Part-1
For this first fall installment, I selected six album compilations. Usually I am not a big fan of the "Best-of" or "Greatest Hits" compilation format, but if well done, they do serve a pleasant purpose of presenting the music lover with a quick perspective on an artist's or group's vast repertoire when such is the case.
As always, if you find my recommended pressings too expensive, you can usually replace them by other more affordable pressings but be aware that the sound quality may differ quite a lot from my sonic descriptions and be wary of any digital intermediates in the complex chain.
1- Elvis Presley – 24 Karat Hits!. DCC Compact Classics – LPZ(2)-2040 (1997), 2x33 1/3 rpm. Genre: rockabilly, rock and roll, blues, rhythm and blues, ballads, gospel, country.
Let's kick off things with the "King of Rock and Roll". Reunited mostly in chronological order on one double-LP–and spanning his RCA Victor period from January 1956 with "Heartbreak Hotel" through "Suspicious Minds" from August 1969–24 Karat Hits! is the perfect Elvis compilation if one wishes only the top hit singles delivered in excellent sound. Remastered and cut by the DCC duo of Steve Hoffman and Kevin Gray, they went to great lengths to use the true mono, two, and three-track tapes to transfer to the master-lacquer instead of cutting from a second or third generation assembly work tape which would have saved time and trouble for them, though therefore paying the sonic price in transparency and presence. Many music lovers may be astonished to hear how well recorded the King can sound when well transferred and played on a good audio rig. Now you would expect that his voice would come out well and naturally it does but what really surprises is the rendering of the back vocal quartet The Jordanaires–almost sounding spooky such is their realism. Along with guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, the trio formed The Blue Moon Boys in 1954 at Sam Phillips' Sun Studios, soon joined by drummer D.J. Fontana, making rock and roll history. Renowned engineer Bill Porter and Thorne Nogar share most of the recording credits. Severall studios listed including RCA-Victor Studio B, Nashville, TN; RCA-Victor East 24th Street Studio, NYC; Radio Recorders Studio B, Hollywood, CA; American Sound Studio, Memphis, TN, and MGM Scoring Stage, Culver City, CA. The tonal balance is slightly forward in the upper mids giving good presence but may prove a bit problematic on some systems. I did not hear Analogue Production's tripple-LP cut at 45 rpm by George Marino to compare with. The faster speed is theoretically superior and should advantage the latter. I don't know if he remastered it differently than DCC's earlier release but generally he does a great job, and the forum consensus seems to slightly favor the AP over the DCC for having a bit more bass tonally.
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2- Aretha Franklin – Aretha's Gold. Atlantic – SD-8227 (Aug. 1969), Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab MFSL 2-479 (Sept. 2017), 2x45 rpm. Genre: soul, southern soul, R&B, blues, black gospel and spiritual roots, churchy.
If ever there was a Greatest Hits package earning my RESPECT, this has got to be it. Unless you are a devoted die-hard Aretha fan, you'll probably find this compilation of her earliest Atlantic material fits the bill just fine–the only single I felt missing was the funky "Rock Steady" from 1971, recorded nearly two years after this initial release. In effect, between her first signing to the legendary label in early-1967 until barely a year and a half later, the "Queen of Soul" delivered in spades: "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)", "Respect", Dr. Feelgood", "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman", "Chain of Fools", "Think", "You Send Me", "I Say a Little Prayer"; they are all here–in chronological order–and that's just about half of the fourteen memorable classics assembled. Backed by Cissy Houston, and sisters Carolyn and Erma, Aretha is already shining at her peak performance. Engineered by Fame Studio's Rick Hall in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and Atlantic's Tom Dowd in New York, the incredible sound captured and mixed on the studio's vintage Ampex 8-track is breathtakingly vivid, with punch, presence, and energetic force. Contrary to Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" awash in reverb and purposely monophonic, here the sound is intimate, closely palpable, warm, dry, dynamic, and sharply hard-panned for maximum musical clarity–more akin to Roy DuNann's sonic presentation for Contemporary Records in jazz. Of course this revelatory level of sonic bliss was only lately realized by MoFi's magnificent double 45 rpm release, remastered and cut by 'engineer-Kings' Krieg Wunderlich and Rob LoVerde, and plated and pressed by RTI in California. I don't have the original US pressing but there is no doubt whatsoever that it cannot compete with the MoFi's multiple strengths and technical advantages. Simply put, and strictly confined to this version, this is the best Greatest Hits release you can get for music and sound combined.
