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Post by bamajohn1 on Feb 9, 2012 12:08:09 GMT -5
I am importing this from a separate thread I started for Cooke where you can see a few added comments if you would like. kinksfanclub.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=variety&action=display&thread=2572SAM COOKESam Cooke - The Man Who Invented Soul
Sam Cooke was a great phraser with a pleasant tone who was smooth as silk, but also often called The Father of Soul. He did have many smooth pop hits (29 Top 40s in the US) such as Cupid, (What A) Wonderful World, and Only Sixteen ! Cooke died tragically amid somewhat mysterious circumstances in 1964 at the age of only 33. He had recently taken a turn back towards his Soul Stirrer gospel roots in singing style, doing music that would earn him the label 'The Man Who Invented Soul'. The crowning jewel was 'A Change is Gonna Come'. Cooke was a prolific songwriter and formed his own record label, SAR Records! Best Single Purchase ? - Compilation
There is a boxset devoted to the career of Sam Cooke titled 'The Man Who Invented Soul'. It's a very stacked purchase except for the fact it doesn't include material from the final two years of his life, his seminal recordings with the Soul Stirrers at the beginning of his career, and some big r&b and pop hits found on other compilations ! Thus, I recommend a 4 disc approach that I ultimately followed (along with some other Cooke cds that only add some garnish). Portrait of A Legend
This is the best single disc collection available covering each portion of his career! If you already have the Man and His Music cd that went out of print, it is fairly close to this and is a ok! www.amazon.com/Portrait-Legend-19....1359145&sr =1-1 Live at the Harlem Square Club 1963
This 1963 live performance is akin to Live at Folsom Prison in Johnny Cash's catalogue. It's a must have and helped cement his reputation as the Father of Soul! www.amazon.com/Live-Harlem-Square....11360249&sr=1-7Keep Movin' On
This collection contains the great music recorded by Cooke in the last portion of his life which is not included on the aforementioned boxset. It's an extraordinary supplement to the Portrait of A Legend disc ! The liner notes by esteemed writer Peter Guralnick are tremendously detailed much as with his books on Elvis Presley and southern blues and rock n roll (Feel Like Going Home). A real special treat is Cooke's take on the 'Tennessee Waltz'! www.amazon.com/Keep-Movin-Sam-Coo....11359699&sr=1-7Sam Cooke with the Soul Stirrers
The gospel music Cooke recorded with the Soul Stirrers is the best way to understand the roots of his music and soulful style. Portrait of A Legend teases with the amazing 'Touch the Hem of His Garment' and 'Jesus Gave Me Water' but there are so many 'heavenly' performances here! The Soul Stirrers also consisted of soul singer Johnnie Taylor and the great Lou Rawls at different points! www.amazon.com/Sam-Cooke-Soul-Sti....11359699&sr=1-9Synopsis
If you get Portrait of A Lengend, you have a nice taste test of all the facets of Sam Cooke's artistry. If you follow the 4 disc strategy recommended, you have a near comprehensive overview of his work !
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Post by bamajohn1 on Feb 9, 2012 13:59:06 GMT -5
The DoorsI like the Doors a good deal! I remember seeing Holly indicate some dismay about all the discussion of the Doors here; at least that was my take. Sorry if I was wrong about that, Holly! I could see someone who is a nominal fan looking at things from the outside and wondering why a band with only a handful of commercial 'hits' and a relatively brief recording history would get so much notice? If you think of it that way, that would include Led Zeppelin too, wouldn't it? I will say that if you want to get into the Doors, it's about the easiest thing in the world to do because there are so many compilations for them it is mindboggling! Some of the same ones have been reissued multiple times. The Doors compilation and reissue machine rivals the commercial product machine that is KISS! That's an observation and not necessarily a commentary! Legacy: Absolute BestI personally have listened to the boxset that came out originally that contained all of their albums (listenend 10 years ago) and I feel like the 2CD set that I own called Legacy: Absolute Best is the best concise compilation of their material that I have come across! www.amazon.com/Legacy-Absolute-Best-Doors/dp/B0000AINOJ/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1328813366&sr=1-1We have several Doors experts here, so perhaps they might comment on the comprehensiveness of this set and, of course, make more informed recommendations! Keep in mind recommendations for a young person or someone who has yet to 'break on through' to the 'own everything side'!
