GLADYS KNIGHT & THE PIPS - EVERYBODY NEEDS LOVE (SOUL 1967) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

In 1966, Gladys Knight And The Pips signed to Motown Records’ Soul subsidiary, where they were teamed up with producer/songwriter Norman Whitfield. Knight’s tough vocals left them slightly out of the Motown mainstream, and throughout their stay with the label the group was regarded as a second-string act. Between 1967 and 1968, they had major R&B and minor pop hits in America with ‘Everybody Needs Love’, ‘The End Of The Road’, ‘It Should Have Been Me’ and ‘I Wish It Would Rain’, but enjoyed most success with the original release of ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’, an uncompromisingly tough performance of a song that became a Motown standard in the hands of its author Marvin Gaye in 1969. Gladys Knight And The Pips’ version topped the R&B chart for six weeks at the end of 1967 and also reached number 2 on the US pop charts. .............................

A decent debut album that didn't quite establish a musical idenity for the group, despite the inclusion of the classic "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" and the wonderful, definitive version of the title track. (Mary Wells' little-known original ranks a close second.) The big drawback, however, is a bowdlerized (i.e. censored) version of "Take Me in Your Arms and Love Me." The editing not only severely damages the song's "story structure" (Berry Gordy had a firm belief that a song should tell a story), it undermines the erotic awareness Knight brings to the material.[allmusic] Here

SAM COOKE - HITS OF THE 50's (RCA VICTOR 1960) Jap Blu-Spec cd cardboard sleeve

Sam Cooke was the most important soul singer in history -- he was also the inventor of soul music, and its most popular and beloved performer in both the black and white communities. Equally important, he was among the first modern black performers and composers to attend to the business side of the music business, and founded both a record label and a publishing company as an extension of his careers as a singer and composer. Yet, those business interests didn't prevent him from being engaged in topical issues, including the struggle over civil rights, the pitch and intensity of which followed an arc that paralleled Cooke's emergence as a star -- his own career bridged gaps between black and white audiences that few had tried to surmount, much less succeeded at doing, and also between generations; where Chuck Berry or Little Richard brought black and white teenagers together, James Brown sold records to white teenagers and black listeners of all ages, and Muddy Waters got young white folkies and older black transplants from the South onto the same page, Cooke appealed to all of the above, and the parents of those white teenagers as well -- yet he never lost his credibility with his core black audience. In a sense, his appeal anticipated that of the Beatles, in breadth and depth.
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Sam Cooke's second RCA album is mostly a missed opportunity, in terms of representing much about Sam Cooke as an artist or singer -- having him cover pop hits of the previous decade wasn't a terrible idea on its face, but Cooke was still getting accustomed to working at RCA, and he wasn't inspired by the material or the way it was chosen, and the result is an album aimed at what the label thought the white teenage market was all about (and what the company thought the parents of those kids would be most comfortable with them buying from a black recording artist), that's a lot less interesting than some of the singles, including "Chain Gang" and "Wonderful World," that he was doing around the same time. His versions of hits associated with Nat "King" Cole, Johnnie Ray, and the Platters should have made for a more interesting record. Hits of the Fifties is still an improvement over its immediate predecessor, Cooke's Tour, but it's also one of the records that for many years -- in the absence of his best material being available -- blighted Cooke's reputation as a soul singer.[allmusic]
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SAM COOKE - THE BEST OF (RCA VICTOR 1962) Jap Blu-Spec cd cardboard sleeve

This original 1962 LP compilation is the perfect introduction to the soulful pop of Sam Cooke. It contains all of his best-loved songs in their original versions and represents the wide variety of moods the man conjured with his music. His unique vocal style combined the smooth, tasteful pop approach of Nat King Cole with a grittier, more emotive soul sound.
His compositions brought those two worlds together in a similar manner, the worksong providing fodder for the melodic pop of "Chain Gang," for example. "You Send Me" is the ultimate expression of romantic rapture, while "Sad Mood" is the most mournful of lost-love songs. Somehow, even when capturing a sense of celebration ("Having A Party," "Twistin' The Night Away") there's still a subtle twinge of sadness in Cooke's expressive voice, giving his performances an extra layer of depth.
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Originally released in August 1962 under the title The Best of Sam Cooke, Volume 1 [RCA 2625], this album was reissued in 1965 as The Best of Sam Cooke [RCA 3466, later RCA 3863]. An above-average greatest hits collection, although no sampler could fully convey Sam Cooke's genius. It has since been reissued on CD [RCA 3863], so at least it's still in print.
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THE IMPRESSIONS - RIDIN' HIGH (ABC-PARAMOUNT 1966) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

