [Side 2]

7. Stomped Beat-Up And Whooped

8. Lead Me On

9. Saving My Love For You

10. Have Faith In Me

Tracks 1 to 10 are their 5th studio album "Now Do U Wanta Dance" released April 1977 in the USA on Warner Brothers BS 3041 and May 1977 UK on Warner Bros K 56359.

These slim card slipcases house five single repro sleeves, there's no booklet and apart from the track lists (on each CD) - there's bugger all info - but as these were remastered by Rhino back in 2001 - those remasters have been used and they sound fantastic.

The Acapella opener "We've Been Waiting" is brilliant but better by far is one of the standout tracks - "Hair". About half way through - Graham's lead vocal is taken over by Patryce Banks (credited as Chocolate). The gorgeous Patryce (Claudia Lennear look out) also provides the fabulous lead vocals on "We Be's Getting' Down" - sounding not unlike a lead in The Voices Of East Harlem or Patti LaBelle letting her lungs out. The beat-box backing, instruments-in-the-distant Production and chanting/preachy vocal refrains in the brilliant Side 2 opener "Tell Me What It Is" sounds like Talking Heads doing Soul - years ahead of its time. Just as fab is the very Isley Brothers vibe of "People" where the group goes into social consciousness about "People dying...people suffering..." - the Clarence McDonald strings giving it a classy and moving feel while David Dynamite's guitar work sounds like Prince five years before the event. The multi-layered "Ghetto" is half Soul/half Gospel - a fantastic deep grooved Staples Singers finisher. The whole album is quite brilliant actually

"Release Yourself" was released in late 1972 was perhaps a little too frantic for its own good - with "I Believe In You" and "Today" being smoochy mid-tempo highlights. "The Jam" opens proceedings with suitably slap-bass wildness on album Number Three but you heart goes to "Your Love" (a R&B Number 1) where once again Chocolate makes the perfect foil for this happy upbeat love song. "It's Alright" and "Feel The Need" were also singles (19 and 18 respectively) and you can hear why.

But my absolute crave is "Love" which peaked at 14 when it should have gone to Number 1. Subtitled "Covers A Multitude Of Sins" - it's one of those brilliant irrepressibly uplifting tunes - funky and soulful. The seven-minute slap-bass crowd-shouting funk of "Entrow" was edited down as a single too - managing a 21 position on the US charts. The voicebox "Now Do-U-Wanta Dance" and the chipper "Stomped Beat-Up And Whooped" feel like a band seeking a hit rather than making one. Their funked-up cover of Al Green's "Love And Happiness" is better.

For me there's a definite winding down by the time we reach album five - but the first three and most of four are great Seventies Soul and Funk. A very cool and timely reissue - dig in and enjoy...

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"…In The Middle Of Turning Me On…"

The four all-singing, all-dancing Mitchell sisters from Pasadena in California that made up HIGH INERGY were touted at the time by none other than Motown Head Honcho himself Berry Gordy as America's 'new' Supremes. And with songwriters like James Ingram, Bobby Womack, Al Willis and Clay Drayton lining up the catchy tunes – they certainly had what it took to put their debut album to the No. 6 slot in the American R&B charts (No. 28 in Pop).

And this typically superb sounding CD reissue by Britain’s BBR (Big Break Records) of their 1977 Motown debut will give fans the perfect excuse to indulge one more time. Here are the hi steppin' details…

Released 25 August 2014 in the UK (7 October in the USA) – "Turnin' On" by HIGH INERGY on Big Break Records CDBBRX 0304 (Barcode 5013929060432) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue and Remaster with Two Bonus Tracks that plays out as follows (43:05 minutes):

1. Love Is All You Need [Side 1]

2. You Can't Turn Me Off (In The Middle Of Turning Me On)

3. Some Kinda Magic

4. Searchin' (I've Got To Find My Love)

5. Ain't No Love Left (In My Heart For You) [Side 2]

6. Let Me Get Close To You

7. Save It For A Rainy Day

8. Could This Be Love

9. High School

Tracks 1 to 9 are the album "Turnin' On"– released October 1977 in the USA on Gordy G6-978S1 and December 1977 in the UK on Tamla Motown STML 12074

BONUS TRACKS:

9. You Can't Turn Me Off (In The Middle Of Turning Me On) (Single Version)

10. Love Is All You Need (Single Version)

SINGLES: Using the two bonuses and Tracks 7 and 3 - this BBR CD release will allow fans to sequence High Inergy's two US and UK 7" singles from the album as follows:

1. "You Can't Turn Me Off (In The Middle Of Turning Me On)" b/w "Let Me Get Close To You" - August 1977 on Gordy G-7155F in the USA and October 1977 on Tamla Motown TMG 1087 in the UK

2. "Love Is All You Need" b/w "Some Kinda Magic" - January 1978 on Gordy G-7157F in the USA and March 1978 on Tamla Motown TMG 1103 in the UK

The 12-page booklet has colour photos of the sisters, rare American picture sleeves, label facsimiles and liner notes by RICO 'Superbizzee' WASHINGTON (as well as album credits). But the big news as always with BBR is a KEVIN REEVES and NICK ROBBINS remaster from Universal tapes and it sounds just amazing – clear, punchy and full of life.

Highlights include steppers like "Love Is All You Need" and the sexy slink of "You Can't Turn Me Off…" - while "Let Me Get Close To You" is a Supremes-type smoocher (written by Faye Usher). James Ingram makes his songwriting presence known on both "Save It For A Rainy Day" and "Could This Be Love"– mid-tempo funkers. They went on to make a whopping further 7 albums for Gordy - but their debut album is now remembered more as a beginning of High Energy Disco and Soul.

Another superb reissue from BBR and kicking where it matters – sound and presentation…

PS: Big Break Records (BBR) CD Remasters I've reviewed:

1. Send It – ASHFORD & SIMPSON (1977)

2. Is It Still Good To Ya – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1978)

3. Stay Free – ASHFORD and SIMPSON (1979)

4. Central Heating – HEATWAVE (1977)

5. Hot Property - HEATWAVE (1979)

6. Candles - HEATWAVE (1980)

7. Turnin' On - HIGH INERGY (1977)

8. Harvest For The World - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1976)

9. Go For Your Guns - THE ISLEY BROTHERS (1977)

10. In The Heart – KOOL & THE GANG (1983)

11. I Hope We Get To Love On Time - MARILYN McCOO & BILLY DAVIS (1976)

12. I Miss You [known as "Harold Melvin The Blue Notes" in the UK] - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1972)

13. Black & Blue - HAROLD MELVIN & THE BLUE NOTES (1973)

14. Love Is The Message - MFSB (1973)

15. Universal Love – MFSB (1975)

16. All The Faces Of... - BUDDY MILES (1974)

17. For The First Time – STEPHANIE MILLS (1975)

18. I Can See Clearly Now - JOHNNY NASH (1972)

19. In Philadelphia - O'JAYS (1969)

20. Back Stabbers - O'JAYS (1972)

21. Ship Ahoy - O'JAYS (1973)

22. Down To Love Town – THE ORIGINALS (1977)

23. Ebony Woman - BILLY PAUL (1970 and 1973)

24. 360 Degrees Of Billy Paul - BILLY PAUL (1972)

25. War Of The Gods - BILLY PAUL (1973)

26. Platinum Hook – PLATINUM HOOK (1978)

27. Love For What It Is - ANITA POINTER (of The Pointer Sisters) (1987)

28. Live: Stompin’ At The Savoy – RUFUS and CHAKA KHAN (1983)

29. Summernights – SILVER CONVENTION (1977)

30. Smoked Sugar - SMOKED SUGAR (1975)

31. Spinners – SPINNERS (1973)

32. Soul Master – EDWIN STARR (1968)

33. Involved - EDWIN STARR (1971)

34. Switch - SWITCH (1978)

35. Watercolors – THE WATERS (1980)

36. Just As I Am - BILL WITHERS (1971)

37. Heartbeats – YARBROUGH & PEOPLES (1983)

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"…Just As Long As You And I Are Together…”

This superlative mid-priced set gathers together two very rare albums by US soul group THE GLASS HOUSE issued on Holland-Dozier-Holland's "Invictus Records" label in 1971 and 1972.

Unlike the more commercially successful Chairmen Of The Board, Freda Payne, The 8th Day, General Johnson and so on - The Glass House never received British releases for either of their albums - so this twofer CD sert from England's Edsel Records is a wee bit of a HDH /Soulful treat. The 6 bonus tracks (non-album single sides) are just icing on an already very tasty cake. And the remastered sound quality is fabulous too. Here are the shattering details...

Released March 2010 in the UK as a 2CD set - "Inside The Glass House/Thanks I Needed That...Plus" by THE GLASS HOUSE on Edsel EDSD 2057 (Barcode 740155205737) offers Two Seventies US Albums on Invictus Records Remastered onto 2CDs with Five Bonus Tracks that plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (38:25 minutes):

1. Look What We've Done To Love

2. You Ain't Livin' Unless You're Lovin'

3. I Surrendered

4. Hey There Lonely Girl

5. If It Ain't Love (It Don't Matter)

6. Hotel

7. Touch Me Jesus

8. Heaven Is There To Guide Us

9. Crumbs Off The Table

Tracks 1 to 9 are their debut US album "Inside The Glass House" issued June 1971 on Invictus Records ST-7305 (no UK release)

BONUS TRACKS (10 to 12 are single sides - see below):

10. He's In My Life

11. Bad Bill Of Goods

12. I Can't Be You (You Can't Be Me)

Disc 2 (46:37 minutes):

1. V.I.P.

2. A House Is Not A Home

3. I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore

4. Horse And Rider

5. The Man I'll Never Have

6. Thanks I Needed That

7. Giving Up The Ring

8. Don't Let It Rain On Me

9. Stealing Moments From Another Woman's Life

10. Let It Flow

11. Don't Go Looking For Something (You Don't Want To See)

Tracks 1 to 11 are their second and last US album "Thanks I Needed That" issued October 1972 on Invictus ST-9810 (no UK release)

BONUS TRACKS (12 to 14 are single sides - see lists below)

12. Playing Games

13. It Ain't The World (It's The People In It)

14. Let It Flow (Single Version)

Using the album cuts and the six bonus tracks across the 2CDs - you can sequence their entire US 7" singles output as follows...

1. "Crumbs Off The Table" b/w "Bad Bill Of Goods", Invictus IS 9071, September 1969 (B-side is non-album)

2. "I Can't Be You (You Can't Be Me)" b/w "He's In My Life", Invictus IS 9076, June 1970 (both tracks are non-album)

3. "Stealing Moments From Another Woman's Life" b/w "If It Ain't Love (It Don't Matter)", 1971, Invictus IS 9082

4. "Touch Me Jesus" b/w "If It Ain't Love (It Don't Matter)", June 1971, Invictus IS 9090

5. "Look What We've Done To Love" b/w "Heaven Is There To Guide Us", September 1971, Invictus IS 9097

6. "Playing Games" b/w "Let It Flow", January 1972, Invictus IS 9111 (Note: the B-side is Track 14 on Disc 2 - the "Single Version" - track 12 is the "Album" version)

7. "V.I.P." b/w "It Ain't The World (It's The People In It)", a solo single credited to SCHERRIE PAYNE, 1972, Invictus IS 9114 (B-side is non-album)

8. "Giving Up The Ring" b/w "Let It Flow", 1972, Invictus IS 9118 (Note: 2nd issue of the "Single Version" of "Let It Flow")

9. "Thanks I Needed That" b/w "I Don't See Me In Your Eyes Anymore", October 1972, Invictus IS 9129

Remastered by PETER RYNSTON at TALL ORDER, the sound quality is blisteringly good - alive and jumping out of your speakers with no real compression. The 20-page booklet has very detailed liner notes by soul expert TONY ROUNCE who also provides photos of those rare 7" singles - it's brilliantly informative and researched with both affection and care (his top class work features on most of Edsel's soul releases).