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3- James Brown – James Brown Soul Classics. Polydor – 2391 037, Polydor – SC 5401 (Can.) (Aug. 1972), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: funk, soul, ballad.
Why not follow up the "Queen of Soul" with the "Godfather of Soul" or Father of Funk, with James Brown's best original compilation on vinyl. Though there have been numerous other more complete compilations available since in different formats, I believe this one here holds the advantage in time and sonics, representing the transition from his mid-1960s funky soul hits to the early-1970s true funk material plus respectively, remaining pure analog–which is not necessarily the case post mid-1980s. Released in August 1972, Brown–and funk for that matter–was arguably at or near the peak of his/its popularity before disco would sweep over the dance floor just two years later, leaving him and many others scrambling to adapt to the changing times where sultry strings and four to the floor would replace tight horns and syncopation. Opening up with his 1970 seminal single "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine (Part 1)", it includes major funk classics like "Make It Funky - Part 1", "My Part / Make it Funky - Part 3", "Call Me Superbad", "Soul Power", "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose", and 1967's "Cold Sweat" that all sound fantastic with vivid vocal presence, clean funky guitar, and articulated bass, brass, and drums. Plus earlier hits from 1965 like "I Got You (I Feel Good)", "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", and a year later, the bluesy soul balad "It's a Man's Man's Man's World" which all suffer from excess reverb on the instruments and especially his vocals, giving it a dated cavernous effect. I don't have the original US pressing but my old Canadian first press remains impressive minus the latter noted caveats. Produced by Brown, unfortunately there is no engineering credits listed on the cover.
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4- The Beatles – 1962-1966. Apple Records – PCSP 717 (UK), Capitol Records SKBO 3403 (Can.) (Apr. 1973), 2x33 1/3 rpm. Genre: beat, Merseybeat, pop music, rock, ballad.
When it comes to die-hard fans, experts, and historians reflecting on a given subject, you'll probably have a hard day's night finding anything more musically dissected than The Beatles–just take the opening chord to the latter song referral for example, which shows how solid, well-founded opinions can strongly differ. Believe me I am none of the above. Don't get me wrong for I do appreciate them for many reasons–none the leasts given their originality in conjunction with several studio advancements aided by producer George Martin–but I am no Fab Four expert. Keeping that in mind, I do have some sonic preferences for certain pressings over others that surely will stun some. Case in point is the 1973 singles compilation of the group's roughly first half-period spanning the years October 1962 to August 1966, aka "The Red Album"–the second-half being covered by the 1967-1970 "Blue Album". One of the things that stirs controversy is the different mixes and EQ choices on some songs between the UK pressings, and the US and Canadian pressings. The majority of the songs are in stereo but a few of the earliest ones are either in fake stereo or re-EQed mono depending on which country edition we are dealing with. Having only the –post 1976–Capitol Canadian pressing at my disposal, I cannot compare with the many other versions, but I can say that putting aside the five or six songs that sound a bit bizarre because of the tricked mixes, I tend to like a lot the EQ choices. Granted they seem boosted in the lows and highs–some characterizing them as having the polarizing "smiley face" curve–but I find the tonal balance better suited to explore the many musical arrangements and details that seem obscured in the mono mixes as well as the more mid-pronounced pressings out there. Sonics aside, the fact that the track selection is choreographed in chronological order illustrates even more the magnitude of sheer creativity, superb song craftsmanship, and tight vocal harmonies the quartet carried out in constant (r)evolution. Having only the top hit singles–pre-1967–reuited on a double-LP and listening in one shot from start to finish is the aural equivalent to binge watching an entire season of a groundbreaking series; shall we call it binge-listening in this case? I am less fond of "The Blue Album" simply because I prefer listening to Revolver and Sgt. Pepper in their entirety being my two favorites, and more album-oriented-conceived or concept than an album of singles. In addition I feel less attached to the post Pepper material.
