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Lee Hazlewood
Strung Out On Something New: The Reprise Recordings
A curious thing about the legacy of cult weirdo Lee Hazlewood is how it's been shaped by the mere availability -- or better still, the unavailability -- of his material: all of it was difficult to find for a long, long time but as it started to eke out on CD in the late '90s, it was the late '60s and early '70s recordings, even the early sides for MGM, that appeared, never the Reprise Recordings that perhaps accounted for his strongest impression in the public in the '60s. Rhino Handmade rectified this wrong in 2007 with the release Strung Out on Something New: The Reprise Recordings -- subsequently released in a less limited incarnation in the U.K. -- which rounds up all of his Reprise recordings apart from his duets with Nancy Sinatra: the acoustic 1965 LP The N.S.V.I.P.'s, 1966's Friday's Child, 1968's Love and Other Crimes, plus two non-LP singles and a host of Hazlewood productions for other Reprise acts, including Jack Nitzsche, Duane Eddy, Sanford Clark, and Dino, Desi & Billy. There's a little bit of everything that Hazlewood dabbled in here, from ironic folk to spooky symphonic productions, but it mostly lays between those two extremes as he ambles through loping country-rock, tongue-in-cheek blues, weirdly arch supper club jazz, and melodramatic pop. There is much here to appreciate, sonically speaking: Hazlewood was a master of the studio and this was the era when he was at his peak, creating a sound that was super-slick yet strangely otherworldly, but he was arguably at his best when he was crafting these sounds for other artists, which is why it's quite welcome to have Strung Out on Something New filled out with productions. Here, it's possible to appreciate Hazlewood's imagination without (most) of his affectations getting in the way, as they do on his solo Reprise LPs. Certainly there are those who find the folk send-up of The N.S.V.I.P.'s clever and find the Americana of Friday's Child and Love and Other Crimes satiric, not kitsch, but Hazlewood at his heart always was a Hollywood huckster, existing primarily on the surface. This made for a great producer but a problematic recording artist, for his strengths battled his eccentric indulgences equally. For those in the cult, the eccentricities outweigh the indulgences, for those outside looking in, it is merely excessive, but Strung Out on Something New showcases these two tendencies better than any single Hazlewood package, so it's useful as a divining stick to sort out the two camps. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, RoviPerformers: Donnie Owens - Guitar (Rhythm); Chuck Berghofer - Bass; Hal Blaine - Drums; James Burton - Guitar (Electric); Don Randi - Piano
$ 39.98
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Various Artists
Atlantic Vocal Groups 1951-1963
The third in a series of Atlantic R&B box sets from Rhino Handmade, Atlantic Vocal Groups shares its size and scope with its two cousins Atlantic Blues and Atlantic Soul: it's packaged in an old-fashioned LP-sized 12x12 box, spans four discs, and balances classics with collector-bait rarities. In essence, it focuses upon one segment of the classic '80s Atlantic R&B series, stretches it out and expands it. Given that this is a limited-edition set targeted at hardcore collectors, the reliance on familiar hits is a touch disconcerting; anybody looking to sink $80 on this set will already have "One Mint Julep," "Sh-Boom," "Ruby Baby," "Mr. Lee," "Down in the Alley," "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" and "Blue Moon" in their collection, and sneaking sides like "Twist & Shout" doesn't quite feel right, as its too rhythm oriented for this harmony-heavy collection. This might provide some speed bumps but it hardly halts momentum, as Atlantic Vocal Groups piles up gem after gem, ranging from some true obscurities to shining light on such underappreciated treasures from big acts, like the Coasters' "Dance!," which is enough to make this a worthwhile investment for serious fans of doo wop and early rock & roll harmony groups. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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Various Artists
Atlantic Soul: 1959-1975