The Glass House had two uniquely great lead singers, Tyrone "Ty" Hunter and Scherrie Payne (sister of Freda Payne and later a member of The Supremes) who often shared duet vocals. The music is catchy H-D-H soul, bright, poppy and aimed squarely at the charts and your feet. Highlights are many as one infectious tune follows another - the lovely "If It Ain't Love (It Don't Matter)" is typical - misery in an upbeat way (lyrics above). Even the religious message songs are excellent especially "Heaven Is There To Guide Us" which sounds not unlike The Chi-Lites at their best.

It's an embarrassment of Soul riches really - Edsel are to be praised for releasing it and presenting it in such a top way. Ace stuff and heartily recommended...

The SOUNDS GOOD MUSIC BOOK Series...

1975 to 1979

ALL MOD CONS

Your All-Genres Guide To

Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters
For Music from 1975 to 1979

Almost 2,000 E-Pages of In-Depth Information
309 Reviews from the discs themselves...

* CONTENT: Almost 2,000 E-pages, 309 in-depth reviews

CD reissues and remasters from 1990 to 2019 (Nov 2019 Update)
* PRICE RANGE: Vast majority of these reviews are for standard CDs ranging from £3 to £20 - most under £10 - some box sets up to £100
* FORMATS: Apart from standard CD other formats include - SACD [Super Audio CD], HDCD [High Density Compatible Digital], Japan SHM-CD and Japan Platinum SHM-CD [Super High Materials]

* MAJOR LABELS: All major record companies covered Sony/Legacy, Universal, WEA, EMI etc. including Major Box Set Retrospectives

* INDIE LABELS: Best Independent Reissue Labels highlighted...

– Ace, Audio Fidelity, Bear Family, Beats Goes On, Big Break Records, Edsel, Esoteric Recordings, Grapefruit, Hip-O Select, Lemon, Light In The Attic, Mobile Fidelity, Raven, Repertoire, Revola, Rhino, RPM, Salvo, Sundazed and Panegyric

* DATA: Technical data from the discs themselves (total playing times and more), Release Date, Catalogue No and Barcode to locate the correct issue

* DETAILS: Track lists and Details on Bonus material (if any)

* DISCOGRAPHIES: Vinyl Discographies referencing CD Box sets (track numbers to sequence singles and albums from the discs), UK and US catalogue numbers and release dates for original vinyl albums, 7” singles and EPs within each review

* AUDIO DETAILS: Remaster/Tape Transfer Engineers highlighted

* PACKAGING: Packaging description

RECORD LABELScovered by the book include:

ABC, ABC/Dunhill, A&M, Anchor, Apple, Ardent, Asylum, Atlantic/Atco, Bearsville, Blue Horizon, Capitol, Capricorn, CBS, Charisma, Chrysalis, Columbia, Dandelion, Dawn, Decca, Deram (Nova), DJM, Elektra, EMI, Epic, Fantasy, Fly, Fontana, Harvest, Immediate, Island, Kapp, Liberty, London, Marmalade, MCA, Mercury, MGM, Monument, Mooncrest, Parlophone, Parrot, Polydor, Probe, Purple, Pye International, RAK, Rare Earth, RCA Victor, Reaction, Reprise, Rolling Stones, RSO, Shelter, Sire, Smash, Straight, Sussex, Track, Trojan, Uni, Vanguard, Vertigo, Verve, Virgin, United Artists and Warner Brothers

Having worked for RECKLESS RECORDS in London's Soho for over 20 years as one of their principal Vinyl and CD buyers (one of the best secondhand record shops in the West End) and having over 3950 posts on Amazon (CDs, DVDs, BLU RAYs) - as you can imagine I come across a huge number of reissues - some far more worthy than others.

To that end I've collated together these SOUNDS GOOD MUSIC BOOKS Series as guides to Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters offering up in-depth reviews on a wide range of titles. And it doesn’t have to cost the earth to Sound Good either – you just need to know which CD is the right issue to buy.

Many entries in this large and unique book cost less than £10 while others are under a fiver. And even if some Box Sets/Deletions have acquired a price tag - because they’re the best I’ve included them along with artists/titles that deserve your attention…

Hope you enjoy the reads – Mark Barry (2019)

This Review and over 300 More Are Available in

ALL MOD CONS

Music of 1975 to 1979

Your All-Genres Guide To

Exceptional CD Reissues and Remasters
For Music from 1975 to 1979

Almost 2,000 E-Pages of In-Depth Information
309 Reviews from the discs themselves...

"...In Your Loving Arms Again..."

Brummie lass Joan Armatrading (born in the West Indies but moved to the UK when she was 8) had been building a steady stream of classy British LP releases by the time she reached "To The Limit" in October 1978 - her sixth platter.

After her November 1972 debut "Whatever’s For Us" on Fly Records went largely unnoticed - her UK signing to A&M Records brought "Back To The Night" in April 1975 – an equally unsuccessful chart attempt but the first real indication of the monumental talent that would eventually unleash "Joan Armatrading" in August 1976 with the huge global hit "Love And Affection". That chart breakthrough was followed with the equally lovely "Show Some Emotion" album in September 1977 featuring the title track and "Willow".

I recall "To The Limit" at the time - the kind of album that bubbled under in 1978 rather than exploded. In fact since the tectonic impact of "Joan Armatrading" in late 1976 - it had seemed she was on a visible downward slide. "To The Limit" peaked at a respectable No. 13 in the UK - less than "Show Some Emotion" at No. 6 - but tellingly it stalled at No. 125 in the USA after it entered the charts there in November 1978. This feels like a shame to me because I've always thought "To The Limit" to be a wee bit of an overlooked gem in her long and impressive catalogue.

And that's where this 'Music On CD' reissue comes stomping in. As far as I recall the last remaster of the whole album was 2004 (quickly deleted) with some of the songs turning up on the 1996 "Love And Affection" 2CD anthology that had Roger Wake Remasters. The album has been notoriously difficult to find on CD at anything other than exorbitant prices – so this rather tasty looking reissue is a godsend for fans and the plain curious. And it sounds utterly fantastic too. Here are the unlimited details...

UK released April 2016 - "To The Limit" by JOAN ARMATRADING on Music On CD MOCCD13291 (Barcode 0600753605165) is a straightforward CD Reissue and Remaster of the 10-track 1978 LP that plays out as follows (41:20 minutes):

1. Barefoot And Pregnant [Side 1]

2. Your Letter

3. Am I Blue For You

4. You Rope You Tie Me

5. Baby I

6. Bottom To The Top [Side 2]

7. Taking My Baby To Town

8. What Do You Want

9. Wishing

10. Let It Last

Tracks 1 to 10 are her sixth studio album "To The Limit" - released October 1978 in the UK on A&M Records AMLH 64732 and November 1978 in the USA on A&M Records SP-4732. Produced by GLYN JOHNS - it peaked at No. 13 in the UK and No. 123 in the USA.

JOAN ARMATRADING - Lead Vocals and Acoustic Guitar

PHIL PALMER - Lead Electric Guitar

RED YOUNG - Piano

DICK SIMMS - Organ & Accordion

QUITMAN DAVIS - Lyricon

DAVE MARKEE - Bass

HENRY SPINETTI - Drums

The 'Music On CD' label is a bit of a strange one. They started out as I recall being 'Music On Vinyl' - the go-to reissue label for all of the Sony product on VINYL - quality 180-gram represses with remasters. But in 2014 the Europe-Pressed CD label began reissuing albums from a huge array of labels and now have over 220 titles in their canon (most are under the Universal umbrella of labels). All their releases come in those natty-looking rounded-corner 'super jewel cases' and for "To The Limit" you also get an 8-page booklet that essentially reproduces the inner sleeve of the 1978 LP - lyrics to the songs - a couple of photos and musician credits - but nothing else - no new liner notes nor any mention of mastering and from what. Credit or no - the audio on this CD is truly glorious - Glyn Johns' original production values shining through - "What Do You Want" sounding audiophile good and stupendously moving for it.

While the compilations always go for the catchy jaunt of "Barefoot And Pregnant" and the hip Reggae rhythms of "Bottom To The Top"– the hidden album gems of "Baby I" and "What Do You Want" are fantastic songs – full of truth and yes – hurting – a relationship on the rocks – slipping away – even lost. Throw in the sexy acoustic guitar and strangulated synth soloing of "Am I Blue For You", the deceptive groove of "Wishing" and the "Love And Affection" acoustic vibe of "Let It Last" bolstered up with gorgeous accordion and piano notes that compliment rather than intrude as it builds towards a triumphant conclusion (let it last until we die) – and the whole record starts to feel like an overlooked nugget. "To The Limit" is not a masterpiece - but it is chock-full of great songs that still stand up and crucially still get to you.

She would go slightly pop with "Me Myself I" in May 1980 - an album that would storm up No. 5 in the UK and return her to the radio and real chart success Stateside (it peaked at No. 28 – her best showing their). But for many her trio of "Joan Armatrading", "Show Some Emotion" and "To The Limit" from 1976, 1977 and 1978 represent an artistic and emotional high that stings, swoons and ultimately elevates.

I'm off now to check out the first "Outlaws" album (originally 1975 on Arista) and "Blood, Sweat & Tears 3" (originally 1969 and 1970 on Columbia and CBS Records) - both of which have been recently reissued by Music On CD with Remasters.

In the meantime go back in time forty years to 1978 again and take this excellent Joan Armatrading album back 'in your loving arms again'...

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"...Step Right Up...Hurry Hurry..."

Released in early 1974 on Atlantic's US label imprint Atco - Blue Magic's first album was dominated by the huge US Number 1 soft soul hit "Sideshow"(opening lyrics above). Produced by Norman Harris of Philadelphia International fame and with their songs pumped up by the MFSB Orchestra - BLUE MAGIC were Ted Mills (Vocals and Piano) with a foursome of Vocalists in Wendall and Vernon Sawyer, Keith Beaton and Richard Pratt.

As I recall - "Blue Magic" was the kind of mid-70ts Soul album that cluttered up secondhand stores everywhere – a record that was bought at the time for sure but it's fair to say – then dismissed as somewhat lightweight only a few years later. But that was then. And music lovers/collectors have across the decades that followed dug deeper into its lush Atco microgrooves and discovered nuggets overshadowed by the LP's mega hit. And that's where this sexy little Philly-Style CD Reissue comes a silver-suited shimmying in...

Part of Rhino's 'Classic Soul Album – Remastered and Expanded' CD Reissue Series (see list below) - this October 2007 US and UK reissue of "Blue Magic" by BLUE MAGIC on Rhino 8122-76428-2 (Barcode 081227642822) finally makes that self-titled debut album available on Remastered CD (and for the first time in the UK too). Here are the showy details (56:51 minutes)...

1. Sideshow [Side 1]

2. Loom Me Up

3. What’s Come Over Me

4. Just Don't Want To Be Lonely

5. Stop To Start [Side 2]

6. Welcome To The Club

7. Spell

8. Answer To My Prayer

9. Tear It Down

Tracks 1 to 9 are the LP "Blue Magic" released in the USA on Atlantic SD 7038 in January 1974

BONUS TRACKS:

10. Guess Who (Non-Album B-side to "Spell", the 1st 7" single off the album released March 1973 on Atco 6910)

11. Where Have You Been (Non-Album B-side to "Stop To Start", the 3rd single off the album released January 1974 on Atco 6949)

12. Look Me Up (Tom Moulton Remix) (issued on a 1976 Atlantic Records compilation called "Disco-Trek" on Atlantic SD 18185)

The album yielded four singles in the USA:

"Spell" b/w "Guess Who" on Atco 6910, March 1973

"Look Me Up" b/w "What's Come Over Me" on Atco 6930, September 1973

"Stop To Start" b/w "Where Have You Been" on Atco 6949, January 1974

"Sideshow" b/w "Just Don't Want To Be Lonely" on Atco 6961, April 1974

BILL INGLOT - Rhino's long-time tape-expect did the remaster and a typically superb job has been delivered - very clear despite the often overbearingly lush string arrangements. There are very detailed liner notes by noted soul writer and contributor CHARLES WARING that include interviews with the band - and the CD even reflects the original yellow ATCO label and multi-coloured logo - all nice touches.

