Joe Tex - Singles A's & B's, Vol. 1: 1964 - 1966 CD

Singles A's & B's, Vol. 1: 1964 - 1966 album for sale Neil Diamond transitioned from professional songwriter to performer when he signed with Bang Records in 1966. There, he cut two albums -- his 1966 debut The Feel of Neil Diamond and its 1967 sequel Just for You -- that contained his greatest songs: "Solitary Man," "Cherry, Cherry," "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon," "Kentucky Woman," "Thank the Lord for the Night Time," "I'm a Believer," "Red, Red Wine," "The Boat That I Row," "You Got to Me," and "Shilo." All these, along with the rest of the two Bang albums all presented out of LP order, are on Columbia/Legacy's 2011 The Bang Years: 1966-1968, by far the best overview ever assembled of this crucial era for Diamond. It's not just that these are Diamond's best songs but these are his best records: crisp, lively, colorful pop tunes balanced by luxurious moody brooding ballads. Once he turned into a superstar Diamond tended to rely on his innate showmanship, but here at the beginning of his career he sounded hungry and knew how to have fun, giving these records a snap that still stings decades later. And Diamond knows just how good these recordings are, as indicated by the terrific autobiographical liner notes he's penned for this collection, notes that give this music context, but they're not necessary to appreciate The Bang Years: this is pop music that's so pure it needs no explanation. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine Recording information: A&R Studios (1966); Atlantic Records Studios (1966); Century Sound Studios (1966); Dick Charles Studio (1966); A&R Studios (1966-1967); Atlantic Records Studios (1966-1967); Century Sound Studios (1966-1967); Dick Charles Studio (1966-1967). Photographer: Leonard Rapoport. Arranger: Artie Butler. Personnel: Neil Diamond (acoustic guitar); Hugh McCrackin (guitar, harmonica); Al Gorgoni, Sal DiTroia, Charlie Macy, Bill Suyker (guitar); Eric Gayle (electric guitar); Artie Kaplan (saxophone); Eddie Bert, Nicky Gravine, Benny Powell (trombone); Artie Butler (piano, organ); Herb Lavelle, Gary Chester , Buddy Saltzman (drums); Ellie Greenwich, Jeff Barry (tambourine, hand claps, background vocals); George Devens (percussion). Liner Note Authors: Steve Baltin; Neil ...

Singles A's & B's, Vol. 1: 1964 - 1966 CD music Though often overshadowed by higher-profile Southern R&B artists like Otis Redding and Wilson Pickett, Don Covay ranks among the greatest soul singers of the 1960s. In addition to his fantastic voice--light enough to sail through pop melodies, yet gruff enough to shake with gospel fervor--Covay is a superb songwriter. MERCY! and SEE-SAW, two albums from the mid-'60s, feature many of Covay's best songs, and find him at the peak of his form as a vocalist. This Koch two-for-one disc provides the invaluable service of putting these classic soul albums under a single cover. The music here is irresistible, with its mix of raw, energetic expression and bright, jazzy melodies and arrangements (the way Covay's band sounds both breezy and muscular at once is marvelous). From the sashaying groove of "Mercy, Mercy" to the propulsive back and forth of "See-Saw" (also a sizeable hit for Aretha Franklin), through heart-wrenching ballads ("Precious You") and party-oriented jams ("Come on In"), there is hardly an unsatisfying moment across these 23 tracks. That MERCY!/SEE-SAW is not a comprehensive overview of Covay's career is the only deterrent for newcomers, but otherwise the goods on this brilliant soul singer are right here in one essential package. Contains 23 tracks. 2 On 1 CD;1964/1966 2 LPs on 1 CD: MERCY! (1964)/SEE-SAW (1966). Personnel: The Goodtimers (vocals); Steve Cropper, Billy Butler, Bob Bushnell (guitar); Andrew Love (tenor saxophone); Floyd Newman (baritone saxophone); Dicky Harris (trombone); Booker T. Jones (piano, organ); Horace Ott (piano); Donald "Duck" Dunn (electric bass); Al Jackson, Jr. , Bernard "Pretty" Purdie (drums). Recording information: New York, NY (1964-1965). Director: Horace Ott.

Singles A's & B's, Vol. 1: 1964 - 1966 buy CD music This reissue from Edsel features three LPs by soul singer Laura Lee (formerly a member of the Meditation Singers): Women's Love Rights, I Can't Make It Alone, and Two Sides of Laura Lee, originally issued on Hot Wax/Invictus in the early '70s. Highlights among the 32 tracks include the R&B hits "Women's Love Rights" and "Rip Off," along with six bonus cuts. ~ Al Campbell Digitally remastered two CD collection from the Soul vocalist containing a trio of albums (A Woman's Love Rights, I Can't Make It Alone and Two Sides Of Laura Lee) plus six bonus tracks. After five R&B hits on Chess, Laura Lee signed to the Hot Wax label in 1971. She charted five R&B and Pop hits on Hot Wax, including the #3 hit, 'Rip Off'. 31 tracks. Edsel. 2010. Photographers: Don Hunstein; Armen Khachaturian. Arrangers: H.B. Barnum; Eugene Moore; McKinley Jackson; Paul Riser; Tony Camillo. Personnel: Laura Lee (background vocals). Liner Note Author: Tony Rounce.

