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Joan Selects - the complete Joan Selects Collection

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Attention Mac Users!

Mac users have been experiencing problems in unpacking the WinRAR archives used on this blog. Two solutions have been suggested.

1. Use The Unarchiver - www.theunarchiver.com - see comments on Little Esther Bad Baad Girl post for details.

2. Use Keka - http://www.kekaosx.com/en/ - see comments on Johnny Otis Presents post.

Thursday, 24 November 2016

Bill Haley - Destination Rock and Roll! Re-upped! Twice!













































Side One:
01. Rocket '88'
02. Green Tree Boogie
03. Rock The Joint
04. Rocking Chair On the Moon
05. Real Rock Drive
06. Crazy Man, Crazy

Side Two:
01. Wat'cha Gonna Do
02. Fractured
03. Live It Up!
04. Farewell, So Long, Good-Bye
05. I'll Be True
06. Chattanooga Choo-Choo

Original release details:

01. Rocket '88' - Bill Haley and The Saddlemen - Holiday 105 - July 1951

02. Green Tree Boogie - Bill Haley and The Saddlemen - Holiday 108 - August 1951

03. Rock The Joint - Bill Haley with The Saddlemen - Essex 303 - April 1952

04. Rocking Chair On the Moon - Bill Haley with The Saddlemen - Essex 305 - August 1952

05. Real Rock Drive - Bill Haley with Haley's Comets - Essex 310 - January 1953


06. Crazy Man, Crazy - Bill Haley with Haley's Comets - Essex 321 - April 1953

07. Whatcha Gonna Do - Bill Haley with Haley's Comets - Essex 321 - April 1953

08. Fractured - Bill Haley with Haley's Comets - Essex 327 - June 1953

09. Live It Up! - Bill Haley with Haley's Comets - Essex 332 - September 1953

10. Farewell - So Long - Good-Bye - Bill Haley with Haley's Comets - Essex 332 - September 1953

11. I'll Be True - Bill Haley and His Comets - Essex 340 - December 1953

12. Chattanooga Choo-Choo - Bill Haley and Haley's Comets - Essex 348 - March 1954

There have been a few requests for Bill Haley to be re-upped to the blog, so I've decided to kick off with this compilation of some of his pre-Decca sides on the small Holiday and Essex labels.

"Destination Rock and Roll!" is a home-made compilation with the front cover art adapted from a series of Essex EP covers, and the back cover ripped off from a Decca EP.

I chose the 12 tracks to illustrate the transformation of Bill Haley's music from Countrified covers of R&B hits to a heavily R&B influenced sound which kind of accidentally ended up as Rock 'n' Roll, if for the purposes of this post we define Rock 'n' Roll as the white version of Rhythm and Blues. Yep, as far as I can make out, Bill Haley invented Rock 'n' Roll. Or maybe it was Jimmy Cavallo. It definitely wasn't that Johnny-come-lately down in Memphis 'cos Bill had been rockin' for a couple of years before Elvis hauled his ass into Sam Phillip's studio and luckily for the big E, Sam had the foresight to team him up with Scotty Moore and Bill Black.

Just kidding - I really dig early Elvis and no one person "invented" Rock 'n' Roll (which I am capitalizing today just because I can). But it must be said that Bill Haley rarely received the credit he deserved when the time came to write the history of where and how and why that music came about.

I wrote a very extensive post for "Destination Rock and Roll!" back in August 2011 which you can read here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2011/08/bill-haley-destination-rock-and-roll.html

I entreat you all, if you count yourselves as true fans of Rock 'n' Roll, to click on the link and dig Bill and his role in the development of the music to which we still groove, sixty-five years on.

That post has a selection of label and cover shots supplied by Joan K. The sound files on "Destination Rock and Roll!" were also supplied by Joan. They were ripped from original 1950s vinyl singles and EPs, so there is surface noise on quite a few of the tracks. For this post I have put together a second version of the compilation, using non-original audio sources (ahem). Both versions contain a folder of Joan's scans of the original 1950s artwork.

Original vinyl ripped version here:

http://www116.zippyshare.com/v/MdPsqbrG/file.html

New version with less surface noise here:

http://www35.zippyshare.com/v/CiCsrPjv/file.html

More Bill Haley re-ups coming soon!