A cross between The Stylistics and The Chi-Lites "Blue Magic" were soft soul by way of Philly and not to everybody's taste (it has to be said). And while this might seem like the kind of music your sister would buy, both disco and soft soul have seen a resurgence of affection among soul lovers in the last few years - usually because if you dig deep enough second time round, there's great tunes in there somewhere.

This seems to have been the case with Blue Magic. Although they charted 3 singles prior, they were forever tied down to their huge "Sideshow" hit, which sort of sidelined better tracks on the album like the Ted Mills penned "Spell" (a pianist, songwriter and vocalist – Mills was defacto band leader) and the genuinely sweet seven minutes-plus of "Just Don't Want To Be Lonely" (written by the Gamble & Huff team of Bobby Eli, John Freeman and Vinny Barrett – it was Eli and Barrett who also penned the monster "Sideshow").

Disco fans will enjoy the bonus remix of "Look Me Up", while the two B-sides are excellent and rare. Another top job done by RHINO and a cleverly chosen title for reissue too...

PS: This release is part of Rhino's 'Classic Soul Album – Remastered and Expanded' CD Reissue Series. Most titles are first time onto CD and are rare Soul/Funk/R&B albums from the Warner/Atlantic/Cotillion/Elektra vaults.

1. Ace Spectrum - "Inner Spectrum" (see REVIEW)

2. Donny Hathaway - "Come Back Charleston Blue O.S.T." (see REVIEW)

3. Leroy Hutson - "Paradise" (see REVIEW)

4. Ronn Matlock - "Love City" (see REVIEW)

5. Gwen McCrae - "Gwen McCrae"

6. Gwen McCrae - "On My Way"

7. Prince Phillip Mitchell - "Top Of The Line" (see REVIEW)

8. Prince Philip Mitchell - "Make It Good" (see REVIEW)

9. The Voices Of East Harlem [feat Donny Hathaway] -"Right On Be Free" (see REVIEW)

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"…I Feel So Good Inside…"

Talk about a forgotten nugget that shouldn't be. Released in the USA in July 1974 on BRC Records (Brunswick Records Corporation) – THE ELIMINATORS lone album is amazingly accomplished Soul/Funk that sounds more 1969 to 1971 than 1974.

Forgiving the awful atomic bomb artwork - "Loving Explosion" is kind of a cross between Chi-Lites Chicago Soul and Isley Brothers Brass-driven Funk with a gritty James Brown vocalist out front (Levon Meyers tearing it up) backed up at times by The Meters. If that isn't enough to get your 70ts juices a-flowin' - then you may want to check your pulse – because you could already be dead...

This wonderful 1999 reissue on SOUL BROTHER RECORDS of the UK also sounds incredible – full of power, presence and warmth. The album was originally recorded with the Ultra-Range Sound Process – and as every Soul Fan whose every bought any Brunswick Records compilation on CD knows – their Production values were absolute top notch at all times.

1. Loving Explosion [Side 1]

2. Get Satisfied

3. Love Your Woman

4. Give It Up

5. Try, Try, Try

6. Blood Donors Needed (Give All You Can) [Side 2]

7. Taking Love, And Making Love

8. Get Satisfied (Pt. 2)

9. Loose Hips

10. Rump Bump

UK released June 1999 (reissued March 2003 and July 2009) – "Love Explosion" by THE ELIMINATORS on Soul Brother Records CD SBCS 4 (Barcode 5013993570424) is a straightforward CD transfer of their lone album originally released July 1974 in the USA on BRC Records BRC 7-7001 (35:05 minutes). There's no liner notes of any real import – just a basic gatefold slip of paper that reproduces the band's declaration on the rear sleeve and naught else. For fans here are the details…

Produced by ALONZO TUCKER (Directed by Jonathan Robinson) – The Eliminators were:

Levon Meyers – Vocalist

Donald Clark – Vocal and Harmonica

Calvin Rhodes – Guitar

Robert Burris – Rhythm Guitar

James Anderson - Organ

James Funches – Alto Sax and Flute

Jonathan L. Robison – Trumpet, Flugelhorn

Godosakahi Jordan - Tenor

Nathaniel Williams – Bass

Clifford Little - Conga

Carl Johnson – Drums

It doesn't say who remastered what or where – and at times it feels like some of this may have been dubbed off vinyl but don't let that put you off – the sound quality is fantastic – full of those top Brunswick Production values.

Musically were in Young Holt Unlimited territory with the fabulous opener "Loving Explosion"– and immediately the throaty vocals of Levon Meyers impresses (there's no credit for the great female backing vocals). We slide into a Meters down-south-funkin' groove with "Get Satisfied" featuring superb speaker-to-speaker funky guitar while the high falsetto of Donald Clark makes itself known too. Things go blown James Brown & The JB's with "Give It Up" - fantastic rhythm and brass punches making it an irresistible dancer (BBR tried it as a single on BBR Records BRC 113 in 1974). Side 1 ends on a great smoocher "Try, Try, Try" again with Levon and the Girls giving in some heartbreak.

Side 2 opens with more Meters-influenced funk "Blood Donor Needed"– a plea to the ghetto people to offer up their blood to aid gunshot kids. The smoochy "Taking Love And Making Love" is Tyrone Davis meets The Chi-Lites – superbly arranged - the kind of Summer Song that sails out of a inner-city ghetto-blaster like a sweet breeze. Funk fans will love "Get Satisfied Part 2"– an instrumental of the A with a killer groove. But the album ends on two highs – "Loose Hips" and the "People Say" (by The Meters) groove of "Rump Bump" where the whole thing comes together – top rhythm section, brass breaks, organ and Levon giving it some Joe Tex vocals. Tremendous finisher.

Forgotten and obscure for sure – The Eliminators deserved a better fate than that. At least this wonderful Soul Brother CD (they also reissued a vinyl copy) remembers their Soul/Funk moment of glory in 1974 with sonic style.

There was even a 180-Grams VINYL LP repressing of "Loving Explosion" by The Eliminators in March 2019 by Demon of the UK on Demon Records DEMREC362 (Barcode 5014797898707). This is a Soul/Funk album that deserves your readies - check it out soon…

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"...Play Something Pretty..."

Stax Soul man JOHNNIE TAYLOR got a commercial second wind when he signed to Columbia Records in the USA – promptly charting three albums in a row - "Eargasm" in 1976 (a Number 1 USA R&B LP), "Rated Extraordinaire" in 1977 (No. 6) and "Ever Ready" in 1978 (No. 35).

This gorgeous-sounding CD reissue/remaster by SoulMusic Records of the UK (part of Cherry Red) deals with the next two Columbia platters dating from 1979 and 1980 (charted 53 and 75) lumped together onto one CD with a massively expanded booklet. Here are the track-by-track details...

UK released September 2014 – "She's Killing Me/A New Day" by JOHNNIE TAYLOR on SoulMusic Records SMCR 25124 (Barcode 5013929082434) offers 2LPs originally from 1979 and 1980 Remastered onto 1CD and pans out as follows (74:46 minutes):

1. Little Dancin' Queen

2. Play Something Pretty

3. (Ooh-Wee) She's Killing Me

4. The Users

5. Love Account

6. Pulling The Train

7. I Can't Leave You Alone

Tracks 1 to 7 are the album "She's Killing Me"– released October 1979 in the USA on Columbia Records JC 36061

8. The Heart Break Kid

9. I'd Rather Hurt Myself

10. I've Got This Thing For Your Love

11. Signing Off With Love

12. Baby Lay Down

13. Sneakin' Sneakin'

14. I Wanna Get Into You

15. Sylvia

16. Baby Don't Hesitate

Tracks 8 to 16 are the album "A New Day"– released August 1980 in the USA on Columbia Records JC 36548

The 16-page booklet is far more substantial than I'd expected it to be – full album artwork – recording details – repros of the album labels and 45's around both records as well a superbly detailed set of liner notes by American Soul/Funk specialist MATT BRAUER. It looks great and shows a great attention to fan-pleasing details.

But the real fireworks lies in an ALAN WILSON remaster of two albums that were professionally produced. Ballads like "Play Something Pretty" and the conscience-prodding "Love Account" sound incredible – full of great vocals and instrumentation. Funkier Disco tunes like "Little Dancin' Queen" and the guitar flicking/brass pumping dancefloor filler “Pulling The Train” sound great – plenty of vim and vigour. By the time we get to album two – the same amazing Production values are brought to the talking funk of "The Heart Break Kid" and the smooch of "Signing Off With Love". We go slappy-bass with "Sneakin' Sneakin'" where some lady isn't quite being honest about her night time activities – ending on the John Shaft slinky "Baby Don't Hesitate".

Great remaster, some cool tunes and a substantial booklet – a quality presentation overall by SoulMusic Records of the UK. Fans should dive in – especially given the quality upgrade in the audio...

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"…I've Got Someone I Can Call My Very Own…"

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Now here comes a Stax-Soulful goody – released Stateside first (delayed all the way until 1975 in the UK) – the original American vinyl LP hit the US R&B charts in early July 1973 and quickly proved a winner, eventually settling at No. 3 on the LP charts (back in the days when albums shifted genuinely huge numbers).

It was held in affection then and remains so to this day. Hardly surprising then that the Taylor in Silk was due a digital dust off and the new custodians of the Stax Records legacy (Concord Music Group of the USA) have done a nice job on this CD reminding us of its lurve charms (the 8-track album is augmented with a generous Six Bonus Tracks - the A&B-sides of three stand-alone US Stax 45s). Here are the velveteen details...

Released Monday 16 May 2011 in the UK - "Taylored In Silk" by JOHNNIE TAYLOR on Concord Music Group, Inc/Stax 0888072328754 (Barcode 0888072328754)is part of the 2011/2012 'Stax Remasters' Series and breaks down as follows (55:58 minutes):

1. We're Getting Careless With Our Love [Side 1]

2. Starting All Over Again

3. Cheaper To Keep Her

4. Talk To Me

5. I Believe In You (You Believe In Me) [Side 2]

6. One Thing Wrong With My Baby

7. I Can Read Between The Lines

8. This Bitter Earth

Tracks 1 to 8 are the album "Taylored In Silk" by JOHNNIE TAYLOR – released June 1973 in the USA on Stax Records STS-3014 and July 1975 in the UK on Stax Records STX 1012

9. Hijackin' Love

10. Love In The Streets (Ain't Good As The Love At Home) – Tracks 9 and 10 are the A&B-sides of an August 1971 US 45 on Stax STA-0096 (no UK issue)

11. Standing In For Jody

12. Shackin' Up – Tracks 11 and 12 are the A&B-sides of a January 1972 US 45 on Stax STA-0114 and May 1972 UK on Stax 2025 083

13. Doing My Own Thing (Part 1)

14. Doing My Own Thing (Part 2) – Tracks 13 and 14 are the A&B-sides of an April 1972 US 45 on Stax STA-0122 (no UK issue)

The new 12-page booklet has very knowledgeable and affectionate liner notes by BILL DAHL who did the exceptional liner notes on Bear Family’s 1961-1970 "Sweet Soul Music" CDs (10 volumes) and their 1945-1960 "Blowing The Fuse" series on R'n'B music (16 volumes). I’ve reviewed nearly all of them. You also get the original artwork on the front and rear of the booklet, musician and session details etc. But it's a shame the booklet doesn’t go any further. There’s no new photos, no memorabilia - and it makes the inlay feel workmanlike at best – even a little dull – when it should have spread its wings a little. But the big news is the SOUND…

I've reviewed the other titles in this new 'Stax Remasters' Series (see list below) and duly raved about the fabulous sound quality on all – especially after years of lacklustre reissues in jewel cases and repro digipaks. Well this is the same. 24-bit remastered from the first generation tapes at JOE TARANTINO Mastering in Berkeley, California – the audio quality is fantastic – which of course makes you reassess every song – and here it gives incredible clarity to these hugely underrated slices of Seventies Soul.

The whole album is good and very much in a smoochy mode – songs about lovin' and cheatin' and not getting' caught cheatin' etc. "I Believe In You (You Believe In Me)" made the top spot on the US R'n'B charts in June 1973 (lyrics above) while the lovely cover of Prince Phillip Mitchell's "Starting All Over Again" is superlative Stax Soul. The witty lyrics of Mack Rice'"Cheaper To Keep Her" still bring a smile to a face and a tap to a foot - while the sound quality on the mid-tempo "I Can Read Between The Lines" is gorgeous.

