I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (20 June, 1995)
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Editorial Review

This is the album on which Aretha finds her voice. She'd previously recorded for another label, but this Atlantic debut created the sound that has come to define her. The tracks read like a greatest hits collection: "Respect," "Do Right Woman, Do Right Man," "Dr. Feelgood," "Baby, Baby, Baby," "A Change Is Gonna Come," and the title track. She's alternately pumped full of soul or scraping her inner being to find more. A classic. --Robert Gordon ... Read more

Reviews (23)

the Queen, indeed
So much has been written about this album that it's really tough to add anything new. And the term "classic" is thrown around so much these days that it's hard to put it into any useful perspective. But the bottom line is this: any serious fan of music should have a copy of this; it trascends all labels, all boundaries. It is a must have. And there is a reason Rolling Stone Magazine gives this 5 stars and calls this "the Best Soul Album Ever Recorded" ( it says so right on the cd package.) From the instantly recognizable sass and strut of "Respect", to the blues belter "Dr Feelgood", through the Bossa Nova-flavoured"Don't Let Me Lose This Dream", every song is a winner.Miss Franklin even had a hand in writing severalof the tracks on this album, showing she is much more than just "the world's greatest soul singer." There are more classic songs on this album than you can shake a stick at. Just read the tracklisting and see for yourself. Franklin is backed by the Muscle Shoals house band on this album, although only one song ( the incredible title track ) was recorded entirely in the famous Alabama studio, and they really deliver the goods. As good as some of her mostly overlooked Columbia Records material was ( and a lot of it was very good, although it was more "adult" in that it was more jazz oriented ) her Atlantic debut has a passion -grit and soul- that had never before been captured on tape. And Franklin has a gift of interpretation ( only hinted at during her 5 years with Columbia Records, where she mostly sang big band, jazz, blues, soul and pop covers, as well as a small handfull of self-penned originals ) that is unequaled in the world of popular music. Her covers ofOtis Redding's "Respect, of "Drown In My Own Tears" ( previously recorded by both Dinah Washington and by Ray Charles ) and of Sam Cooke's beautiful ballad "A Change Is Gonna Come" make you forget the orginals. The Reign Begins Here.

You Are Not A Critic Unless You Praise This Album!
I don't really know how to put this amazing classic into aspect,all I can say is it is amazing,and I'm actually kind of sure that's all that needs to be said.Aretha's voice,the catchy songs,the meaningful tracks,and,most importantly,the soul.This album is just breathtaking,the most breathtaking tracks being the singles,which is almost every single track on the album.This album contains classics such as the mega-hit "Respect",the vocal-filled title track,"Do Right Woman,Do Right Man"...and everything else,for that matter.I don't have a verdict for this album,but I clearly don't need one.Just buy it while you are still alive!

A Chiseled-In-Stone Masterpiece
Like `nevermind' below, I too worry about my command of English in assigning this album its propers. Released March 10, 1967 (as Atlantic LP No. 8139), less than three months before the Beatles magnum opus, "I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You," is the equivalent in the soul music realm as "Sgt. Pepper" is in rock and roll. It's as simple as that.Hard to believe now, isn't it, that "Respect" waited in the album for single release (as Atlantic 2403) until April 16th?!

I confess that as a 13-year-old in 1967,I somehow missed the chart run of the title song, which came first. But "Respect" was simply a song NO ONE could ignore or dislike. It crossed all cultural, racial, gender and age barriers as a song urging one to confident self-assertion, and still does.The company's honchos must have been thrilled that early summer of 67 when "Respect," along with the Young Rascals "Groovin'," kept Atlantic releases owning the top of the pop chart for six consecutive weeks.

A startlingly brilliant artist had arrived and minted me as one more fan that spring as the trees blossomed. Aretha is going to be 62 this year and I'll be 50, but she can still count on my money. This is the album that started it all, and if it's possible that you have no Franklin material in your collection, this is the place you MUST start. ... Read more

Asin: B0000033IS
Subjects:  1. Deep Soul    2. Memphis Soul    3. Pop    4. R&B    5. Soul    6. Southern Soul    7. United States of America   

Time Is on My Side
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (05 November, 1996)
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Reviews (1)

The best of early Irma Thomas - but check the rest!!!
Early 1960's were most commercially visible times for then-young Irma Thomas whose voice I found irresistible,but as this compilation shows,she actually just got better and better though the years.From the start Thomas had a certain earthiness about her and while other,better-selling names used vocal histrionics as their trade-marks,Thomas sound like real person who cries and cracks jokes.Her original "Time Is On My Side" sounds so much better than later-covered "Rolling Stones" hit and there are many gems here to be found,but her early singles were just embrio of future Thomas: check "Look Up" on which Allen Toussaint ferocious piano in background actually eclipses the singer.As good as this compilation of her early music is,Irma Thomas singing showed much more depth throught the next 30 years and while she never got close to succes of "Breakaway" (1963.),her recent albums are real Irma Thomas at her artistic peak.Woman frozen in time on this CD was a young,fresh-voiced talented singer who had big hits back then but her voice sounds much much better today - and no hits anymore. ... Read more

Asin: B0000013B0
Sales Rank: 77791
Subjects:  1. New Orleans R&B    2. Pop    3. R&B    4. Rock    5. Soul   

Otis Blue: Sings Soul
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (11 June, 1991)
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Editorial Review

Otis Blue has always been that rarest of beasts: a '60s soul album that could actually have been made as an album, rather than as a slapdash assortment of singles and fillers. The point being that there is no filler among these eleven classic Redding tracks that range from the crisp stomp of "Respect" and the Stones' "Satisfaction" to the touching pop of the Temps "My Girl" and Sam Cookes "Wonderful World"--not forgetting, of course, the heart-rending anguish of "Ole Man Trouble" and "I've Been Loving You Too Long." Otis Blue captures Redding at the very peak of his raw, unpolished powers, with the peerlessly punchy backing of Booker T. and the MGs. --Barney Hoskyns ... Read more