Thursday, 17 November 2016

Lost Dreams: The New Orleans Vocal Groups




































































Side 1:
01. Drunk Drunk Drunk - The Kidds
02. Why Fool Yourself - Bernie Williams
03. Bluesy Me - Dave Collins & The Scrubs
04. Lost Dreams - The Dukes
05. Sunny Side Of The Street - The Bees
06. Eternally Yours - The Barons
07. Cotton Picking Hands - The Dukes

Side 2:
01. Later, Baby - Fat Man Matthews & The Four Kittens
02. Boom Boom - The Barons
03. Teardrop Eyes - The Dukes
04. Ain't Gonna Do It - The Pelicans
05. Shake The Dice - The Barons
06. Darling, Please - The Bees
07. Last Ride - The Dukes

Lost Dreams: The New Orleans Vocal Groups. EMI America ST-17232. Sleeve notes by Jim Dawson and Steve Brigati. Design by Henry Marquez and Lou Beach. Issued in 1987.

Download from here:

http://www23.zippyshare.com/v/GU3mJ5sr/file.html

Having spotlighted The Spiders in the previous post, we remain on the New Orleans vocal groups theme with this compilation of sides from the label which hosted The Spiders, Imperial. This LP has been on the blog off and on over the years but for the purpose of this post I've added new cover and label scans. There is also a folder of 45 rpm scans provided by Joan K.

The notes on the back cover of the LP are very comprehensive and I've based the notes below on the sleeve notes. I have, however, added some extra info and corrected a couple of points regarding release numbers and release dates. See the tracklist below for a summary and then read on!

01. Drunk Drunk Drunk - The Kidds (Imperial 5335) February 1955
02. Why Fool Yourself - Bernie Williams (Imperial 5360) July 1955
03. Bluesy Me - Dave Collins & The Scrubs (Imperial 5294) July 1954
04. Lost Dreams - The Dukes (unreleased, 1956)
05. Sunny Side Of The Street - The Bees (unreleased, 1955)
06. Eternally Yours - The Barons (Imperial 5343) March 1955
07. Cotton Picking Hands - The Dukes (Imperial 5415) November 1956
08. Later, Baby - Fat Man Matthews & The Four Kittens (Imperial 5211) December 1952
09. Boom Boom - The Barons (Imperial 5343) March 1955
10. Teardrop Eyes - The Dukes Imperial 5401) July 1956
11. Ain't Gonna Do It - The Pelicans (Imperial 5307) October 1954
12. Shake The Dice - The Barons (unreleased, 1955)
13. Darling, Please - The Bees (unreleased, 1954)
14. Last Ride - The Dukes (unreleased, 1956)

The earliest side on this compilation, "Later, Baby" by Fat Man Matthews & The Four Kittens, was released on Imperial 5211 in December 1952. The B Side was "When Boy Meets Girl." The group was actually a gospel group, The Humming Four, who backed Allen "Fat Man" Man Matthews (at that time singing with The Dave Bartholomew Band) on these two sides. The disc didn't do much business and singer and group went their separate ways for a while.

At the end of 1953 Matthews and a changed line up of The Humming Four re-united in the recording studio as The Hawks. They released a total of five singles in 1954 and in June of that year also backed up Dave Collins (adopting the moniker The Scrubs) on "Bluesy Me" (Imperial 5294) which was released the following month.

The full story of The Hawks, The Four Kittens, and The Scrubs can be found on Marv Goldberg's site here:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Hawks/hawks.html

The Pelicans and The Kidds were the same group recording under different names. "Ain't Gonna Do It" (Imperial 5307), released in October 1954, was the B Side of "Chimes". In February 1955 the same group, now renamed The Kidds, released "Drunk, Drunk, Drunk" (Imperial 5335). Both of these discs were equally raucous and unruly. Versions of "Ain't Gonna Do It" were also recorded by Smiley Lewis and Fats Domino.

The Bees were brought to New Orleans from New York by Dave Bartholomew. They recorded the double entendre "Toy Bell" which was released in October 1954. Many years later Chuck Berry covered the song as "My Ding-A-Ling". The Bees tracks on this comp, "Darling Please" (1954) and "Sunny Side Of The Street" (1955) were not released

"Eternally Yours" / "Boom Boom" (Imperial 5343) by The Barons was released in March 1955. Billboard described "Boom Boom" as being "in dubious taste." Note that the release number given to "Boom Boom" in the LP sleeve notes is wrong. Imperial 5359 was another disc by the Barons - "My Dream, My Love" / "I Know I Was Wrong" (July 1955). The rousing "Shake The Dice" is an unreleased Barons track from 1955.

