Major Label Soul
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More Reissues - reissues reissues3
Scroll down for reviews of
: - Sparks Presents Motown – Made to Measure; Marvin Gaye – The Real Thing; The
Sound stage 7 Story; The Best of Rotary Connection ;Chuck Jackson – The Motown
Anthology; Kim Weston – The Motown
Anthology; The Ultimate Isaac Hayes – Can you dig it?; Motown Made to Measure: James Brown’s Funky People’s Greatest Breakbeats: Cameo
Parkway 1957 – 1967; Late Night Motown: The Story of Bo Diddley; Chuck Berry –
Reelin and Rockin;
Sparks Presents Motown –
Made to Measure
As I mention below I cannot see much sense in the concept, and all
of the tracks are well known top, pretty standard fare, Motown items, as a
compilation this isn’t a bad selection of tunes, steeped mainly in the 60’s but
a few others from Funk to Ballads thrown in.
Cleo's Back - Walker, Junior & The All
Stars; 2. Workout Stevie Workout - Wonder, Stevie ;3. Can I Get A Witness -
Gaye, Marvin; 4. Brick House – Commodores; 5. Get Ready - Temptations (1); 6.
Don't Leave Me This Way - Houston, Thelma; 7. Mickey's Monkey – Miracles ;8.
Dancing In The Street - Martha & The Vandellas; 9. Smiling Faces -
Undisputed Truth; 10. Money - Strong, Barrett ;11. Nitty Gritty - Knight,
Gladys & The Pips
12. Take Me In Your Arms (Rock Me A Little While) - Weston, Kim; 13. ABC -
Jackson Five ;14. Keep On Truckin' - Kendricks, Eddie ;15. Back In My Arms
Again - Supremes (1); 16. What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted - Ruffin, Jimmy ;17.
Agent Double O Soul - Starr, Edwin ;18. You Beat Me To The Punch - Wells, Mary;
19. First I Look At The Purse – Contours ;20. Ben - Jackson, Michael
Marvin
Gaye – The Real
Thing

“This is it — the songs and the footage fans
have been waiting for. For the first time ever — the definitive DVD collection
of one of America’s greatest stars!
Issued with the full cooperation of the Marvin Gaye
estate, this is the first official DVD anthology of classic archival television
performances by a Motown artist.
Features Marvin Gaye performing his biggest Motown hits, from “Hitch
Hike” to “Let’s Get It On” and more, in original classic clips from television
and film.
Tracks:
-1. Hitch Hike 2.
Pride & Joy 3.
Can I Get A Witness ![]()
4. Pretty Little Baby 5. Ain't That Peculiar 6. You're A Wonderful One
7. Ain't No Mountain
High Enough ![]()
8. I Heard It Through The
Grapevine 9. What's
Going On 10. What's
Happening Brother
11. Come Get To This
12. Let's Get It On
13. Distant Lover
14. A Funky Space
Reincarnation 15. Ego Tripping Out / Sex and Religion ![]()
16. Heavy Love Affair 17. Hitch Hike
18. Pride & Joy
19. Can I Get A Witness 20. Pretty Little Baby
21. Ain't That Peculiar
22. You're A Wonderful
One
23. Ain't No Mountain High
Enough”
Review: - A beautifilly package DVD and CD
package with 25 marvellous ‘videos’ from the Motwon early days in 1964 and 1965
right through till the 80’s, all taken from US and European TV shows such as
Footage TV clips from Hollywood A Go-Go, The Dinah Shore Show, Hollywood Palace
and American Bandstand, rarely seen since first aired.
The stunning, long-lost live concert footage from
the documentary film, Save The Children, now on home video for the first time
anywhere, featuring Marvin with several Funk Brothers including James Jamerson
— now with restored stereo audio from the Motown vault
There are 2 hours of performances, remastered. In between Marvin talks about his life
and his music taken from various interviews. There is a 50 minute concert , recently unearthed, from Marvin’s hardly-seen Belgium
concert, aired only on local Belgian TV in 1981. Fascinating piece of Marvin in the Studio.
Includes a 24-page booklet with an extensive
essay by Grammy® Award-winning writer, Rob Bowman, including rare photographs
and memorabilia. The CD
contains a 70 minute concert in Europe in 1976 which is actually very good, and
a 24 page booklet.
This package is essential for Marvin fans, no
Motown fans, no Soul Fans, no Music Fans, no EVERYBODY.
The Sound stage 7 Story