Reviews (16)

Essential Sounds From The Late, Great Soulmaster
If ever there was an artist that knew how to put everything humanely possible into their musical performance, it was Otis Redding.Just take one listen to OTIS BLUE and you will know exactly what "it" is supposed to be all about.Every track here resonates with vitality and purpose, displaying the prodigious talents that Otis left with us.Of course there are classics here penned by the man himself ("Respect," "Ole Man Trouble," and "I've Been Loving You Too Long"), but of equally impressive measure was Redding's ability to interpret others' compositions ("Satisfaction," "Rock Me Baby," etc.) with such flare and dynamism, squarely marking them as his own.Armed with his sensual, yet markedly raw and raspy vocal attack, Redding sounds equally at home performing heart-stirring ballads as he does at stamping out fiercely emphatic upbeat tunes.While today's "soul" music seems to be more about seduction, Otis Redding's music was always about personal conviction and unbridled sincerity. If you aren't moved by this music, you might want to check your pulse.This essential collection easily transcends all musical confines and leaves behind little doubt that Otis Redding was one of the most important and gifted artists we've ever witnessed.

Geatest record of all time?
I will never get bored of listening to this record. A fantastic selection of songs, beautifully arranged, sung by one of the greatest soul voices, and played by one of the greatest bands. If you don't already own it, you should.

Otis Redding defines soul music
This is soul in its purest most un"pop"ed form. Sam Cooke, along with a couple others, may have invented soul but Otis defined it most thoroughly and was the first to "take it and run with it." Turn it up loud and check that guitar on "Rock Me Baby"But the stand out here is Otis's rendition of Sam Cooke's "A Change is Gonna Come." You could argue that Otis's version is just as or maybe even more powerful than the original....Now that's saying a lot. But those are just two tracks check out all of this album, there is only one problem I have with this album and that is that this version of "Ole Man Trouble" is not the best one. The better version is on a greatest hits collection called "The Ultimate Otis Redding" although the sound on that release is awful, that version of the song is unbelievable.... ... Read more

Asin: B000002IHD
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. R&B   

Call Me
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (08 February, 1994)
list price: $11.98
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Editorial Review

Call Me is the masterpiece from America's last great soul singer, a vulnerable, sensual, spiritual, and sexy album. Sent soaring by the bluesy accents of the Memphis Horns and held to Earth by the rock-solid, wide-open groove of drummer Al Jackson, the subject here is nothing less than Green's soul, a battle expressed beautifully in his otherworldly voice--crying and praying on the title track, despairing on his cover of "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," both bitter and resigned on his version of "Funny How Time Slips Away"--a voice as true as anything short of heaven. And on the closing "Jesus Is Waiting," we even get to hear that. --David Cantwell ... Read more

Reviews (15)

Al Green still on top with album #5
Al Green was on top form in the early 70s, and with 1972s 'Call Me' was riding high off four classic soul albums and a string of hit singles. This album is one of the best. Both the title track and 'Here I Am' are all time classic jams, and the rest of the album follows suit with soft yet gritty, soul stirring slow burners, perfect for any mood be it early in the morning or late at night in the dark.

That whole dusty, southern sound is very present here, and the lyrics are knowledgable, deep & true. Als vocals are impressive and the overall vibe here is firey! An essential piece from Al Greens classic early 70s back catalogue.

Keepin' my pimp game tight ri'chere...
Al Green is the master of rubbery, slow-burnin' SOUL music.But y'all already knew that.What y'all might not realize is how Al done got heavenly on this one right here; he was churchin' up the romance an' bedroom music an' turnin' it into a spiritual thang.These is some'a the sweetest melodies he's ever produced, backed by the mos' restrained yet full orchestration.What set Al apart from his peers was his sparseness an' his simplistic approach to soul music.He brought grit to the beautiful harmonies as is evidenced on 'Have You Been Making Out O.K.' an' the normally country-western standard 'I'm So Lonesome I Cry' which Al turns into a silken R&B ballad of heartbreak.I like the bluesy organ-riffin' joint 'Here I Am (Come And Take Me)', 'specially the way he switches the tempo on the hook; brilliant.In speakin' 'bout Al gettin' heavenly, he even had the balls to close the album with a flat-out song'a praise to the Lord called 'Jesus is Waiting'.

I can't never decide on my favorite album of his; is' always a toss up between this an' 'I'm Still in Love With You'.But he straight BRANGS it on both of 'em so I'd recommend checkin' 'em both out.Any music fan needs at least one Al Green disc in their collection.Of you shouldn't call yourself a music fan.

THE MAN
AL GREEN IS THE MAN.TO ME, HE IS THE GREATEST SOUL SINGER OF ALL TIME.THIS IS THE ALBUM THAT I THINK IS HIS SECOND BEST ALBUM.IT HAS HITS SUCH AS CALL ME, YOU OUGHT TO BE WITH ME, AND HERE I AM.IT ALSO HAS SUCH CLASSICS AS "HAVE YOU BEEN MAKING OUT O.K." AND YOUR LOVE IS LIKE THE MORNING SUN.THE OTHER FOUR SONGS ARE GREAT TOO, NOT ONE SORRY SONG ON THIS ALBUM.ANY TRUE AL GREEN OR SOUL MUSIC FAN SHOULD GET THIS ALBUM. ... Read more

Asin: B000002TP3
Subjects:  1. Memphis Soul    2. Pop    3. Pop-Soul    4. R&B    5. Smooth Soul    6. Soul    7. Vocals   

The Best of Jerry Butler [Rhino]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $13.98
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Reviews (8)

Probably the best single CD collection
Because Butler has changed labels several times over his 4 decade long career, it's pretty well impossible to get EVERYTHING on 1 disc due to licensing issues. This one does about as good a job as I've seen though:

All his most well-known crossover hits are here: "Moon River" (the definitive version of the tune...sorry Mr. Williams), "He Will Break Your Heart","Make it Easy on Yourself", his duet with Betty Everett for a great cover of the Everly Brothers "Let it Be Me", and soul classic "For Your Precious Love" (with the Impressions). Late 60s comeback pop hits "Hey, Western Union Man" and "Only the Strong Survive" are a bit murkier in many oldies fans memories, but they're nonetheless great songs that deserve to be remembered.

