"...Everybody Needs To Know..."
In their unrelenting quest for chart hits it
seems the Bihari Brothers of Kent Records USA (Jules, Saul & Joe) would
throw just about any kind of musical paint at the American chart canvas to see
what would make a splash. Hence this genre-varied double-CD (Volume 1 of 2
apparently) clobbers you with a myriad of styles - Vocal Groups, Blues, Rhythm
'n' Blues, Jump Blues, Wild Rockabilly & even wilder Rock 'n' Roll - and of
course as it mooches into 1960 to 1962 - some traces of early Soul. And 30 of
its 48 tracks are either previously unreleased or new to CD as well. Here are
the details 'everybody needs to know'...
UK released August 2015 (September 2015 in the
USA) – "Unlock The Lock: The Kent Records Story 1958-1962" by VARIOUS
ARTISTS on Ace Records CDTOP2 1449 (Barcode 029667073226) plays out as follows:
Disc 1 -1958-1959 - (61:32 minutes):
1. Why Do Everything Happen To Me – B.B. KING
(1958, Kent 301)
2. All Of Me – DANNY BOY (1958, Kent 300)
3. Hey Little Mama – THE BARKER BROTHERS (2015,
Alternative of Kent 302)
4. "Baby, Bay" Every Night – ETTA
JAMES (1958, Kent 304)
5. Sweet Lovin' Honey – DON COLE (1958, Kent
205)
6. On My Way Back Home – FLASH TERRY & HIS
ORCHESTRA (2015, Extended Version of Kent 310)
7. Devil Doll – LEE DENSON (1958, Kent 306)
8. Madness – SONNY KNIGHT (1958, Kent 312)
9. Basis Of Rock 'n' Roll – VAN ROBINSON
(2015, Take 1 of a track that first turned up
on the July 2000 CD compilation "Long Gone Daddies: Original 50s
Rockabilly & Rock 'n' Roll from The Modern Label" on Ace CDCHD 768)
10. Bye Bye Baby – CHUCK "TEQUILA"
RIO (2015, Take 5 of Kent 38)
11. That's My Baby – ARTIE WILSON (1958, Kent
313)
12. Dance The Thing – FLOYD DIXON and HIS
ORCHESTRA (1958, Kent 311)
13. Please Accept My Love – B.B. KING (2015,
Undubbed Version of a track on the 1969 "Boss Of The Blues" LP on
Kent 5029)
14. Red Hot Rockin' Blues – JESSE JAMES (1958,
Kent 314)
15. If It Ain't One Thing – BETTY & DUPREE
(1959, Kent 318)
16. You You You – VAN ROBINSON (2015,
Previously Unreleased)
17. South's Gonna Rise Again – JESSE JAMES
(1958, Kent 314)
18. Worry Worry – B.B. KING (2015, Take 1 of
Kent 317)
19. The Ballad Of Stagger Lee – THE SENDERS
(2105, Extended Version of Kent 320)
20. The Thrill Is Gone – HADDA BROOKS (2015,
Take 1 of Kent 321)
21. The Fool – B.B. KING (1959, Kent 319)
22. Everybody Needs To Know – THE SENDERS
(2015, Alternative of Kent 324)
23. (I Love You) For Sentimental Reasons –
JESSE BELVIN (1959, Kent 326)
24. Mean Ole Frisco – B.B. KING (2015, Take 2
of Kent 329)
Tracks 3, 6, 9, 10, 13, 16, 18, 19, 20, 22 and
24 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
Disc 2 -1960-1962 - (67:32 minutes):
1. Sweet Sixteen Pts. 1 & 2 – B.B. KING
(1960, Kent 330)
2. Your Cheating Heart – JIMMY WITHERSPOON
(1960, Kent 343)
3. Unlock The Clock – JIMMY NELSON (2015,
Alternate of Kent 354)
4. Good Man Gone Bad – B.B. KING (1960, Kent
346)
5. Tomorrow Night – HADDA BROOKS (1960, Kent
349)