The Barons may be the group backing Bernie Williams on "Why Fool Yourself" (Imperial 5360) which was released in July 1955, b/w "Don't Tease Me".

The Dukes recorded  a couple of sessions for Imperial in 1956. "Teardrop Eyes" (Imperial 5401) was released in July 1956 and was highly rated by Billboard. "A highly effective side, sparked by the unusually distinctive vocal work of the lead singer on a moving theme." "Cotton Picking Hands" (Imperial 5415) was the B Side of "Wini Brown" which was released in November 1956. Neither "Lost Dreams" nor the supremely weird "Last Ride" were released in the 1950s.

A disc listed by some websites as a Dukes release on Imperial from 1954, "Come On And Rock" / "I'll Found A Love", is in fact a bootleg issue of two unreleased sides recorded for Specialty by a different group called The Dukes. A listen to "Come On And Rock" on YouTube confirms that these Dukes sound nothing like Imperial's Dukes. See Marv Goldberg's article on The Dukes who recorded for Specialty for details:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Dukes/dukes.html

You can hear more Imperial vocal group sides on the BGO CD reissue of 2 LPs originally issued on the Imperial label in the US and on Liberty in the UK around 1970: "Rhythm 'N' Blues Vol. 1: The End Of An Era" and "Rhythm 'N' Blues Vol. 2: Sweet N' Greasy". The LPs were part of a series of 8 "Legendary Masters" LPs inspired by Bob Hite of Canned Heat.


BGOCD466. The Dukes, The Bees, The Kidds / The Pelicans, and The Barons are featured, and sides not on "Lost Dreams" are on this CD. The Spiders, The Hawks and The Shaweez provide more New Orleans sounds.

Included in the download is a folder of scans by Joan K, so let's close the post with a visual feast.







Monday, 14 November 2016

The Spiders - 2LPs Re-upped


Side 1:
01. I Didn't Want To Do It
02. You're The One
03. I'm Slippin' In
04. Mmm Mmm Baby
05. Walkin' Around In Circles
06. I'm Searching

Side 2:
01. That's Enough
02. Sukey, Sukey, Sukey
03. Am I The One
04. Don't Knock
05. (True) You Don't Love Me
06. Witchcraft

Download "I Didn't Wanna Do It" from here:

http://www8.zippyshare.com/v/oVHoDWSq/file.html




Side A:
01. Don't Pity Me
02. How I Feel
03. Bells In My Heart
04. For A Thrill
05. Lost And Bewildered
06. The Real Thing
07. Honey Bee

Side B:
01. That's The Way To Win My Heart
02. Goodbye
03. I'll Stop Crying
04. Tears Began To Flow
05. Dear Mary
06. A1 In My Heart
07. You Played The Part

Download "The Best Of The Spiders" from here:

http://www103.zippyshare.com/v/jgrUOGlJ/file.html

I've reposted the two Spiders' LPs in response to a request for a re-up of the 1961 Imperial LP "I Didn't Wanna Do It." The version posted on Be Bop Wino is a "reconstruction" of the original LP from vinyl rips sent in by Joan, so the version of "Mmm Mmm Baby" here is the original 1954 single release track (Imperial 5305), instead of the second hitherto unreleased version  (also recorded in 1954) which was used on the LP. Both versions can be found on YouTube.

For "The Best Of The Spiders Volume 1" I've added new cover and label scans. I've also run the tracks from both LPs through MP3 Gain to increase and normalize the volume.

There is no duplication of tracks between these LPs, so you get 26 primo sides by the number one vocal group in New Orleans, recorded between the beginning of 1954 and the end of 1956. "I Didn't Want To Do It", "You're The One", "I'm Slippin' In", "21", and "Witchcraft" were all top ten R&B chart entries. For the full story of The Spiders go over to Marv Goldberg's web site here:

http://www.uncamarvy.com/Spiders/spiders.html

"I Didn't Wanna Do It" was posted on Be Bop Wino on 19th March 2010. You can find the post here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/spiders-i-didnt-want-to-do-it-imperial.html

"The Best Of The Spiders Volume 1" was originally posted on 22nd March 2010. That post is here:

http://bebopwinorip.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/best-of-spiders-volume-1.html

I see by the short review I wrote of the LP that I was really enthusiastic about it, singing the praises of Chuck Carbo's performance on the bluesy sax-laden "You Played The Part."

