The Dominoes Featuring Clyde McPhatter

1977 Gusto LP focussing on Clyde McPhatter’s years with the Dominoes (1950-1953). The first 9 tracks have lead vocals by McPhatter, while in the second 9 he features on backing vocals. I wonder if it was this version of “Harbor Lights” that Elvis had heard before he recorded his own version of the track at Sun. McPhatter’s lead vocals on the slow numbers are among the most haunting you’ll ever hear.

Ripped from vinyl at 320kbps. Password = greaseyspoon

Download link:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YHFYCLZ6

1. No Says My Heart
2. Do Something For Me
3. Harbor Lights
4. That's What You're Doing To Me
5. I Can't Escape From You
6. Don't Leave Me This Way
7. Deep Sea Blues
8. When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano
9. Yours Forever
10. Chicken Blues
11. Weeping Willow Blues
12. Heart To Heart *
13. The Deacon Moves In *
14. Love Love Love
15. Pedal Pushin' Papa
16. No Room
17.I Ain't Gonna Cry For You
18. I'm Lonely

* = with Little Esther

This album is still available in the UK as an imported CD. Get it from Amazon.

The Dominoes - Have Mercy Baby

Link:

Have Mercy Baby (Mega) 

Updated version of this post is here:

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-dominoes-have-mercy-baby.html 

This is a 1985 Charly LP of Dominoes’ King/Federal sides recorded between 1950 and 1955. Billy Ward’s Dominoes were the first vocal group to bring a gospel sound to the R&B charts thanks to the spectacular lead vocals of Clyde McPhatter. In doing so they became progenitors of soul and rock’n’roll. Indeed “That’s What You’re Doing To Me” (May 1951) is a candidate for the first real rock’n’roll record.

“Sixty Minute Man” (lead vocal – Bill Brown) was the first R&B vocal group recording to enter the pop charts (1951). A boastful novelty tribute to physical stamina, it featured the line “I rock ‘em, roll ‘em all night long” and helped to fix the phrase “rock and roll” in the public mind.

In the spring of 1953 Clyde McPhatter left the Dominoes and went on to form the Drifters on Atlantic Records. His replacement was the equally (or even more?) talented Jackie Wilson but his only top ten R&B hit with the group was “Rags To Riches”. Ward changed the style of the Dominoes away from rockers and early soul and more towards sentimental ballads, achieving pop success with “St. Therese Of The Roses” in 1956, and further success after the departure of Jackie Wilson with “Stardust” and “Deep Purple”.

The liner notes by Bill Millar are well worth reading for a history of the Dominoes.

1. Chicken Blues
2. Do Something For Me *
3. Weeping Willow Blues *
4. Sixty Minute Man
5. That's What You're Doing To Me *
6. I Am With You *
7. Don't Leave Me This Way *
8. Have Mercy Baby *
9. Pedal Pushin' Papa
10. I'd Be Satisfied *
11. The Bells *
12. I Ain't Gonna Cry For You
13. You Can't Keep A Good Man Down **
14. My Baby's 3-D
15. I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town **
16. If I Never Get To Heaven

* lead vocal – Clyde McPhatter
** lead vocal – Jackie Wilson

Dexter Gordon & Wardell Gray - The Hunt

Many thanks to Billy K for sending this Savoy Jazz double LP to post here.

Each of the four tracks occupied one side of the original album. They are jam sessions, principally tenor sax battles between Dexter Gordon and Wardell Gray, recorded live in front of an audience at the Brown Bomber, Los Angeles, in July 1947. Other musicians on the sessions include Howard McGhee, Trummy Young, Sonny Criss, Barney Kessel and Hampton Hawes.

Billy K has included scans of the album art, featuring an essay by Ross Russell which wonderfully evokes the Central Avenue scene in Los Angeles and the arrival of bebop on the West Coast.

The original rip from vinyl is in m4a format (160 kbps) and can be downloaded from Billy K's link here:

link deleted by mediafire

I used the freeware program Any Audio Converter to produce an mp3 version (192 kbps ) which you can download from here:

http://www17.zippyshare.com/v/27721171/file.html

1. Disorder At The Border
2. Cherokee
3. Byas-a-Drink
4. The Hunt

The King Cole Trio - Trio Days

Early Nat “King” Cole Trio sides recorded for Decca in late 1940 and early 1941. The line up is Nat “King” Cole – piano and lead vocals, Oscar Moore – guitar and ensemble vocals, Wesley Prince – bass and ensemble vocals.

These are mostly jazzy, jivey numbers with plenty of instrumentals, ensemble vocals and hepcat lyrics. The early version of “Sweet Lorraine” hints at the future career of Cole as a peerless ballad singer.