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5- Pink Floyd – Relics (A Bizarre Collection of Antiques & Curios). Starline – SRS 5071, IE 048 o 04775 (UK), (May 1971), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: psychedelic, acid-rock, experimental, heavy rock, space rock, jazz-rock.
The Beatles were the biggest band coming out of the 1960s. As the latter four went their separate ways, another famous British band pursuing in popularity and originality was Pink Floyd. Formed in London back in 1965, the once quintet turned quartet really grew to greatness, maturity, and prosperity the following decade. Decidedly the 1970s were more associated with the concept album, and Floyd crafted and conquered that market segment with impressive technical wizardry. Prior to these progressive artistic achievements, the group–including for a short span, singer, songwriter, guitarist Syd Barrett–explored experimental psychedelic rock and pop playing at the underground UFO Club along side Soft Machine in Swinging London. Released in May 1971, Relics puts forth a few of the earlier material while the masterful Meddle [Harvest SHVL 795] was being recorded. Appropriately it opens with their debut single, the Barrett-penned "Arnold Layne" from March 1967–which predated–and did not appear on–their debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn [Columbia SCX 6157] released later in August. It is followed by the lengthier, experimental, and instrumental "Interstellar Overdrive" taken from the latter LP. Back to Barrett with the shorter "See Emily Play", their second single issued in June. Jumping to side B, among others it contains "Careful with That Axe, Eugene"–a nearly-instrumental acid rock trip, loosely similar to "The End" by The Doors in mood and structure, using the Phrygian mode–as well as "The Nile Song", the band's heaviest song, taken from the 1969 soundtrack More. The sound in generally good, generous in the bass, but begs for more top end energy to air things out, which in turn would provide better stereophonic separation and definition. Regarding the latter, two of the earliest singles–originally only in mono–are reprocessed here in "Duophonic stereo". So this is certainly not demo-worthy but thankfully nor is it thin or aggressive, making it enjoyable just the same.
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6- Various – Disco Gold. Scepter Records – SPS 5120, (June 1975), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: soulful disco, Philly soul, Chicago soul.
Between 1970 and 1974, several songs soon found favor among the nascent discothèque scene, sounding towards some sort of musical hybrid–mostly mixing soul, funk, and Philly Sound in different degrees, thus creating proto-disco underground hits. Disco Gold gathers eight such songs on one album, licensed under the steering Scepter label. The selection is particularly palpitating because of the scarcity of many of the tracks that oftentimes only existed in small run seven-inch singles. In addition, these are longer versions–sometimes twice the original single length–remixed or re-edited by maestro Tom Moulton. The three that stand out most are the Norman Harris-penned and produced "We're on the Right Track" by Ultra High Frequency dating from 1973, along with two incredible penned-productions from Curtis Mayfield–"Make Me Believe in You", obviously borrowing from The Temptations' "Papa Was a Rolling Stone", and "Ain't No Love Lost", both by protégé Patti Jo, from 1973 and 1972 respectively. Moulton's golden touch takes it to another level, making these extended versions, seamlessly combining vocal and instrumental parts, far superior to the shorter singles. Keep in mind that the tracks are kept separate and not intermixed like in a club deejay set, and all are worthy of inclusion. Mastered by José Rodriguez, the sound is uniformly well balanced throughout both sides with good but not outstanding bass, surprising treble transparency for the genre, and a wide soundstage.
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Part-2
For this second fall-winter installment, I selected six soul albums to warm us up through these cooler temperatures and difficult challenging times. Peace to all.
As always, if you find my recommended pressings too expensive, you can usually replace them by other more affordable pressings but be aware that the sound quality may differ quite a lot from my sonic descriptions and be wary of any digital intermediates in the complex chain.
1- Jr. Walker & the All Stars – Road Runner. Soul – SLS 703 (Sept. 1966), Tamla Motown – SS-703 (Can.), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: funky R&B, Motown Sound, soul.
