Today April 9th is our spring fundraiser for 8 Track Flashback and WNCU. As always we have some great bribes…uuhhh Premiums to entice you to donate money to the station and thank you for your support, and I am listing some of those below so you can look them over. As always we welcome donations of any amount, while my time to do the show is free as part of my donation to the station (I do give them cash as well…) there is electricity, transmitter maintenance, salaries for our few, hard working staff members and all the other expenses of a functioning radio station that is more than a jukebox designed to sell product to the masses.
Born to hustle-49 Top Ten rhythm and blues chart toppers. We gave out two of these last year, it’s a great collection of early 50’s material, Wynonie Harris, Roy Brown, Billy Ward and his Dominos, Smiley Lewis, Big Mama Thornton, Fats Domino.
2120 South Michigan-Great Blues from Chicago’s Chess Records. A two CD set (and we have two of these sets..) from the Aristocrat Record days up to the middle ’60s. Memphis Slim (Mother Earth), Juke (Little Walter), Fattening Frogs for Snakes (Sonny Boy Williamson), Reconsider baby (Lowell Fulson), and the Viagra song, aka Smokestack Lightning (Howlin’ Wolf).
Wilson Pickett-A Man and a half-Another 2 CD set, all the hits and more, from “I Found a love “(Falcons, 1962) up into the 70’s.
The Very Best of Jackie Wilson-Ace Records always does quality stuff, this 24 track collection is no exception. Starts with Reet Petite, goes through You Got me Walking (1972), all the hits and more.
A Cellar full of Motown-2 CDs, 50 tracks of obscure Motown stuff, tracks never released, some great material with a very good set of liner notes.
I Love Rock and Roll-20 tracks, Rockabilly, Pop, some doo wop. All hits.
Smooth Grooves the 60’s Volume 2-Rhino. When a man loves a woman (Percy Sledge), Stay with Me (Lorraine Ellison), I’m so proud (Impressions), Natural Woman (Aretha). I play cuts from this CD a lot on the show, every cut has been on the air at one time or another.
This is Sun Rockabilly-Cross section of all the Sun artists (except Elvis..) 15 cuts. Some I had not heard before…
The Doo Wop Years-From the BMG conglomerate that swallowed the RCA catalog. So we have the original Lollipop by Ronald and Ruby (coverd by the Chordettes), Get Rich Quick by Little Richard from his early recordings on RCA, but also a lot of other label material from I Need Your Loving (Don Gardner and Dee Dee Ford) to Story Untold by the Nutmegs. And Elmore James….And Faye Adams… and Kitty Lester (Love Letters Straight from your Heart). 20 cuts.
Blues at Sunrise-Ivory Joe Hunter-I may keep this one, all the 50 cuts on 2 CDs are from before he went to Atlantic. MGM, King label, early stuff immediately after WWII. This is from the well respected Indigo Records label.
Motown classics Gold-Lots and Lots of hits from Hitsville USA. Starts with Money by Barett Strong, has My Girl, I Can’t Help Myself, Jimmy Mack. 40 cuts on 2 CDs.
Ray Charles-Genius & Soul. The big 5 CD box. From his early Swingtime releases into the 90’s. Atlantic and ABC-Paramount labels, R&B, Rock, Jazz, Country and Western. He did it all and a lot of it is here.
Chuck Berry-The Chess Box. A 3 CD set with a great book of liner notes. All the big records and more up through “Tulane” which came out in 1969 after he returned to Chess after a few years spent with Mercury records.
Vee Jay-The definitive collection. Along with Chess Records, Vee Jay, founded a few years after Chess around 1953 helped define Chicago’s position as a major Record town. This 4 CD set chronicles their extensive catalog with examples from Blues, Gospel, R&B, Rock and Roll and Pop. Early Jimmy Reed, Staple Singers, some John Lee Hooker, the Spaniels are here just to name a few.