The Impressions were certainly dominating the charts and making wonderful albums in the '60s, and this one didn't break the string. They would depart from ABC in two years, but at this point there were no concerns, even though they didn't match the previous years' glittering array of hits. But their singing was no less emphatic or compelling, nor had Mayfield's writing, productions, or arrangements slipped.
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A sudden jump to the mainstream of mid-60s soul, with far more prominent drumming ("Right On Time"), more piano, swinging horn fills, vibes, and upbeat, enthusiastic tunes. The rousing "Gotta Get Away," for example, recalls Stax artists like Sam & Dave. But there's still plenty of the super-smooth vocalizing their fans expected - "I Need You" is perhaps the best example - and Mayfield gets in a guitar solo on "Too Slow." A lot of the song material is routine, though: "I Need To Belong To Someone" is nearly a note-for-note copy of "People Get Ready." There's only one non-Mayfield tune: the horrific standard "Let It Be Me." Again, produced by Pate.

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THE IMPRESSIONS - WE 'RE A WINNER (ABC 1968) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve + 2 bonus

While the title track was one of Mayfield's classic civil rights-conscious anthems, most of this album was actually dedicated to standard romantic themes. This wasn't necessarily a drawback; almost every cut was a quality Mayfield original, and the harmonies and vocal interplay among the group were outstanding. "Nothing Can Stop Me," awhich had been a hit in 1965 for Gene Chandler, was an uptempo highlight, and "Little Brown Boy" showed more of the African-American pride that had been explored in "We're a Winner," albeit in a more tender ballad mode. The closing cover of "Up Up and Away" is misplaced, but overall this is one of the better Impressions albums to pick up if you want more than what's found on the greatest-hits collections, with excellent production and Johnny Pate arrangements throughout.[allmusic]
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ISLEY BROTHERS - THE BROTHERS: ISLEY (T-NECK 1969) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

The late '60s and early '70s remain a favorite period in the Isley Brothers evolution. Ronald sung hard, and brothers O'Kelly and Rudolph supplied church-inspired backing whoops to his lead. The tunes had catchy titles and creative, rhyming lyrics. This recording is loaded with that rocking, "It's Your Thing" style. "The Blacker the Berry the Sweeter Juice" isn't about fruit but speaks of the desirability of dark-complexioned women. "I Turned You On" has a grinding, churning rhythm; "sock it to me" was a catch phrase at the time and the Isleys included the popular phrase prominently in the song. "Feels Like the World" is a slow morbid statement about one's condition, while "Was It Good to You" is fast, fluid, and asks the universal lover's question. A good period for the trio, Ron sung close to his natural register, which will please those who dislike the softer falsetto voice he fell in love with later.[allmusic]
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ISLEY BROTHERS - IT'S OUR THING (T-NECK 1969) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

A very important album for the Isley Brothers, 1969's It's Our Thing found Ronald, O'Kelly and Rudolph Isley reviving their T-Neck label and marked the beginning of their association with Buddah (where they would remain until moving T-Neck to Epic/CBS in 1973). Creatively, this excellent LP put the siblings in the driver's seat -- they did all of the producing and songwriting themselves -- and they enjoyed the type of artistic freedom that they could only dream about when they were with Tamla/Motown from 1965-1968. At Tamla/Motown, Berry Gordy's team of producers and songwriters called the shots, but at T-Neck/Buddah, the Isleys' own vision was allowed to flourish. And that creative freedom made It's Our Thing a commercial triumph as well as an artistic one. The funky title track soared to number two on the R&B charts, and equally invigorating gems like "Give the Women What They Want" and "I Know Who You Been Socking It To" also went down in history as soul classics. Nor are tough, gritty album tracks like "He's Got Your Love" and "I Must Be Losing My Touch" anything to complain about. It's Our Thing made it clear that Tamla/Motown's loss was Buddah's gain.[allmusic]
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BILL WITHERS - JUST AS I AM (SUSSEX 1971) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