And the funkier singles are a huge treat – off-setting the slightly loverman feel of the album. "Hijackin' Love" made Number 10 on the US R'n'B charts – and with its fantastically punchy funk rhythm – it's easy to hear why. The "…using me for a spare…" choppy Soul of "Standing In For Jody" is great - as is the JB funk of its wicked B-side "Shackin' Up" (another song about another woman's husband). The guitar opening of "Doing My Own Thing" makes you think you’ve stumbled on a John Lee Hooker Blues session, but it then settles into a great Soulful groove which brings the guitar back later. "Part 2" feels like a great James Brown B-side you’re glad you’ve rediscovered. Very, very good indeed…

To sum up – this is as superlative value-for-money reissue with top-notch Seventies Soul and sound quality that trumps everything that’s gone before…

PS: STAX REMASTERS Series to 2014 are (all reviewed):

1. Green Onions – BOOKER T & THE M.G.’S (1962)

2. McLemore Avenue - BOOKER T. & THE M.G.'S (1970)

3. Woman To Woman - SHIRLEY BROWN (1975)

4. Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get - THE DRAMATICS (1972)

5. Born Under A Bad Sign - ALBERT KING (1967)

6. I’ll Play The Blues For You – ALBERT KING (1971)

7. Be Altitude: Respect Yourself - THE STAPLE SINGERS (1972)

8. Taylored In Silk - JOHNNIE TAYLOR (1973)

9. Do The Funky Chicken - RUFUS THOMAS (1970)

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"…Shifting Gears…"

When Soul morphed into Funk - which the old-world Jazz musicians then blended into Jazz Fusion - the berets of Jazz purists fell to the floor in disgust and dismay - but the heart rates of Dancers around the globe got with the groove and shouted "Hallelujah!" I was one of those giddy groovers...

I've never been a Jazz purist myself (can't stand that crap) but between 1973 and 1975 particularly - Rock/Soul guys like me were looking for something new and Jazz Fusion/Funk caught our attention. Quality musicians that stretched back as far as the late Fifties like trumpeter Donald Byrd, multi-instrumentalist Herbie Hancock and keyboardist Johnny Hammond (Smith) embraced the Funk and threw out absolutely fabulous albums on labels like CTI, BSF, Kudo, Blue Note and Milestone.

Hammond's legendary "Gears" album from 1975 (with superb Larry and Fonce Mizell songs and Production) and it's 1976 follow-up "Forever Taurus" (with heavy Wade and Ralph Marcus involvement) are from that ilk - and they've been cherished Jazz-Funk-Fusion LPs for collectors since their release on Milestone Records in the USA four decades ago. And that's where this amazing twofer/value for money BGP CD comes in.

Here are the Cosmic Voyager details...

UK released October 1992 – "Gears/Forever Taurus" by JOHNNY HAMMOND on Ace/Beat Goes Public CDBGPD 037 (Barcode 029667273725) offers 2LPs from 1975 and 1976 originally on Milestone Records Remastered onto 1CD (in 1992) that pans out as follows (74:22 minutes):

1. Tell Me What To Do [Side 1]

2. Los Conquistadores Chocolates

3. Lost On 23rd Street

4. Fantasy [Side 2]

5. Shifting Gears

6. Can't We Smile

Tracks 1 to 6 are the album "Gears" - released November 1975 in the USA on Milestone M-9062

7. Old Devil Moon [Side 1]

8. Countdown

9. Walk In Sunshine

10. Ghetto Samba

11. Cosmic Voyager [Side 2]

12. My Ship

13. Winds Of Change

14. Forever Taurus

Tracks 7 to 14 are the album "Forever Taurus" - released 1976 in the USA on Milestone M-9068

"Tell Me What To Do" has been featured on more Jazz Fusion/Rare Groove compilations than you can shake a stick at - and hardly surprising - what a winner. Its vocal set-up reminds me of Donald Byrd's masterpiece "Places And Spaces (also from late 1975) - another Mizell Brothers involvement. These guys seemed to funkify everyone and everything they touched - modernising their sound and that's what you get with "Gears". The wind and Spanish jabbering that begins "Los Conquistadores Chocolates" soon succumbs to frantic drums, flute and bass - but when it hits about 2 minutes in - the strings and vibes begin and the result is very special indeed. Side One ends with the mellow "Lost On 23rd Street" - with those strange synth flourishes behind that Stevie Wonder clavinet beat.

Side 2 opens with probably everyone's fave - the funky "Fantasy" (co-written by Hammond and the Mizell Brothers). Gorgeous guitar flicks mingle with strings and again those groove vocals while Chuck Rainey on Bass and Harvey Mason on Drums - punch out that that amazing rhythm section. Slap bass opens "Shifting Gears" - soon joined by wah-wah guitar and hip flute flourishes - it's always been my poison on the album (can't resist that funky groove). It ends on the mellow "Can't We Smile" where initial Crusaders-like piano morphs into spacey keyboard warbles and Jean Luc-Ponty type violin soloing.

"Forever Taurus" moved away from the Mizell brothers to the combo of Wade and Ralph Marcus along with a raft of hugely accomplished sessionmen like Trumpeter Chuck Findley, Saxophonist Jack Nimitz and Keyboard whizz Sonny Burke. Wade Marcus provided tunes in the shape of "Countdown", "Ghetto Samba" and "Winds Of Change" while Hammond stumped up "Walk In Sunshine", "Cosmic Voyager" and "Forever Taurus". Hammond's keyboard-funky covers of the standard "Old Devil Moon" and Gershwin's "My Ship" rounded out proceedings very nicely indeed.

A pair of vinyl sweeties - and its testament to their enduring appeal that even after 28 years in the marketplace (2020) - this British-issued Ace/Beat Goes Public twofer CD stills sells for full price and more...

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"...Precious Love..."

Now here's something well tasty for lovers of classic American Sixties Soul – the A&B-sides of fourteen Garnet Mimms singles gathered together in one place for the first time.

Everything about this CD release smacks of quality – gorgeous audio – equally sweet presentation coupled with the real deal - classy, moving and uplifting music. For me "Looking For You" is already a contender for SOUL REISSUE OF THE YEAR 2015. Here are the details to make you "Cry Baby"...

UK released 30 March 2015 – "Looking For You: The Complete United Artists and Veep Singles" by GARNET MIMMS on Ace/Kent-Soul CDTOP 423 (Barcode 029667242325) will allow fans to sequence his singles as follows (77:01 minutes):

US and UK SINGLES – [7] = track number

1. Cry Baby [1] b/w Don't Change Your Heart [2]

October 1963 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 629

October 1963 UK 7" single on United Artists UP 1033

2. Baby Don't You Weep [3] b/w For Your Precious Love [4]

November 1963 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 658

December 1963 UK 7" single on United Artists UP 1038

3. Tell Me Baby [5] b/w Anytime You Want Me [6]

February 1964 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 694

April 1964 UK 7" single on United Artists UP 1048

4. A Quiet Place [7] b/w One Girl [8]

May 1964 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 715

5. Look Away [9] b/w One Woman Man [10]

October 1964 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 773

6. A Little Bit Of Soap [11] b/w I'll Make It Up To You [12]

1964 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 796

7. It Was Easier To Hurt Her [13] b/w So Close [14]

1965 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 848

May 1965 UK 7" single on United Artists UP 1090

8. Welcome Home [15] b/w Everytime [16]

1965 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 868 – WITHDRAWN

9. Everytime [16] b/w That Goes To Show You [17]

1965 USA 7” single on United Artists UA 887

10. Looking For You [18] b/w More Than A Miracle [19]

1965 USA 7” single on United Artists UA 951

11. I'll Take Good Care Of You [20] b/w Prove It To Me [21]

March 1966 USA 7” single on United Artists UA 995

March 1966 UK 7” single on United Artists UP 1130 with “Looking For You” as the B-side

12. It's Been Such A Long Way Home [22] b/w Thinkin' [23]

June 1966 USA 7" single on Veep V 1232

August 1966 UK 7" single on United Artists UP 1147

13. My Baby [24] b/w Keep On Smilin’ [25]

September 1966 USA 7” single on Veep V 1234

September 1966 UK 7” single on United Artists UP 1153 with “It Won’t Hurt (Half As Much) as the B-side (not on this compilation)

14. All About Love [26] b/w The Truth Hurts [27]

February 1967 USA 7" single on Veep V 1252

February 1967 UK 7" single on United Artists UP 1172

Notes:

Tracks 1 to 4, 7 and 8 credited to GARNET MIMMS & THE ENCHANTERS

All other tracks credited to GARNET MIMMS

All tracks are in STEREO except 22 and 26 – which are MONO

Track 28 is from the USA Stereo LP "As Long As I Have You" on United Artists UAS 6396 and the A-side of a rare French 45 from 1964 on United Artists 35012

There is a British 45 of "As Long As I Have You" released July 1967 on United Artists UP 1186 coupled with a cover of The Beatles'"Yesterday" as its B-side – but both cuts are Live Versions from the 1967 UK-only LP "Live" on United Artists ULP 1174 (Mono) and SULP 1174 (Stereo) and not the Studio Version.

The 16-page booklet is the usual visual gourmet of American and British 45’s repro’d on almost every page – complimented by in-studio snaps of the great Songwriter and Producer Jerry Ragovoy working with Garnet and the Enchanters. There are rare American Picture Sleeves – Billboard Trade Adverts and Reviews – even a colour photo of Garnet looking pensive in Central London in 1971 (wondering where all those Northern Soul royalties went). Speaking of the UK and the affection Mimms is held in here - despite any Top 50 chart action – the British side of United Artists believed in Mimms so much that they released a staggering 10 singles between October 1963 and July 1967 (with a further 3 on Verve up to 1968) and three full albums into the bargain (see Discography attached to this review in the comment section). Relistening to them now – it seems cruel that none took to the charts.

Long-standing go-to Soul Man TONY ROUNCE provides the affectionate and informative liner notes – quite right stating that Garnet is a long overdue contender for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. The remasters carried out by expert Engineer DUNCAN COWELL are exceptionally good. With all but two tracks in glorious STEREO – the punch off these beautiful slices of Soul is full on – tingly indeed.

It opens with the game-changer "Cry Baby" which virtually introduced torch-song Soul with its huge production values and melodrama pleading – Mimms sounding like an equal to Jackie Wilson (a compliment most Soul singers would take any day of the week). Despite the strength of his second heartbroken release "Baby Don’t You Weep" (another Jerry Ragovoy penned pleader) – US DJs took to the Jerry Butler cover version of "For Your Precious Love" on the B-side which made it chart at 9 on the American R&B charts in November 1963 with the A reaching only 11. And it's easy to hear why – it's just beautiful – and presented here in glorious Stereo, packs an emotional wallop that transcends the 50 years plus since it was released.

Things go into a dancer shuffle with the clapping hands of "Tell Me Baby" - but again it’s the torch song B-side "Anytime You Want Me" that impresses more – his vocals soaring like Jackie on a roll. Things go shuffling Sam Cooke with Johnny Dollar trying to get away from the man next store with a radio in "A Quiet Place". Songwriting heroes Bert Berns and Jerry Ragovoy provide the walking-down-the street ache in both "One Girl" and "Look Away". His cover of The Jarmels "A Little Bit Of Soap" feels too poppy by far - but Production values soar on the chipper "Everytime" with a melody and hook that’s not a million miles away from "It's Alright" by The Impressions.

His pairing of the Northern Soul dancer "Looking For You" with the beautifully delivered ballad "More Than A Miracle" are seen by Soul collectors and connoisseurs as the pinnacle of his masterful art (both sides penned by Ragovoy with Doc Pomus sharing a credit on the B-side). Beauty and double-sided genius crop up yet again on "I’ll Take Good Care Of You" b/w "Prove It To Me". While "I’ll Take Good Care Of You" is undeniably hissy in places – it has so much emotion going on - that you’re swept away in the passion of it all. Countering the smooch of the A-side - cool groove of the month goes to its flip-side "Prove It To Me"– a really wicked mover. Janis Joplin covered both "Cry Baby" and "My Baby" on her magnificent “Pearl” album in 1971 – tapping into Garnet’s impassioned delivery for both cuts. And on it goes through to "As Long As I Have You"– a fantastic floor-filling stepper including here as a sort of CD bonus because it turned up (not in his native America) but in France on an uber-rare United Artists 45 that now commands big bucks.