The Doo Wop Box II-Rhino Records great compilation, 4 CD set. Early Moonglows, Larks, Harptones, as well as 60’s Classics such as Wilson Pickett’s lead on the Falcon’s “I Found a Love”. I think we have two of these…
Hitsville USA-The Motown Singles Collection-This 4 CD set was one of the first I bought when I got a CD player in the early 90’s. I really wanted to hear how some of my favorites sounded right off the singles mix master tapes, and it was great then, and still great today. All the hits and some gems you may have missed.
Nappy Brown-Night Time is the Right Time. Two CD set includes the title track, recorded two years before the Ray Charles version (we have that one for you too…). Includes “Coal Miner’, hits like “Don’t be angry” and “Open up that door”. This is from the Savoy Jazz series.
R&B Confidential No. 1-The Flair Label. Flair was a Modern Record subsidiary, Richard Berry, Elmore James and the Ike Turner Orchestra were released there, as well as a hilarious cut, “Hey Dr. Kinsey” by Big Duke Henderson and his Orchestra.
Sweet and Soulful 60’s-One from my collection, good selection including “The Duck” by Jackie Lee, “Shoop shoop Song” Betty Everett, and “Harlem Shuffle”. 16 tracks.
The Down Home soul of Z Z Hill-Does not include”Down Home Soul”, these are tracks from his 1960’s tenure at Kent Records, recording with the Maxwell Davis Orchestra. Some great middle sixities R&B here, along with “I need someone (to love me)”, which charted in 1971, even though it was recorded in 1964.
James Brown-Soul on Top-Reissue of the 1969 Album with a real Jazz flavor to it, he revisits some of his earlier hits, and does great verions of some standards as well as some newly released unedited versionsmade possible because the CD can hold twice as much music as the original LP.
Dee Clark, Volume 2-This CD from Collectables is a reissue of two Dee Clark LPs from the early 60’s, “You’re looking good” and “Hold On it’s Dee Clark”. This includes “Raindrops” (in Stereo), “24 Boyfriends” and 20 more releases, some of which were singles as well.
The Flamingos-Rhino release, includes some Chance label releases (Golden Teardrops, perhaps the greatest “doo wop” song ever recorded), some Parrot material, the big Checker hits, a Decca cut (these guys got around) and the End label singles “Lover’s never say goodbye” and “I only have eyes for you”.
Soul Men-Booker T. & MGs-The group had 8 albums back in the day (excluding compilations), Fantasy Records which owns the rights to their catalog have put together a 9th (now CD) with instrumental versions of many 60’s hits, very listenable with their great rhythm section. Play “name that tune” with your firends….
It’s All Over-Walter Jackson-A very underappreciated vocalist on the Okeh label in the mid sixties. His smooth style borders on Pop, but there are some great soul cuts on this 28 track compilation. Do you recall the Walter Jackson tune that was in a “Cosby” episode? A clue, Dr. Huxtable was in his basement.
Billie Holiday-Billie’s Best-Change of decade from Walter, but still smooth and wonderful. Verve material from 1952 to 1959. From my collection (aka, case is a little beat up…)
Jerry Lee Lewis-18 Original Sun greatest hits. “Great Balls of Fire”, “Whole Lotta Shakin”, as well as “Crazy Arms”, and “High School Confidential”. He also does covers of some other Sun songs by other artists, including verions of “Ubangi Stomp” and “Matchbox.
Very Best of Jackie Wilson. If you miss the Ace CDs listed above, this one is also very good, Rhino so the quality is top notch but this one is 16 tracks.
Ray Charles Greatest Hits-You can pick up “Night Time is the right time” (another Cosby series favorite) as well as “One Mint Julip”, Covers Atlantic and ABC-Paramount/Impulse label sides, 16 cuts.
Marv Johnson-You got what it takes. 2 copies of this 30 track CD. Marv was instrumental with getting Motown off the ground, “Come to me” was the first Tamla release distributed locally in Detroit before being leased to United Artists for national distribution, and hits like “You got what it takes” financed the operation in it’s early years. They are all here along with much more. Marv never had a hit on a Motown label, but was an integral part of the company in production and management. Label is Black Tulip, high quality and includes a discography from 1958 to 1966.