THE DEFINITIVE 3CD HISTORY OF NASHVILLE
SOUTHERN SOUL LABEL
Run by legendary DJ John Richbourg, one of the
first broadcasters to play records by the likes of Chuck Berry, James Brown,
Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin, Nashville-based Sound Stage 7
Records and its affiliated labels - Seventy Seven, Sound Plus and Luna – was
responsible for releasing some of the finest Soul and R&B to emerge from
America’s South between 1965 and 1977, the golden era of Soul Music
Not surprisingly, given its Nashville
connection, the label’s output shows a strong country music influence, even by
Southern Soul standards, and some of it was deeply rural and raw-sounding,
often embracing blues and gospel and providing a welcome contrast to the
slicker and more polished sounds coming out of the big cities at the time.
Disc One of the set, ‘Deep Soul Survey’, concentrates on Sound Stage 7’s
first six years (1965-1970).
Disc Two, ‘Deep Soul
Survives’, covers the years 1971 through to 1977 and brings in not only
releases on Sound Stage 7 during that time, but also product from Richbourg’s
own labels Seventy Seven, Sound Plus and Luna. This set then is more than just
the story of one label, but rather the output of Richbourg’s production
company, JR Enterprises Inc.
Disc Three, ‘Deeper Soul’, digs deeper into the archives and
features a host of Southern Soul gems and rarities.
The accompanying 36-page booklet is provides a overview of the SS7
group of labels. As well as a detailed label story, it includes biographies of
the major artists and individual tracks notes.
by King- What Made You Change Your Mind?
Review – A wonderful set, beautifully packaged containing loads of
bluesy soul, southern soul, deep soul and all things similar. A journey through
your deepest emotions. Of course
out of nearly 80 tracks you will not like everything but there are more than a
fair share of absolute classics, and with comprehensive sleeve note you will
get to know all about the label and the artists. Just to pick out a few of the
highlights for me:-
CD1 – Deep Soul Survey, a stunning vocal performance on the
midtempo I can’t be your part time baby by Gwen Davis. Another great voice on a wonderful
heart rendering plea is Jimmy Church’s Right on time. The slightly sweeeter
voice of Lattimore Brown is also worth checking out. Also a couple of tracks by
Roscoe Robinson, Burning and Yearning is especially strong. Sam Baker’s Its all over now is
stunning. A veritable romp through mid to late 60’s deep soul featuring a lot of well known (in soul circles) artists
and other less well known ones.
CD2 – Deep Soul Survives, takes us into the 70’s with a second run
of releases. Jackey Beavers was
instrumental in several of these tracksincluding the Electrifying Cashmeres and
the Continental Showstoppers, which is especially nice, impassioned vocals
simple arrangement, lush strings, sweet harmonies and simplicity. Still plenty
of bluesy material like Alder Ray Black, geater Davis and Fenton Robinson. Ann Sexton of course was strong and
Willie Hobbs too. The best track
on this set though is Brief Encouters wonderful Crazy about you.
CD3 – Deeper soul,
compiled by Clive Richardson who has picked out some of the deeper gems
in the catalogue, from the names mentioned above.My favourites here are Joe
Simpn’s Farther on down the road, Ella Washington’s Sit down and Cry and don’t
you just wanna!, Sam Baker’s I love you, Charles Smith’s The only time.
The Best of Rotary
Connection

Rotary Connection were a multicultural concept group put together
by Marshall Chess to freshen up Chess and spearhead the Cadet Concept
subsidiary – Psychedelic Chamber Soul and featuring Minnie ripperton. Lots of
string arrangements and is dreamy and abient and whilst very much of an era,
has attained later notice through things like Tribe called Quest samples,
masters at Work covers and Freelance Hellraiser. There is a lot to listen to but it reflects a diametricaly
opposite side to the one I grew up on and therefore I find it very difficult to
get into it, its very much of a different world for me. Groundbreakig it may
have been and it gave us some exceptional talent. Sorry but I find this one
exceptionally difficult so I will pass comment.
Tracks –
Disc: 1
|
1. Magical World |
11. Black Noise |
Disc: 2
|
1. Salt Of The Earth |
9. I Got My Mojo Working |
The Story of Bo Diddley –
Released 13 March – maybe the originator of the groove, just check
Diddy Wah Diddy. Over 50 tracks
and over 50 years of pure history.
An excellent anthology, superbly packaged