Outside of those, you get several tunes that did well on R&B charts if more unknown to pop fans: Top 10 hits "Find Another Girl","I'm a Telling You", and "Never Give You Up". The only omission from the 50s/60s era is top 10 hit "Are You Happy?" from 1967. (His latter-day 70s stuff isn't here either...probably because of licensing..but you can get that on the Millennium collection)

Add to that the usual fantastic Rhino job of remastering and liner notes and you have as close to the definitive Jerry Butler single CD compilation as exists for the time being.

Very good choice of songs
Excellent collection of the Ice man on VeeJayrecords. It only overlaps on 2 songs with his Mercury Very Best compilation.
Only 4 stars because of the sound quality, it could be very much better.

Smooth as silk but some material is marginal
Being too young to know the complete library of Jerry Butler tunes I can only comment on what has been included on this disc.Suffice it to say that 90% of the tunes are outstanding but there are notable exceptions.That and only that is what brings the rating down to 4 stars.

Jerry's performances are flawless.His voice is fluid, soulful, and evocative.But even Henry Aaron couldn't hit a home run every time he came to the plate.If a few of the cuts (primarily) at the end of this compilation had been left off I would have rated this as a five star disc.

And I would invite more traditional music (non R&B) fans to take a listen.For the material within is appealing to both fans of soul and the more traditional.

I find myself coming back to this collection very often and singing along with these reflective songs of simplicity, beauty and longing that seems to have only existed in my memory. ... Read more

Asin: B00000348Y
Sales Rank: 111270
Subjects:  1. Chicago Soul    2. Northern Soul    3. Pop    4. Pop-Soul    5. R&B    6. Rock    7. Soul    8. United States of America    9. Uptown Soul   

The Poet [Razor & Tie]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (29 October, 1993)
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Reviews (1)

"If you think you're lonely" moves one to spirituality
"If you think you're lonely now" elicits the soul renching inner being of Bobby.If you lsten carefully, his message in the song is delivered with the conviction of a master. ... Read more

Asin: B000002Z7X
Sales Rank: 9958
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. Quiet Storm    3. R&B    4. Smooth Soul    5. Soul   

Talking Book
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Audio CD (21 March, 2000)
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Editorial Review

The two No. 1 hits from this 1972 album perfectly illustrate the contrasting sides of Wonder's complex personality. "Superstition" is a strong rocker, a paranoid bit of wah-wah guitar funk that's as persistent as the best punk music; the opening track, "You Are the Sunshine of My Life," is a pure love song that would sound corny coming from any other voice. A hint of bitterness, perhaps owing to Wonder's then-dissolving marriage, gives Talking Book its edge. But overall it's obsessed with love, and while "Sunshine" is still one of the singer/keyboardist's most beloved songs, the closing "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" is much deeper and more rewarding. --Steve Knopper ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (54)

Words can't describe how incredible this CD is
When you think about the fact that Stevie was so young when he wrote this music, that he was taking huge artistic risks, that he was talking about serious things in serious ways while fluff abounded around him makes this album that much more significant. He didn't just write love songs; he infused deep, soul-wrenching emotion into them. I dare you to say you don't get goose pimples listening to "You and I" or "You are the sunshine of my life." On the flip side, songs like "Superstition" and "Maybe Your Baby" shows how he can jam hard-core. The brother is bad! And let's not forget the fabulous players on this record - Ray Parker, Jr. on "Maybe Your Baby" or Jeff Beck on "Looking for another Love," to name a couple. Stevie's music is incomporable, and he is a rare musical genius. This CD is a fabulous representation of what amaster songwriter can produce. You should check it out.

