Kent's Cellar of Soul

by N/A

Overview

Like several '60s soul compilations on the Kent label, the concept is vague enough to elude the grasp of all but those who are quite immersed in the most dedicated corner of soul record collecting. It has "club and turntable hits from the golden age of American soul music," according to the back cover, though that really applies to British clubs and turntables, not American ones. The liner notes also intimate that soul compilations issued as part of the series "Bell's Cellar of Soul" in the 1960s served as an inspiration. They also claim that the 26 songs on this CD "are now entirely familiar sides," though that claim probably only holds water in some specialized British clubs and collector circles. None of these songs were big hits (with the exceptions of the Intruders' "Cowboys to Girls" and possibly James & Bobby Purify's "Let Love Come Between Us"), and most of them in fact weren't even small hits. Ultimately, it's a reasonably high-quality anthology of obscure (to the general listener) 1960s soul music, though one lacking the strongest of thematic linkages. The tenor tends toward the upbeat and danceable, though also, frankly, the generic and also-ran. Some cuts rise above that tag, like Rodger Collins' infectious "She's Looking Good," which has a Wilson Pickett-ish funky uptempo feel; Brooks O'Dell's "You Better Make Up Your Mind," which has an orchestrated moody drama that largely eludes these anthologies; Little Richard's 1967 single "Get Down With It," one of his best post-'50s sides; Tina Britt's "The Real Thing," one of the best Martha & the Vandellas sound-alike songs (though the Chiffons did a better version); and the Dreamlovers' "You Gave Me Somebody to Love," a highly credible Righteous Brothers imitation. On the other hand, some tracks are too imitative to even generate slight admiration, like Bob Brady & the Con Chords' transparent Miracles knockoff "Everybody's Going to the Love-In." Rounding up the call of the more notable inclusions are the quality blue-eyed soul of Lonnie Mack on "Save Your Money"; Clifford Curry's "She Shot a Hole in My Soul," which must be one of the songs most frequently cited as a lost cult gem; Barbara Lynn's smooth 1966 version of "You Left the Water Running"; and O.V. Wright's original 1964 version of "That's How Strong My Love Is," though the track is so different from the renditions by Otis Redding and the Rolling Stones that it sounds almost like another song altogether. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	02/11/2003
Label:	Kent
UPC:	0029667219822
Rank:	96412

Tracks

1. She's Looking Good  - Rodger Collins
2. My Elusive Dreams  -  Dillard  - Moses Dillard  - Curly Putman  - Billy Sherrill
3. A Lot of Love  - Homer Banks  - Deanie Parker
4. Chain Reaction  - Van McCoy  -  Spellbinders
5. Make Me Yours  - Bettye Swann
6. Cowboys to Girls  - Kenny Gamble  - Leon Huff  -  Intruders
7. When She Touches Me (Nothing Else Matters)  -  Mighty Sam
8. You Better Make Up Your Mind  - Brooks O'Dell  - Horace Ott
9. Hole in the Wall  - Steve Cropper  - Al Jr. Jackson  - Booker T. Jones  -  Packers
10. Karate Boogaloo  -  Jerry-O  - Jerry Murray
11. Everybody's Going to the Love-In  - Bob Brady  -  Brady  - Samuel James
12. Chills and Fever  - Willie Clarke  - Paul Kelly  - Clarence Reid
13. The Real Thing  - Joshie Armstead  - Nickolas Ashford  - Tina Britt  - Valerie Simpson
14. Let Love Come Between Us  -  Purify  - Joe Sobotka  - Johnny Wyker
15. Get It from the Bottom  - Al Smith  - Louis Smith  -  Steelers  - Wes Wells
16. (I'm a Fool) I Must Love You  -  Falcons
17. You Gave Me Somebody to Love  - Peter Andreoli  -  Dreamlovers  -  Gardner  - Vini Poncia  - Jerry Ross
18. Soul Serenade  -  Dollar  -  King Curtis
19. Get Down with It  -  Little Richard  - Bobby Marchan
20. Shine It On  - Vernon Garrett  - Joe Josea
21. Keep My Woman Home  - Isaac Hayes  - David Porter  -  White
22. She Shot a Hole in My Soul  - Clifford Curry  - Mac Gayden
23. Save Your Money  - Lonnie Mack
24. You Left the Water Running  - Oscar Frank  - Rick Hall  - Barbara Lynn  - Dan Penn
25. The Right to Cry  - Erma Franklin  - Gerry Goffin  - Carole King
26. That's How Strong My Love Is  - Roosevelt Jamison  -  Keys  - O.V. Wright