"I Didn't Wanna Do It" was ripped at 128 kbps and "The Best Of The Spiders" was ripped from a scratched bootleg LP, so the tracks aren't very Hi in the Fi, but nevertheless they demand attention!

Wednesday, 9 November 2016

Bobby 'Blue' Bland - Woke Up Screaming!




































































Side One:
01. No Blow No Show
02. Wise Man Blues
03. Army Blues
04. Lost Lover Blues
05. It's My Life Baby
06. Honey Bee
07. Time Out
08. Little Boy Blue

Side Two:
01. Woke Up Screaming
02. You've Got Bad Intentions
03. I Can't Put You Down Baby
04. I Smell Trouble
05. Don't Want No Woman
06. I Don't Believe
07. I Learned My Lesson
08. Farther Up The Road

Download from here:

http://www10.zippyshare.com/v/6K0VS738/file.html

"Woke Up Screaming" indeed! This 1981 Ace  compilation of Bobby Bland's early sides for Duke Records is a good follow up to the previous post of Little Junior Parker's early Duke sides. Like Parker, Bobby Bland had a rural upbringing before he moved to Memphis in the late 1940s and again like Parker his early musical involvement was with gospel music before becoming involved with the loose aggregation of blues musicians who would become known as the Beale Streeters.

Bobby's first record, "Crying" / "A Letter From A Trench In Korea" was produced by Sam Phillips at his studio on Union Avenue, Memphis, in early December 1951 and released on Chess 1489 credited to Robert Bland with Roscoe (sic) Gordon and his Orchestra. A month later Bobby recorded four sides in Memphis under the supervision of Ike Turner for release on the Bihari brothers Modern label - "Crying All Night" / "Dry Up Baby" (Modern 848) and "Good Lovin'" / "Drifting From Town To Town" (Modern 868), both discs being credited to Robert Bland.

A few months after these sessions, a new record label appeared on the Memphis scene. Duke Records was the creation of Memphis radio station WDIA program director David James Mattis who set about recording blues records by the musicians associated with the Beale Streeters. Early releases on the label included sides by Johnny Ace, Rosco Gordon, Earl Forest and Bobby "Blue" Bland, as he was now billed.

Bobby's first release on Duke was "Lovin' Blues" / "IOU Blues" (Duke 105), recorded in July 1952 but not released until November of that year, by which time Bobby had been called up for military service and James Mattis had lost control of Duke to Houston entrepreneur Don Robey.

While on leave in August 1952, Bobby recorded a second disc in Memphis "Army Blues" / "No Blow, No Show" (Duke 115) which was not released until October 1953. These were Bobby's last recordings until he left the military in 1955 when he signed on again with Duke Records which was now based in Houston.

Problems had arrived quickly for Mattis and his Duke label as he lacked experience in the ruthless cut and thrust of the recording business. One of his earliest releases (June 1952), "My Song" by Johnny Ace with The Beale Streeters, started to sell big, causing Mattis to pour more money into manufacturing more records to meet demand, while the distribution firms sat on the money brought in by sales. Duke was under capitalized and by July 1952 was facing financial ruin when Mattis turned to Houston night club owner and owner of Peacock Records, Don Robey, a man with a "robust" approach to business dealings.

Robey came up with the necessary cash to keep Duke going, but his help came at a price to Mattis who thought he was acquiring a partner but soon found that he had in fact been taken over. In November 1952 Mattis was definitively out, and Robey was the sole owner of Duke whose recording operations were moved to Houston, which turned out to be good news for Bobby Bland.

Robey may have been a ruthless business dealer, but he ran a highly professional music operation. When Bland resumed his recording career in February 1955 it was with a crack studio band led by Bill Harvey. The four tracks laid down ("Lost Lover Blues", "It's My Life Baby", "Honey Boy" and "Time Out") also featured the blues guitar of Roy Gaines.

The early Memphis recordings on Duke were primitive compared to the later Houston sides. This can be heard to good effect on another Ace LP "Earl Forest featuring The Beale Streeters with Bobby Bland and Johnny Ace", which includes Bobby Bland's first Duke single "Lovin' Blues" / "IOU Blues". The earliest sides on the compilation can make for tough listening but the later sides are recorded to a much higher standard. You can download the LP from the Blues Years blog here:

http://thebluesyears.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/the-beale-streeters-with-bobby-bland.html


Sometime in 1956 Roy Gaines left the Bill Harvey Orchestra for Chuck Willis but Harvey replaced him with the equally effective Clarence Holliman whose guitar licks feature heavily on many of Bobby's sides from the second half of the 1950s.