..blame it on the sun:rays of sunshine:stevie's golden sun..
just seven months after the release of his inaugural new era album "music of my mind"the musical genius stevie wonder comes back with the second installment of his new era "talking book" (an album that was born from his opening new era album "music of my mind"in the same year of 1972)...but with "talking book" wonder's expression of musical creativity is an expansion from "music of my mind" but this time around there is more depth,power and brilliance.wonder's freedom of expression is all the more remarkable demonstrated by the striking album cover photograph."talking book"is the first album cover in wonder's career of which he is photographed(by robert margouleff)in complete freedom:he is sitting on god's natural earthground draped in a long flowing reflective brownish metallic silk outfit(which is reminiscent of the silk that our black kings and queens wore centuries ago.)he is also without his trademark dark shades,and showcasing the powerful afrikan braided hairstyle-which in itself is a political social statement from stevie that he is proud of his black afrikan roots.and like it's predecesor before it("music of my mind")"talking book"was recorded at jimi hendrix's electric ladyland studios in new york-and other studios as well including air studios in london/crystal studios and the record plant both in los angeles,california.wonder again teamed up with the experts of the synthesizer sound-robert margouleff and malcolm cecil.on the album "talking book"wonder again applies another first in his brilliant career.the opening track 'you are the sunshine of my life'(with it's gorgeous opening chords is perhaps one of the most famous opening chords in music history)is the first song in wonder's career where he utilized 2 other vocalists:jim gilstrap sings the first 2 lines...and then comes the beautiful soft voice of gloria barley as she sings the next 2 lines 2 lead off the beginning of the track while wonder himself would be the third and final vocalist.although the song is only 2:45 seconds long it is one of the greatest lovesongs of all-time.who could 4get these famous lines?'you are the sunshine of my life,that's why i'll always stay around-you are the apple of my eye,forever you'll stay in my heart'/...however,when wonder released the song as a single there were horns on the single version.the horns were added 2 the single version 2 give the song more vibrance while the album version has a more laid back relaxed feel 2 it.on 'maybe your baby'wonder takes his hardfunk 2 another level.his opening synthesizer blast on this cut is so damn funkafied it almost renders the other funky cut on this album'superstition'obsolete.'maybe your baby'has a groove that is so mean that it makes'superstition'sick!!!six minutes and forty-five seconds of wonder giving up the high octane funk!!!the song's message is in the madness:anger at a woman who walked out on him and she made plans with another man.thus this event devastated him and whence the morning came of which wonder vocalizes:'in the mornin'when i've got a heartache/i can't call up the doctor for help/'cause the only person that could ever do me any good/is steppin' out with my best friend'...resentment set in and the angry 'maybe your baby done made some other plans'chorus lines are becoming of rage because of a cheating lover.also featured in the song is ray parker jr's funkafied guitar attack.(could wonder's speeded up vocals later in this song be a later future influence 4 prince?)/'you and i'(we can conquer the world)is one of wonder's most compelling and beautiful ballads.the song employs wonder's synthesizer current and beautiful piano playing.it is a very beautiful lovesong 4 a man and woman who are in love with each other.this is a lovesong of wedding bliss of which wonder intones these romantic lyrics 4 his woman:'here we are on earth together-it's you and i-god has made us fall in love,it's true-i've really found someone like you'...the near conclusion of this loveballad tugs at the heart of lovers who want love that is unconditional:'i only pray that i have shown you a brighter day/because that's all that i'm living for,you see/don't worry what happens to me'...i need no further in discussing the beauty of this song it speaks 4 itself...'tuesday heartbreak'is a moderately upbeat song about love specifically about heartbreak:because his woman has found another man.despite this unfortunate situation,he still wants 2 be with her when she's all alone whether it's the daytime or nightime occurrence...'you've got it bad girl'(a mellow cut)with lyrics written by yvonne wright and music written by stevie himself,is a song about a man's obsession 2 capture the love of a woman whom he so desires,but she is reticent and rejects true love that is staring right in her face of which wonder explains:'you know the plans i am making/are intended to capture you/so you practice false reactions,to delay the things i do,foolish you'...'superstition'is the first official song when i really became aware of stevie wonder when i was a 8 or 9 year old child back in 1972.my sweet mother liked it so much that she bought it on a 45 of which she let me have it that i still have 2 this day.'superstition'which was the first single release from "talking book" was a good and bad omen for stevie when it first came out as a single release.wonder had originally written the song for the legendary guitarist jeff beck(whom wonder had met in london where they had jammed 2gether doing music)first the good omen:this central anthem of funk 'superstition'(with it's powerful classic drum intro plus clavinet perfomed by wonder)went all the way to number one on both the r&b and pop charts in december,1972 which contained the key lines of the song:'when you believe in things that you don't understand,then you suffer,superstition ain't the way'...second the bad omen:it was also around the same time wonder was recording 'superstition'-jeff beck was also recording his version of wonder's tune.wonder begged motown not 2 release his version because it would cause a conflict between him and jeff beck.motown told stevie:'man are you crazy?'and sure enough motown released wonder's version of 'superstition'and when it was getting close 2 topping the charts,naturally jeff beck was fuming in a music interview.wonder knew beck would react angrily in this situation.both wonder and beck were involved in a feud over the song.the situation was solved when wonder wrote 2 songs for beck.later,and afterwards beck knew motown had made the right decision in releasing wonder's version of the song.'big brother'is one of wonder's early political songs in his new era.this clavinet driven cut has very powerful lyrical overtones of social decay:'my name is secluded,we live in a house the size of a matchbox,roaches live with us wall to wall'...and mentioning true prophet leaders being killed-and the true masses are hurting that the true prophets are gone and at the song's conclusion the true masses inform the evil doers that they are inviting thier country 2 their own final doom 2 fall.but my all-time personal favorite cut on this classic album is the very mellow emotional 'blame it on the sun'...with the lyrics written by the beautiful syreeta wright and the music written by wonder himself of which stevie plays all the instruments on the song.'blame it on the sun'comes 2 life as a visual still life inside the album cover that features a silhouette profile image of wonder at the early dawning of a new morning day as the sun is in it's shinning dawn beginning underneath a pleasing cool bluesky.this brilliant photographic image fits 'blame it on the sun'perfectly more than any other song on this classic album.in the song,wonder delivers his serious but heartfelt compassion about isolation,love that is lost that went astray(or could it be about the painful breakup between him and syreeta?)the song's heartfelt compassionate lyrics and the sad but beautiful melody is one 4 the ages:'where has my love gone?/how can i go on?/it seems dear love has gone away./where is my spirit?/i'm nowhere near it,oh yes my love has gone astray./but i'll blame it on the sun,the sun that didn't shine.....i'll blame it on the tide and the sea,but my heart blames it on me....who poured the love out?what made this bitter doubt? is peace not here for me to see???this song has so much feeling and compassion,that it is beyond emotion.'looking for another pure love'is another mellow cut about heartbreak and also trying 2 regain love.the song also features jeff beck with a nice guitar solo part.'i beleive'(when i fall in love it will be forever)is the final cut that speaks of life's peaks and valleys and 2 fall in love again 4 good and ending with god answering prayers in this song of emotional pain and 2 regain life on solid spiritual ground.the music on this song starts quietly and as the music progresses,wonder's voice is with powerful conviction alongside the music that progressively finishes very strong- giving "talking book" (released in late october,1972)a very powerful ending.stevie wonder's enduring talent shines with each of his monumental seventies releases."

