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Etta James - The Essential Modern Records Collection (2011) [1955-1957 Recordings]

Posted By: Designol
Etta James - The Essential Modern Records Collection (2011) [1955-1957 Recordings]

Etta James - The Essential Modern Records Collection (2011)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 217 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 115 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Early R&B, Blues | Label: Virgin | # 5099909851924 | Time: 00:38:40

This 15-track compilation focuses on the earliest sessions recorded by Etta James for Modern Records between 1955 and 1957. James was only a teenager when she first recorded for the L.A.-based label. Her youthful exuberance and powerhouse delivery still generate that initial excitement captured on these remastered versions of "The Wallflower (Roll with Me Henry)," "The Pick-Up," "W-O-M-A-N," and "Good Rockin' Daddy." This set is a great introduction to James' early raw recordings; however, it excludes a few tracks from the superior The Best of the Modern Years on Metro Blue.

VA - The Ultimate Christmas Album, WCBS-FM 101.1, Vol. 1 (1994)

Posted By: Designol
VA - The Ultimate Christmas Album, WCBS-FM 101.1, Vol. 1 (1994)

VA - The Ultimate Christmas Album, WCBS-FM 101.1, Vol. 1 (1994)
25 Great Songs for the 25th of December

EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 375 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 158 Mb | Scans ~ 57 Mb
Label: Collectables Records | # COL-CD-2511 | Time: 01:08:55
Holidays, Doo Wop, Early R&B, Early Pop/Rock, Vocal Pop, Soul, Swing

Collectables Records' various-artists compilation The Ultimate Christmas Album has been released both on its own and as a tie-in with a series of radio stations. There are identical editions of the album associated with KLUV, K-Earth 101 FM, and WCBS FM-101.1 in addition to this version, WJMK 104.3 Chicago. The word "ultimate" has been overused and misused in record releases to the point that it doesn't mean very much to see it on the cover of an album. Whether or not one considers this album to justify its title will have a lot to do with individual musical taste. If the potential consumer is a listener to one of the radio stations listed above, which are oldies stations devoted to playing pop/rock music of the 1950s, '60s, and '70s, he or she may agree that the album is the ultimate in holiday music of that period.

Joe Turner - Joe Turner: 1949-1950 (2001) [The Chronological Classics]

Posted By: Designol
Joe Turner - Joe Turner: 1949-1950 (2001) [The Chronological Classics]

Joe Turner - Joe Turner: 1949-1950 (2001) [The Chronological Classics]
XLD | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 138 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 137 Mb
Label: Classics Records | # 1180 | Time: 00:57:44 | Scans included
Jump Blues, Jazz Blues, Swing, Boogie-Woogie, Early R&B

You know it's about time somebody took all the little records that Big Joe Turner managed to make back in the day and brought them out in sequence the way they appear in the Classics Chronological Series. Nobody in the world ever sounded quite like Joe Turner and nobody ever will. There is a magical quality that makes his blues performances feel like rituals full of clarity and grace. Each and every Joe Turner record is as beautiful as a massive stand of tiger lilies growing up through the middle of a brickyard, silent, solid, and dignified under the dew in the first light of dawn. Incredibly, despite his enormous popularity during the Second World War, by 1949 this gifted vocalist was scuffling to get recording gigs. Ten tasty sides were cut in Los Angeles for the MGM label with a solid band fairly bursting with hot horns and driven by Pete Johnson's piano. Joe Turner closed out the year by waxing two sides for Rouge Records in Baton Rouge, LA, and four for the Freedom label in Houston, TX. In April of 1950, Joe Turner made a fistful of records in New Orleans backed by Dave Bartholomew & His Orchestra with Fats Domino at the piano.

Lonnie Mack - From Nashville To Memphis (2001)

Posted By: Designol
Lonnie Mack - From Nashville To Memphis (2001)

Lonnie Mack - From Nashville To Memphis (2001)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 309 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 147 Mb
Label: Ace Records | # CDCHD 807 | Time: 01:04:08 | Scans ~ 140 Mb
Early R&B, Instrumental Rock, Rock & Roll, Modern Electric Blues

Third & final volume in Ace Records' anthology series for the guitar legend highlights Lonnie's recordings for Harry Carlson's Cincinnati-based Fraternity label between 1963 and 1967. It follows in the wake of Lonnie on the Move & Memphis Wham! 26 tracks including previously unissued versions.