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Falcons   Primary Artist
Brooks O'Dell   Primary Artist
Little Richard   Primary Artist
The Spellbinders   Primary Artist
Moses & Joshua Dillard   Primary Artist
Danny White   Primary Artist
Clifford Curry   Primary Artist
Bettye Swann   Primary Artist
Beau Dollar & The Coins   Primary Artist
The Steelers   Primary Artist
Tina Britt   Primary Artist
Paul Kelly   Primary Artist
Bob Brady & the Con Chords   Primary Artist
The Intruders   Primary Artist
James & Bobby Purify   Primary Artist
The Dreamlovers   Primary Artist
Barbara Lynn   Primary Artist
Erma Franklin   Primary Artist
Homer Banks   Primary Artist
Lonnie Mack   Primary Artist
Rodger Collins   Primary Artist
Vernon Garrett   Primary Artist
Jerry-O   Primary Artist
O.V. Wright   Primary Artist
Mighty Sam   Primary Artist
The Packers   Primary Artist
Russ Gardner   Primary Artist
Joshua Dillard   Primary Artist
The Keys   Primary Artist
Moses Dillard   Primary Artist
Danny White & Linda Nail   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Booker T. Jones   Composer
Curly Putman   Composer
Johnny Cash   Producer
Leon Huff   Composer
Peter Andreoli   Composer
Roosevelt Jamison   Composer
Nickolas Ashford   Composer
Samuel James   Composer
Bill Millar   Cover Photo
Rudolph V. "Doc" Russell   Producer
Barbara Gordon   Producer
Joe Sobotka   Composer
Dave Godin   Liner Notes
Bob Brady   Composer
Jerry Murray   Composer,Producer
Wes Wells   Composer
Larry Maxwell   Producer
Leslie Asch   Arranger
Jerry Ross   Composer,Producer
Bobby Marchan   Composer
Jimmy Oliver   Arranger
King Curtis   Composer
J.J. Jackson   Arranger
Isaac Hayes   Composer
Joe Josea   Composer
Jimmy Wisner   Arranger
Clarence Reid   Composer
Carole King   Composer
Mac Gayden   Composer
Gene Miller   Arranger
Homer Banks   Composer
Deanie Parker   Composer
Joshie Armstead   Composer
Huey P. Meaux   Producer
Valerie Simpson   Composer
Horace Ott   Composer
Lonnie Mack   Composer,Producer
Rodger Collins   Composer
Van McCoy   Composer,Producer
Vernon Garrett   Composer
Ray Shanklin   Arranger
Rick Hall   Composer
Quinton Claunch   Producer
Nick Robbins   Mastering
Louis Smith   Composer
Oscar Frank   Composer
Al Jackson, Jr.   Composer
Buzz Cason   Producer
Moses Dillard   Arranger
Arthur Wright   Arranger
Vini Poncia   Composer
David Porter   Composer
Johnny Wyker   Composer
Bettye Swann   Composer
Billy Sherrill   Composer
Kenny Gamble   Composer
Al Smith   Composer
Gerry Goffin   Composer
Calvin Carter   Producer
Dan Penn   Composer
Willie Clarke   Composer
Steve Cropper   Composer