Walker, well known for his first big hit single "Shotgun" in February 1965, followed up with "(I'm a) Road Runner"–originally on his debut album but now reappearing as the title-track of his second LP. The tenor saxophone reprises also Motown mate Marvin Gaye's 1964 hit "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)". Mixing funky soul with R&B, he solidifies his signature sax sound and style over eleven entertaining short songs. Legendary bassist James Jamerson joins Junior along with James Graves on drums, Willie Woods on guitar, and Vic Thomas on keyboards. A slew of producers contributed, including Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, Berry Gordy, Harvey Fuqua, and future soulful disco singer Johnny Bristol, better known for his 1974 hit "Hang On in There Baby". No engineer is credited but the overall sound is seriously appealing on my Canadian Tamla 'Phonodisc Limited' first pressing with generous warm bass and crisp guitars, sax, and vocals. I don't have the original US Soul pressing to compare with.
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2- Isaac Hayes – Presenting Isaac Hayes. Enterprise – S 13-100, Atlantic – SD 13-100 (Feb. 1968), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: sultry soul, blues, jazz.
Hailing from Tennessee, the self-taught singer, songwriter, producer, musician, and actor was one of the principle architects of the Memphis sound and Southern soul, spearheaded by Stax, Volt, and Hi records. Along with writing partner David Porter, they composed and arranged some of the biggest soul hits of the 1960s and early-1970s including Sam & Dave's 1967 smash single "Soul Man" to name but one. The following year, Hayes released his debut album–a totally improvised session combining a blend of blues, jazz, and sultry soul–organically original and a precursor to symphonic soul maestro Barry White, a full five years prior to. Produced and supervised by Alvertis Isbell–aka Al Bell–and recorded no doubt 'live' without overdub at Stax Studios in Memphis, TN; the relaxed atmosphere has him talking, singing, and sparsely playing piano, while bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn and drummer Al Jackson Jr.–both from Stax' house band Booker T. & The M.G.'s–spontaneously enter and exit, accompanying him along the way. The latter group's guitarist Steve Cropper and Atlantic's Arif Martin mixed the album's five tracks, keeping the raw realistic recording very intimate, and highly dynamic. It is very impressive-sounding, especially the lightning fast drum strokes panned to the right of the piano which have a natural tom skin resonance rarely heard on record. The only minor quibble would be a slight cymbal lack of finesse. It was released both with the Enterprise logo on the front cover as well as the Atlantic logo at the same time. My copy is the latter, probably pressed by Presswell in Ancora, New Jersey.
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3- Isaac Hayes – Hot Buttered Soul. Enterprise – ENS-1001 (May 1969), MoFi – MFSL 1-273 (2005), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: cinematic soul, symphonic soul, sultry soul, psychedelic soul.
Hayes turned up the heat on Hot Buttered Soul the following year with what many consider to be his finest musical moment, along with the Shaft soundtrack in summer of 1971. Indeed, it marks a major musical milestone and evolution in creativity and production aesthetic; not only for Hayes as an artist but for the future of soul music in style, direction, and coming to full fruition in the fast-approaching new decade–not discounting the trip hop movement of the 1990s which would sample his downtempo material. The first thing that surely struck the listener back then was that it featured only four tracks lasting between 5 and 18 minutes long–an unheard practice at the time when most soul songs were still under the four and a half way mark, though this would soon change just a couple of years later. Instead of the unpolished and unapologetic looseness of the preceding debut album, here we encounter something much more structured and varnished, commensurate in scope with a glossy Ian Fleming flick–in fact the hard-panned staccato brass, bolster the wide and deep scene with a shiny Goldfinger ambiance...Mr. Bond. On it, he brings his unique slower interpretation of Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Walk On By"–originally sung by Dionne Warwick in 1964–and solidly nails it. Harold Beane's fuzzy guitar solo evokes the psychedelic sounds of the period. Hayes also offers his version of Jimmy Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix"–a 1967 hit by Glen Campbell. Produced by Al Bell, Allen Jones, and keyboardist Marvell Thomas, and accompanied by The Bar-Kays, it was engineered by Ed Wolfrum and Terry Manning, and remixed by Russ Terrana, Jr. at Ardent Studios in Memphis, TN and United Sound Systems in Detroit, MI. Paul Richmond cut the lacquer at Mastercraft in Memphis, TN. The tonal balance is quite good but has a small tendency towards the treble taking on more emphasis than the bass registers resulting in a sharp sound with great depth and detail but a bit more bass punch would be welcome. Nonetheless, still very pleasant. If my memory is intact, the 2005 MoFi remastered by Krieg Wunderlich was good also, though I can't recall that it was superior, simply an interesting alternative I believe. I have not heard the 2018 Craft remaster [CR00034] by Dave Cooley and cut by Chris Noel to compare and comment.