So there you have it – class from start to finish. Ace Records of the UK have reissued some corkers in their time with the Kent-Soul imprint – but "Looking For You: The Complete United Artists & Veep Singles" by Garnet Mimms will surely be up there for years to come.

Well done to everyone involved for treating the man and his music with the respect and affection they both deserve...

ACTUAL TRACK LIST

1. Cry Baby (August 1963 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 629, A)

2. Don't Change Your Heart (August 1963 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 629, B-side to "Cry Baby")

3. Baby Don’t You Weep (November 1963 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 658, A)

4. For Your Precious Love (November 1963 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 658, B-side to "Baby Don't You Weep")

5. Tell Me Baby (February 1964 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 694, A)

6. Anytime You Want Me (February 1964 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 694, B-side of "Tell Me Baby")

7. A Quiet Place (May 1964 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 715, A)

8. One Girl (May 1964 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 715, B-side to "A Quiet Place")

9. Look Away (October 1964 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 773, A)

10. One Woman Man (October 1964 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 773, B-side to "Look Away")

11. A Little Bit Of Soap (1964 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 796, A)

12. I'll Make It Up To You (1964 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 796, B-side of "A Little Bit Of Soap")

13. It Was Easier To Hurt Her (1965 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 848, A)

14. So Close (1965 USA 7” single on United Artists UA 848, B-side to “It Was Easier To Hurt Her”)

15. Welcome Home (1965 USA 7” single on United Artists UA 868, A -WITHDRAWN)

16. Everytime (1965 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 868, B –WITHDRAWN – eventually issued as the A of UA 887)

17. That Goes To Show You (1965 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 887, B-side of "Everytime")

18. Looking For You (1965 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 951, A)

19. More Than A Miracle (1965 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 951, B-side of "Looking For You")

20. I'll Take Good Care Of You (March 1966 USA 7" single on United Artists UA 995, A)

21. Prove It To Me (March 1966 USA 7” single on United Artists UA 995, B-side to “I’ll Take Good Care Of You”)

22. It’s Been Such A Long Way Home (June 1966 USA 7” single on Veep V 1232, A)

23. Thinkin' (June 1966 USA 7" single on Veep V 1232, B-side to "It's Been Such A Long Way Home")

24. My Baby (September 1966 USA 7" single on Veep V 1234, A)

25. Keep On Smilin' (September 1966 USA 7" single on Veep V 1234, B-side of "My Baby")

26. All About Love (February 1967 USA 7" single on Veep V 1252, A)

27. The Truth Hurts (February 1967 USA 7" single on Veep V 1252, B-side of "All About Love")

28. As Long As I Have You (from the 1964 USA Stereo LP "As Long I Have You" on United Artists UAS 6396 and French-Only 1964 7" single on United Artists 35012, A)

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"...Soul Galore..."

Oh my giddy aunt - what a reissue! How many decades have we waited for this fabulous double slice of Mr. Excitement Soul? In fact this UK release feels like Rhino's monumental unearthing of Aretha Franklin's unissued Atlantic sides on the "Rare & Unreleased Recordings..." 2CD sensation in 2007.

"NYC 1961-1966" offers fans 48 Soulful tracks across 2CDS - 25 of which are Previously Unreleased (17 new songs and 8 Alternate Takes) from Jackie Wilson's hugely successful stay at Brunswick Records. There's one song (Track 15 on Disc 1) from a long-deleted 1987 American LP on Rhino while the remaining 22 cuts are much-needed remasters of rare single sides - many of which haven't been on CD in decades. And quite apart from the wad of unreleased goodies - the Audio Remasters by DUNCAN COWELL at Audio Archiving from original Brunswick tapes are simply sensational - gorgeous sound throughout - giving full reign to Wilson's operatic vocals and his troupe of ace musicians. There's a wad to get through here so let's get stuck into this treasure trove right away...

UK released Monday 30 March 2015 (April 2015 in the USA) - "NYC 1961-1966" by JACKIE WILSON is a 48-track 2CD set on Ace Records CDTOP2 1428 (Barcode 029667071024) and pans out as follows:

Disc 1 (69:03 minutes):

1. I Believe I'll Love On (November 1965 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55283, A)

2. Me, My Mother's Son (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 11), recorded 11 August 1965 in NYC)

3. 3 Days 1 Hour 30 Minutes (January 1966 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55289, A)

4. I've Gotta Get Back (Country Boy) (January 1966 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55289, B-side to "3 Days 1 Hour 30 Minutes")

5. All My Lovin' (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 7), recorded 3 December 1965, NYC)

6. Soul Galore (Previously Unreleased Take 8 (unedited) of Brunswick 55290 (A), recorded 3 December 1965, NYC)

7. Think Twice by Jackie Wilson &LaVern Baker (Previously Unreleased Take 4 of Brunswick 55287 (A), recorded 11 August 1965, NYC)

8. Please Don't Hurt Me (I've Never Been In Love Before) by Jackie Wilson & LaVern Baker (January 1966 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55287, B-side of "Think Twice")

9. No Pity (In The Naked City) (June 1965 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55280, A)

10. I'm So Lonely (June 1965 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55280, B-side of "No Pity (In The Naked City)")

11. I Can't Stand Another Hurt (In My Heart) (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 4), recorded 8 April 1965, NYC)

12. Watch Out (November 1964 USA 7"single on Brunswick 55273, B-side of "She's All Right")

13. She's All Right (November 1964 USA 7"single on Brunswick 55273, A)

14. Soul Time (March 1965 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55277, B-side of "Danny Boy")

15. Silent One (Take 4 - Previously Unreleased Song that first appeared on the "Through The Years" Jackie Wilson LP in 1987 on Rhino RNLP 70230 (CD was 1992 on Rhino R2 70230)

16. Change Me (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 8), recorded 8 October 1964, NYC)

17. Haunted House (February 1964 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55260, B-side of "I'm Travelin' On")

18. I'm Travelin' On February 1964 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55260, A)

19. Expressions (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 7), recorded 26 March 1964, NYC)

20. Dream aka I Dreamed (What A Dream Last Night) (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 3), recorded 26 March 1964, NYC)

21. Big Boss Line (Previously Unreleased Take 7 of Brunswick 55266, B-side of "Shake! Shake! Shake!")

22. Twistin'& Shoutin' (Doing The Monkey) (Previously Unreleased False Start/Take 2 of a song on the 1964 Jackie Wilson LP "Somethin' Else!!" on Brunswick 754117)

23. Hole Me, Need Me (Previously Unreleased Song (Overdub Take 7), recorded 6 January 1964, NYC)

24. Start The Record Over (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 11), recorded 7 August 1963, NYC)

NOTES for Disc 1:

All Tracks STEREO except Track 10 - which is MONO

All Tracks credited to Jackie Wilson except Tracks 7 & 8 - which are Jackie Wilson and LaVern Baker

Previously Unreleased Songs (2015) - Tracks 2, 5, 11, 16, 19, 20, 23 and 24

Previously Unreleased Song (1987) - Track 15

Previously Unreleased Alternate Takes (2015) - Tracks 6, 7, 13, 21 and 22

USA 7" Singles - Tracks 1, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 17 and 18

Disc 2 (62:57 minutes):

1. The New Breed (September 1963 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55250, B-side of "Baby Get It")

2. Say I Do by Jackie Wilson & Linda Hopkins (July 1963 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55243, B-side of "Shake A Hand")

3. Shake A Hand by Jackie Wilson & Linda Hopkins (July 1963 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55243, A)

4. Don't Laugh At Me aka Don't Make Me Cry (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 8), recorded 7 August 1963, NYC)

5. Love (Is Where You Find It) (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 5), recorded 7 August 1963, NYC)

6. You Can't Have Your Cake And Eat It Too (Previously Unreleased Song (Take 5), recorded 28 February 1963, NYC)

7. Call Her Up (Previously Unreleased Alternate Take 7 of Brunswick 55263 (A))

8. What Good Am I Without You? (December 1962 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55236, A)

9. Shake! Shake! Shake! (Previously Unreleased Alternate Take (no number) of Brunswick 55246 (A))

10. Baby Workout (Previously Unreleased Alternate False Start/Take 5 of Brunswick 55239 (A))

11. I Just Can't Help It (June 1962 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55229, A)

12. My Tale Of Woe (June 1962 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55229, B-side of "I Just Can't Help It")

13. Baby, That's All (August 1962 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55233, A)

14. I Hurt So Bad (Somebody Help Me) (Previously Unreleased Song, recorded 7 August 1962, NYC)

15. Tears (Don't Care Who Cry Them) (Previously Unreleased Song, recorded 7 August 1962)

16. Sing (And Tell The Blues So Long) (Previously Unreleased Song, recorded 25 January 1962, NYC)

17. I Found Love by Jackie Wilson & Linda Hopkins (March 1962 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55224, A)

18. There's Nothing Like Love by Jackie Wilson & Linda Hopkins (March 1962 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55224, B-side of "I Found Love")

19. The Dancing Man (Previously Unreleased Song, recorded 25 January 1962, NYC)

20. You Don't Know What It Means (August 1961 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55219, B-side of "Years From Now")

21. Years From Now (August 1961 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55219, A)

22. The Test Of Time (Previously Unreleased Song, recorded 22 May 1961, NYC)

23. Lonely Life (June 1961 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55216, B-side of "I'm Comin' On Back To You")

24. I'm Comin' On Back To You (June 1961 USA 7" single on Brunswick 55216, A)

Notes for Disc 2:

All tracks are STEREO except Tracks 9, 10, 11 and 12 - which are MONO

All tracks credited to Jackie Wilson except Tracks 3 & 4 and 17 & 18 - which are Jackie Wilson and Linda Hopkins

Previously Unreleased Songs (2015) - Tracks 4, 5, 6, 14, 15, 16, 19 and 22

Previously Unreleased Alternate Takes (2015) - Tracks 7, 9 and 10

USA 7" Singles - Tracks 1, 2, 3, 8, 11, 12, 13, 17, 18, 20, 21, 23 and 24

The 24-page booklet is jam-packed with pages of Brunswick label repro's, Cashbox Trade Adverts and Reviews and Session-by-Session liner notes by noted authority ROB HUGHES (with contributions from Roger Armstrong and Bob Dunham). It has to be said because the liner notes are laid out in session order - the read can be awkward. If you want to find Track 1 on Disc 1 it's on Page 20 because it's from August 1965 - while Track 23 on Disc 2 from May 1961 is on Page 6. I can understand why it's pitched this way - it makes Discography sense. Each entry is incredibly detailed even stating 2/20 or 1/22 before each line so that you know exactly which track is where (Disc 2 Track 20 or Disc 1 Track 22 and so on). The pictures and adverts are gorgeous to look at (a full-page print for "What Good Am I Without You?" on Brunswick 55236 as the inside back inlay for instance). There are classy black and whites of Jackie in the Studio with Dick Jacobs and Nat Tarnopol dotted throughout the text (and back page). It's typical Ace Records quality all the way...

I've already mentioned the superlative Audio - which I think is shockingly good. The odd track like "Watch Out" starts out with thrilling studio chatter but 95% of the rest are straightforward start and finish songs with little messing about in-between. When you play track 1 on Disc 1 Eddie Singleton's "I Believe I'll Love On" - a 1965 single in full-on STEREO - the Audio is glorious - it stays that way pretty much throughout.