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Post by sleepwalker24 on Feb 9, 2012 15:01:25 GMT -5
Wow! You've sure been busy here John! I'm a little embarrased to admit that I've never bought anything by the Doors and am only know a handful of their songs That 2 CD set sounds like a good buy, I guess a used copy for $8.50 isn't too bad, considering you get two discs. It sounds to me like you've made a good recommendation John, I see the Amazon reviews for this set are very good and the average Amazon customer rating is 4 and a half stars out of five! Plus 58 out of 91 customers have rated it 5 stars I wonder if any of our resident Doors fans own this?
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Post by uncleson on Feb 9, 2012 15:08:50 GMT -5
Its pretty good John! Well worth the price. A great Doors compilation for any Doors fan!
I wish it had Ship Of Fools, Land Ho, and Running Blue on it.
The Rolling Stones issue many many compilations. I love The Stones, but Mick likes to make money, thats for sure!
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Post by bamajohn1 on Feb 9, 2012 15:15:39 GMT -5
I wonder how much input the Doors have in all these releases? I doubt they consent to all these! In the back liner notes, it says the set I linked was produced for release by the Doors. It's been awhile since I read the booklet, but I remembered reading that the living Doors themselves picked out the selection on this! I'm sorry it is missing those essentials you mention uncleson, but that's still a pretty good hit over miss rate it seems! Thanks for your informed input Uncle! I think the last track 'Celebration of the Lizard' was a unique, previously unreleased track when this was released! Yea Sleepy, this sounds like a good bet for you! BTW uncle, did you read the post I made about the Stones getting all the royalties from The Verve's 'Bittersweet Symphony' even though all the lyrics were written by Richard Ashcroft? I posted a wiki piece on the Power Pop thread today about that!
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Post by music4life on Feb 9, 2012 15:19:27 GMT -5
Its pretty good John! Well worth the price. A great Doors compilation for any Doors fan! I wish it had Ship Of Fools, Land Ho, and Running Blue on it. The Rolling Stones issue many many compilations. I love The Stones, but Mick likes to make money, thats for sure! I've not got that compilation Uncle but Ship of Fools and Land Ho is on the "Morrison's Hotel" and Running Blue is on "The Soft Parade". I've got all their albums so i dont need anything else!! I think i do own a compilation somewhere but it's not the one mentioned!
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Post by uncleson on Feb 9, 2012 15:25:28 GMT -5
I wonder how much input the Doors have in all these releases? I doubt they consent to all these! In the back liner notes, it says the set I linked was produced for release by the Doors. It's been awhile since I read the booklet, but I remembered reading that the living Doors themselves picked out the selection on this! I'm sorry it is missing those essentials you mention uncleson, but that's still a pretty good hit over miss rate it seems! Thanks for your informed input Uncle! I think the last track 'Celebration of the Lizard' was a unique, previously unreleased track when this was released! Yea Sleepy, this sounds like a good bet for you! BTW uncle, did you read the post I made about the Stones getting all the royalties from The Verve's 'Bittersweet Symphony' even though all the lyrics were written by Richard Ashcroft? I posted a wiki piece on the Power Pop thread today about that! Ill take a look, but that sounds like Mick!
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Post by HollyH on Feb 9, 2012 20:01:29 GMT -5
Thanks for reviving this thread, John. I see I owe you all a Dusty Springfield write-up -- and will try to throw in one for Alan Price as well.
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Post by bamajohn1 on Feb 15, 2012 15:02:53 GMT -5
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Post by sleepwalker24 on Feb 16, 2012 14:57:32 GMT -5
Another well written and informative review John! I have this one - The Very Best Of Eddie Cochranwww.amazon.co.uk/Very-Best-Eddie-Cochran/dp/B001885C4C/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1329421881&sr=1-1I got it several months ago and I must admit that I haven't familiarised myself with it as much as I'd have liked Sometimes I buy a few CDs at once then temporarily forget about a couple but you've reminded me of it This CD has 30 tracks and was pretty cheap so I thought it was a good buy. Do you like Sid Vicious' covers of Somethin' Else and C'Mon Everybody, John?