Organic, funky, folky, soulful, and an absolute monument of soul music. Much of this material will be familiar to all but the most ignorant listener - "Everybody's Talkin'" has been covered by basically everybody, "Let It Be" is a Beatles cover, and "Ain't No Sunshine" is possibly Withers' most famous original song (competing with "Just The Two Of Us" and "Lovely Day"). Even "Grandma's Hands" was sampled on Blackstreet's "No Diggity". Steven Stills and Booker T Jones support, but Withers makes sure he's truly the star by crafting an album that, at its best, is as intimate and personal as the likes of Pink Moon. "Hope She'll Be Happier" is the understated peak, though it's hard to pick favourites on an album as complete as this. The only slip comes with "Everybody's Talkin'", which is given a funky treatment to bring it in line with the rest of the album. Here, it doesn't work. Elsewhere, however, Withers displays a sound that 40 years later remains all his own. A remarkable album![sputnikmusic]
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MERRY CLAYTON - GIMME SHELTER (ODE 1970) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

Best known for her background vocal work on the Rolling Stones' legendary single "Gimme Shelter," Merry Clayton had a long and successful career as backup singer, solo artist, and actress. Born December 25, 1948 (hence the rather "holiday" feel of her first name), in New Orleans, LA, Clayton recorded tracks with Elvis Presley, the Supremes, Ray Charles, and Joe Cocker, as well as being a member of Ray Charles' Raelettes in the early '60s. Her solo debut, "The Doorbell Rings," was released in 1963, and she eventually found success as a session singer for the aforementioned artists. She followed up her best-known work -- the appearance on "Gimme Shelter" -- with a solo album of the same name, and during the '70s managed some minor R&B hits with tracks like "After All This Time" in 1971 and "Oh No Not My Baby" in 1973. After a brief hiatus from the music business, Clayton did minor acting work, appearing in the film Maid to Order and Cagney & Lacey. Clayton returned to the music side of things in 1994, albeit as a gospel singer, with the album Miracles. In 1996, Clayton performed with Marianne Faithfull and Darlene Love in the show 20th Century Pop, a performance of "20 rock-era standards."[allmusic]
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MAXINE BROWN - OUT OF SIGHT (EPIC 1968) Jap DSD mastering cardboard sleeve + 2 bonus

Miss Brown Is no newcomer to the hit charts, having been there with Chuck Jackson and alone on another label, but she is a newcomer to EPIC, and this LP marks her debut.
She is never sounded better. Listen to her wail "Sunny" as though it belonged to her from the beginning, and her treatment of Percy Sledge's "When A Man Loves A Woman" is a pure gem.
Hear "In My Entire Life" to Know that Maxine Brown has a hot package on her hands...[Billboard, July 1968]

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MARVIN GAYE - MOODS OF MARVIN GAYE (TAMLA 1966) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve + 3 bonus

After Marvin Gaye recorded tributes to Broadway and Nat King Cole in the previous two years, Motown fans may have had their suspicions raised by an LP titled Moods of Marvin Gaye. Yes, there are a few supper-club standards to be found here, but Gaye moves smoothly between good-time soul and adult pop. Most important are his first two R&B number ones, "I'll Be Doggone" and "Ain't That Particular," both from 1965 and both produced by Smokey Robinson. Berry Gordy's right-hand man also helmed "Take This Heart of Mine" and "One More Heartache," another pair of big R&B scores, and just as good as the better-known hits. As for the copyrights not owned by Jobete, the chestnut "One for My Baby (And One More for the Road)" certainly didn't need another reading, but Gaye's take on Willie Nelson's after-hours classic "Night Life" was inspired. Marvin Gaye was improving with every record, gaining in character and strength of performance, and Moods of Marvin Gaye is a radically better record than its predecessors. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
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CLARENCE CARTER - PATCHES (ATLANTIC 1970) + 4 bonus