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4- Barbara Acklin – Love Makes a Woman. Brunswick – BL 754137 (July 1968), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: Chicago soul, Northern soul, romantic soul, sentimental soul, R&B, ballads.
Isaac Hayes isn't the only soul singer songwriter that reappropriates Bacharach-David compositions. In effect, the album opens with two of these–a cover of Jackie DeShannon's "What the World Needs Now Is Love", followed by Dusty Springfield's "The Look of Love". On her debut album released in summer 1968, the Oakland-born, Brunswick-signed artist, presents eleven soulful songs incorporating beautiful bass, brass, piano, and string arrangements. She sings with great control and class, and her voice is very well captured with wide natural range. Produced by Carl Davis and Chi-Lites lead vocalist Eugene Record, the uncredited musicians and backup singers recall Aretha Franklin's early-Atlantic period in style and engineering choices such as hard-panned drums, bass, guitars, strings, and vocals, bringing great clarity to the musical phrases which I always welcome. The Brunswick tonal balance is simply lovely as is so often the case with this truly historic label going back to the beginning of the twentieth century and recording era. It is pressed by MCA Pressing Plant, Gloversville in NY. Simply an incredible album and ambiance. Barbara Acklin continued to release musically interesting material into the early-1970s until leaving Brunswick in 1973.
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5- The Impressions – This Is My Country. Curtom – CRS 8001 (Nov. 1968), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: Chicago soul.
Before launching a successful solo singing, producing, and composing career, Curtis Mayfield was the main driving force behind the The Impressions. Stemming from Chattanooga, TN, in 1958, the group soon switched to Chicago whilst for a brief stint, singer Jerry Butler was the lead with Mayfield taking over when Butler began his own solo path two years later. Throughout the myriad membership, they recorded twenty albums during a two-decade run, releasing This Is My Country smack in the middle of the pack in november 1968–the first LP featured on Curtis' own Curtom label. I was lucky to find a second hand copy twenty years ago in a country thrift shop during a sunday stroll where I stumbled upon the Pusherman's prior period. Nine out of the ten short tracks are written and produced by maestro Mayfield, creating a musically-rich driven album. No recording engineer is credited. It was mastered at the Customatrix plant with the lacquer cut at Bell Sound Studios in New York. The sound falls in line with the production style of the late-1960s and what you could expect from a Motown release, which is slighly light in the bass registers while the rest of the spectrum is quite nicely rendered, especially so regarding Mayfield's distinctive vocals. A sleeper of an album worth seeking out.
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6- Stevie Wonder – My Cherie Amour. Tamla – TS 296 (Aug. 1969), 33 1/3 rpm. Genre: soul, pop.
Released August 1969, this was Wonder's eleventh studio album following For Once in My Life [Tamla TS 291]. Of course this is far from his best album, but it is worth having just the same, and is the kind of LP that I like to pull out on occasion when feeling more sentimental than purely funky. The title-track is my favorite song along with his interpretations of The Doors' "Light My Fire", as well as the Johnny Mandel-penned "The Shadow of Your Smile". On some of the twelve tracks he plays his signature harmonica that fameously sealed the deal with Motown signing him at age eleven, and finding success two years later with his first hit single "Fingertips" found on his debut album, 1962's The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie [Tamla TM 233]–as he was known at that time. Produced by Henry Cosby. Funk Brothers' Benny Benjamin on drums and James Jamerson on bass are on the left while guitar, strings and conga are on the right, accompanying Stevie center stage. The sound presentation is kept simple and breathes easily with a natural tone balance and dymamic range for the genre. No recording engineers are credited. Larry Kling cut the lacquer and my copy was pressed by RCA Records Pressing Plant, Indianapolis in IN.
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