Way back in 1985, before the CD revolution truly kicked in, Atlantic released the monumental archival project Atlantic Rhythm & Blues: 1947-1974, a seven-volume set of double-albums chronicling the label's crucial role in the development of R&B and soul. Over the course of that set (later condensed to eight CDs) it was possible to hear the music develop from blues into a soul -- an impressive feat as a sheer compilation, one that is even more stunning when it's considered that it all came from one label and its subsidiaries. Atlantic Rhythm & Blues did the job so well that the 2007s set Atlantic Soul: 1959-1975 can't help but pale a little in comparison, as it lacks both the scope and historical heft of its predecessor. Then again, Atlantic Soul doesn't try to supplant Atlantic Rhythm & Blues -- as produced and compiled by Billy Vera, it's intended as a supplement, a way to expand upon the story, fill in a few holes, explore hidden byways left behind by the first set. It's for collectors and fanatics, which should be evident by the very fact that it's released as a limited edition on Rhino Handmade, not a full-fledged release from the boutique imprint's parent label. That very audience should find Atlantic Soul enormously satisfying, although they may still have a few quibbles with some of the details. Some might find the opening triptych from Ray Charles, LaVern Baker & Jimmy Ricks, and Ben E. King to be a shade too heavy on strings, jazz and big bands -- music that sets the stage for '60s soul, yet not quite belonging to it -- some might find this too heavy on covers (albeit good, interesting ones) of pop hits by soul bands, but most will likely wonder why such staples as Otis' "Hard to Handle" and Aretha's "I Say a Little Prayer," King Floyd's "Groove Me," and the Persuaders' "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" are here, as they don't quite fit among the obscure gems that comprise the heart of this set. Such complaints are valid but they're hard to level against a set that offers so much wonderful music, so much of it unfamiliar even to dedicated soul fans. Of course, there are familiar names here -- the Isley Brothers, Don Covay, Wilson Pickett, Clarence Carter, Solomon Burke, Patti LaBelle & the Bluebelles all pop up, often repeatedly -- but Vera picks some of the best unheard sides, pairs them with them cult classics (Mack Rice, Willie Tee, Tommy Hunt, James Carr, Howard Tate), plus some complete unknowns (The Valentinos, C & the Shells, the Ohio Untouchables) and has the generosity to rightly bring in Hall & Oates' "She's Gone" as one of the great soul singles of the '70s. It all adds up to a thoroughly entertaining, enlightening set that may not be as essential to a wide audience as Atlantic Rhythm & Blues, but for anybody who's mesmorized that set, this is a welcome belated sequel. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, RoviPerformers: Joe Morris Orchestra - Vocals
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Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Best Foot Forward [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]
George Sidney's 1943 cinematic adaptation of George Abbott's Broadway smash Best Foot Forward boasts a luminous cast led by Lucille Ball (as herself), who is joined by Tommy Dix (Elwood "Bud" Hooper), Nancy Walker (Nancy), and June Allyson (Ethel) from the original staging on the Great White Way. The plot centers on Ball's visit to the Winsocki Military Academy, an all-male prep school. In search of publicity, she answers Dix's invitation to the campus, albeit unaware that she must be hidden away from the omnipresent faculty, who have roundly rejected a proposal to make her the queen of the upcoming prom. Even as she is prominently featured in the film, Ball's vocals were actually dubbed in by Gloria Grafton. Most significant among the hits spawned by the original dramatization is the "Buckle Down, Winsocki" fight song, reprised by Dix in the movie to equal effect. Likewise, Allyson, Walker, and Gloria DeHaven (Minerva Pierce) illuminate "The Three Bs," as Allyson takes on the mantle of "barrelhouse," Walker demonstrates the "boogie-woogie," and DeHaven personifies the "blues." Another seminal performance presents Walker alongside Harry James & His Orchestra on "Alive and Kickin'." Interestingly, as these were the only two melodies from the motion picture to have been previously issued, the stellar readings of Jeanne Durrell's languid and dreamy ballad "Ev'ry Time" and Dix's romantic confessional "I Know You By Heart" -- each of which is offered in an instrumental form as well -- make their debut release here. Another not to be missed entry finds James directing his band throughout the romping "Two O'Clock Jump" and an insanely swift execution of "Flight of the Bumblebee." Augmenting