PATCHES LYRICS
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"I was born and raised down in Alabama
On a farm way back up in the woods
I was so ragged that folks used to call me Patches
Papa used to tease me about it
'Cause deep down inside he was hurt
'Cause he'd done all he could
My papa was a great old man
I can see him with a shovel in his hands, see
Education he never had
He did wonders when the times got bad
The little money from the crops he raised
Barely paid the bills we made
For, life had kick him down to the ground
When he tried to get up
Life would kick him back down
One day Papa called me to his dyin' bed
Put his hands on my shoulders
And in his tears he said
He said, Patches
I'm dependin' on you, son
To pull the family through
My son, it's all left up to you
Two days later Papa passed away, and
I became a man that day
So I told Mama I was gonna quit school, but
She said that was Daddy's strictest rule
So ev'ry mornin' 'fore I went to school
I fed the chickens and I chopped wood too
Sometimes I felt that I couldn't go on
I wanted to leave, just run away from home
But I would remember what my daddy said
With tears in his eyes on his dyin' bed
He said, Patches
I'm dependin' on you, son
I tried to do my best
It's up to you to do the rest
Then one day a strong rain came
And washed all the crops away
And at the age of 13 I thought
I was carryin' the weight of the
Whole world on my shoulders
And you know, Mama knew
What I was goin' through, 'cause
Ev'ry day I had to work the fields
'Cause that's the only way we got our meals
You see, I was the oldest of the family
And ev'rybody else depended on me
Ev'ry night I heard my Mama pray
Lord, give him the strength to face another day
So years have passed and all the kids are grown
The angels took Mama to a brand new home
Lord knows, people, I shedded tears
But my daddy's voice kept me through the years"...
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CLARENCE CARTER - THE DYNAMIC (ATLANTIC 1969) + 3 bonus

...few performances better typified the emerging Carter aesthetic than "Slip Away," a superior cheating ballad spotlighting his anguished, massive baritone alongside the remarkably sinuous backing of Fame's exemplary backing band. The record was a Top Ten hit, and its follow-up, "Too Weak to Fight," also went gold, solidifying Carter's newfound commercial appeal. He ended 1968 with a superbly funky Christmas single, the raunchy "Back Door Santa," in addition to mounting a national tour featuring backing vocalist Candi Staton, who later became Carter's wife as well as a soul star in her own right.
The percolating "Snatching It Back" was Carter's first Atlantic release of 1969 -- its B-side, a remake of James Carr's deep soul classic "The Dark End of the Street," remains one of the singer's most potent efforts, drawing on traditional blues and gospel to explore both the absurdity and anguish of infidelity. Subsequent singles including "The Feeling Is Right," "Doing Our Thing," and "Take It Off Him and Put It on Me" were only marginally successful, but in 1970 Carter returned to the Top Ten with the sentimental "Patches," his biggest hit to date. He nevertheless stumbled again with a run of 1971 releases like "Getting the Bills" and "Slipped, Tripped and Fell in Love," and in the wake of "If You Can't Beat 'Em" -- a duet with Staton -- Carter left Atlantic in 1972, returning to Fame with "Back in Your Arms Again."
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Clarence can still be seen hitting the road with his bag of musical emotions. Showcasing his music of the past, while interjecting his musical vision of the future, Clarence still performs for 1000's of fans a year.
Dr.CC as he is known to his worldwide fan base, can still bring the party to life with his soulful guitar work intertwined with his sexy lyrics, reminding us that you don't have to be down to sing the blues.
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CLARENCE CARTER - TESTIFYIN' (ATLANTIC 1969) remastered + 4 bonus