"Me, My Mother's Son" (track 2 on Disc 2) begins the run of Previously Unreleased material and its very good - a dancer that pushes the guitar to the right and the brass to the left. "3 Days 1 Hour 30 Minutes" is very Wilson Pickett in its frantic funk but actually better is the slower talker-tune on the flipside - "I've Gotta Get Back (Country Boy)". Northern Soul clubbers will chew up the stepper "All My Lovin'" - the first genuinely great unreleased track. You can hear why Take 8 of "Soul Galore" was left in the can (the vocals at the start don't quite work) - but that doesn't stop the tune from being a barnstormer - great groover. Again another B-side outdoes the A for me with "Please Don't Hurt Me (I've Never Been In Love Before)" where the powerhouse duo of Jackie Wilson and LaVern Baker go head-to-head in a slow "beggin' you please" vocal battle.

I've had the June 1965 single "No Pity (In The Naked City)" on at least 3 compilations before but never heard it sound this good or clear (absolute stunner - and nice to hear its rare B-side "I'm So Lonely" follow it). We're hit with another gorgeous sounding Previously Unreleased track - "I Can't Stand Another Hurt (In My Heart)" - it's a hurting ballad and his vocal is superb (even if the organ dominates the tune a little too much). 7" single genius crops up with "Watch Out" (the flip of 1964's "She's All Right") - what a choppy winner with very cleverly layered vocals from other bass singers in the group (Ray Gordy Orchestra). Unfortunately the fabulous studio chatter ("take it down just a hair") that should precede the song has been added onto to the end of the track before it "I Can't Stand Another Hurt..." I can understand why Ace did this - it allows you to cue up the single "Watch Out" without intrusive stuff at the beginning (worth pointing out).

Another thumping dancer B-side turns up with "Soul Time" (flip of 1965's cover of the Irish air "Danny Boy"). "Silent One" is lovely stuff - it originally appeared on the American Rhino LP "Through The Years" in 1987 (reissued on Rhino CD in 1992) and to my knowledge hasn't been available since. It's a winner and beautifully produced too. But then we're hit with what I think is the prize on Disc 1 - a pleader ballad - the unreleased "Change Me" recorded in October 1964 in Stereo. It's Soul melodrama in all the best ways. "Haunted House" is a gorgeous B-side - full of atmosphere and Sixties Soul. Of the remainder the hand-clapping foot-stomping "Big Boss Line" is another winner - presented here as an Alternate Take for this infectious B-side.

Disc 2 opens with "The New Breed" where Jackie tells us the kids of America have found their groove with Soul Music (too damn right). I've had the "Shake A Hand" duet with Linda Hopkins before but I've never had its storming B-side "Say I Do" where the big-throated pair roar into the microphones like they're trying to outdo each other. It's followed by three unreleased - the ballad "Don't Laugh At Me", a salsa tune called "Love (Is Where You Find It)" and a mid-tempo number entitled "You Can't Have Your Cake And Eat It Too" - they're good rather than being great. Better is the Alternate Take of "Call Her Up" where his vocals are typically enthusiastic.

Having had so much Stereo - the cluster of Mono cuts in the middle of Disc 2 come as something of a shock - not that the False Start and Take 5 of "Baby Workout" isn't brilliant (it is). We go all Vocal Group on fab little bopper "I Just Can't Help It" (the uncredited backing group may be the Hollywood Flames with Donald Height) and I've never heard its rare B-side "Tale Of Woe" before anywhere else. Of the next three unreleased I like "Sing (And Tell The Blues So Long)" the best and the audio on the single "Years From Now" b/w "You Don't Know What It Means" is truly fantastic. It ends on the chipper "I'm Comin' On Back To You" sounding like it was minted yesterday.

Not everything on these 2CDs is unmitigated genius - but man the good stuff far outweighs the bad by a mile. A superlative release from the mighty Ace Records of the UK and surely one of 'the' Soul Reissues of 2015...

"…Feel Those Vibrations…"

A proper little belter this one – 40 tracks – a shed load of hits and superb sound. Here are the whispers getting louder…

UK released November 2001 - "The Brunswick Anthology" by JACKIE WILSON is a 2CD set on Brunswick BICD1001 (Barcode 5060029810122) and breaks down as follows (all catalogue numbers are USA 7" singles):

Disc 1 (51:34 minutes):

1. Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want To Meet) (1957, Brunswick 9-55024, A)

2. To Be Loved (1958, Brunswick 9-55052, A)

3. Lonely Teardrops (1958, Brunswick 9-55105, A)

4. That’s Why (I Love You So) (1959, Brunswick 9-55121, A)

5. I’ll Be Satisfied (1959, Brunswick 9-55136, A)

6. You Better Know It (1959, Brunswick 9-55149, A)

7. Talk That Talk (1959, Brunswick 9-55165, A)

8. Night (1960, Brunswick 9-55166, A)

9. Doggin’ Around (1960, Brunswick 9-55166, B-side of "Night")

10. (You Were Made For) All My Love (1960, Brunswick 9-55167, A)

11. A Woman, A Lover, A Friend (1960, Brunswick 55167, B-side of "(You Were Made For) All My Love")

12. Alone At Last (1960, Brunswick 9-55170, A)

13. Am I The Man (1960, Brunswick 9-55170, B-side of "Alone At Last"– see Notes)

14. My Empty Arms (1961, Brunswick 9-55201, A)

15. The Tear Of The Year (1961, Brunswick 9-55201, B-side of "My Empty Arms")

16. Please Tell Me Why (1961, Brunswick 55208, A)

17. Your One And Only Love (1961, Brunswick 9-55208, B-side of "Please Tell Me Why")

18. I’m Coming On Back To You (1961, Brunswick 55216, A)

19. Years From Now (1961, Brunswick 55219, A)

20. You Don’t Know What It Means (1961, Brunswick 55219, B-side of "Years From Now")

[Notes: Track 13 is miscredited in the booklet and on the inlay as "I Am The Man" when its "Am I The Man"]

Disc 2 (57:09 minutes):

1. The Greatest Hurt (1962, Brunswick 55221, A)

2. I Just Can’t Help It (1962, Brunswick 55229, A)

3. Baby Workout (1963, Brunswick 55239, A)

4. Shake! Shake! Shake! (1963, Brunswick 55246, A)

5. No Pity (In The Naked City) (1965, Brunswick 55280, A)

6. Soul Galore (1966, Brunswick 55290, A)

7. Think Twice [credited to Jackie Wilson and LaVern Baker] (1965, Brunswick 55287, A)

8. Whispers (Getting’ Louder) (1966, Brunswick 55300, A)

9. I Don’t Want To Lose You (1967, Brunswick 55309, A)

10. (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher (1967, Brunswick 55336, A)

11. I’ve Lost You (1967, Brunswick 55321, A)

12. Since You Showed Me How To Be Happy (1967, Brunswick 55354, A)

13. For Your Precious Love (credited as Jackie Wilson and Count Basie) (1967, Brunswick 55365, A)

14. I Get The Sweetest Feeling (1968, Brunswick 55381, A)

15. Helpless (1969, Brunswick 55418, A)

16. I Still Love You (1969, Brunswick 55402, A)

17. (I Can Feel Those Vibrations) This Love Is Real (1970, Brunswick 55443, A)

18. Let This Be A Letter (To My Baby) (1970, Brunswick 55435, A)

19. Love Is Funny That Way (1971, Brunswick 55461, A)

20. You Got Me Walking (1972, Brunswick 55467, A)

The inlay is a very disappointing 8-page affair with basic track credits, a list of his American and British chart achievements and a few words on Pages 2 and 3 about his career and tragic demise. There are no decent photos to speak of and the gorgeous American 7” picture sleeves that came with "That Why (I Love You So)", "Talk That Talk", "Night", "Alone At Last", "The Greatest Hurt" and "Let This Be A Letter (To My Baby)" are not here (neither are any of the EPs or albums). It’s a functionary affair when the great man surely deserved far better.

But all of that goes out the window when you hear the remasters (doesn’t say who did them) - which are fantastic – full of life, presence and a joy that just won’t quit. Track after track across both discs impress over and over again – the superb original Production values shining through.

Wilson’s knack of touching the public made him one of Brunswick’s biggest sellers. Six of his 61 chart records between 1956 and 1975 hit the US R&B No.1 spot – "Lonely Teardrops", "You Better Know It", "Doggin' Around", "A Woman, A Lover, A Friend", "Baby Workout" and "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher". And of course the truly fab "Reet Petite (The Finest Girl You Ever Want To Meet)" was a belated UK Number 1 single on the Pop charts in November 1986 after a video took British fans by storm (its original chart placing was 6 in November 1957 on Coral). And such was the popularity of "I Get The Sweetest Feeling" in the Northern Soul clubs of Britain that it hit the UK charts no less than three times (1972, 1975 and 1987) while the uplifting "Higher And Higher" has graced more Movie Soundtracks than you can shake a stick at.

But where this excellent (though admittedly too short) double really works is in the lesser-heard nuggets like the gorgeous Soul dancer "That's Why (I Love You So)" where his operatic vocals and the fantastic Production values of Brunswick collide. "Talk That Talk" is joyful. And speaking of vocal gymnastics – how good are quivering aches and yelps on the bluesy "Doggin' Around" with that church organ and "...you keeps so upset..." lyrics. His own not inconsiderable song-writing talent surfaces in the irrepressible "You Better Know It" (a co-write with Norm Henry) – a song that featured prominently in the movie "Go Johnny Go".

Things go smoochy with "The Tear Of The Year" (those big strings baby) and again the audio quality is fantastic. There's hiss on "Please Tell My Why" but again after a few moments you ignore it as he does his crying vocal – slaying all in his path. Superb sound resurfaces on "I'm Coming On Back To You" and the gorgeous "You Don't Know What It Means" with its torch-song combo of Strings, Backing Singers and Jackie giving it "Won't Somebody Help Me!" wailing throughout.

When you get to Disc 2, the R 'n' B shouters of the Fifties have segued into crafted and sophisticated Soul penned by secret giants like Carl Davis, Van McCoy and Eugene Record. Over and above the famous tunes like "Whispers", "Higher" and "I Get The Sweetest Feeling" – you get cool Northern Soul dancers like "I Don't Want To Lose You Now" and ballads in the shape of "No Pity (In The Naked City)". And even when you get out of the Sixties – Johnny Moore and Eugene Record (of The Chi-Lites) were still providing him with superb songs into the Seventies like the hugely upbeat "(I Can Feel Those Vibrations) This Love Is Real" (as joy as Soul can get) and the pleader "Let This Be A Letter (To My Baby)".

Someone (like Bear Family or Ace) should of course do his complete Brunswick/Coral 7" singles run from 1956 to 1975 onto 2 or 3 CD. But until such time as that – seek out this (now deleted) 2CD set of Soulful joy - and find out why the ex-boxer and singing/stage dynamo Jackie Wilson was nicknamed Mr. Excitement…

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"...A Good Feelin' To Know..."

Never as wildly successful or for that matter (IMO) as musically good as their tuneful counterparts EAGLES – yet across five decades now (1969 to 2019) - the American band POCO has nonetheless clawed their Dobro-picking Steel Guitar pickaxe slashing way into the hearts of many a Country-Rock music fan.

And this excellent and rather natty little box set shows us why – containing as it does five albums lifelong fans have loved to distraction (four studio and one live) - boosted by five rare bonus cuts only recently issued in 2015. And the whole brass buttons is available in great audio and cool presentation and for not a lot of wonga either, considering what’s on offer.

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There's a ton of detail to wade through, so let's have at those Driving Wheels, Western Waterloos and Crazy Eyes...