Singles A's & B's, Vol. 1: 1964 - 1966 songs Southern soul man Joe Tex came to fame with such mid-1960s hits for the Dial label as "Hold What You've Got," but before that breakthrough, he recorded a batch of equally memorable tunes for Dial. Those are collected on the two-disc set FIRST ON THE DIAL, which finds Tex already fully in command of his expressive voice as he belts out such songs as "Meet Me in Church" and "Blood's Thicker Than Water." 2008 two CD set containing the Soul star's complete recordings issued on Dial Records in the 3000-series (before his hit 45 "Hold What You Got" launched the 4000-series). Joe Tex became a major name in Soul music when his ballad 'Hold What You've Got' took him into the US Top 10 in early 1965; the first of some 30 hit singles and a dozen best-selling LPs during the next 15 years of his recording career on the Dial label up to the time of his death from a heart-attack in 1982. Joe recorded 10 singles for Dial under a different distribution deal prior to his breakthrough, a collectable mixture of beat and ballads laced with his wry sense of humor and some fine songs typical of the Southern Soul style. These tracks are gathered here on CD for the first time, including 'Bloods Thicker Than Water', an in-demand item among Northern Soul fans, and his original version of Southern Soul classic 'Meet Me In Church'. Shout Records also include in this CD a selection of hard-to find bonus tracks, which have been overlooked on other compilations, providing extra value for collectors. Shout.

Singles A's & B's, Vol. 1: 1964 - 1966 CD music Unlike previous entries in Ace's songwriter series, Bo Diddley wasn't a behind-the-scenes songsmith crafting songs for other artist. Sure, he penned "Love Is Strange" which wound up in the hands of Mickey & Sylvia, but he was a self-contained powerhouse writing and recording songs on his own, some of them inching up the charts but most of them becoming word of mouth standards over the years. Bo Diddley Is a Songwriter collects aftershocks of those singles, rounding up covers of Bo songs ranging from Buddy Holly's 1956 take on "Bo Diddley" to a little-known 2007 L.A. roots rocker cover of "Dearest Darling." Most of the 24 songs here aren't grouped around those extremes, they come from garage rockers and British Invasion bands from the mid-`60s, along with a clutch of proto-punkers from `70s and `80s roots rockers, and while a few are obscure, most of this is pretty familiar, such as the New York Dolls' "Pills," Ronnie Hawkins' "Who Do You Love," Captain Beefheart's "Diddy Wah Diddy," the Animals' "The Story of Bo Diddley," and the Shadows of Knight's "Oh Yeah." In this case, familiarity doesn't breed contempt; it accentuates the depth of Diddley's range and influence, while the non-chronological sequencing hammers home that Bo remains a kind of rock & roll fountain of youth that rockers all of generations tap into when they need a dose of wild, wooly inspiration. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine 2010 collection of tracks penned by the Rock 'n' Roll great. Features Diddley tracks performed by Buddy Holly, The Shadows Of Knight, Mickey & Sylvia, Delbert McClinton, The Everly Brothers and others. The CD also features a rare appearance from Iggy Pop's first band - the Iguanas - performing '(Mona) I Need You Baby'. Copious track-by-track annotation, and the inevitable wealth of illustrations make this a must for everyone remotely interested in the work of one of the true legends of the Rock 'n' Roll era. 24 tracks. Ace.

Singles A's & B's, Vol. 1: 1964 - 1966 buy CD music There have been a lot of Tex compilations, and if you're serious enough to want all of his A-sides and B-sides from his prime, you'll inevitably have at least some of this on other CDs. However, if you do appreciate an intelligently compiled and sequenced series of his 45s for the Dial label, this is a reliably well-packaged anthology of both sides of 11 singles he issued in 1967 and 1968. "Skinny Legs and All" might have been the only track here to make a big splash on the pop charts, but most of these were solid sellers in the R&B market, including "Show Me," "Men Are Gettin' Scarce," and "Keep the One You Got." Because this does include some secondary singles and B-sides, it's not as consistent a listen as more selective best-ofs. But it is pretty consistent, Tex providing his credentials as one of the most accessible of the soul stars moving into a more funky late-'60s sound, with some shades-of-James Brown shout-vocals. He's got a much more evident and effective sense of humor than most big soul names, too, though a good-natured one that's dated well. Some of the cuts (almost all written by Tex) are filler, like the oft-covered "C.C. Rider," the sentimental holiday piece "I'll Make Everyday Christmas (For My Woman)," and the instrumentals "Chocolate Cherry" and "Betwixt and Between" (actually credited to the Joe Tex Band). But overall, the standard is high on this retrospective, though it's not a complete record of what he was doing during the period, as he was also issuing LPs as well. ~ Richie Unterberger Digitally remastered and expanded edition of this late '50s album from the Gospel legends including bonus tracks pulled from various singles. The Dixie Hummingbirds have been recording and performing since the late 1930s, and were noted leaders of the 'quartet'-style male groups during the 'golden years' of the 1950s and '60s, led by Ira Tucker. The group also sang background for Paul Simon on his 1973 smash pop hit 'Loves Me Like a Rock', and reached the R&B charts with their own recording of this. Shout. Recording information: Columbia Studios, Nashville, TN (02/01/1967-11/07/1967); Memphis, TN (02/01/1967-11/07/1967); Nashville, TN (02/01/1967-11/07/1967); Columbia Studios, Nashville, TN (05/01/1967-09/13/1968); Memphis, TN (05/01/1967-09/13/1968); Nashville, TN (05/01/1967-09/13/1968); Columbia Studios, Nashville, TN (09/10/1965-11/19/1968); Memphis, TN (09/10/1965-11/19/1968); Nashville, TN (09/10/1965-11/19/1968); Columbia Studios, Nashville, TN (09/13/1967); Memphis, TN (09/13/1967); Nashville, TN (09/13/1967). Personnel: Joe Tex (vocals); Lee Royal Hadley (guitar); Excell Dorsett, Miller Sam (tenor saxophone); Glenn Barbeaux (baritone saxophone); Johnny Whitrack, Gabriel Flemming, Emile Hall, Sammy Coleman (trumpet); J. Alfred Cook (electric bass); Clyde Williams (drums). Liner Note Author: Clive Richardson .