Stevie on 'The Next Level'
Having finally been allowed the freedom to record the kind of music he wanted to with 1971s 'Music Of My Mind', Stevie Wonder came back in 1972 to build on that foundation with 'Talking Book'.

This album is another great capsule of Wonders inventive & individual style. The man really had a style all to himself back then & with this album takes himself to the next level. 'You Are The Sunshine Of My Life' is a classic love groove that kicks things off, and 'Superstition' rides one of the greatest guitar riffs that was ever recorded. From front to back the production is awesome, slick keyboard melodies & guitars, with bongo-based beats. My personal cut has to be the bouncy 'Maybe Your Baby', a great fonk number. 'Big Brother' is another inventive cut with its heavy drums and harmonica based groove.

Stevie Wonders sound is just undeniable to me. The man created an awesome body of work in the 70s and this is another of those classic Must Own albums. ... Read more

Asin: B00004S36A
Subjects:  1. Album Rock    2. Funk    3. Motown    4. Pop    5. Pop-Soul    6. Pop/Rock    7. R&B    8. Soul    9. United States of America   

The Birth Of Soul : The Complete Atlantic Rhythm & Blues Recordings, 1952-1959
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (01 October, 1991)
list price: $39.98
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Editorial Review

Though this is not the most recent Ray Charles box set collection, it may be the best. That's because it focuses on Ray's great growth in the 1950s, particularly his days with Atlantic Records. The set opens with Ray still in a Charles Brown, smooth-voice, mellow-piano mode, but in short order, he discovers his own identity. From the good time of "It Should Have Been Me" on disc one, though the orgiastic "What'd I Say, Parts 1 & 2" on disc three, the man they call "The Genius" rocks, rolls, raises the rafters, and sinks way down low with the blues. This box also features an excellent essay by the late music historian, Robert Palmer. --Robert Gordon ... Read more

Features

• Box set

Reviews (17)

This is the best box set ever made!
I have owned this box set for over 10 years now.I listen to all the time.I still get goosebumps everytime I hear the R&B that Ray defined.It covers the Atlantic time period where Ray finds his own and sets the goal for anyone and everyone to follow.You will never regret buying this set.I am buying another box set because I just know that I will burn the bits right off these. Can't live with out it!

Who Was Listening?
I was.I was just a kid, but there was a radio station, black-owned and black-operated, that played these songs.It was exciting and a little scary for me but not to be ignored.The mainstream stations played Sammy Kaye, Guy Lombardo, some Sinatra.The country stations, well, they played country music, some good and memorable, a lot not good.Times have changed several times over since then, but I can recall most of the songs on this great package.I can recite all of the best ones, but I invite you to buy it for yourself and listen.This is the essence of Ray Charles before he went exploring virtually every corner of the world of music which started in earnest after, well, "What'd I Say?". How great it must have been sitting in some fried chicken shack and listening to these tunes.It was a whole different time. But, darn, I was just a kid.

A Landmark in American Music
A lot of people like Ray Charles for a lot of reasons. This collection is why I love him. It finds Ray defining Rhythm and Blues in the 1950s.

The recordings here represent what I consider his golden period with Atlantic. It is prior to his move to other record labels and his experiments with country and pop standards. This is good old R&B. As I said before, it defines the genre in the 1950s as far as I'm concerned. There are few instrumentals; most tracks include vocals, and Ray's voice is in incredible form throughout, rasping, moaning, groaning, and all. A mention must also be made of the distinctive tenor sax work throughout of long time sideman, David "Fathead" Newman.

The music and Ray's voice here have a visceral quality and richness which waned, in my opinion, after Ray's Atlantic years. Later, although Ray remained one of America's greatest musicians, he became increasingly glossy. This is before the gloss. This music has real soul and lots of it.

I have enjoyed this set more than any music I own. If you would like a serious set of goose bumps and hours of enjoyment, I cannot recommend this set highly enough. I own about 25 Ray Charles CDs. I recommend this set hands down above all others.
... Read more

Asin: B000002IRW
Subjects:  1. Jazz Blues    2. Piano    3. Piano Blues    4. Pop    5. R&B    6. Soul    7. United States of America    8. Urban Blues    9. Vocals   

Two Steps From the Blues
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (25 October, 1990)
list price: $9.98
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Editorial Review

Bobby Bland could both comfort and chill, sometimes in the same song. He does so on this undeniably classic album's "Lead Me On," which begins with the line "You know how it feels, you understand / What it is to be a stranger in this unfriendly land" and ends softly two minutes later with the promise "I'll follow you." Such drama, coupled with a mellow soulfulness, is the norm on Two Steps. Bland has been called "the Sinatra of the blues" more than once, and this album is the best explanation ever for that appellation. --Rickey Wright ... Read more

Reviews (15)

I'm one step from the blues
I bought this CD because of the song St. James Infirmary I like it! The remaining songs are good too. Buy it!

Classic album.
Bobby Bland is one of my favourite singers for decades, and on its initial release this album set new standards for R&B singers. Almost every track on this CD is a classic of the genre: "I pity the fool" and "St James Infirmary" could almost be described as "classic classics" they were so definitive at the time. It was such an advance for a blues singer that one reviewer then described it as "two million steps from the blues". Bland went on to become one of the most highly regarded R&Bsingers of his generation, influencing the singing style of later singers like Tyrone Davis.