From his biography
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...My music career began with a school pal of mine, Calvin Scott, and we signed a contract with "Duke Records" from which we had two releases that you probably never heard. We were known by several names, Clarence and Calvin and sometimes were called the CL. Boys. The songs that we recorded were, "You Stole My Heart" and "Money and women". I think one of the funniest thoughts about the experience with Duke Records happened the day when we received our first royalty check that amounted to twenty-five cents.
It is said that all things happen for the better, however when it happens, you cannot understand why. I am referring to the time when I was eleven years old and my mother told me that Santa would not be coming to me anymore. Though this news was disappointing to me at first, I quickly recovered when she told me that she bought me a guitar for Christmas.
I had a hard time learning how to play the guitar for I had no one to teach me how to play but, I was determined to play and I did so by listening to other people play and copy what I heard.
My association with Calvin was short lived because in 1966, we had an automobile accident that caused us to choose different careers. I then signed a contract with Rick Hall, who owned Fame Records, which was located in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. This was probably one of the wisest moves I have ever made. I learned how to write songs, how to sing professionally and how songs were produced into hit records.
Oh, I forgot to tell you, the name of my first record on Fame Records; it was "Tell Daddy All About It". My association with Fame Records lasted from 1966 until 1973. During this time, we had records like: "Slip Away" in 1968, "Too Weak To Fight" in 1969 and "Patches" in 1970. All three of these records were in the top ten positions on the charts. Atlantic Records proved to be a good idea that Rick Hall had for my career, for it was that company that gave stability in the music business for me...
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CLARENCE CARTER - THIS IS CLARENCE CARTER (ATLANTIC 1968) remastered + 4 bonus

Born in Montgomery, Alabama on 14 January, 1936, Carter attended the Alabama School for the Blind in Talladega, Alabama, and Alabama State College in Montgomery, graduating in August 1960 with a Bachelor of Science degree in music. After the 1962 release of "I Don't Know (School Girl)," Carter and Scott left Fairlane Records for Duke Records, renaming themselves the CL Boys for their label debut, Hey. In all, the duo cut four Duke singles, none of them generating more than a shrug at radio[citation needed].

In 1965, they travelled to Rick Hall's FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals to record "Step by Step" and its flip side, "Rooster Knees and Rice. Atlantic Records took notice and released "Step by Step" on its Atco Records subsidiary, but it flopped. Carter continued as a solo act, signing to the Fame Records label for 1967's Tell Daddy. Several more solid singles followed, until Carter released "Slip Away," which hit number 6 on the Pop Charts. "Too Weak to Fight" hit number 13. Several more soul singles followed, like "Snatching It Back," "At The Dark End of the Street," "The Feeling Is Right," "Doing Our Thing" and "Patches." "Patches", (first recorded by Chairmen of the Board), was a UK number 2 and a U.S. number 4 in 1970, and was nominated for a Grammy in 1972. This disc sold over one million copies, and received a gold disc awarded by the R.I.A.A. in September 1970, just two months after its release.It was Carter's third million seller...
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JAMES BROWN - I GOT THE FEELIN' (KING 1968) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

Simply put, this is probably one of James Brown's all-time greatest, most consistently hot and funky records that he ever put out.
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"I Got the Feelin'" released as a single in 1968 & it reached #1 on the R&B charts and #6 on the pop charts. It also appeared on a 1968 album of the same name.
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The Jackson Five auditioned for Motown founder Berry Gordy in 1968 with a filmed performance of "I Got the Feelin'", with the ten-year-old Michael Jackson closely mimicking Brown's vocal style and dance moves...
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JAMES BROWN - SAY IT LOUD (KING 1969) Jap mastering cardboard sleeve

If there's a downside to the proliferation of box sets and greatest-hits packages, it's that artists are often reduced to little more than their smash singles and memorable B-sides. As a chance to hear James Brown as a full-album artist, Say It Loud: I'm Black and I'm Proud is well worth owning. Recorded in 1969, at the height of Brown's powers, this does contain several known songs, chief among them the fierce title track and the sexy "Licking Stick." But listen to Brown tear into the mournful "I Guess I'll Have to Cry, Cry, Cry" or the bluesy "Let Them Talk" and you will get a true sense of the breadth of Brown's many talents. --Amy Linden
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The funk gem "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" is a song written and recorded by James Brown in 1968. It is notable both as one of Brown's signature songs and as one of the most popular "black power" anthems of the 1960s. The song was released as a two-part single which held the number-one spot on the R&B singles chart for six weeks, and peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. [1] Both parts of the single were later included on a 1969 album of the same name.
"Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud" was the first Brown recording to feature trombonist Fred Wesley, who went on to become the bandleader of The J.B.'s.
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