Search - Various Artists :: R&B Crossover Oldies 1

The First Of Two Little Gems

09/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When this and it's follow-up Volume 2 appeared on the market over eleven years ago they were, at first glance, just another in a string of 10- to 12-track CDs offering up selections that seemed to be in just about every multi-artist compilation, and with no liner notes. But on closer inspection you found that the sound reproduction was excellent and that some of the tracks weren't to be found in many other releases.



The performances of each are: Love Makes A Woman - Barbara Acklin (# 3 R&B/# 15 Billboard Pop Hot 100 in summer 1968 on Brunswick 55387); Wiggle, Wiggle by The Accents (a true one-hit wonder whose only charter went to # 16 R&B/# 51 Hot 100 in early 1959 on Brunswick 55100); ther classic Drift Away by Dobie Gray (# 5 Hot 100/# 12 Adult Contemporary (AC)/# 42 R&B - a most surprising result for those charts - in May 1973 on Decca 33057); Treat Her Right by Roy Head (# 2 Hot 100 and R&B in fall 1965 on Back Beat 546 for an artist who was, primarily, a Country star); Ain't Nothing You Can Do by Bobby Bland (# 20 Hot 100/R&B in spring 1964 on Duke 383); (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher by Jackie Wilson (# 1 R&B/# 6 Hot 100 in late summer 1967 on Brunswick 55336); I'm Gonna Miss You by The Artistics (# 9 R&B/# 55 Hot 100 in December 1966 on Brunswick 55301); Been So Long by The Pastels (# 4 R&B/# 24 Billboard Pop Top 100 in spring 1958 on Argo 5287 - another bona-fide one-hit wonder whose charter was first released on Mascot 123 in 1957); and Stop Doggin' Me Around by The Klique (# 2 R&B/# 50 Hot 100 in late summer 1983 on MCA 52250).



Track 10 - Baby, Come Back - by The Equals is misplaced here as this # 32 in fall 1968 only scored on the Pop Hot 100 on RCA Victor. Perhaps the tune they meant to include was one with the same title by Player which went to # 1 HOT 100/# 10 R&B in late 1977/early 1978 on RSO 879.



Also, with reference to the Bobby Bland selection above, it should be noted that Billboard had suspended the R&B charts from late 1963 and throughout 1964 and only later decided to reflect the same chart position at a later date for historical purposes. Even so, since most of Bland's hits made both charts anyway, it's a good bet this one would have as well.



Still a nice cheap little package with several in the hard-to-find category including, ironically, that Equals cut."