the contents of Best Foot Forward are four sides from the seemingly disparate Abbott & Costello in Hollywood (1945). The connection -- besides being MGM productions -- is the formidable team of Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, who are arguably best known for their scores to Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) and Good News (1947), garnering respective Academy Award nominations in the Best Song category. While their work with comedic masters Bud Abbott and Lou Costello would not earn similar lauds, Robert Stanton (Jeff Parker) energetically leads the Lyttle Sisters on "I Hope the Band Keeps Playing" and his co-star, Frances Rafferty (Claire Warren), on an extended version of "Fun on the Wonderful Midway." In 2004, Best Foot Forward was made available in a limited-edition pressing of 2,500 copies, making it highly prized for collectors and enthusiasts alike. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide
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Cactus
Fully Unleashed: The Live Gigs, Vol. 2
Considering that the original Cactus lineup only released three studio albums, none of which made much of a dent on the popular consciousness when they were released in the early '70s, there seems to be undue interest in the group's leftovers. This is the third double-disc set within three years from Rhino Handmade on the thudding blues rockers, all of them impressive sellers with the previous volume of live gigs selling out its limited-edition run. While Vol.1 collected performances from the band's early career (including a track from this set), Vol.2 reproduces a single two-hour performance from Cactus' Buffalo appearance on June 26, 1971. Originally recorded by noted engineer Eddie Kramer, the sound faithfully captures Jim McCarty's slashing guitar and Carmine Appice's thumping drums in a concert setting that highlights the band's strengths and weaknesses. Joined on this date by second guitarist Ron Leejack, who had just joined the existing four-piece but didn't last long in the lineup, the sound is fuller, louder and a bit more raucous than Cactus' usual three-piece plus vocal attack. Never the subtlest of acts, the recently expanded five-piece stretches out here, for better or worse, on nearly every track, often pushing the tunes into the excess that the group seemed to thrive on. Guitarist McCarty unleashes his inner Ritchie Blackmore on a solo opening to "Scrambler/One Way...Or Another" and he and drummer Appice were clearly the band's driving forces. Original singer Rusty Day, soon to depart along with McCarty, doesn't have a great voice, but he puts across the songs with passion, and his harp playing, while serviceable at best, adds an edgy bluesy element. The average tune is bloated to about eight minutes with "Oleo" clocking in at over 12, the closing "Evil" extended to 15 (including Appice's nightly drum solo which runs five minutes but seems to be three times as long) and the "Slow Blues (Medley)" unwinding at a third of an hour. All of this is precisely what fans want, even if the band doesn't seem to know when to stop playing. As the only entire performance from the original lineup (plus Leejack) available, it's a solid, sometimes exciting and occasionally excruciatingly overwrought performance. But for the group's cult followers, and there seem to be plenty of them, this is an accurate document of a characteristically sweaty, rip-snorting Cactus show, and presents the act doing what it did best, arguably at the peak of its career. ~ Hal Horowitz, Rovi
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Aretha Franklin
Oh Me Oh My: Aretha Live In Philly, 1972
This nearly hour-long live set captures Aretha Franklin -- the unmitigated Queen of Soul -- during a 1972 appearance at a National Association of Radio and Television Announcers function in the City of Brotherly Love. Franklin was cresting a secondary wave of success thanks to the crossover appeal of Aretha Live at Fillmore West (1971). Plus, her most recent studio offering Young, Gifted and Black (1972) also spawned a pair of Top Ten pop singles -- the funky opener "Rock Steady" and the jazzy "Day Dreaming," the latter of which is linked here in a medley alongside the 1968 hit "Think." Likewise, she combines a verse and chorus of her signature sides "I Never Loved a Man (The Way That I Love You)" and "I Say a Little Prayer"." Best of the lot however is the soul stirring coupling of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "We've Only Just Begun." Franklin's piano playing -- which is somewhat sonically outsized by the backing orchestration -- is infectiously heartfelt. The vocal-less introduction is baptized in Franklin's gospel roots and without having to sing a note, she effortlessly punctuates the familiar melody with her trademark attitude and passion. It is additionally worth noting that Franklin offers fresh arrangements when compared to the performances of the previous year as heard on the aforementioned Aretha Live at Fillmore West. The assembled players shine on the update of Nina Simone's "Young Gifted and Black." Franklin's ferociously funky keys kick start the entire ensemble as they take full advantage of their chance to boogie. As the show winds down, Franklin seems to just be getting to the essence of her musical being. Most notably on the remake of Bobby Womack's "That's the Way I Feel About Cha" -- which is infinitely more impassioned here than the comparatively sterile reading that would turn up on her subsequent odds and sods LP Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky) (1973). Rounding out the evening is the ferocious and frenzied "Spirit in the Dark" as Franklin brings the house down with an intensity that rivals any previously known versions. Even those chronicled on the quadruple-disc Don't Fight the Feeling (2005) package which chronicles every note of the three-night run that yielded Aretha Live at Fillmore West. For Franklin enthusiasts, Oh Me Oh My: Aretha Live in Philly, 1972 is a worthy companion to that equally indispensable artifact. ~ Lindsay Planer, Rovi
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Charles Wright & Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band
Puckey Puckey: Jams And Outtakes 1970-1971
While preparing bonus material for the U.K. editions of six Wright CDs, reissue producer Andy Zax found a wealth of previously unissued tapes. Much of it's contained on this two-CD compilation, and you've got to hand it to Rhino Handmade: few other labels would put out more than two hours of music with such a clearly specialized audience. Most of the 15 tracks are instrumentals (one of them a vocal-less cover of Otis Redding's "Hard to Handle"), and some of them are clearly jams rather than more conventionally structured songs, especially the four long performances (two of them simply titled "Jam #3" and "Jam #2") that comprise the entirety of disc one. Is this for the committed early funk fan? Well, yes and no. For it's kind of like sitting in on an interesting rehearsal in which ideas are forming and arrangements are being refined, but the actual results in almost every case are still some ways from being in their optimal listener-friendly form. For the first disc (and the longer cuts on disc two), the groove is the thing, the band stretching out into outrageously long vamps by the standards of early-'70s soul discs, sometimes clearing the 20-minute mark. While the funky foundation is always impressive, the riffs and changes aren't always as memorable or varied as you'd like, and perhaps best experienced in a go-go-type club environment. As disc two progresses, however, some sharper progressions come into focus, and actual vocals enter the picture on some numbers, most notably an alternate if more basic version of the smash "Express Yourself." You also get an alternate of "Do Your Thing" (though here joined to the less famous tune "Till You Get Enough"), as well as an early version of the non-LP single "Wine" and even a nod to sunny upbeat soul serenades, if of a slightly goofy sort, on "I Love You Girl." As a whole, the package is almost like hearing musicians warm up in their rehearsal space, getting more serious at the end as they prepare either to enter a proper studio or play an important gig. That's not a criticism, but just a caution that it's primarily for serious fans, of Watts or early funk in general, who will dig the process of honing the sound as much or almost as much as the more disciplined results. Clearly marked as jams and outtakes in its title, it also has the usual high standard of packaging you expect from Rhino Handmade, with detailed liner notes. ~ Richie Unterberger, RoviPerformers: Bill Cannon - Tenor (Vocal); John Rayford - Tenor (Vocal), Vocals; Benorce Blackmon - Guitar; Melvin Dunlap - Guitar (Bass); Gabriel Flemings - Piano, Trumpet; James Gadson - Drums, Vocals; Raymond Jackson - Piano, Trombone; Yusuf Rahman - Piano, Trombone; Charles Wright - Guitar, Piano, Vocals
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Various Artists
Live At The Haunted House: May 18, 1968
