Ben E King - Original Album Series CD

Original Album Series buy CD music Part druggy experiment, part musical rivalry with the Fab Four, and a total anomaly in the Rolling Stones' catalogue, THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST contains at least three trippy classics in "Citadel," "She's a Rainbow," and "2000 Light Years From Home." That it also contains an extensive sample of Bill Wyman snoring and an eight-minute stoned jam that begins with the timeless phrase "Where's that joint?" is a measure of SATANIC MAJESTIES' breadth of genius and folly. There's a lot going on here--try comparing the wayward Eastern atmospheres of "Gomper" to anything on BEGGAR'S BANQUET, and marvel that you're listening to the same band. The fact that Jagger and Richards could still come up with the unimpeachably charming "She's a Rainbow"--baroque pop at its finest--and a fair stab at heavy R&B in "The Lantern," while attempting to negotiate the band's rocky passage through Flower Power is a tribute to their vision, their perseverance, and their drugs of choice. Additional personnel includes: J.P. Jones (strings); Nicky Hopkins (piano). With Holographic Cover. The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger (vocals); Bill Wyman (vocals, bass); Keith Richards (guitar, background vocals); Brian Jones (guitar, various instruments); Charlie Watts (drums).

Original Album Series songs Steve Cropper has said in numerous interviews that his main influence as a guitarist was Lowman Pauling, chief songwriter, arranger, and axeman of North Carolina's 5 Royales, a '50s-era group that wedded doo wop, jump blues, gospel, and jazz in an R&B style that scored them numerous hits throughout the 1950s. The 5 Royales also featured lead vocalist Johnny Tanner (and occasionally younger brother Eugene) supported by backing singers Otto Jeffries, Jimmy Moore, and Obadiah Carter. Cropper was approached by producer Jon Tiven (who he'd previously worked with on the first of his two collaborations with Felix Cavaliere) about collaborating on a tribute album to the 5 Royales, and jumped at the chance. Dedicated: A Salute to the 5 Royales, which represents the latest chapter in a late-career resurgence for Cropper, one of the most influential soul guitarists in history, combines the talents of a red hot studio band -- Cropper, bassist David Hood, keyboardist Spooner Oldham, percussionist Steve Ferrone, drummer Steve Jordan, and Neal Sugarman and Tiven on horns. In addition, Cropper and Tiven enlisted a stellar group of vocalists to perform 5 Royales standards: Lucinda Williams, Sharon Jones, Bettye LaVette, Delbert McClinton, Willie Jones, B.B. King, Shemekia Copeland, Buddy Miller, Dan Penn, Brian May, Steve Winwood, John Popper, and Dylan LeBlanc, fronting a great cast of backing singers. Despite the historic material and arrangements, Dedicated is a decidedly contemporary recording in production, saving it from the dubious fate of numerous other tribute albums that seek to re-create the actual vibe of original recordings. It begins with an excellent rendition of "Thirty Second Lover" featuring Winwood, but, fine as it is, it's a teaser for what's to come. LaVette and Willie Jones tear up "Don't Be Ashamed." On "Dedicated to the One I Love," Williams literally sends shivers up and down the spine as she uses her gauzy, slow, emotive voice to wrench every ounce of emotion from the verses -- with Penn adding another dimension to them on the bridge. Speaking of Penn, an excellent but reluctant lead singer, his reading of "Someone Made You for Me" is one of the most unexpectedly endearing performances on the set. McClinton's "Right Around the Corner" puts these rhythm & blues in the heart of honky tonk country. The back-to-back readings of "Messin' Up" by Jones and "Say It" by LaVette come close to stealing the show -- but Williams still holds on with the title track and her searingly naked "When I Get Like This" as the closer. Cropper also takes a couple of economical but stinging instrumental breaks on "Help Me Somebody" and "Think" that reveal the depth of Pauling's genius as well as his own. Given what a mixed bag tribute albums usually are, Dedicated is not only a surprise for its consistency, but a shining example of what they can -- and should -- be. ~ Thom Jurek Tributee: The "5" Royales. Personnel: Steve Cropper (electric guitar); Jon Tiven, Neal Sugarman (tenor saxophone); Spooner Oldham (piano, electric piano, organ); David Hood (bass guitar); Steve Ferrone (drums, percussion); Steve Jordan (drums). Liner Note Author: Jon Tiven. Recording information: Better Songs & Gardens; Digital Insight Studios, Las Vegas, NV; Duck Productions; Hormone Studios; Insomnia Studios; The Hanbledzoin Factory, NYC; Wincraft Studios, UK; Your Place, Glendale, CA. Photographers: David Alan Kogut; Carole Friedman; Antoine Sanfuentes; Jol Dantzig; Billy Block; Matt Rogers.

Original Album Series album for sale Track Listing of songs: DISC 1: STEAL AWAY: You Better Move On; Laugh It Off; Night Rumble, Pt. 1; Everybody; I Hope They Get Their Eyes Full; Steal Away; Let Them Talk; Hold What You've Got; Man is a Mean, Mean Thing [Alt], A; Fortune Teller; Funny Style; Almost Persuaded; Too Much; Keep On Talking; Searching For My Love; Wish You Didn't Have To Go; Let's Do It Over; Neighbor, Neighbor; Feed the Flame; I'm Your Puppet; I Can't Stop (No, No, No); Gonna Make You Say Yeah; Two In the Morning; Why Not Tonight; Land of 1000 Dances; DISC 2: SLIPPIN' AROUND: You Left the Water Running; Shot of Rhythm & Blues, A; Slippin' Around With You; Without a Woman; Sweet Soul Music; Thread the Needle; I Never Loved a Man (the Way I Love You); Miss You So; You Put Something On Me; Tell Mama; Keep Your Cool; Cheater Man; Don't Make Me Hate Loving You; Everytime; I Stayed Away Too Long; As Long As I Got You; Don't Lose Your Good Thing; Slip Away; Do Right Woman, Do Right Man; Once In a While (is Better Than Never At All); Thief In the Night; Take Me Just As I Am; Why Don't You Try Me; Search Your Heart; Ten Miles High; DISC 3: GET INVOLVED: Lady In the Rain; Hey Jude; Another Man's Woman, Another Woman's Man; Snatching It Back; I Got You Babe; Wanted: Lover (No Experience Necessary); Find 'Em, Fool 'Em and Forget 'Em; I'm Just a Prisoner (of Your Good Lovin'); Grits and Gravy; One Bad Apple; I'd Rather Go Blind; Take Me Back; Walk a Mile In My Shoes; Patches; Fancy; Double Lovin'; Greenwood, Mississippi; What Color is Love; Bring It On Home To Me; I Can't Let You Break My Heart; Back Road Into Town; Thanks I Get For Loving You, The; Get Involved; Put On Your Shoes and Walk; You Better Move On;