Have Mercy! The Songs of Don Covay (Ace)
I had no idea Don Covay had written or co-written so many of the tracks included here. Who knew! “Chain of Fools” the massive Aretha Franklin smash? Yep, a Covay tune. “Long Tall Shorty”? Get out of here. Yep, a Covay co-write. Brook Benton’s top 20 R&B hit “Shoes”? A Covay-Soule co-write.
The classics “See Saw” and “Mercy Mercy” are probably were the most familiar to me but I have to say the majority were a real surprise. Not everything is chart topping stuff. I could certainly live without “Mr. Twister” (a Connie Francis take), “Kangaroo Hop” (Dee Clark) and Lena Horne’s “Love Bug” is certainly less than wowsville – especially the cheesy back-ups – but all in all this is a very impressive collection of Don Covay’s writing skills. Artists featured include the likes of the aforementioned Aretha Franklin, Gene Vincent, Wanda Jackson, Solomon Burke, Wilson Pickett, the Wailers, Jerry Butler, Graham Bond Organization, Billy Fury and many more. (26 tracks.)
The Wheels: Road Block (Big Beat/Ace)
Belfast R&B ravers the Wheels get the full Big Beat treatment here and I’m sure a great number of 60s enthusiasts are rubbin’ their grubby little paws in anticipation of adding this to their collection. Liner notes come courtesy Shindig’s “Mojo” Mills and he does a great job tracing the bands permutations, affiliations, trials and tribulations.
Musically the band’s sound is probably closer to the guttural harp-driven R&B snarl of what is known as garage on the North American side of the pond as opposed to the mod/freakbeat side of things where the saturated, compressed sound of an overdriven AC30 and a Hammond drives the machine.
Similarities to Them’s sound is no surprise but one could also compare them to the Pretties, Animals or Rolling Stones at their spunkiest. No big surprises but a nice collection of sides for 60s heads. (12 tracks.)
King New Breed R&B Volume 2 (Kent/Ace)
Another great edition of King label rhythm and blues dance favourites. In total now this is number four in the “New Breed” focused compilations that Ace Records has delivered to the people.
New Breed R&B is basically proto/early soul-styled rhythm and blues that is neither overly complicated but is typically not too raw or basic either. Add in a hint of street-corner vocal group, some early black rock and roll and blues and voila – perfect club music.
This volume contains a few well-known tracks in Freddy King’s “I’m Tore Down”, Johnny “Guitar” Watson’s “Gangster of Love” and Little Willie John’s immortal take of Titus Turner’s “All Around the World”. These cuts may be familiar to many but they still remain stone classics these ears never tire of hearing. The die-hard will be well-acquainted with Lee “Shot” Williams, Guitar Crusher, Eddie Kirk (Kirkland) and Donnie Elbert (“Wild Child” appears here) but for those who aren’t I can assure worthy musical introductions that should lead to further searches for their work on other labels and further on into their careers.
Freddy King’s sometime vocal foil and star in her own right Lula Reed is here with “Say Hey Pretty Baby” as is horn man Herb Hardesty whose great works Ace Records has recently released as The Domino Effect which features his work for Wing and Federal.
I’m always happy to have the mighty “5” Royales near the deck and they show here with the hip tempo-shifting “It Hurts Inside” (also found on Ace’s It’s Hard But It’s Fair collection from 2005). “5” Royales influential guitarist Lowman Pauling released some recordings for Memphis’ House of Blues label as El Pauling & The Royalton and Ace has chosen to include the moody, atmospheric “I’m a Cool Teenager” from those sessions here. An alternate version can be found on the “5” Royales Catch That Teardrop (released by Ace in 2007) that features the best of their House of Blues label sessions that is a must for fans of the Royales (and Lowman Paulings) work.
A couple of the nice surprises here for me are the Five Fabulous Demons latin-flavoured doo-woppin’ bopper “You Better Come Home” and Hal Hardy’s “Love Man” which wouldn’t be out of place re-done as a new Southern Soul sasser. Another ace from Ace. (24 tracks)
The Spinners: Truly Yours (Kent/Ace)
The Spinners (aka Detroit Spinners) superstar status may not have been achieved while signed to the Motown label – that would come in epic proportions in the 1970s while signed to Atlantic – but the Spinners certainly recorded a number of incredible pieces of music while at Motown. Unfortunately for the Spinners Motown’s stable was loaded with superstars and so Spinners recordings were often passed over for promotion and release in favour of others who had previous chart success. Why in the world “Sweet Thing” and “Truly Yours” were not #1, or at least top five, pop hits is beyond me. Certainly everything here is not of the quality of those two tunes but much of the material from this collection, their first Motown album with fourteen bonus tracks, is certainly of a quality equal – or even better – than some Supremes, Miracles or Vandellas from the same period.
I will always have a spot in my heart, and in my record collection, for the Spinners and thanks to Ace I have another top release to file alongside the other great Spinners sides I currently cherish. (26 tracks.)
The Radiators from Space: Sound City Beat (625/Chiswick)
The truly legendary Irish punk band Radiators From Space deliver a very special album here with their versions of the Irish beat/rock sounds circa 1964-1971 that influenced and inspired them as both musicians and people. There are genuinely unique, clever and fantastic versions of songs by seminal Irish groups like Taste, Them, Horslips and Thin Lizzy, as well as collector fave bands like Eire Apparent (Henry McCullough guesting on guitar), Andwella, Orange Machine, Skid Row and Ian Whitcomb. Throw in some obscurities like the King Bees and Hootenannys and you have a complete winner of a record – and it still sounds like the Radiators which is a complete bonus.
Chief Radiator Philip Chevron has penned the CD’s liner notes and it reads as a passionate tribute to the music, musicians and magical/mystical energy of a time and place that was as inspirational and important as the punk era was too many of us and to which the Radiators themselves belonged. If I was going to do an album like this you can bet your life the music of the Radiators From Space would be featured front and center. Great job fellows! (18 tracks.)
