Long before Berry Gordy formed Tamla Motown records in the early sixties, there was label flourishing in the windy city.
Chicago based Vee Jay Records (formed 1953) a tiny, black family owned business
had a roster of artists who were the envy of the competition. Famously,they
issued the first Beatles records in the USA before Columbia took them on. Some
artists became household names, whereas others continued to thrive at a less
commercially successful level.
Big Blues names such as John Lee Hooker, Elmore James and Jimmy Reed took the
lead on the genre. Budding stars like Gladys Knight held the soul flag aloft.
Gospel family The Staple Singers had early success through the label. Doo Wop
exponents The Spaniels did well in the cross-over market.
Collectively,the label took on board a very eclectic attitude which guaranteed
a successful ownership until its demise in 1966 due to a welter of debts.
The eclectic concept is reflected in this comprehensive four disc boxset,
spread over 115 tracks, which all serious music lovers should own. The fun
starts in the 50’s, then the 60’s and two back-up discs.
Formatting the tracklisting must have been a monumental task. The juxtaposition
of styles works beautifully.
Star artist has to be Jimmy Reed, the man who strongly influenced the Rolling
Stones early sound. ’Keef’ Richard must have been eating and sleeping Reed.
Looks like Billy Boy Arnold also had an influence on them too - Wish You Would
is a dead ringer for early Stones. Original version of Chubby Checker’s
world-wide hit The Twist, written and recorded by Hank Ballard and The
Midnighters proves a revelation. Gerry Butler’s Need To Belong is absolute
vocal heaven. The Jackson 5 covered Rockin’ Robin in the seventies,
but Ray Smith’s is a rush of blood: outrageously rock’n’roll.
Cool jazz makes a welcomed inclusion: taste the loungy piano grooves of Wynton
Kelly on Surrey With The Fringe On Top and Lee Morgan’s sultry sax play
on Just In Time. Precursour to Northern Soul, Betty Everett’s Getting
Mighty Crowded is magnificent, over a decade before the style became popular
as a spin-off of Soul in the mid to late 70’s.
Disc 1 (The '50s) Jay McShann & Priscilla Bowman - Hands Off, Eddie Taylor - Big Town Playboy, Jimmy Reed - Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby, Hank Ballard & The Midnighters - The Twist
Disc 2 (The '60s) John Lee Hooker - Boom,Boom, Rosco Gordon - Just A Little Bit, Eddie Harris - Exodus, Gladys Knight & The Pips - Every Beat Of My Heart
Disc 3 (Still Jumpin') The Dells - Jo Jo, Memphis Slim - Rockin’ The House, Rosco Gordon - No More Doggin’
Disc 4 (Windy City Round Up) Little Richard - Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On, The Staple Singers - The Last Time, The Pyramids - Shakin’
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.