UK released Friday, 30 August 2019 (9 August 2019 in the USA) - "The Epic Years 1972-1976" by POCO on HNE Recordings HNEBOX121 (Barcode 5013929922105) is a 5CD Mini Clamshell Box Set of New Remasters (Andy Pearce and Matt Wortham) offering five albums (four studio and one live) plus five Bonus Tracks and it plays out as follows:

CD1 "A Good Feelin' To Know" (47:35 minutes):

1. And Settlin' Down [Side 1]

2. Ride The Country

3. I Can See Everything

4. Go And Say Goodbye

5. Keeper Of The Flame

6. Early Times [Side 2]

7. A Good Feelin' To Know

8. Restrain

9. Sweet Lovin'

Tracks 1 to 9 are their fifth album "A Good Feelin' To Know" - released November 1972 in the USA on Epic KE 31601 and January 1973 in the UK on Epic Records S EPC 65216

BONUS TRACKS:

10. I Can See Everything [Remix] - first appeared in July 2015 on the 2CD POCO compilation "The Forgotten Trail (1969-1974) on Retroworld/Floating World FLOATD6229 (Barcode 0805772622920)

11. A Good Feelin' To Know [Single Edit] - A-side to a June 1972 US 45 on Epic 5-10890 (3:27 minute edit) with the album track "Early Times" on the B-side - 19 January 1973 UK 7" single on Epic S EPC 8240 with same flip-side

CD2 "Crazy Eyes" (53:56 minutes):

1. Blue Water [Side 1]

2. Fools Gold

3. Here We Go Again

4. Brass Buttons

5. A Right Along

6. Crazy Eyes [Side 2]

7. Magnolia

8. Let's Dance Tonight

Tracks 1 to 8 are their sixth album "Crazy Eyes" - released September 1973 in the USA on Epic Records KE 32354 and November 1973 UK on Epic Records S EPC 65631.

BONUS TRACKS:

9. Nothin's Still The Same [Remix]

10. Get In The Wind [Remix]

11. Believe Me [Remix]

Tracks 9 to 11 first appeared in July 2015 on the 2CD POCO compilation "The Forgotten Trail (1969-1974) on Retroworld/Floating World FLOATD6229 (Barcode 0805772622920)

CD3 "Poco Seven" (35:57 minutes):

1. Drivin' Wheel [Side 1]

2. Rocky Mountain Hoedown

3. Just Call My Name

4. Skatin'

5. Faith In The Families [Side 2]

6. Krikkit's Song (Passing Through)

7. Angel

8. You've Got Your Reasons

Tracks 1 to 8 are their seventh album "Poco Seven" - released May 1974 in the USA on Epic Records KE 32895 and June 1974 in the UK on Epic Records S EPC 80082.

CD4 "Cantamos" (36:44 minutes):

1. Sagebrush Serenade [Side 1]

2. Susannah

3. High And Dry

4. Western Waterloo

5. One Horse Blue [Side 2]

6. Bitter Blue

7. Another Time Around

8. Whatever Happened To Your Smile

9. All The Ways

Tracks 1 to 9 are their eight album "Cantamos" (Spanish for "We Sing" - released November 1974 in the USA on Epic PE 33192 and December 1974 in the UK on Epic S EPC 80595

CD5 "Live" (38:20 minutes):

1. Medley: Blue Water/Fools Gold/Rocky Mountain Hoedown [Side 1]

2. Bad Weather

3. Ride The Country

4. Angel [Side 2]

5. High And Dry

6. Restraint

7. A Good Feelin' To Know

Tracks 1 to 7 are "Live" - their second live album and eleventh album overall - released March 1976 in the USA on Epic Records PE 33336 and in the UK on Epic EPC 80705.

The mini clamshell box set is pretty to look at and the 16-page booklet with MALCOLM DOME liner notes contains all the data and discography info a body would need - including page photographs of the inner gatefold for "A Good Feelin' To Know" LP, the back sleeve of "Crazy Eyes", the inner for "Seven" and so on. The band featured RICHIE FURAY [ex Buffalo Springfield], PAUL COTTON [ex Illinois Speed Press], RUSTY YOUNG, TIMOTHY B. SCHMIT [later with The Eagles] and GEORGE GRANTHAM. The five single card sleeves are nice (each CD label is unfortunately a generic HNE Recordings logo instead of the original American labels) but the real news is AUDIO from two fave engineers of mine - ANDY PEARCE and MATT WORTHAM. After the ever so slight crudity of "A Good Feelin' To Know" - Jack Richardson's Production values seemed to settle down and from "Crazy Eyes" onwards - the Audio is great - really clean and expressive ("Poco Seven" and "Cantamos" too). To the music...

Richie Furay provided "And Settlin' Down", "A Good Feelin' To Know" and "Sweet Lovin'" for the debut while their other lead vocalist and songwriter Paul Cotton stumped up "Ride The Country", "Early Times" and "Keeper Of The Fire". Balladeer Timothy B. Schmit threw in "I Can See Everything" and "Restraint" with "Go And Say Goodbye" being a rather workmanlike cover of a Buffalo Springfield song penned by Stephen Stills. The funny thing about "...Good Feelin'..." is that the band somehow considered it better than "Crazy Eyes" because Furay was still on-board with the band - his contributions to the follow-up "Crazy Eyes" being entirely contractual.

But for me the production values of "Crazy Eyes" and the fact that Furay's departure seems to have woken up the other songwriters by virtue of necessity see stunners like the Eagles Country-Rock speaker-to-speaker panned guitars of "Blue Water" vie for attention with the first of two really good covers - Gram Parsons heartbreaker "Brass Buttons" and the gorgeous melody of J.J. Cale's "Magnolia". But for me the winner has always been the extraordinary 9:37 minutes of the Side 2 opener and album title track "Crazy Eyes". I've often wondered was Randy Meisner listening to this when he did his similar track "Journey of The Sorcerer" on the Eagles 1975 album "One Of These Nights". Poco's "Crazy Eyes" throws in everything - strings, banjos, steel and electric guitars, drum rhythms and an epic-ness that they never again achieved nor attempted. And those five bonus tracks are shockingly good - especially the remix of Schmit's "I Can See Everything" which irons out some of the originals rougher instrumentation edges.

There's amazing audio quality on the slide guitar for "Angel" from "Poco Seven" but the "Krikkit's Song..." from Schmit feels cheesy - things redeemed by the lovely acoustic guitars within 'You've Got Your Reasons". The "live" set is a weird one - recorded across 3 dates in November 1974 on the "Cantamos" tour - "Live" was belatedly released by Epic to spite the band for defecting to ABC Records. When Poco felt Epic no longer had their backs (which they didn't) and left for a new label and a new beginning - when they released the July 1975 and May 1976 albums "Head Over Heels" and "Rose Of Cimarron" (firm fan faves) - Epic went head-to-head by also releasing a double-album "Very Best Of" in July 1975 to try to steal the thunder from their "Head Over Heels" album. "Live" warmed up fans only weeks before "Rose Of Cimarron". That notwithstanding - the band's performance in those Yale University gigs (9, 28 and 29 Nov 1974) is that of a well-oiled machine - one of the LP's track titles being ignored by a petulant Epic Records - "Restraint".

It's not all banjo-yee-haw genius for sure, but Poco's "The Epic Years 1972-1976" is nicely presented and combined with the great new Audio, quantity of material and tasty extras actually worthy of the moniker 'bonus' - will have the Poco nut in your home feelin' real good this festive holiday...

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"...Float Away..."

By the time Dave Cousins' first solo album hit the UK shops in September 1972 (it had no US equivalent) - the band he was an instrumental part of (STRAWBS) had already released four studio and one live LPs - the last of which "Grave New World" had been their biggest splash to date - hitting a very respectable No. 11 position on the UK album charts after its February 1972 release.

The four previous slabs of Folk-Rock/Prog-Rock entertainment from our London heroes - "Strawbs" (May 1969), "Dragonfly" (February 1970), "Just A Collection Of ANTIQUES and CURIOS" (a live set issued Nov 1970) and "From The Witchwood" (November 1971) had all built up a loyal fan following and garnished relatively healthy units for their parent company - A&M Records. So it’s a bit odd that this genuine little gem from late 1972 seemed to slither away into obscurity like a wounded dog – especially given some of the seriously heavy-hitter Prog Rock names gracing its innards – Rick Wakeman of Yes, Jon Hiseman of Colosseum and Miller Anderson of The Keef Hartley Band, Dog Soldier and Hemlock [later also with Savoy Brown]. It even had arranger heroes like Tom Newman (working on his downtime at night, a little project for Mike Oldfield called "Tubular Bells") and Richard Kirby (arranger for Nick Drake amongst many) and his fellow Guitarist mucker from the Strawbs – Dave Lambert. Yet when I worked for Reckless Records as a Rarities buyer and all-round original records brainy-type in its busy Berwick Street shop for nearly 20 years of microgroove servitude - "Two Weeks Last Summer" was always a shocker when it turned up in the collection of some poor husband under the wife's 'they go or I go' kosh. This was an album you rarely ever saw – a sure indication that it achieved Zippity doo-dah in sales first time round.

So what a blast in late November 2019 to see Cherry Red's 'Esoteric Recordings' finally give DC’s Folk-Rock nugget the sonic upgrade it’s always deserved, five very cool and usable Bonus Tracks and a wee bit of a tasty digipak presentation into the bargain. Let's mark our festive calendars with the Pye Recording Studio details...

UK released Friday, 29 November 2019 - "Two Weeks Last Summer" by DAVE COUSINS (of The Strawbs) on Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2701 (Barcode 5013929480186) is an 'Expanded Edition' CD Reissue and Remaster with Five Bonus Tracks that plays out as follows (55:58 minutes):

1. Two Weeks Last Summer [Side 1]

2. October To May

3. Blue Angel (a) Divided (b) Half Worlds Apart (c) At Rest

4. That's The Way It Ends (including "The World")

5. The Actor [Side 2]

6. When You Were A Child

7. Ways And Means

8. We'll Meet Again Sometime

9. Going Home

Tracks 1 to 9 are his debut solo album "Two Weeks Last Summer" - released September 1972 in the UK on A&M Records AMLS 68118 (no US equivalent, but was released in Canada on A&M SP-9008). Produced by DAVE COUSINS and TOM ALLOM - it didn't chart. All songs written by DC except "See How They Run" by DC and Dave Lambert

BONUS TRACKS:

10. The Actor (Alternate Mix)

11. Ways And Means (Alternate Take)

12. I've Been My Own Worst Friend

13. See How They Run (1972 Demo with Dave Lambert)

14. The Rip Off Blues (1972 demo)

Band featured:

DAVE COUSINS [of Strawbs] - Lead Vocals, Guitar and Piano

MILLER ANDERSON [of Hemlock, Dog Soldier and Savoy Brown] - Lead Guitar on Tracks 3, 5, 7 and 8

DAVE LAMBERT [of Strawbs] - Guitar on Track 5, Guitar and Harmony Vocals on Track 7

ROGER GLOVER [of Deep Purple] - Bass on Tracks 1, 3, 5 and 7

RICK WAKEMAN [of Yes] - Piano & Organ on Track 3 and Piano on Track 7

JON HISEMAN [of Colosseum] - Drums on Tracks 3, 5 and 7

TOM ALLOM – Producer, Audio Engineer, Organ and Backing Vocals on Track 1

TOM NEWMAN – Backing Vocals on Track 1

ROBERT KIRBY – Arranger on Track 4

THE KIDLINGTON KOSSACKS – Dave Cousins, Tom Newman and Dave Lambert as a ‘Russian Male Voice Choir’ on Track 2

As you can see from the photos I've provided, the inner CD label and gatefold card digipak match the artwork and the 12-page Dave Cousins liner notes (dated September 2019) give a superb recollection of musicians and their contributions. For instance the outtake "The Rip Off Blues" turns out to be about management fees while "Going Home" was an unused Strawbs song that became the one and only 45 from the album ("Going Home" b/w "Ways And Means", September 1972 UK 7" single on A&M Records AMS 7032). You get a Pye Recording Studios tape box and all the relevant (even expanded) album credits. But the big news is a new 2019 Remaster by Audio Engineer PASCHAL BYRNE from original tapes and it sounds stonking. I recall Witchwood Media put out a CD variant in 2004 but I've never had it so can't comment on the Audio - but what we do have here rocks - the usual kind of quality product we've come to expect from Esoteric. And more important to me is that I can sequence out some of the tracks I really hate or can't listen to anymore ("The Actor") and replace them with alternates/outtakes from the five bonus tracks - that for me - makes up the perfect album. To the music...

