Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Chances are that if you own any of the tunes included in this latest release from Eric Records they are on 45's. The fact of the matter is that very few of these songs ever made it on to an LP. Eric has done a tremendous service to collectors by assembling an eclectic variety of "Hard-to-Find" 1960's soul songs from some of the "hot spots" all over the U.S. From legendary recording studios in smaller towns like Muscle Shoals, New Orleans and Memphis to the funky and soulful sounds emminating from the turbulant urban scene in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York and Detroit--this collection covers it all!
Since Eric Records reinvented itself several years ago, it has issued nothing but the highest quality collections. The remastering is consistently outstanding and the liner notes always informative and helpful. Such is the case with "Sweet Soul Sounds". Some of my very favorite 60's soul sounds appear here including The Parliaments 1967 smash "(I Wanna) Testify" and one-hit wonder Darrell Banks with "Open The Door To Your Heart" from the previous year. The fidelity on the original single releases left much to be desired so hearing these remastered songs on CD is really like hearing them for the very first time. I was also pleased to find Johnny Adams' incredible "Reconsider Me" which in my opinion qualifies as one of the most underrated soul tunes of all time. Also included are a pair of songs that just barely missed making Billboard's "Top Pop Singles" chart that I had never even heard before. I particularly liked Little Jerry Williams recording of "I'm The Lover Man" and "She's Looking Good" by Rodger Collins is a nice tune as well. It's always hard to figure why some songs make it and others don't.
Other tunes I was tickled to find on this collection were Archie Bell and the Drells 1968 hit "(There's Gonna Be A)Showdown", "Expressway To Your Heart" by the blue-eyed soul outfit Soul Survivors and a song you just never hear on the radio, 1970's "Loveland" by Charles Wright and the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band. Love that tune! Look closely at the 20 tracks on this disc and any serious collector is bound to find at least a couple of songs they have been looking for. Kudos to Eric for yet another outstanding offering! Most highly recommended!
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This is the first-ever soul collection in Eric’s famous oldies series. "Sweet Soul Sounds" includes such classics as Clarence Carter's cheating epic, "Slip Away," and Archie Bell's dance ultimatum, "There's Gonna Be A Showdown." But the great joys of this collection are the hard-to-find gems previously unavailable to most collectors - songs like "(I Wanna) Testify," featuring a pre-P-Funk George Clinton, and two soul classics making their CD debut:Denise LaSalle's "Trapped By A Thing Called Love" is one of the last great Old School soul songs, recorded in 1971 as soul music was morphing into funk and disco; it appears here on a U.S. CD for the first time ever. And, Little Sister, a female trio featuring Sly Stone's younger sibling, is represented by two cuts, one of which - "You're the One (Parts 1 & 2 )" - has never been available on any CD anywhere!"Sweet Soul Sounds" includes 20 HITS (16 of them were Top Thirty Pop and 17 made Top Ten R&B). All tracks have been digitally mastered to the exacting standards of Eric Records - in true stereo wherever possible. CD includes an 8-page booklet with detailed liner notes on each song written by renowned soul authority, Randy Poe.
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