Etta James - Hickory Dickory Dock (1998)

Posted By: Designol
Etta James - Hickory Dickory Dock (1998)

Etta James - Hickory Dickory Dock (1998)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 302 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 164 Mb | Scans included
Early R&B, Soul, Blues | Label: Ace | # CDCHM 680 | Time: 00:56:50

The singer in her precocious formative years, headed by her 1955 R&B smash "Roll With Me Henry" (aka "The Wallflower"). James' follow-ups included the driving "Good Rockin' Daddy," a bluesy "W-O-M-A-N," and the New Orleans raveup "Tough Lover," which found her backed by the gang at Cosimo's (notably saxman Lee Allen). Even though her tenure at Modern Records only produced a handful of hits, these 22 cuts are delightful artifacts of the belter's earliest days. The music and liner notes are identical to the previous R&B Dynamite reissue, except that the tracks have been slightly resequenced, and a couple of songs bear different titles ("Number One" has been changed to "My One and Only," "How Big a Fool" to "Call Me a Fool").

Clarence 'Frogman' Henry - Ain't Got No Home: The Best of Clarence 'Frogman' Henry (2004)

Posted By: Designol
Clarence 'Frogman' Henry - Ain't Got No Home: The Best of Clarence 'Frogman' Henry (2004)

Clarence "Frogman" Henry - Ain't Got No Home: The Best of Clarence "Frogman" Henry (2004)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 190 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 96 Mb | Scans ~ 47 Mb
Label: MCA Records, Chess | # CHD-9346 | Time: 00:42:00
Rhythm & Blues, R&B, Early R&B, New Orleans R&B

Scoring an unexpected novelty hit with the title track in 1956, Henry disappeared from the charts for four years before roaring back with two smashes in the early '60s, "(I Don't Know Why) But I Do" and "You Always Hurt the One You Love." Actually, Clarence recorded a fair number of singles for Chess' Argo subsidiary between 1956 and 1964 in the relaxed New Orleans R&B styles of his big hits. Ain't Got No Home includes 18 of these sides, most of which were previously unavailable on U.S. album. Henry developed slightly over the course of his career, adding beefier horn sections that occasionally reached back to the spirit of Dixieland. Crescent City legends like saxophonist Lee Allen and pianists Allen Toussaint and Paul Gayton crop up on these sessions; when Henry traveled to Memphis for a session, he was backed by the all-star band of Bill Justis (guitar), Boots Randolph (sax), and Floyd Cramer (piano). A bit more eccentric and unpredictable than Fats Domino, not as contemporary or inventive as, say, Lee Dorsey, Henry's vocals were consistently warm and humorous, his recordings always polished. That said, the hits remain the standouts on this collection. The rest is pleasant and fun, but don't vary much from the prototype or cause exceptional interest.

LaVern Baker - La Vern (1956) Expanded Reissue 1997

Posted By: Designol
LaVern Baker - La Vern (1956) Expanded Reissue 1997

LaVern Baker - La Vern (1956) Expanded Reissue 1997
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 150 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 112 Mb | Scans included
Genre: Early R&B, Jump Blues | Label: Sequel/Atlantic | # RSA CD 909 | Time: 00:45:36

A pioneering figure in the fusion of R&B and rock 'n' roll in the 1950s, with a remarkably powerful voice. This 1956 album reissue including five bonus tracks.

VA - Return Of The Instro-Hipsters, Vol. 2: Groovy Instrumentals From The UK 1965-1973 (2007)

Posted By: Designol
VA - Return Of The Instro-Hipsters, Vol. 2: Groovy Instrumentals From The UK 1965-1973 (2007)

VA - Return Of The Instro-Hipsters, Volume 2 (2007)
Groovy Instrumentals From The UK 1965-1973

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 344 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 128 Mb
Label: Psychic Circle | # PCCD7013 | Time: 00:56:06 | Scans ~ 64 Mb
Instrumental Pop/Rock, Jazz Pop, Lounge, Early R&B

Nick Saloman of the Bevis Frond once again invites us to join him in the obscure pleasures of little-known pop, R&B, and jazz instrumental sides of the '60s and '70s with this collection. A number of the selections featured on Return of the Instro-Hipsters are so obscure that even Saloman isn't sure just who is responsible for them (though he offers some educated guesses on the artists behind such names as Sharks, Oliver Bone, and the Masked Phantom), but there are a good share of solid grooves and kicky melodies to be found here from a number of gifted little-knowns. If you went to the movies in the '70s, "Soul Thing" by Tony Newman will sound familiar, while flautist Harold McNair solos over a Dave Brubeck-influenced piano groove on "The Hipster," Jerry Allen demonstrates new uses for game calls on "Fuzzy Duck," Thunder Road's synthesized version of "Peter Gunn" beats Art of Noise's variation on the theme by more than 15 years, "The Brooke Bond Beat" by Cliff Adams may be the most swingin' tea commercial ever, and the Outer Limits serve up some tough, moody rock, appropriately titled "Black Boots".

