What's happening $tateside I here you ask.
Well to tell you the truth I've no idea
However, I do know that in 1987 a sampler What's Happening $tateside featuring 16 songs from the legendary label was released and that I picked up a copy in Oxfam for 99p last week.
The track listing represents a veritable who's who of the great and the good of Soul music - The O'Jays, Bobby Womack, Garnett Mimms, Ike & Tina, Irma Thomas and the Isley Brother to name a few.
There is every chance that the tracks from those artists and the others I have not mentioned will appear on CCM at a later stage.
However today you are not getting one or two but indeed three absolute crackers.
First up is the great Bettye Swann with Tell it Like it Is. The NME stated that "you'd have to be virtually dead not to like this record" and they are right there..
Bettye is followed by Z.Z. Hill with a tremendous version of Bobby Bland's Ain't Nothin' You Can Do.
And finally we have Homer Banks with a "soothing, sizzling and sensual" A Lot of Love.
A terrific find!
Bettye Swann -Tell It Like It Is
Z.Z. Hill -Ain't Nothin' You Can Do
Homer Banks - A Lot of Love
One of the best soul collections of all time, not a duff track on it all. I picked up a copy back in the late 80's when Fopp had a wee store at the top of Renfield Street. Great find, you could easily post every track on the album..
ReplyDeletethat Z Z Hill is toptastic
ReplyDeleteI bought this in One Up in Aberdeen when it was released and I'm sure it was a bargain new as well. As Scott says it's one of the best compilations, I first heard the sublime Bettye Swan version of Tell It Like It Is. also the first time I had ever heard of Professor Longhair.
ReplyDeleteA cracking album. Also bought this one when it first came out. Haven't got it to hand at the moment but from memory it had a picture of Candi Staton on the sleeve but she has no tracks on the album? An example of the famously difficult to deal with Rick Hall not releasing the rights?
ReplyDeleteThere is a picture of the cover of the LP Tell it Like it Is by Candi and Bettye but you are right Candi sadly doesn't feature
ReplyDelete