na: ace records
Late last week, a slew of records from heavyweight UK reissue label Ace Records hit the site. The motherload is in the soul/funk/blues sweet spot, but it’s a decidedly eclectic bunch with some sweet surprises thrown in.
An important note: some of the releases appear as a “Download Version,” capping longer albums at 14 tracks. This is how they were delivered and not an eMusic bug/cruel joke. Promise!
Some Ace highlights after the jump.
Bettye Swann, The Money Recordings: Middling AMG review be damned, Bettye is one of my favorite soul sirens and this collection is great, swingin’ poppy stuff (and thankfully avoids later Motown shmaltz). If the first three tracks don’t sell ya, I give up.
James Carr, A Man Needs a Woman: Killer, belted Southern soul. This is one of the aforementioned truncated albums, but you’ll want these 14, believe it.
Champion Jack Dupree with TS McPhee, Dupree n’ McPhee: The 1967 Blue Horizon Session: Atypical Dupree in that there is ZERO piano here — Dupree n’ McPhee is all skeletal (but surprisingly well-recorded) folk-blues. A welcome curiosity.
LOTS of Millie Jackson: I got distracted by the cover of Feelin’ Bitchy, but it’s probably best to start with the dead-classic Caught Up: the first side of a concept album told from the perspective of the “other woman.” Slow-burning, sprawling and not to be missed.
Motorhead, Motorhead: Yup, you read that right. Very, very punky hard rock from Lemmy & co. I’m surprised how much I’m enjoying this.
The Damned, The Black Album: An abbreviated version of the Beatles-spoofing double disc. Does include highlight “Waiting for the Blackout,” though.
There are also a ton of world titles that, honestly, put me at a loss. If anything jumps out on this list, lemme know.
Another good place for Ace-related insights is, as always, the ‘Boards.
“Caught Up” is great–and so is its sequel, “Still Caught Up”!
Well, you covered most of my favorites. The others would be the Goldwax Story comps and some Joe South. As I mentioned on the boards, if any of the King comps (King Funk, King Deep Soul) show up, download them without question as they are solid good all the way through.
The missing tracks thing is a cruel joke though. (Not eMusic’s, mind you.) Bad enough we lose out on the always excellent liner notes, but to then chop 3-14 tracks is a real kick in the nuts. Better than nothing, I guess.
“Champion Jack Dupree with TS McPhee, Dupree n’ McPhee: The 1967 Blue Horizon Session: Atypical Dupree in that there is ZERO piano here — Dupree n’ McPhee is all skeletal (but surprisingly well-recorded) folk-blues. A welcome curiosity.”
I downloaded it this weekend, and it’s great. I love the clean and inventive rock feel of McPhee’s guitar undergirding these blues songs. A *very* welcome curiosity.
Two more great Ace discs:
John Lee Hooker, The Legendary Modern Recordings (http://www.emusic.com/album/John-Lee-Hooker-The-Legendary-Modern-Recordings-MP3-Download/11249278.html)
Sniff ‘n The Tears, Fickle Heart (http://www.emusic.com/album/Sniff-n-The-Tears-Fickle-Heart-Plus-Two-Bonus-Cuts-MP3-Download/11250486.html) (see, e.g., Driver’s Seat, which was used in the Boogie Nights movie)
I went with my first notion to download the first volume in the Dave Hamilton’s Detroit Dancers series, having been turned on to his Detroit City Grooves Featuring “Soul Suite” release by Dave Marsh, and it’s great stuff.
Also found this in depth website about soul music coming out of Detroit in the 60s. Found out that Dave Hamilton helped write two of my favorite Marvin Gaye songs the holiday themed “Purple Snowflakes” and “Pretty Little Baby”. Those songs are one of the instances where they used the same musical tracks with different lyrics. Hamilton continued to work with Gaye in the studio and live even after he left Motown.
http://www.sixtiesdetroit.com/index.htm
I believe Kent/Ace has compiled releases from some of the other artists and labels active in Detroit during the 60s.
Good to see you noted the “Black Album” by the Damned, but the real bonus is the availability of their classic “Machine Gun Etiquette”. Not only is this one of the finest punk albums, but I feel it is one of the greatest rock albums of that decade.
Wow, I definitely need to check out that Damned record then. Thanks for the heads-up, Eric!
3 Mustaphas 3! No, wait–make that 3 MUSTAPHAS 3!!!! They’re the most welcome addition to eMusic since y’all added Shonen Knife. Great post-modern multi-ethnic quasi-Balkan mix-ups, performed with impeccable musicianship and a healthy dose of goofy humor. Gogol Bordello wouldn’t exist if 3 Mustaphas 3 hadn’t paved the way for them. Check it out.