Mention must also be made of Joe Scott, trumpet player and arranger who was behind the developing sound of the Bobby "Blue" Bland records. This was a sound that started out as blues but was already becoming soul music before the 1950s were finished. "Little Boy Blue" from 1958 is as soulful as you can get - a gospel influenced blues ballad pleader with perhaps even a hint of country around it, which builds to a screaming, testifying climax. It was a hit (number 11 R&B) as was "Farther Up The Road" which reached number 5 in the R&B charts in 1957.

These are the only hits on this compilation, for Bobby's years of real chart success lay a few years in the future in the 1960s with tracks such as "I Pity The Fool", "Cry, Cry, Cry" and "Turn On Your Love Light", to name but a few.

"Woke Up Screaming" - Ace CH 41, 1981. Mastered by Bob Jones. Cover art by Waldo's. Sleeve-notes by Ray Topping.

These are the facts on the tracks, Mac:

01. No Blow No Show - Duke 115, recorded in Memphis, circa August 1952

02. Wise Man Blues - not issued, recorded in Memphis, circa August 1952

03. Army Blues - Duke 115, recorded in Memphis, circa August 1952

04. Lost Lover Blues - not issued, recorded in Houston, February 22nd or 26th, 1955

05. It's My Life Baby - Duke 141, recorded in Houston, February 22nd or 26th, 1955

06. Honey Bee - not issued, recorded in Houston, February 22nd or 26th, 1955

07. Time Out - Duke 141, recorded Houston, February 22nd or 26th, 1955

08. Little Boy Blue - Duke 196, recorded in Houston, 1958

09. Woke Up Screaming - Duke 146, recorded in Houston, 1955

10. You've Got Bad Intentions - Duke 153 - recorded in Houston, 1956

11. I Can't Put You Down Baby - Duke 153 - recorded in Houston, 1956

12. I Smell Trouble - Duke 167 - recorded in Houston, 1957

13. Don't Want No Woman - Duke 167 - recorded in Houston, 1957

14. I Don't Believe - Duke 160 - recorded in Houston, 1956

15. I Learned My Lesson - Duke 160 - recorded in Houston, 1956

16. Farther Up The Road - Duke 170 - recorded in Houston, 1957

Release information

Army Blues / No Blow, No Show - Duke 115 - "Bobby Blue" Bland and Orchestra. Released in October 1953.

It's My Life, Baby / Time Out - Duke 141 - Bobby Blue Bland w Bill Harvey Orchestra. Released in May 1955

Woke Up Screaming / You Or None - Duke 146 - Bobby Bland w Bill Harvey Orchestra. Released in September 1955

You've Got Bad Intentions / I Can't Put You Down, Baby - Duke 153 - Bobby "Blue" Bland w Bill Harvey's Band. Released in June 1956

I Don't Believe / I Learned My Lesson - Duke 160 - Bobby "Blue" Bland w Bill Harvey's Band. Released in November 1956

I Smell Trouble / Don't Want No Woman - Duke 167 - Bobby "Blue" Bland w Bill Harvey Orchestra. Released in March 1957


Above: Billboard ad, April 1957. Not much chart action, though label mate Little Junior Parker hit big at this time with "Next Time You See Me".

Sometimes Tomorrow / Farther Up The Road - Duke 170 - Bobby "Blue" Bland w Bill Harvey Orchestra. Released in July 1957. "Farther Up The Road" peaked at number 5 in the Billboard R&B bestsellers chart in early September 1957

Little Boy Blue / Last Night - Duke 196 - Bobby "Blue" Bland. Released in July (?) 1958. Number 11 in Billboard Hot R&B Sides chart in October 1958

For further listening there are two CDs available on Ace:


Above: "The Blues Years: 1952 - 1959" Ace CDCHD 302. Covers the period of "Woke Up Screaming" but more completely. 25 tracks.


Above: "The Voice" Ace CDCHD 323. The big ones from the 1960s on Duke. 26 tracks including "I Pity The Fool", "Don't Cry No More", "Stormy Monday Blues", Yield Not To Temptation", etc. The hits are all here!