Southern Jazz Music

This is a 5 star collection all the way. The song selection, sound and packaging are all first-class, just what you'd expect from Rhino. There have been beacoups soul collections over the years, and I've got a lot of 'em, but few even approach the quality of this collection. If you find it, do not hesitate, it's a winner all the way.

Compilations are tough to pull off. Rhino has made a name for itself by assembling quality selections together with great packaging. This might not satisfy a real soul fanatic, but it's a fine assemblage of songs.

HIGHLIGHTS:
While most of the best tracks here are fairly well-known ("It's All Right" from the Impressions,Brenton Wood's "Gimme Little Sign") some others that might not be are great also. If you've not heard the Marvelows punchy brass workout "I Do" you're in for a treat. People who only know "I'm Your Puppet" will be pleased by James and Bobby Purify's "Let Love Come Between Us". The courtroom drama of "Eight Men,Four Women" is unlikely but O.V. Wright makes you want to believe him. Most youngsters probably had no idea who the Dells were when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted them but a listen to "Stay in My Corner" tells you why they're there.

LOWS:
Edwin Starr's "Double O Soul" will no doubt be beloved by some as nostalgia, but the lyric is too silly to sound good these days. I'll stick with "War" and "25 Miles", thank you. Sarah Vaughan's best suit is her jazzy standards. "Smooth Operator" just seemed like an ill fit for her.

SUMMARY:
It's a fairly decent collection with some huge hits in the original artist, original recording versions and some nice tunes you may not be familiar with. It does get docked a bit for not bothering to include the chart positions the songs herein reached. (For the record, I had trouble locating the info as well, but I can tell there are AT LEAST 6 Top 10 R&B hits represented here..."It's All Right" was #1 R&B)

3 1/2 stars

King Curtis recorded "Soul Twist" at least twice in his career but this disc has the original hit version. A true soul/jazz/r&b classic. Also on this album are other tunes by King Curtis (several of them attempts to follow up the big hit with "sons of 'Soul twist' ") as well as a few Willis Jackson tracks in a similar R&B/rock & roll groove. This is a good King Curtis-domianted R&B compilation, essential for the aforementioned classic. Don't expect erudite liner notes or exceptional re-mastered sound from the budget Collectibles label. They simply make this stuff available at a reasonable price and for that we are grateful.

King Curtis recorded "Soul Twist" at least twice in his career but this disc has the original hit version. A true soul/jazz/r&b classic. Also on this album are other tunes by King Curtis (several of them attempts to follow up the big hit with "sons of 'Soul twist' ") as well as a few Willis Jackson tracks in a similar R&B/rock & roll groove. This is a good King Curtis-domianted R&B compilation, essential for the aforementioned classic. Don't expect erudite liner notes or exceptional re-mastered sound from the budget Collectibles label. They simply make this stuff available at a reasonable price and for that we are grateful.

Right now, this appears to be out of print, being originally released on the electronic "New Age" music label I C (Innovative Communications) Records sometime around 1979.
Well, it sure does sound like a pretty (as opposed to "difficult", "Arty" or "Experimental")recording entirely comprised of some very pretty sounding analog synthesizers.
Banfi (as far as I can tell) only released this one recording-too bad for it sure equals much of the stuff out there from the time. One could certainly call it "pretty", but it is not a romantic type of album or anything like what Yanni or those types would soon be offering us under the heading of New Age music.
Personally I can't get enough of that rich 70's analog synthesizer sound. Although this would never be mistaken for a Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream album, I think at least some of the fans of Tangerine Dreams works (like perhaps "Rubycon") would find some stuff here they would like.
It seems like the original recording was released around 1979-the pre-CD era. The last 3 tracks appear to have been added for the CD issue of the original album around 1988 although nowhere on the CD booklet are any recording dates listed.
I wish I could say those newer, more digital-sounding tracks add to the album, but they distract from it a great deal. Not only have all the instrumental sounds changed from warm analog to very cold , hollow early digital sounds, but the music itself on these last 3 tracks seems to have taken a shift towards a more popular, far less original, direction.
However, don't let that distract you from the CD's first 5 tracks, you would be missing something indeed if you are a fan of those 1970's synthesizers.

One of the best buys in music is one where you buy it for a few songs that you love that you know are on the CD and when you listen to it, there are a whole bunch of other tracks that you've heard but did NOT think were on the CD...and you love them as well!

This happened to me with this CD when I bought it for Juve's, JAy's, and the Roots' tracks. THen I heard the rest and was pleasantly surprised by the other hits that I loved like New York Anthem and It Ain't My Fault.

This CD truly represents what a compilation CD should be about - big daddy beats from the beginning to the end, baby!

If you're gonna buy a compilation of songs this has got to be it. If you liked Hip Hop 2, you gotta get this one. The songs are better than ever, don't think there's a bad one on the CD. Do yourself a favor and buy this, it's a must.

I think its a pretty good cd, but i think the best song is can i get a.... by Jay-Z.

I love CD so I wanna give it a high rating! The only problem is I can count so I might have messed up, Source is da bomb!!! And no Tim, this dawg is first now!! So nananananana

IM REPRESENTING GOOSE CREEK SC AND This CD is THE BOMB!! YOU WILL NEVER HEAR THIS GOOD A COLLECTION OF RAP VERSES ANYWHERE!! THIS CD HAS JUVENILE, EMINEM, REDMAN, JAY-Z, AND MORE. THIS IS A MUST HAVE IN A COLLECTION OF THE GREATEST HITS IN HIP-HOP. I ALSO RECCOMEND THE 2000 VERSION.

One of the best buys in music is one where you buy it for a few songs that you love that you know are on the CD and when you listen to it, there are a whole bunch of other tracks that you've heard but did NOT think were on the CD...and you love them as well!

This happened to me with this CD when I bought it for Juve's, JAy's, and the Roots' tracks. THen I heard the rest and was pleasantly surprised by the other hits that I loved like New York Anthem and It Ain't My Fault.

This CD truly represents what a compilation CD should be about - big daddy beats from the beginning to the end, baby!

If you're gonna buy a compilation of songs this has got to be it. If you liked Hip Hop 2, you gotta get this one. The songs are better than ever, don't think there's a bad one on the CD. Do yourself a favor and buy this, it's a must.

I think its a pretty good cd, but i think the best song is can i get a.... by Jay-Z.

I love CD so I wanna give it a high rating! The only problem is I can count so I might have messed up, Source is da bomb!!! And no Tim, this dawg is first now!! So nananananana

IM REPRESENTING GOOSE CREEK SC AND This CD is THE BOMB!! YOU WILL NEVER HEAR THIS GOOD A COLLECTION OF RAP VERSES ANYWHERE!! THIS CD HAS JUVENILE, EMINEM, REDMAN, JAY-Z, AND MORE. THIS IS A MUST HAVE IN A COLLECTION OF THE GREATEST HITS IN HIP-HOP. I ALSO RECCOMEND THE 2000 VERSION.