Between their first and second albums, Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band taped a May 18, 1968 performance at the Haunted House night club in Hollywood for possible future use. Edited versions of a half-dozen of the songs appeared on their 1968 album Together, and an edited version of another ("Bottomless") was issued as a B-side. But this two-CD set, issued on Rhino Handmade a good 40 years later, has about two-and-a-half hours from the performance, with complete and uncut versions of the aforementioned songs. On the one hand, it's a valuable historical document; there aren't all that many live recordings of significant late-'60s soul-funk bands, and this one has both very good sound and very tight performances. On the other hand, it's not the group at their most interesting, since all but three of the songs are covers. Granted, they sound like one of the best cover bands you could have possibly heard at the time, playing with both guts and precision, and taking some liberties (some improvisational) with the source material, though not too drastic or lengthy ones. They're certainly versatile as well, taking on hits from Motown, Stax, James Brown, Sly Stone, the Impressions, Jackie Wilson, and others, as well as the occasional surprise or relatively obscure tune, like Willie Bobo's "Fried Neck Bones" and Otis Redding's "Sweet Lorene." Yet the hit-dominated set list just isn't the place to hear the outfit at their most original and innovative, though they offer fair original instrumentals in Wright's "The Joker" and Gabriel Flemings' "Bottomless." It does, however, also include the jam that grew out of "Funky Broadway," "Do Your Thing," that with some editing turned into their first hit. As usual, Rhino Handmade's packaging of this archival release is excellent, with lengthy historical liner notes. ~ Richie Unterberger, Rovi
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The Doors
Love Death Travel
Rhino Handmade has always had it bad for the Doors. Since they began releasing limited-edition packages over the internet, RH has done more material by the Doors than anybody else, whether it's select live shows during their original run, or creating something like this, the ultimate compilation for Doors freaks. This three-CD-plus-DVD package is broken down thusly: Disc one features the "strongest" of the band's singles (what constitutes "strongest" is not revealed; is it chart position? easiest access? favorites of the compilers? etc.). Discs two and three contain prime choices by the surviving members of the band, which constitutes most of the remainder of the band's catalog. There are 54 cuts in all here; the Doors recorded and released 62 tracks on seven studio albums. Finally, there is the DVD, which is basically a throwaway: three of the best known tracks by the Doors were recorded by contemporary artists and remixed by Paul Oakenfold: "L.A. Woman" (Paul Oakenfold), "Roadhouse Blues" (Crystal Method), and "Break On Through (To the Other Side)" (BT) . There are three other tracks mixed in 5.1 (why didn't they do the entire box this way?) a limited-edition litho by artist OBEY/GIANT, and four photo prints, one of each Doors member. Again, this is pretty much for Doors completists only -- proof in the pudding is that by 2008, this set was sold out of its limited-edition run and is no longer production. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi
3 CD & 1 DVD SET
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Various Artists
Atlantic Blues 1949-1970 (4 Cd)
To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of Atlantic Records, Rhino Handmade is releasing this numbered, limited-edition (of 3000) 4-CD set that collects 80 tracks culled from the label’s first four decades, covering virtually every style of blues imaginable. The set begins with the label’s first hit record, Sticks McGhee’s 'Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee', and never lets up with 'Goodnight Irene' Leadbelly; 'Yancey Special' Jimmy Yancey; 'Tipitina' Professor Longhair; 'After the Lights Go Down Low' Al Hibbler; 'Roll ’Em Pete' Joe Turner; 'Empty Bed Blues' LaVern Baker; 'It’s Too Late' Chuck Willis; 'Ain’t Nobody’s Business' Jimmy Witherspoon; 'Worried LIfe Blues' Ray Charles; 'Call It Stormy Monday' T-Bone Walker; 'Confessin’ the Blues' Esther Phillips; 'Going Down Slow' Aretha Franklin, and more from Freddie King, Otis Rush, Champion Jack Dupree, Floyd Dixon, Guitar Slim and more. Comes inside an LP-sized box with a booklet containing extensive notes and rare photos!