LOVE this record
These raves are all right on the mark - this is transcendent.Funny thing is, it kind of took me awhile to get it.I liked, but never loved, my lp, but a year or two after getting the cd it all clicked into place. I think sometimes exceptionally profound music takes a while to sink in.I'm sure glad I stuck with this, and trusted all the folks who said it was a classic.It's now a treasured favorite. ... Read more

Asin: B000002P9Y
Subjects:  1. Blues    2. Electric Texas Blues    3. Pop    4. R&B    5. Soul-Blues    6. Texas Blues    7. United States of America    8. Vocals   

Live at Carnegie Hall
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (28 October, 1997)
list price: $9.98 -- our price: $9.98
(price subject to change: see help)
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Editorial Review

Despite the import of the occasion--an October 1972 night at America's most prestigious hall--what really impresses about Bill Withers's Live at Carnegie Hall is the good feeling and sense of interplay passed between the star, his band, and the audience. From the surpassingly casual opening of "Use Me" and its build through eight-plus minutes and an extended ending to the complexity and occasional joy of Withers's socio-personal "Lean on Me," "I Can't Write Left-Handed," and a medley of "Harlem" and "Cold Bologna," Carnegie is an underappreciated document of what for a moment was progressive R&B. Always one of music's most humble performers, Withers quietly, intensely proves his mettle over the length of this one-time double LP.--Rickey Wright ... Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (22)

Best Live CD Ever?
It's very possible. The band is tight. The crowd is really into the performance. The artist gets very personal with background info on the songs. You haven't heard Bill Withers till you listen to this CD. Another reviewer wondered why there was no DVD of this. I second that emotion.

PS-I give this CD 5 Stars. I hit the wrong button!

the best music ever
it's as simple as that: if you like good music, the one that comes from soul and guts, you have to get this album.
forget about style, this ain't typical soul music, or anything that could really be labelled. this music comes from the heart, and can speak to anyone, whatever your taste in music is.
if you already own some bill withers material, you're missing the essential piece: his studio work is great, but bill's voice, his sincerity, his sense of humor, his "fire", all those things are really amplified by his live performance, and his funky, funky band, brings the best possible music to fit his lyrics.
so, to every music listener in the world: whether it's a lovely or a sad day for you ,you'll find in this record something to listen, something that will fit your mood. don't you hesitate, this is forever good music, that will never get old.

Time for the DVD version
What's better than having it on DVD? Should we start a preordering process, to make them realize that it's worth it? ... Read more

Asin: B000002ALR
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. R&B    3. Smooth Soul    4. Soul    5. Urban   

Wheelin' and Dealin': The Definitive Collection
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (26 August, 1997)
list price: $16.98
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Editorial Review

New Orleans native Lee Dorsey spent most of his life working as an auto mechanic--"the best body man in the 9th Ward"--but managed, off and on through the '60s, to knock off some of the greatest R&B performances ever put on record. Dorsey's success came through singles--from 1961's "Ya Ya" to 1966's "Working in the Coal Mine" to "Everything I Do Gohn Be Funky" in 1969--which feature the swaying New Orleans style (made famous by Fats Domino) and Dorsey's silky smooth vocals. Wheelin' and Dealin' includes all the hits, as well as a number of misses, available for the first time on CD. --Roni Sarig ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (3)

I have not heard this CD, but . . .
I have not heard the Lee Dorsey album WHEELIN' AND DEALIN': THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION.But, reading the song titles, how can a "definitive" Lee Dorsey CD exclude his original versions of "Yes We Can" and "Sneaking Sally Through The Alley," which, years later, were hits for the Pointer Sisters and Robert Palmer, respectively?

Human music from the early 60's.
Lee Dorsey's music has something that immediately attracts and appeals. It may be his smooth delivery, the groove, the bluesy New Orleans R&B melodies, the great piano and horn section, the human feeling... Whatever it is - I loved Lee Dorsey when I first heard him on LP 12 years ago, and I love it now, listening and dancing to his songs with my little daughter.
This is a great compilation, great song selection and remastering. The tunes that catch on quickly are "Ya-ya", "Do-Re Mi", "Ride Your Pony", "work", and "Working in the Coal mine". After a few more times, the rest of the songs catch up with these.
This is fun music, groovy and happy. For some reason I wanr my daughter to grow up listening to this stuff rather than what she might hear on MTV.

Guaranteed to make you feel good!
Lee Dorsey is 100%, true, straight from the heart entertainment. There's no one like him. Old folks and children like him, too! ... Read more

Asin: B000002VTM
Subjects:  1. New Orleans R&B    2. Pop    3. R&B    4. R&B/Soul    5. Soul    6. United States of America   

What's Going On
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (07 April, 1998)
list price: $11.98
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Editorial Review

Sly & The Family Stone might have psychedelicized soul music, but Marvin Gaye personalized it. Although the powers-that-were Motown didn't even want to release the record, the unexpected success of What's Going On, issued in 1971, inspired Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, and just about every other black artist on the planet to take greater responsibility for their music and its meaning. Gaye co-wrote the songs and produced the album, flavoring it with layer upon layer of his own multi-tracked vocals, oceans of hand percussion, strings, flutes, and jazzy horn solos. Spacey and loose as a spliff-fueled Sunday afternoon jam in the park, the nine songs all played like a hit single. The title track--inspired by his brother's return from the Vietnam War--and the obvious social commentary of "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" and "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" actually were hit singles. Two other tracks ("Wholly Holy" and "Save the Children") would inspire hit covers by Aretha Franklin and Diana Ross, respectively. Nevertheless, What's Going On sounds as fresh today as it did the week that it came out. Recommended reading: Divided Soul: The Life of Marvin Gaye by David Ritz (McGraw-Hill, 1985). --Don Waller ... Read more

Features

• Original recording remastered

Reviews (133)

Marvin "the prophet"
"What's Going On" is revealing in it's nature, very haunting and true...with this masterpiece Marvin did something that was never before done in the history of pop music culture; following in the footsteps of one of his idols Ray Charles, he mixed his musical roots and sang a sermon that to this day is fresh and powerful.Marvin is the greatest.