As you play the opening title track "Two Weeks Last Summer" with its trippy tinkling bells, treated guitars and hazy-lazy blissed out Summer vibe (Roger Glover of Deep Purple fame plays a Fretless Bass through a Wah Wah pedal the new liner notes inform us), it's like you stumbled on the best album The Incredible String Band forgot to make. "Two Weeks Last Summer" is fantastic stuff and many Folk-Rockers will know that on hearing it, none other than Sandy Denny brought it to her new band Fotheringay (having just left Fairport Convention) who covered it for the aborted second album on Island Records that never made its way into the public domain. It would take decades before a truly gorgeous version of it turned up on "Fotheringay 2" with Sandy on Lead Vocals - completed for that project in 2008. Well here's the original in all its 'tinklie' glory.

That's maybe even trumped by the 2:57 minutes of "October To May" that follows, crediting Dave Cousins with The Kidlington Kossacks as the only musicians on the rear sleeve. But his new liner notes of 2019 now tell us that it was the trio of himself, Dave Lambert and Tom Newman who made us the beautiful harmonising 'Russian' male voices (a perfect song follow after the Side 1 opener). You're then hit with the album's big piece - the near ten-minutes of a three-part "Blue Angel". Our DC is standing on the sidelines trying to make out that he wasn't there (in the lyrics) while Miller Anderson's electric lead guitar is given full reign. Colosseum's Jon Hiseman and Purple's Roger Glover bring up the rhythm rear with 'drummer and bassist of the year' aplomb. But its ex Strawbs keyboardist Rick Wakeman's accomplished piano and the half-time pace of the fantastic final section that lift the long piece up into the album's only real moment of Proggy Heaven. A near perfect A-side goes out with the lovely and very English ballad of "That's The Way It Ends including 'The World'"– arranger Richard Kirby giving it that sad but pretty madrigal-feel as the woodwind instruments Morris-float around your speakers.

The horrible Donovan warbling vocals and cod Rock and Roll riffing guitar of "The Actor" (Side 2's opener) has Cousins unwisely sounding like a dejected Peter Gabriel working on a sub-standard Nursery Cryme outtake. Even though it pares down some of the excesses, not even the DC-preferred 'Alternate Mix' in the Bonus Tracks of the awful "Actor" does it for me. I replaced it immediately with the quiet Acoustic prettiness of the LP outtake "I've Been My Own Worst Friend" (the third of the five bonuses) where our hero has no more dreams to weave – a heartbreak divorce ballad that feels like an open wound its so damn stark (in my mind, it would have opened Side 2 with a much more honest statement). With only Cousins on Piano/Vocals accompanied by Miller Anderson on Slide Guitar – they both deftly fill up the "...haven't seen you in a long time" song "We'll Meet Again Sometime" with a musical longing that makes you think of childhood and innocence lost – a very Cat Stevens piano-ballad moment on an album you wouldn't associate such a thing with.

More phased-vocals for the excellent river flowing Progtastic feel to "Ways And Means" - Miller giving it some clever guitar fills while Rick Wakeman plays classy and complimentary on those grand piano keys. We sleeketh home wee timorous beasty with the lovely acoustic vibe of "We'll Meet Again Sometime" - fabulous acoustic slide from Miller while Cousins puts in his best vocal on the album. "...We'll meet again sometime...though the road is very steep and hard to climb..." - the song almost feels like a great long-lost Folk gem that John Martyn wrote circa "Solid Air" and along with the bopping rocker "Going Home" brings a very good LP to a satisfactory end. For sure the audio to the two 'demo' tracks is hardly audiophile but for Strawbs fans, the harmonising vocals of Cousins and Lambert will be enough to induce flutterings of long-ago warmth while the 30% fee lyrics in "Rip Off Blues" shows DC's seldom seen angry and acidic side.

I've an e-Book I'm unceremoniously proud of called "OVERLOOKED ALBUMS 1955 to 1979" (over 400 entries) and come the latest update baby, Dave Cousins' criminally frozen-out "Two Weeks Last Summer" is in with a bullet. Can it get any better than that peopleoids of Great Britain – I doubt it I says to myself. One to check out and well done to all involved...

"...I Know A Place...Where Everything's Alright..."

It won't have escaped BN fans that these 2019 versions on Confetti Records for The Blue Nile's magisterial "Hats" album (originally issued October 1989 on Linn Records in the UK) are actually 'remastered reissues'.

Released March 2019, the 2CD variant is an exact re-run of the November 2012 reissue on Virgin/Linn Records – the one that came with six rarities on Disc 2 (see listings below). But the big news for Audiophiles and Vinyl Buffs in general is a November 2019 straightforward LP Repress on 180 Grams Vinyl - unfortunately minus the six Bonus Tracks that come with the second CD. The last LPs issued in 2013 and 2014 sold out in minutes, the original 1989 pressing on Linn can pass hands for up to a hundred quid – so this 2019 LP repress is mightily welcome – especially on an album that is so exquisite, it regularly tops people’s all-time fave lists everywhere.

For the purposes of location (on Amazon/elsewhere) – here are the Confetti 2019 details...

The March 2019 UK 2CD variant of "Hats" by THE BLUE NILE issued on Confetti Records BLUECD2 is Barcode 5052442014942 - available for about £14 using the Barcode number provided above. The LP variant for "Hats" was issued 29 November 2019 and is a worldwide limited edition of 1000 copies on Confetti BLUELP002 - Barcode 5052442016205.

29 Nov 2019 has also seen Confetti reissue Vinyl copies of the 1984 debut "A Walk Across The Rooftops" and the "Hats" follow up on Warner Brothers from 1996 "Peace At Last"– they are on BLUELP001 and BLUELP003 respectively – Barcodes 5052442016199 and 5052442016212. All three titles are straightforward LP transfers on 180 Grams Heavy Vinyl with no extras or inners.

Now to the music of "Hats" (I’ve used my 2012 review)...

Little will prepare fans for this beautifully remastered reissue - sonically up there with the very best 2012 has to offer. Here are the finite details...

Released Monday 19 November 2012 in the UK - "Hats" by THE BLUE NILE on Virgin/Linn Records LKHCDR 2 (5099901730029) is a 2CD Remaster/Reissue and plays out as follows:

Disc 1 (38:48 minutes):

1. Over The Hillside

2. The Downtown Lights

3. Let's Go Out Tonight

4. Headlights On The Parade [Side 2]

5. From A Late Night Train

6. Seven A.M.

7. Saturday Night

Tracks 1 to 7 are their second album "Hats" - released October 1989 on LP, MC and CD in the UK on Linn Records LKH 2. The first CD issue carried with it a single page inlay with virtually no details and sound quality that was good rather than great. This is the first remaster of the album - handled by Calum Malcolm (a member of the original line-up and long-time Producer for the group) along with Band members Paul Buchanan and Robert Bell (US customers should use the barcode number provided above to get the right issue when searching on Amazon.com).

Like the other title in this reissue campaign (their debut "A Walk Across The Rooftops" from 1984) - the remaster is again breathtaking. The danger would have been to amp everything up - but it's not like that. It's subtle, clean and beautifully realized. "Hats" was put out initially on Linn Records - Linn were (and still are) a high-end turntable manufacturer - and audio quality is their 'thing'. Well those initial production values have served this subtle remaster well - because the detail now is fantastic.

As the echoed drums of "Over The Hillside" fade in with that synth and drums - the smack is immediate - 'so' sweet. It continues with the album's first hit "The Downtown Lights" (later covered by Rod Stewart and Annie Lennox) - when the guitars begin to crescendo towards its six and half minute end - it's so much more powerful. But then comes the album's first real moment of magic - the hurting yet gorgeously romantic "Let's Go Out Tonight" - a song I've seen people cry to when I was at their live gigs. The slow trumpet and acoustic sounds swirl around the room - "...why don't you say...what's so wrong tonight..." - beautifully done - a song that was old now made new again (lyrics from it title this review).

The kick out of the bopping "Headlights On The Parade" is again amplified - especially the bass and walls of synth-counter-melodies that arrive when Buchanan sings the chorus. But then comes the two album sleepers which in my opinion benefit the most from this sonic upgrade - "From A Late Night Train" and "Seven A.M." - their ethereal and aching nature suddenly feel more poignant than ever - so deftly handled. And last - probably everyone's favourite - the impossibly gorgeous "Saturday Night". By now my stroke-addled eyes are bloodied and the cheeks puffy - I'm mush for this song. I fell in love with my wife and partner of 23 years to this melody - walking down streets with my Sony Discman singing "...an ordinary girl...can make the world alright...meet me outside the cherry lights...you and I walk away..." I defy the hardest of hearts not to be moved by it.

But again (like "A Walk Across The Rooftops") the packaging and bonus disc are a combination of missed opportunities and genuine discoveries. The minimalist gatefold card digipak is pretty for sure (the internal flaps are the plain blue colour of the sleeve too) - but the 16-page booklet is fluffy and vague rather than being informative. There's a series of colour photos from the time - but with no history - no liner notes - no lyrics - no input from the band - not even any real info on the 'bonus' stuff (the last page literally). Frankly - an acknowledged masterpiece like "Hats" deserved a little more effort than this. But things improve a lot with some shocking new discoveries on the 'bonus disc'...

Disc 2 - Bonus Disc (33:19 minutes):

Exclusions first - the 'Bob Clearmountain Remix' of "Headlights On The Parade" and the beautiful duet with Rickie Lee Jones on "Easter Parade" (both tracks on the 12's and CD singles of 1990) are missing. The non-album track "Halfway To Paradise" and the Edit of "Saturday Night" that were on varying CD singles are both AWOL too. But what is on here is surprisingly good...

Track 2 is "Christmas" - a Previously Unreleased five-minute studio song. There's no annotation as to where it came from and its hissy - but its also pretty - lyrically festive as the title suggests. But if I'm to be honest - I don't think it's as good as the previously unreleased track "St. Catherine's Day" on the "Walk" reissue (which sounds suspiciously like an outtake from the "Hats" period - perhaps put on there to bolster up proceedings). Having said that - and having lived with it a day or two now - it's gently growing on me. Fans will make up their own mind of course...

Track 6 is "The Wires Are Down" - a six-minute non-album song that turned on the 12" and 3" CD single of "The Downtown Lights" in 1989. The sound quality on that was always weedy - here its remastered form is an absolute revelation. Suddenly sounding all grown up - "The Wires Are Down" is a genuine bonus track now - and one of the highlights on Disc 2. But there's even better...

Although not stated as 'new' - Tracks 1, 3, 4 and 5 are previously unreleased versions. First up is "Seven A.M. - Live In The Studio". Fans will know that there was a non-album version on the 1990 "Saturday Night" CD single called "Seven A.M. (Live U.S.A.)" - this is NOT that track. "Live In The Studio" is a fully-fledged new version with fabulous sound quality. Track 5 is a "Live In Tennessee" version of "Headlights On The Parade" recorded with Larry Saltzman, Steve Gaboury and Nigel Thomas on some unknown date. Again - it is well recorded - and a good version with crowd appreciation at the end. But then comes the real prizes - two new versions of people's favourites - "Let's Go Out Tonight" and "Saturday Night". They're called "Vocal 2" in each case and offer early versions of the songs - the "Saturday Night" take in particular hears Buchanan go off into lyric rapping at the end and accentuates the strings throughout - it's properly gorgeous. Joyful surprises...

To sum up - the remaster of the original album is an absolute triumph - 10 out of 10. Ok - the side is let down somewhat by the bare-knuckles packaging and those sloppy omissions on Disc 2 - and it doesn't take a Mensa membership card to work out that the playing times of both discs could have been amalgamated into one (with more added on too) - and the second disc could have been a DVD featuring those rare videos - but - and I must reiterate this - what's on offer is superb - and worth the upgrade.

"Hats" has been name-checked by influential music-industry-types and world-famous musicians for decades now as their 'what to grab when the bomb drops' album - and I'm thrilled to say that this 2CD reissue of it does that affection genuinely proud. Melodious, sad and life affirming - "Hats" is a beautiful thing. And it's just been made better.

Now if we could just get those stroppy Scottish buggers to tour again...

PS: there is also a 2CD Virgin/Linn DELUXE EDITION of "A Walk Across The Rooftops" - their debut album from 1984 - and "Peace At Last" from 1996 (originally on Warner Brothers) - see separate reviews. These are also part of Confetti's 2019 Reissue campaign..

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