Rock and Roll Legends-The Spaniels. Not sure I would consider the Spaniels “Rock and Roll”, but this 30 track Charly Compilation covers the hits, some great LP tracks, and obscure singles from this very important Chicago Urban Group Harmony ensemble.
Goodnight sweetheart goodnight-Spaniels. This is from Vee Jay records itself (or what’s left of the company…) 25 tracks. Similar to above, some different cuts. Either is a good Spaniels compilation.
MGM Doo Wops #3. The fact that there are two more CDs of MGM doo wop should let you know these guys are serious about their music. The Twilighters are a great middle 50’s ballad group, the Blenders appear, as well as the Billy Williams Quartet.\
Forget your troubles and jump your blues away-Walter Brown with Jay McShann’s Orchestra. If Walter Brown had done nothing more than write “Confessin’ the Blues” (the 1941 recording is here), his place would be secure, but he did so much more, this covers from the prewar period to about 1949, covering several labels including Decca, Mercury and Capitol.
My name is Annie-Various artists. Includes “Work with me Annie”, “Annie had a baby” and “Annie’s aunt Fanny” by the Midnighters, “Annie’s answer” from Hazel McCollum and the Eldorados on Vee Jay, “Annie met Henry” by the Cadets, along with other records that have nothing to do with the mother of Henry’s baby, such as “Polk Salad Annie” by Tony Joe White and “Annie get your yo yo” by Junior Parker (at least I don’t think so…). 26 cuts, ending up appropriately enough with “Annie Kicked the bucket” by the Nutones.
San Fran vintage Hits-Classic Instrumental Hits. I have found that instrumental compilations don’t always hve the “Originals”. This one is fine, “Cast your fate to the winds” in stereo, “Midnight in Moscow”, “Alley Cat”, and two Ferrante and Teicher cuts.
The complete Eddie Holland-31 cuts, early Motown from a big part of the Holland Dozier and Holland team that crafted so many Motown hits.
The Soul of a Bell-William Bell. His first album for Stax/Volt, the CD reissue includes additional material, stereo re-recordings of “You don’t miss your water” and “Any other way”. The original mono tracks are here too.
The Rivintons-Papa Oom Mow Mow. The only thing wilder than the title track is Mama-Oom-Mow-Mow. All sorts of Libery record material, 23 tracks. Includes the much sought after “Cherry”.
One hit wonders-A Group Effort. Big hits like “Earth Angel” and “Let the good times roll”, lesser known gems such as “Who do you love” by the Sapphires “I’ve had it” by the Bell Notes. Not all these were really one hit groups, but still a great 30 CD collection, both Pop and R&B.
Dancing shoes-Various artists. Starts out with Sam Cooke’s “Feel it” and that’ pretty much the only hit. Lots of interesting obscure material here to dig through.
Dionne Warwick-I Say a little prayer. Good 14 track collection notable for the original verison of “Wishing and hoping” which was covered by Dusty Springfield who had the hit version in 1964.
Golden Era Doowops-The groups of Parrot Records-Donn Fileti, Eddie Gries and Walter Devenne mined the gold of record company vaults for years in the 60’s and probably are responsible for saving who knows how much material from the trash bin before folks started being interested in this stuff en mass. Thank goodness.. This is one of many CDs from that effort that reissues and expands the original LPs. The Flamingos were with Parrot briefly after leaving Chance Records and before they went with the Checker label. Also here are some 5 Chances, Swans and Orchids. If you like ballads in the more primitive style of the early Chicago scene, this a a good choice.
Rhythm ‘N’ Blues, Fine Brown Sugar-All Ladies, all the time, a great 4 CD set covering early 40’s through middle 50’s. Lots of hits (Ruth Brown, Big Mama Thornton) and stuff that is now to me, but just great.Ii will play some of this off the CDs since it is not in the stations’ system yet.
Also, it is my understanding we have some copies of a new CD of a 1964 live performance of Ray Charles in Los Angeles from 1964. I have not heard it yet, but I hear it’s great. We’ll play some of that as well…