Gaye's finest. A REAL soul classic
The reviewer who thinks that the Lighthouse Family (of whom the lead singer marked Gaye as an influnce)is better than this doesn't know what he's talking about.He should stick to his Shakin Stevens and other rubbish like that.Back to this which has been a favorite of mine since 1987 and to say that they don't make music like this anymore is becoming an understatment.This is solid gold soul music worth anything than the likes of 50 Cent.I won't go to detail of this as the other 5 star reviews have done so.Except to say that many of the tracks have been covered by many artists over the years.It's one of the last great Motown recordings to come out of Detriot through their golden years (1963-1971).It's a still an all time classic 34 years on that brings out the best of Gaye,the Funk Brothers and especially one of the worlds greatest bass players, the late great James Jamerson.

An All-Time Classic
Any barebones Marvin Gaye collection should include a good compilation of his 60's hits as well as Let's Get It On and this one.What's Going On found Gaye breaking free from the Motown hit-making apparatus to produce an artistic statement that has since become a cornerstone of R&B and one of the all time great records.It's instructive that only an artist of Gaye's stature was allowed to get away with something like this at the time on Motown.

The title track is one of his greatest and has rightfully become an R&B standard.Gaye's gritty, streetwise lyrics set the tone for what's to come."What's Happening Brother" concerns a dazed and confused returning Vietnam War vet while "Flyin' High (In The Friendly Sky)" is about the dangers of drugs.Considering his own habit and circumstances of his sad demise, it's eerie to hear him sing lines like "I go crazy when I can't get it...the pain, oh the pain."

"Mercy Mercy Me" is another of Gaye's best songs and for me is the high point of the album as Gaye welds a classic and hypnotic beat to ecology-minded lyrics.Another classic hit, "Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)" closes out the set.Despite it's fair share of hits, this record was sequenced so that each song flows into each other, with a singular purpose of music and lyrics that makes it best heard from beginning to end in one sitting.

What's Going On not only pushed the boundries wide open on R&B subject matter, but experimented musically as well.Starting with background "party" sounds and adding bongos, congas and other percussion, full horn and string sections and lush backing vocals make this an almost symphonic form of R&B.

A truly remarkable recording, and quite possibly the best R&B album ever.A must for any comprehensive collection. ... Read more

Asin: B0000060NF
Subjects:  1. Motown    2. Pop    3. Pop-Soul    4. R&B    5. Smooth Soul    6. Soul    7. United States of America    8. Urban    9. Vocals   

Aretha Arrives
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (20 July, 1993)
list price: $11.98
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Reviews (7)

Worth having
Although Aretha's second album is not one of my favorites, ARETHA ARRIVES is worth having.Some of the soul ballads, such as "Never Let Me Go" and "I Wonder, don't have the same force and soulfulness that really gets one feeling as those on the albums Soul 69 and I Never Loved a Man albums.However, on this album is also one of Aretha's best-ever covers--"Going Down Slow."It's refreshing that it's not a love ballad, but about sin and "failing."Considering Aretha's heritage in the Church, the song has all the more weight.The final cry at the end runs straight through the body.Of course on the album there is the sexy, aggressive hit, "Baby, I Love You."The other tracks on the album are good, such as the Rolling Stone's "Satisfaction" and Sinatra's "That's Life," even if they don't let Aretha's talentshine through as brilliantly as some of her other renditions of other artists' work.

Finally Got To Hear this classic!
I own the "Queen of Soul" boxed set & the inclusions from "Aretha Arrives" only whetted my appetite to hear the tracks which were left off.

Wow! Of course, we get the great "Baby I Love You" which has been unfairly overlooked on Oldies Radio who have just about worn out "Respect" & "Think".Her cover of "That's Life" is incredible. Like her Soul Brother, Otis Redding, she tears through "Satisfaction" which sounds like it was tailor made for her."Prove It" is a wonderful ballad which deserves to be heard.To me, it surpasses "Natural Woman", maybe because radio has played "Natural Woman" to death."Never Let Me Go" is a keeper as well!

All the tracks are fine, but for some reason the album doesn't come off as perfect to me which explains my 4 star rating.

Please don't hate me for finding a copy of this CD gem for $2 at my local Used CD Store.I'm thankful for the well-intentioned, but clueless young people who work there & tossed this in their budget bin. I have found other gems there too!

Worth checking out, especially if you aren't up for shelling out big bucks for the boxed set.

Aretha Franklin Aretha Arrives
This Album was released at the beginning of Aretha Franklin's Heyday on Atlantic Records and she was well on her way to becoming an American Icon.A couple of the Albums Highlights are Satisfaction and Baby I Love You ... Read more

Asin: B00000331N
Sales Rank: 17276
Subjects:  1. Deep Soul    2. Pop    3. R&B    4. Soul   

Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures: Taken From Our Vaults, Vol. 1
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (20 May, 1997)
list price: $19.98 -- our price: $19.98
(price subject to change: see help)
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Features

• Import

Reviews (8)

How could I have missed this cd?
How could I have possibly missed this cd? I thought that I was quite an afficionado of soul music, but I have been humbled. I have been brought to my knees.The pulse of soul music is in Dave Godin's fingers. This collection of songs is the reason that I've continued to return to soul music throughout the years. And after listening to this collection, I will never stray far again. I've been purchasing Northern Soul collections for the obscurities, but this cd is in a class of its own.

this is great stuff...................
this is some of the greatest "unknown" soul music ever recorded.If you get this CD plus the "Soul Gems" CD, you've got all the great soul you're ever gonna need......

These are real treasures
I ordered this CD but wasn't sure if the songs would really be all that great. I have a lot of soul music and consider my self quite an expert. Boy was I surprised. Dave Godin is the man. He has found wonderful gems that get better and better with each listening. I have listened to this CD three times over the last few days. I have Vol 2 and 3 still go go.