Joe Turner - 1941-1946 (1997)

Posted By: gribovar
Joe Turner - 1941-1946 (1997)

Joe Turner - 1941-1946 (1997)
EAC Rip | FLAC (tracks+.cue+log) - 215 MB | MP3 CBR 320 kbps (LAME 3.93) - 152 MB | Covers - 14 MB
Genre: Early R&B, Jump Blues, Swing | RAR 3% Rec. | Label: Classics Records (CLASSICS 940)

The original blues shouter found a way to meld some of Jimmy Rushing's rambling jazz phrasing with the low-down tone he naturally bellowed out to Kansas City audiences - sometimes while behind the bar serving drinks. And before hitting the charts with several early rock & roll hits, Big Joe Turner did bedrock work with such fine stride and boogie-woogie pianists as Pete Johnson, Freddie Slack, and Willie "The Lion" Smith. On Classics' 1941-1946 chronological sampler of Turner's early prime, these and other luminaries of the after-hours fraternity sympathetically back Turner over the course of 22 gems. A good chunk of the material finds Turner ideally framed by just a piano trio, with highlights including "Nobody in Mind" (Sammy Price is at the keys for this cut), "Little Bittie Gal's Blues," and "Blues on Central Avenue"…

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey (1963) & Away We A Go Go (1966) [1986, Reissue]

Posted By: BlondStyle
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey (1963) & Away We A Go Go (1966) [1986, Reissue]

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles:
The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey (1963) & Away We A Go Go (1966) [1986, Reissue] {Japan for USA}

R&B, Soul, Motown | EAC Rip | FLAC, Img+CUE+LOG+Scans (PNG) | 01:03:13 | 504,81 Mb
Label: Tamla (USA) | Cat.# TCD08050TD | Released: 1986 (1963/1966)

In the early days of the CD age, Motown released an astonishing number of CDs, including a whole line of single-disc sets that contained two original records on one CD. Motown's initial CD two-fers were criticized in many quarters for shoddy, unattractive packaging and indifferent remastering, but less discriminating consumers found them perfectly acceptable, since they offered a lot of music at a reasonable price. By the mid-'90s, Motown eventually phased these discs out of print, replacing them with remastered individual discs, but some of the records never were re-released on CD, which made this series valuable for Motown collectors. This particular disc contained two of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' albums from the mid-'60s: "Doin' Mickey's Monkey" and "Away We A-Go-Go". Like many Motown albums of the '60s, they're uneven, containing a couple of great singles, a few solid album tracks and some filler, but they're worth exploring by hardcore fans, especially in this context, since the highlights on both records tend to balance out the weaknesses.

Etta James - At Last: The Best Of Etta James (2010)

Posted By: Designol
Etta James - At Last: The Best Of Etta James (2010)

Etta James - At Last: The Best Of Etta James (2010)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 462 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 203 Mb | Scans included
Early R&B, Soul, Blues | Label: Decca | # 5330843 | Time: 01:15:47

In many ways Etta James resembled a female Ray Charles in her unerring ability to tackle (and sometimes combine) all of the strands of American popular music, from rock & roll to R&B, blues, country, gospel, jazz, and pure pop and soul, while still maintaining a distinct feel and sound that was all her own, and she did this throughout a five-decade career that is impressive for its consistency. This 25-track set (mostly drawn from her time with Chess Records) is hardly definitive (it doesn't have classic James' tracks like "Anything to Say You're Mine," "Don't Cry Baby," "Something's Got a Hold on Me," or the girl group pop of "Two Sides (To Every Story)," for instance, or any of her late-career blues tracks), but it does do a good job of spotlighting James' range and versatility by collecting sides like her signature "At Last," the soul-pop masterpieces "Tell Mama" and "I'd Rather Go Blind," and saucy versions of Willie Dixon's "Spoonful" and Randy Newman's "You Can Leave Your Hat On," all of which offer ample proof that James was one of the best singers of her generation – in any style.

