Search - Tina Turner, Ike Turner :: Proud Mary: The Best of Ike & Tina Turner

The Original 'Bold Soul Sister'

D. Connally | Aurora, Colorado United States | 10/17/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"For those wishing to become acquainted with material by Ike and Tina Turner (though they may be few and far between) this is in fact the best compilation of their work. It grabs material from the Turners' early days on the Sue record label; which produced some of the most galvanizing r&b records of the period, to their stint with the Liberty/ United Artists label on which they had much of their success. The disc opens with Tina's marvelous and bombastic "Fool in Love" on which Tina's strangled singing and shouting heralds the advent of a rising r&b singer. It also started a string of 5 Top 10 r&b releases for the Turners making them soul superstars. The best of the Sue Recordings are in fact "Fool" and "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" which was the Turner's biggest hit of the 60's reaching #2 and #14 on the r&b and Pop charts respectively. Unfortunately for us, the producers of this compilation weren't able to secure the proper rights to include the original Phil Spector version of "River Deep, Mountain High". Truly one of the most remarkable singles ever produced, "RDMH" was virtually ignored by radio in America as it was considered "too black for the white stations and too white for the black stations." However, in spite of this, Tina truly is in rare form on this record. The disc presses on skipping from 1962-1968, in the process ignoring some very important Ike and Tina Turner material. Songs from ATCO were excluded as well as from the Turner's stint with Blue Thumb records. Ike and Tina recorded two fine albums on Blue Thumb, "Outta Season" and "The Hunter" which included the hits "I've Been Loving You Too Long" and the stunner "Bold Soul Sister". The album joins Ike and Tina on the Liberty label where they scored hit singles with covers of the Beatles "Come Together" and Sly Stone's "I Want To Take You Higher". The albums liner notes also include commentary on how the Turners actualyl charted 'higher' with their version of "Higher" as they made the song their own. Yet the cover song to end all covers was their cover of the CCR classic 'Proud Mary'. Tina's spoken intro is now one of rock and souls most famous locutions. Then they launch into the bombastic finish which helped them secure a Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. The disc also includes the ever funky "Funkier Than a Mosquita's Tweeter" penned by Tina's sister Alline, Tina's first attempt at writing "Up In Heah" which is indeed a fine record though it went ignored. Then it comes to Tina's classic "Nutbush City Limits" and "Sexy Ida Pt.1" Songs that should have been included from the Turners days on Liberty /UA are : "The Chopper", "Up On the Roof" "Help Him" and a few others. You can find these on the recently released "Funkier Than a Mosquitas Tweeter." Finally we come to Tina's "Acid Queen". This is not the one from the movie which is one of the few disappointments on this disc. The cd ends with funny vintage radio skits by soul station DJs promoting the Turners' 1969/70 album "Come Together".In all, this is the best place to start for the Ike and Tina novice. A great primer, this album and the 1997 release of "Bold Soul Sister" are a great place to learn about the beginning of two of Rock 'N' Soul's most uplifting entertainers...more specifically Tina. Remember, before there was Aretha or Gladys...there was Tina."

Still the best overview of their talent alongside River Deep

Bradley Olson | Bemidji, MN United States | 11/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you would like a career retrospective of Ike & Tina Turner on a single disc, this is the best overview. BTW, Acid Queen is not on River Deep-Mountain High while the title song of "River Deep" is the only re-recording on the album so if they were to include half stars, I'd say 4 1/2 rather than 5. Other than that, the liner notes are great and it does span her entire career with the only omission being the tracks from the River Deep-Mountain High album (you can get that separate here at Amazon.com as an import) featuring their hits on the Sue label such as the original recordings of A Fool In Love, I Idolize You and It's Gonna Work Out Fine (they have re-recorded these 3 songs on "River Deep-Mountain High" with Phil Spector being the producer) plus their biggest hits for Liberty/UA such as their soulful and funky version of the CCR classic "Proud Mary," and "Nutbush City Limits," and many lesser known gems such as "Funkier Than a Mosquita's Tweeter," "Sweet Rhode Island Red," "Up In Heah," "Workin' Together," and many others plus 1 single (A Side and B Side) from their years on the Minit label, their covers of "Come Together" and "Honky Tonk Women" are included. While Ron Furmanek is renowned for his remixing on other volumes in the Legends of Rock & Roll Series and the Legendary Master Series, these are all the original mixes in wonderfully remastered sound. Unless you are a diehard fan, this compilation and the "River Deep-Mountain High" album are all you need from Ike & Tina."

The best introduction to hottest black soul/rock duo

Sasha | at sea...sailing somewhere | 06/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Forget all the other cheap compilations (and beware the ones that bore titles of original LP's),this is the best compilation of Tuners body of work.Because Tina Turner's 1980's long deserved commercial succes overshadowed her early start,its easy to forget that she was one of the best soul singers back in 1960 - public opinion of her ex-husband character basically killed the interest in the music they did together,but its clear now that it was her most important period.From early,raw power of their first singles,to final rock superstardom,this CD follows the metamorphosis of black music 1960-1975,from gospel start to rock-heavy guitar-riff end.As their original LP's are hard to find,and the market is full of cheap "compilations" that jump from one era to another,this is the best possible introduction to what made Turner's great.None of Tina's 1980's hits can match the animal power of these recordings she made in her hungy,angry years.The only setback is the inclusion of lesser version of 2 of her most important songs - "River Deep,Mountain High" and "Acid Queen" are NOT her original recordings from 1966. and 1975. but Ike's own versions,almost blasphemious in his attempt to produce them again."