4 CD SET
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Black Oak Arkansas
The Complete Raunch 'N' Roll Live
It can't quite be said that 1973's Raunch 'N' Roll Live is the album that made Black Oak Arkansas -- it did not chart as highly as records that immediately followed it, nor did it have a hit; in fact, it was released a year before they had their first hit single in "Jim Dandy" -- but it is the definitive BOA album, the one that is widely regarded to capture the essence of the band. That's because it did what all good live albums should do: it boiled the group's erratic studio albums down to the best songs, and then it presented the band in full flight. And Black Oak Arkansas was always a band known for its live shows, due as much to the antics of proto-David Lee Roth frontman Jim Dandy Mangrum as due to the group's dirty Southern boogie. It wasn't to everybody's taste -- some loved the sleaze the group spit out, some thought Jim Dandy was jive, some just wished they were as nasty as they wanted to be -- but Raunch 'N' Roll Live was the place to decide whether you liked the band or not. The same could be said of Rhino Handmade's 2007 expanded double-disc reissue of the album, but this deluxe set, now titled The Complete Raunch 'N' Roll Live, ain't for neophytes, it's for those who have loved the album for decades and want to hear some more of where that came from. And that's what this set provides: it contains the entirety of the two gigs -- a show in Portland, OR, on December 1, 1972, and a show in Seattle the following night (oddly enough, both concerts were given at venues called the Paramount Theatre) -- that provided the raw material for the initial single LP, which is a whole lot of boogie. This kind of sprawl takes away from one of the chief appeals of the original Raunch 'N' Roll Live -- namely, that it was a lean-and-mean, down-and-dirty LP. Now, it takes its time, with more booze and blooze and Jim Dandy patter, which may wind up having the effect of wearing out all but the most ardent fan. But for those fans, this is sure to be something close to a dream come true. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, RoviPerformers: Jim Dandy - Scrubboard, Vocals; Tommy Aldridge - Drums; Pat Daugherty - Guitar (Bass), Vocals; Harvey Jett - Guitar, Vocals; Rick Reynolds - Guitar (12 String), Vocals
2 CD SET
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Tony Joe White
Swamp Music: The Complete Monument Recordings
This overstuffed box not only includes all three of Tony Joe White's initial albums for Monument, but adds dozens of extra songs and outtakes, most of which have never been heard before, and includes a fourth disc of previously unreleased live and studio tracks. It's a cornucopia of material, nearly all of it worth hearing, but due to its near obsessive vault clearing, the hefty list price, and its limited-edition status (only 5000 were pressed), it is clearly geared to the obsessive White enthusiast. Even though the singer/songwriter/guitarist was signed to Monument in 1966 (both sides of his rare debut single appear as extras on this set's version of Black and White), his first album was not recorded until 1969. By that time White had pretty much nailed the distinctive and ultimately trademark swamp sound that he mined for the rest of his career. The musky yet melodic songs, evocative lyrics and mid-tempo rhythms married to White's baritone voice reveled in his scrappy Louisiana roots. His first disc kicks off with "Willie and Laura Mae Jones," a steaming slice of the backwoods pop that, like most of his finest work, effortlessly combined blues, country and folk. While others had worked similar territory previously, in particular Bobbie Gentry (her "Ode to Billy Joe" was a major inspiration for White), he infused a rock and R&B sensibility that drove the music with gritty authenticity and his "whomper stomper" wah-wah pedal. Most impressive is the amount of material recorded during the period 1969-1971, the three years covered here. Of these 64 studio tracks and outtakes, all but approximately 20 are originals and most are well worth hearing. Billy Swan remained White's producer throughout these albums, and even though some critics find his strings and horns to be unnecessary embellishments, the sweetening seldom overwhelms the music. White rather reluctantly agrees in his interview available in the informative 36-page book that brings additional value to this compilation. The fourth disc features his entire seven-song performance at 1970s Isle of Wight concert. White is joined by Jeff Beck's drummer Cozy Powell, who he had first met earlier that day, and the duo burn through a sizzling set highlighted by a six-minute version of his biggest hit, "Polk Salad Annie." The compilers also unearth a previously unreleased, solo, ten track studio session recorded in Paris in March of 1969 where White covers Gentry's "Mississippi Delta" along with Bob Dylan, Don Covay and Joe Tex, along with a few originals. Not quite essential, it's still more than worthwhile and fans will enjoy experiencing White in his most stripped down format. It's a fitting coda for a long overdue and neatly packaged appreciation of Tony Joe White's significant influence on American roots music. ~ Hal Horowitz, RoviPerformers: Tony Joe White - Box, Guitar, Harmonica, Sound Effects; Jerry Carrigan - Drums; Sammy Creason - Drums; Jim Isbell - Drums; Tommy McClure - Bass; James Milhart - Drums; Norbert Putnam - Bass; Mike Utley - Organ; Chip Young - Guitar