B.B. King - My Kind of Blues (1960) Expanded Remastered 2003

Posted By: Designol
B.B. King - My Kind of Blues (1960) Expanded Remastered 2003

B.B. King - My Kind of Blues (1960) Expanded Remastered 2003
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 262 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 147 Mb | Scans included
Electric Blues, Soul-Blues, Early R&B | Label: Ace | # CDCHM 881 | Time: 01:00:16

My Kind of Blues was originally released in late 1960 on the budget label Crown. On this session, B.B. King dropped the smooth big band sound of his previous release, B.B. King Wails, to an instrumentally stripped-down unit of bass, drums, piano, and, of course, his beloved guitar Lucille. This date took one day to record and is said to be one of King's personal favorites. Any of B.B. King's early Crown releases are essential, and considering that the 2003 Ace reissues feature previously unissued bonus tracks and midline pricing, these are the ones to grab. According to the liner notes, these bonus tracks are included for being "small combo tracks that continue the traditional blues theme, and allow plenty of space for B.B.'s guitar." Unfortunately, recording dates for these aren't given, but they do include five previously unissued tracks from his Modern sessions, as well as an undubbed version of "Looking the World Over"; an overdubbed version of "Walking Dr. Bill"; and a previously unissued take of "Hold That Train..

The Ronettes - Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes featuring Veronica (1964) Japanese Remastered 2011, Reissue 2015

Posted By: Designol
The Ronettes - Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes featuring Veronica (1964) Japanese Remastered 2011, Reissue 2015

The Ronettes - Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes featuring Veronica (1964)
Japanese Remastered 2011, Reissue 2015

EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue&Log) ~ 180 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 120 Mb | Scans included
Girl Group, Pop, Early R&B, Rock & Roll | Label: Sony | # SICP 4525 | Time: 00:36:40

Presenting the Fabulous Ronettes Featuring Veronica is the debut album of American girl group the Ronettes, released in 1964. Comprising numerous singles produced by Phil Spector since the previous year, it was at #96 on the Billboard 200 chart. Issued singles included "Be My Baby" (US #2), "Walking in the Rain" (US #23), "Baby, I Love You" (US #24), "Do I Love You?" (US #34), and "(The Best Part Of) Breakin' Up" (US #39). The track "So Young" had been released as a single credited to Veronica, although the other Ronettes, Estelle Bennett and Nedra Talley, appear on the record. The songs "Be My Baby" and "(Walking) in the Rain" are ranked #22 and #269, respectively, on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". The album ranked #427 also on their list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".

Big Maybelle - The Chronological Big Maybelle 1944-1953 (2004) [Classics Blues & Rhythm Series]

Posted By: Designol
Big Maybelle - The Chronological Big Maybelle 1944-1953 (2004) [Classics Blues & Rhythm Series]

Big Maybelle - The Chronological Big Maybelle 1944-1953 (2004)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 162 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 157 Mb | Scans included
Early R&B, Jump Blues, East Coast Blues | Label: Classics | # 5089 | Time: 00:54:13

Her mountainous stature matching the sheer soulful power of her massive vocal talent, Big Maybelle was one of the premier R&B chanteuses of the 1950s. Her deep, gravelly voice was as singular as her recorded output for Okeh and Savoy, which ranged from down-in-the-alley blues to pop-slanted ballads. In 1967, she even covered ? & the Mysterians' "96 Tears" (it was her final chart appearance). Alleged drug addiction leveled the mighty belter at the premature age of 47, but Maybelle packed a lot of living into her shortened lifespan.

Nellie Lutcher - The Best Of Nellie Lutcher (1995)

Posted By: Designol
Nellie Lutcher - The Best Of Nellie Lutcher (1995)

Nellie Lutcher - The Best Of Nellie Lutcher (1995)
EAC | FLAC | Tracks (Cue&Log) ~ 206 Mb | Mp3 (CBR320) ~ 174 Mb | Scans included
Label: Capitol Jazz | # CDP 7243 8 35039 2 6 | Time: 00:58:30
Jump Blues, Vocal Jazz, Swing, Early R&B

Nellie Lutcher was at the peak of her fame during her period with Capitol (1947-1951). A fine swing-based pianist, Lutcher was best known for her unique vocal style, which included witty asides that often sounded spontaneous. This well-conceived CD has 18 of her recordings from 1947 and one apiece from 1949-1951. Highlights include "Hurry on Down," "The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else," "He's a Real Gone Guy," "Chi-Chi-Chi Chicago," "The Song Is Ended," "Fine Brown Frame," and two previously unissued numbers. With sympathetic and swinging backing from various guitarists (including Ulysses Livingstone and Irving Ashby), bassists, and drummers, the spotlight is on Nellie Lutcher throughout. This highly recommended disc is easily her definitive CD.