If you really like deep soul, this is the CD to get. ... Read more

Asin: B0000013BX
Sales Rank: 56308
Subjects:  1. Pop    2. R&B    3. R&B/Soul    4. Soul   

Live at the Apollo [1963]
Average Customer Review:
Audio CD (18 May, 1990)
list price: $11.98
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Editorial Review

Thank God someone thought to record the Godfather in concert at this vital stage of his career--and at the ultimate shrine of black American music, to boot. There is no more exciting document of live performance in the history of R&B: powered by tireless drummer Clayton Fillyau, James Brown and the Famous Flames tear their way through a slew of King hits--from "Please, Please, Please" to "Night Train"--taking soul power to the very edge of gospel abandon in the process. The Apollo audience, hysterical with adulation, plays as big a part in Live at the Apollo as Brown himself. The shrieking buildup and sudden drop down into "Lost Someone" is one of the most heart-stopping moments in soul.--Barney Hoskyns ... Read more

Features

• Live

Reviews (27)

Ol' JB, still kickin' it, The King Of Soul, Mr. PleasePlease
1962 'Absolutely' LIVE At The Apollo, I'd consider the LP and CD as about the BEST by James Brown And The Famous Flames.
Since 'Stereo' was still under development for Rock and Soul in the early 60's, the recording on CD 'SHOULD' be in the original mono.If you have a mixer, or mono capability, try mono.Live At The Apollo rates over '5', it's more near 20, very wild, very LIVE.Absolute MUST for any true music afficianado and collector.Mono for this CD.I've already submitted my mono request to the issuing recording label.Don't miss this title!
"Please, Please, Please, this is one for music history!AA!

"Don't Just Say 'Ow!', Say 'OWWWW!'."
October 24, 1962 is a date that will live in music infamy.For it was then at the midnight show at Harlem's famed Apollo Theater when James Brown recorded the album that fully introduced soul music to America and gave documented proof that he was indeed the greatest showman alive.

The story behind it is well known.Brown had a few R&B hits dating back to 1956, including the 1959 chart topper "Try Me", but was largely unheard of outside young black America and even with that success his singles career was maddeningly inconsistant in terms of sales and even musical direction.But in person it was a different story, for in front of an audience Brown tore it up night after night on the chitlin' circuit, an act no rival wanted to try and follow.It is safe to assume that anyone who saw his show live was instantly a fan for life.

Therefore what he wanted was to record a concert, much like Ray Charles had done at Newport a few years before, that would show people who hadn't yet bought a ticket just what they'd been missing.King Records chief Syd Nathan rejected it flatly, saying - and not without some merit - that albums did not sell well to the generally lower economic strata of R&B fans, and without even a single to garner from it the venture would be foolhardy at best.Naturally Brown ignored this dictive and paid for the recording himself, and thus with his own ego, reputation and perhaps career on the line gave the single greatest performance ever caught on tape.Nathan had no choice but to put it out.

Sales built slowly, spurred on by enormous word of mouth publicity and frequent airings of the entire album on the tiny R&B outposts at the far ends of the AM dial, until it became the "must have" LP of 1963.Consider this: at the time albums were strictly the realm of pop singers.For the year in question only two other rock LP's (both by the Beach Boys) even entered the Top Ten on the album charts, and before that only Elvis Presley among rockers had been able to sell LP's in sufficient quantities to make releasing them worthwhile.For Brown, who was still relatively unknown, singing in a style few Americans had ever heard of or thought possible, to crack that chart, spending a remarkable 66 weeks there and reaching #2 at one point, becoming the 32nd highest selling album of any kind that year, was absolutely inconceivable.To put it bluntly, THIS is what put James Brown on the map and let the world know that soul music, introduced in the early-50's by the "5" Royales, Dominoes and others, honed by Ray Charles in the mid-50's and polished for the masses by Sam Cooke in the late-50's, had a bold new leader.James Brown forever after was Soul Brother Number One.

If you've never heard it you're surely not ready for what awaits you, but that doesn't mean you should avoid it, just don't expect anything specific, for you'll have no reference points to compare it to because it truly is like nothing you've heard before. Frenetic to the point of lunacy, with an almost religious type fervor in the way he puts over the songs in shortened medley-esque fashion, never pausing for a breath, the tight band turning on the dime, high point after high point reached and then broken once again, all culminating in the extended gospel-like reading of the epic ballad "Lost Someone".It is during that performance where he fully hypnotizes the audience and the listener with a repeated desperate plea, as all the suffering, passion and ecstasy of soul music is delivered with a raw, almost naked, grab for their approval.His quavering voice fading with despair into the shadows, as the tension in the crowd rises to unbearable levels, he drains every ounce of emotion he can muster from himself, the song and the masses before suddenly offering release by exploding into "Please, Please, Please" which detonates the crowd like a nuclear bomb before carrying us all home with the chugging farewell, "Night Train".It is truly a one of a kind experience, yet magically one that can be repeated over and over again.

It will almost surely take you many listens to comprehend what is happening.But give it time.Listen to it in the dark, going to bed night after night, imagining yourself in the crowd that cold Wednesday in '62, seeing the future of R&B music unfolding before your eyes.Before long you too will be rhythmically intoning along to Fats Gonder's famed opening, "And now ladies and gentlemen, it's star time... Are you ready for Star Time?!!"

Are you?

This is OK-Vol. 2 is better
This CD is just okay. The early JB ballads are the thing here. Gives you a good idea of a good chitlin' circuit performance as typically done for Black audiecnes in those days with approrpiate audience response. The standouts here include the extended version of "Lost Someone" which leads into "Please Please Please." Even without being able to see the infamous cape routine, it's quite entertaining. But overall, Vol. 2 is better since that CD plays up the more uptempo stuff that put JB on the map. ... Read more

Asin: B000001FWQ
Subjects:  1. Funk    2. Pop    3. R&B    4. Soul