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Post by bamajohn1 on Feb 16, 2012 15:02:57 GMT -5
Thanks Sleepy! I know about that one too! I was going to get it as it has about 15 or so tracks not on the single disc Something Else that I have (20 Tracks). It's called 'Summertime Blues' over here with 30 tracks! I've held out to get 'C'mon Everybody' (64 tracks) or that Eddie Cochran Story' cd box that would be much more comprehensive and is a relative steal ! I can't name them off hand but there are a few songs not on the set you have that are important songs that are on Something Else; but the one you have has some great lesser known songs not on that single disc! I figured out that for me, the one you (Very Best of Eddie Cochran, Summetime Blues) have would be a better supplement to me than the 2CD Best of Eddie Cochran that I made a general recommendation for because there would be less overlap and a few more songs that were different from what I had; if that makes sense!
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Post by sleepwalker24 on Feb 16, 2012 15:09:01 GMT -5
Thanks for the additional info John, I just may have to listen to this tommorow - I think I've only listened to it a few times! BTW, Tiger Army did a great version of Twenty Flight Rock
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Post by bamajohn1 on Oct 3, 2012 0:40:39 GMT -5
UPDATE: BUDDY HOLLYI had previously made a recommendation here that besides (for near completists) the old Complete Buddy Holly boxset that originally came out on 6 lp vinyl (later in cassette) in the 70s and the more recent 6cd 'Not Fade Away: Complete Studio Recordings & More'; the best purchase of Buddy Holly's music that you could make would be the 2cd sets 'The Buddy Holly Collection' and 'Gold' that are the same sets in different packaging. Most Comprehensive Budget PurchaseI am amending this prior recommendation as I have come across a better purchase as far as containing a much higher percentage of the Holly catalogue and also being available for a lower price (at least from third party sellers)! I now most highly recommend ' Rave On: The Very Best of Buddy Holly'! I just picked it up myself! This set does not have the indepth booklet that the Buddy Holly Collection/Gold boast but it has 79 tracks; 29 more than those two sets! www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003FOGPJI/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00It has all the tracks of those 50 song set besides 'You Got Love' and the original version of 'What To Do' (it has a re-recording). Thus, it contains 31 tunes not found on Collection/Gold! This set has the perk of containing tunes from his country duo Buddy and Bob before Buddy hit the pop charts! It's an excellent, inexpensive way to build a substantial Buddy Holly collection or a cheap way to upgrade from the aforementioned set or other Greatest Hits etc!
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Post by bamajohn1 on Oct 17, 2012 11:34:52 GMT -5
The PlattersThe Platters were an incredible vocal group led by Tony Williams. They stormed the charts with about 3 dozen hits on the pop charts during their time. Growing up, 'The Great Pretender' was one of those magical 45 records in my dad's collection that I wore out playing over and over... In the late 80s, I was working as a cashier at a filling station one day when this touring bus 'parked' next door in a lot. A fellow came in and said they'd run out of gas and needed a gas can. I couldn't help but notice The Platters etched on the side of the bus! He said they were going to a gig. I would think about it later and realize that the fellow looked a bit young to be an original member; althoug a couple of the others did look the part age wise. I read something later about there being multiple touring 'Platters' and it would have been a stroke of luck if any of those folks on that bus where original members. I've never really collected The Platters, although I bought a seemingly well selected Greatest Hits about 15 years ago that turned out to be re-records. Good ones, but still not originals! I've recently done some research and have a couple of recommendations to make for those seeking a good representative collection of the Platters music! Most Comprehensive Moderate Budget PurchaseThe Magic Touch: An Anthologywww.amazon.com/gp/product/B000001DTF/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00The gold standard for Platters collections; this set contains the vast majority of hit (major and minor) singles and album tracks that anyone but the die hard fan seeking out the expensive Bear Family boxset of the group would ever need! 2CDS and 50 songs! Best Budget PurchaseThe Very Best of the Platterswww.amazon.com/gp/product/B00005MM0E/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00Those on a budget can get this concise 2cd and out of print set for literally a few pennies if you care to choose a used copy! 2CDs packed with 30 hit tunes! After doing some research, this set is the one that captures more of their major hit singles in one place than any other; including at least a couple of Top 40 hits not found on Magic Touch. If you want the real hits, they are all right here!
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Post by bamajohn1 on Oct 25, 2012 12:21:41 GMT -5
An added note on Rave On: The Very Best of Buddy Holly.
This set was designed specifically for the British music fan although it covers virtually all the bases of the Gold/Buddy Holly Collection as noted. It presents his music as it was released to the British public. Disc 1 covering the years while he was alive and Disc 2 after he passed. Disc 3 covers early Buddy and Bob stuff and other rarities! I just thought I'd add this as I thought it'd be of interest to UK fans !
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