This was a 1984 LP in the Charly jazz subsidiary Affinity’s “Big Band Bounce & Boogie” series although what this album has to do with big bands (or boogie) defeats me. I guess it has got plenty bounce, though!

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

Download link:

https://www49.zippyshare.com/v/RfuzkA6G/file.html

1. Honeysuckle Rose
2. Sweet Lorraine
3. This Side Up
4. Gone With The Draft
5. Call The Police
6. That Ain't Right
7. Are You Fer It?
8. Hit That Jive Jack
9. Early Morning Blues
10. Babs
11. Scotchin' With Soda
12. Slow Down
13. I Like To Riff
14. This Will Make You Laugh
15. Hit The Ramp
16. Stop, The Red Light's On

Please note: this LP was re-upped in June 2016 in a new post with more information here:

https://bebopwinorip.blogspot.com/2016/06/the-nat-king-cole-trio-trio-days.html
 

Big Jay McNeely - Big "J" In 3-D (King LP 650)

The Big Jay saga continues with this album (originally released in 1956 as Federal 395) of 12 of his sides recorded for Federal from August 1952 to April 1954. "The Goof", "3D" and "Nervous Man Nervous" are among the wildest tracks he ever recorded. "Mule Milk" is almost as wild but has crowd noises overdubbed in attempt to recreate the crazed atmosphere of Big Jay's live concerts.

By the time this album was released, Big Jay had been away from Federal for one and a half years, had recorded briefly for Veejay in 1955 and had laid down a complete session at Atlantic which was never released. Tastes in R&B and Rock'n'Roll were changing. Sax fans now preferred the smoother stylings of Earl Bostic, and the teenage audience who had made up so much of Big Jay's fan base were turning to vocal groups such as The Penguins, The Clovers, The Drifters and The Platters. Our hero's career appeared to be taking a nosedive. Could he survive or was he doomed to be yesterday's news like Wynonie Harris, Amos Milburn, Roy Milton and so many other one-time R&B heroes?

I have included the album art from both the CD and the Sing 1980s reissue vinyl LP. The front cover for the CD is a repro of the original 1956 vinyl release. The front cover for the 1988 Sing vinyl LP differs from the original. The back cover for the CD has a tracklist and no notes. The back cover of the Sing LP reproduces the original liner notes (which amazingly try to sell Big Jay as a jazz musician) and adds a tracklist, session details and a photograph. In other words if you're burning a CD copy for your collection, it's best to use the CD front cover and the LP back cover.

Ripped from vinyl at 320kbps. Password = greaseyspoon

Download link:

http://rapidshare.com/files/54447498/Big_J_In_3-D.rar

1. The Goof
2. Ice Water
3. Big Jay Shuffle
4. Rock Candy
5. Whipped Cream
6. Hot Cinders
7. 3-D
8. Hardtack
9. Nervous Man Nervous
10. Mule Milk
11. Let's Work
12. Beachcomber

Big John Greer - R&B In New York City

Big band veteran tenor sax man John Greer issued a series of sides for RCA Victor subsidiaries Vic and Groove which were an odd mixture of rocking R&B and sickly sweet ballads. Despite his prowess as a horn player, on most of these sides Greer confined himself to vocalising while the rocking sax breaks were left to Budd Johnson, Big Al Sears and Sam ‘The Man’ Taylor.

Sides on this comp recorded between 1951 and 1955. The only substantial hit was “Got You On My Mind” which was a blatant Ivory Joe Hunter rip-off.

Ripped from the 1988 Official LP at 320 kbps.

Download link here:

http://www10.zippyshare.com/v/OuBdX17M/file.html


More detailed Big John Greer post here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/big-john-greer-r-b-in-new-york-city.html


1. Woman Is A Five Letter Word
2. Tell Me So
3. Got You On My Mind
4. Let Me Hold You
5. You Played On My Piano
6. Lonesome And Blue
7. I Need You
8. I'll Never Let You Go
9. I'm The Fat Man
10. Beginning To Miss You
11. Rhythm In The Breeze
12. Drinkin' Fool
13. Getting Mighty Lonesome For You
14. Too Long
15. Come Back Maybelline
16. Night Crawlin'

Lowell Hastings, Danny Turner & Eddie Woodland - Count 'Red' Hastings

Lowell Hastings, aka “Count” Hastings, aka “Red” Hastings cut two sessions for Gotham Records, one in November 1948 and one in January 1950. A hugely experienced tenor sax man, he is probably best known for his 1949 – 1951 spell with the Earl Bostic group, but a glance at the list of his sessions on the back cover of this LP shows him playing alongside such luminaries as Tiny Bradshaw, Lucky Millinder, Panama Francis, Illinois Jacquet, Louis Jordan (see front cover photo) and Little Willie John.