4 CD SET
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Lorraine Ellison
Sister Love: The Warner Bros. Recordings
Lorraine Ellison is almost a perfect cult soul singer: she was blessed with a unique, powerful voice, she had two stone-cold classics to her name -- 1966's "Stay with Me" and "Try (Just a Little Bit Harder)," which was later popularized by Janis Joplin -- which is enough success to get her remembered by aficionados but not enough to make her a star. It's also enough to suggest that Ellison deserved to be a star, that she had the talent and the material that deserved a wider audience, but like a lot of artists with a cult following, she's a great talent that may be an acquired taste for most listeners. Rhino Handmade's exhaustive three-disc set Sister Love: The Warner Bros. Recordings -- released in a limited run of 5000 copies in 2006 -- certainly suggests as much. For Ellison devotees, this is pretty much the Holy Grail, since it represents the first time all of her prime material has been released on CD. It has her first three LPs -- the 1966 debut Introducing Miss Lorraine Ellison b/w Heart & Soul and 1969's Stay with Me, both produced by Jerry Ragovoy, and the Ted Templeton-produced 1974 album Lorraine Ellison -- plus various singles and sessions from the early '70s, a bunch of rarities and a whole disc of unreleased demos from 1972. Since the previous CD release of Ellison's work was a single-disc set from Ichiban/Soul Classics in 1995 -- at 23 tracks, it was generous, but it still left a lot of music behind -- this certainly fills the need that devoted Ellison fans have and in some ways exceeds their expectations, since it not only contains the original albums, it also has the outtakes -- the slow-burning "Haven't I Been Good to You," recorded in 1967; the loose, funky, gospel-inflected "Woman, Loose My Man" from 1970; the Al Kooper written and produced "Let Me Love You," a 1970 session which is paired with "Doin' Me Dirty," taken from the same sessions and originally released on the Ichiban disc; "Dear John," recorded at Muscle Shoals in 1970; a version of Carole King's "You've Got a Friend" from 1971; and three outtakes from the Templeton album, "When You Count the Ones You Love," "Sister Love," "Sweet Years" -- plus the rarities that showed up on previous comps, plus the disc of stark piano-and-voice demos. Even though it's missing a few sides cut later in the '70s, for all intents and purposes Sister Love is a complete recorded works and it offers plenty for the hardcore to sink their teeth into, both in its sheer size -- three discs and 65 songs is a lot of music -- but also because it touches on plenty of different kinds of soul, such as the dramatic and passionate soul-pop of Ragovoy's 1969 productions, the jazzy readings of standards and pop tunes on her debut, the deep soul from Muscle Shoals, and the intimate originals that comprise the demos. Given that range, it would seem that Ellison's work would not only satisfy her cult, but that its scope, as showcased on Sister Love, would also bring in new fans: the kind of listeners who are serious enough to dig through a three-disc set from a soul singer with only two charting hits. And certainly Sister Love will convert some of the curious, since it does illustrate that she was an artist with a broad range and specific gifts as a writer and a singer. But it also can reveal that Ellison's gifts are indeed quite specific, that her impressive, gospel-raised vocals can sometimes seem shrill, almost histrionic, that her songs are heartfelt and well-written yet not quite compelling, that no matter how passionate her singing -- and there is no question that she's committed on every cut here, throwing herself into her performances -- she sometimes doesn't seem to mesh with the deep grooves of the funk and soul of her '70s recordings. For all the soul she has, she doesn't have much grit, which is why her Ragovoy recordings work better; it's a better match of material, production and singer. But even there, the range can sometimes work against her -- when she does standards, it can seem like supper club, and she can't redeem "If I Had a Hammer" from pure schmaltz -- making her seem not adventurous, but inconsistent. Yet this is a matter of taste: for true believers, the sheer power of Ellison's performances, the intelligence in her writing and cover choices, and the uniqueness of her high, elegant voice blow away any possible inconsistencies in her songs or recordings. For them, Sister Love is undoubtedly essential since it truly showcases her range and accomplishments. But the completeness of the set cuts both ways: by offering everything Ellison did, it satisfies her cult, but all the music also articulates why Lorraine Ellison is a cult artist. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, RoviPerformers: Mark Wilson Jordan - Vocals