Tony Burke’s sleevenotes nicely sum up what is on offer here: “Many jazz musicians of the era moved freely between small jazz combos, big bands and rhythm and blues outfits, and at times when they came to record, the distinction between R&B, jazz and bop became almost indetectable. This compilation, dominated by Lowell Hastings, takes us neatly into the realms where rhythm and blues merged into bop and jazz, and to where Ivin Ballen was trying to carve a niche for his company in an increasingly competitive market.”

The Eddie Woodland and Danny Turner sides, dating from 1949, are in a similar style.

Ripped at 320 kbps from vinyl.

Download link:

http://www9.zippyshare.com/v/V0JcrxOp/file.html


1. Diga Diga Do / Count Hastings
2. Sugar Cane / Count Hastings
3. Minor In The Diner * / Count Hastings
4. She's Funny That Way / Count Hastings
5. Patches * / Count Hastings
6. Begin The Beguine / Count Hastings
7. Candied Yam / Count Hastings
8. Patches / Count Hastings
9. Baboo / Count Hastings
10. Minor In The Diner * / Count Hastings
11. Midnight Moan * / Danny Turner
12. Snap Case * / Eddie Woodland
13. Jumpin' With Pio * / Eddie Woodland
14. Danny's Jump ** / Danny Turner

* = previously unreleased take

** = previously unreleased title

Earl Bostic - Sax 'O' Boogie

This LP from Martin Van Olderen’s Oldie Blues label brings together 16 of Earl Bostic’s early Gotham and King sides recorded between 1947 and early 1951. This is raw and raucous jump blues which is quite unlike the hit making arrangements adopted by Bostic after “Flamingo”. The album was mastered from original 78rpm discs so there is some surface noise.

Ripped from vinyl at 320 kbps.

Download link:

http://www19.zippyshare.com/v/ntSt4F2o/file.html


1. Bostic's Jump
2. Earl's Rhumboogie
3. Hot Sauce Boss
4. 8:45 Stomp
5. Bar Fly Baby
6. Bostic's Boogie Blues
7. Blip Boogie
8. From Midnight To Dawn
9. Swing Low Sweet Boogie
10. Nay, Nay, Go Away
11. Sugar Hill Blues
12. Choppin' It Down
13. No Name Blues
14. Way Down
15. Don't You Do It
16. Rockin' And Reelin'

Recommended Purchase:



"Flamingo" (Proper PVCD 100)

This 2CD set (now out of print?) looks at the early career of Earl Bostic, starting with his spells in the big bands of Lionel Hampton and Rex Stewart. Also featured are the sides recorded with his own big band for Majestic and many of his small group sides for Gotham and King up to October 1951. There are extensive liner notes by Joop Visser. Well worth buying.

Bill Haley - restored covers

As you can see on my previous post, the Bill Haley EP cover is in pretty poor condition. One of the members of the rockhall forum has done a neat restoration job and you can see part of the result above. Thank you, fellow rocker!

I've added a couple of crops to the original file and you can download the folder from here:

http://rapidshare.com/files/67702129/Bill_Haley_covers.rar

or download our fellow rocker's original file from his own link here:

http://rapidshare.com/files/67697362/Bill_Haley___His_Comets___LONDON_OE_9279___.jpg

It's scratchy old record time again!

Another vintage Bill Haley and his Comets EP from the fabulous fifties. There's some clicking and crackling on this one, which I guess is understandable as it is over 50 years old. The sleevenotes refer to a forthcoming tour of the western United States, Canada and Europe in early 1957.

Two things struck me as I listened to this record. Firstly the standard of the music. These guys really rock. Secondly the standard of sound reproduction. CDs and mp3s just can't compare to original vinyl discs when it comes to delivering gutsy whomp. This is the best way to experience the big beat.

This EP and the earlier one I posted belonged to my pal's dad. They've been lying in my record cupboard for years. I'd noticed that inside the sleeve of this record there was a second disc which I thought might be Rock'N'Roll Stage Show part 1. I pulled it out last night and found that it wasn't. It was this:

The original "(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock" - rock 'n' roll Nirvana! So here is this piece of musical history for you to hear in something like its original form.

Rock 'N' Roll Stage Show part 2:

1. A Rocking Little Tune

2. Hide And Seek

3. Choo Choo Ch'Boogie

4. Blue Comet Blues

http://sharebee.com/b54cc744

or

http://rapidshare.com/files/67651859/Rock_N_Roll_Stage_Show_part_2.rar

(We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock:

1. (We're Gonna) Rock Around The Clock

2. Thirteen Women

http://sharebee.com/402d3f3d

or

http://rapidshare.com/files/67653380/_We_re_Gonna__Rock_Around_The_Clock.rar

No password