3 CD SET
$ 59.98
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Tiny Tim
God Bless Tiny Tim: The Complete Reprise Recordings
When he burst into public recognition in 1968, people either regarded Tiny Tim as a lovable wacko, or simply a wacko; though Tim's eccentricity seemed both charming and oddly appropriate in the wake of the Summer of Love, despite his long hair and beatific attitude, he was no hippie, but instead an amateur archivist of American popular song who made it his life's crusade to remind people about the joys of the Tin Pan Alley era. In his own odd way, Tiny Tim was one of the first artists of the rock era to celebrate the notion of the Great American songbook, though his fondness for a warbling falsetto delivery, his thrift-store wardrobe, his slightly fey personality, and his championing of the ukulele as his favored means of accompaniment was every bit as anomalous in 1968 as it would be today. While Tiny Tim was (principally) marketed as a novelty act and treated as a joke by many who presented him to the public (one of his most frequent television platforms was on Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In), Tim wasn't kidding -- he loved and lived for this music, and he performed it in a historically accurate manner, remaining true to his musical vision right up to the very end (he died in 1996 moments after performing his umpteenth rendition of "Tip-Toe Through the Tulips" for a women's club in Minneapolis.) While Tiny Tim stubbornly continued to record up until his death, far and away his most successful album was his 1968 debut on Reprise Records, God Bless Tiny Tim, in which producer Richard Perry created a thoroughly charming if occasionally outré musical spectacular around the crooner, and he would record two other albums under Perry's tutelage before Reprise pulled the plug on Tim's major label recording career. Ten years after Tiny Tim's death, his work for Reprise has finally made its way to CD in a limited-edition box set from Rhino Handmade, God Bless Tiny Tim: The Complete Reprise Recordings. This three-disc set collects Tim's three Reprise LP's -- God Bless Tiny Tim, the equally charming follow-up Tiny Tim's Second Album, and the uneven children's disc For All My Little Friends -- along with a handful of non-LP singles and a few unreleased tracks. Most interesting for Tiny Tim enthusiasts will be the material on disc three, which features 39 demos in which Tim joyously reels off one song after another, as if he could go on for days on end if there were time and tape enough. The remastering of the audio is splendid, and Barret Hansen (aka Dr. Demento) provides a superb biographical essay for the accompanying booklet. With the possible exception of Ian Whitcomb, there's never been a "one-hit wonder" who has done as much to document the history of American popular music as Tiny Tim, and God Bless Tiny Tim: The Complete Reprise Recordings finally gives him the belated tribute he deserved; anyone with any interest in this strange but gifted artist at the peak of his fame (and his abilities) needs to hop on the internet and get this set while it lasts. ~ Mark Deming, RoviPerformers: Nico - Vocals
3 CD SET
ON SALE!
$ 59.98
$ 49.98
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The Doors
Live In Philadelphia '70
One of several concerts from which 1970s official live Doors album Absolutely Live was sourced is offered in its entirety on this double-CD, Live in Philadelphia, of a May 1, 1970 show, available through the Internet only. Like Absolutely Live, it finds the band in a loosey-goosey state that drifts close to sloppiness, albeit with an engaging tipsy humor. Except for a few obligatory staples ("Light My Fire," "Break on Through," "Roadhouse Blues"), the group seemed determined not to play overly familiar tunes, even reaching back on occasion to their bar band days as a poor man's Rolling Stones for B.B. King ("Rock Me Baby"), Elvis Presley ("Mystery Train"), and Chuck Berry ("Carol") covers. Most of the tracks are previously unreleased, and it's not all hits or covers, the set list including such relatively little-traveled songs as "Ship of Fools," "Universal Mind," and "Maggie M'Gill." Certainly Jim Morrison's in a lewd 'n' bluesy mood, and for a guy with obscenity charges hanging over his head (from the group's infamous 1969 Miami concert), he lets it all hang out with surprisingly graphic recklessness on "Rock Me Baby" -- could anyone have doubted what "you feel so wet...let me slide inside" really meant? In common with most of the limited-edition releases the Doors have made available from their archive, this isn't up to the standards of their official catalog, even the relatively loose ones of Absolutely Live. But it's a good souvenir for committed fans, with much better sound than the usual bootlegs of the Doors from this era, though it's curious that the material is split into a lengthy 76-minute CD on disc one, and a mere 26-minute CD on disc two. ~ Richie Unterberger, RoviPerformers: John Densmore - Drums; Robby Krieger - Guitar; Ray Manzarek - Keyboards; Jim Morrison - Vocals
2 CD SET
ON SALE!
$ 28.98
$ 24.98
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