6. You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now – B.B.
KING (2015, Take 4 of Kent 350)
7. Diane – CHARLIE OWENS & THE SENSATIONAL
INK SPOTS (1962, Kent 355)
8. If Love Was Money – TONY ALLEN & THE
WANDERERS (1961, Kent 356)
9. Bad Case Of Love – B.B. KING (2015, Take 1
of Kent 362)
10. Texas Queen – BILLY RAY (1962, Kent 367)
11. Dreamin' – TONY ALLEN & GROUP (1961,
Kent 364)
12. Doing The Twist – JOE HOUSTON (1962, Kent
366)
13. Get In The Car – LITTLE JOE HINTON
(first appeared on the 1999 Japanese Various
Artists CD compilation "West Coast Modern Blues Vol.2" on P-Vine PCD
3063)
14. Crazy Feeling aka Do Something Crazy – ETTA
JAMES (1958, Kent 370)
15. The Whip Twist – LITTLE JOE HINTON (1962,
Kent 368)
16. Goodnight My Love – PAT HUNT (1962, Kent
374)
17. Do You Wanna Twist – TEDDY REYNOLDS (1962,
Kent 371)
18. Playboy – BILLY RAY (1962, Kent 367)
19. Camel Caravan – THE CLASSICALS (1962, Kent
379)
20. Without You – HAL DAVIS (1962, Kent 375)
21. Love You Baby – BOBBY "BLUE"
BLAND (1962, Kent 378)
22. The Wonder Of Love – THE NEWPORTS (1962,
Kent 380)
23. Maybe I'm Wrong – BOBBY SANDERS (2015,
Extended Version of Kent 382)
24. Mashing The Popeye – B.B. KING (1962, Kent
381)
Tracks 3, 6, 9 and 23 are PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED
The 16-page booklet has info-packed liner notes
from TONY ROUNCE – a name associated with huge numbers of quality reissues.
There’s lots of those colourful Kent American 45s repro’d, publicity photos of
label heroes like B.B. King and Bobby Bland – but it's also nice to see shots
of equally deserving names like The Barker Brothers, Jesse James, Flash Terry
and Floyd Dixon, Jesse Belvin, Tony Allen, Jimmy Nelson, Teddy Reynolds and
even a colour snap of Jimmy Witherspoon with his lone cover of the Hank
Williams classic “Your Cheating Heart”. The vastly experienced DUNCAN COWELL
has handled the transfers and Remasters and despite the often ramshackle and boisterous
nature of the recordings – the audio is full of atmosphere, air and presence.
Disc 1 opens with a drum-slapping R&B
shuffler (one of many) "Why Do Everything Happen To Me" by B.B. King
where the Blues Boy tells us that his "...heart is full of misery..."
(a condition he'll get to know well). We then get a doo-woppy version of the
standard "All Of Me" by Danny Boy that doesn’t quite work - but
better is the Bop of "Hey Little Mama" by The Barker Brothers
sounding like Eddie Cochran and his brother singing a duo. Very cool R&B
from Etta James follows where the firecracker is already sounding like a LaVern
Baker superstar on ""Baby, Baby" Every Night" – a fabulous
little R&B dancer. More Rockabilly from the echoed vocals of Don Cole on
"Sweet Lovin' Honey" – a top class bopper from 1958 - while we get
shuffling R&B from the suitably named Flash Terry featuring a prominent
zippy guitar solo. "Madness" by Sonny Knight is the first cut clearly
dubbed off a scratchy disc (still sounds boss though) while 50ts dancefloor
twirlers will flip for "Basis Of Rock 'n' Roll" by Van Robinson (here
in a Saxophone blasting first take – what a winner). "Bye Bye Baby"
by Chuck "Tequila" Rio apes the stuttering vocals of Rock ‘n’ Rollers
from 1956 and is undoubtedly one of the gems on here (girly vocals or no). It
even comes with a giggling Chuck goofing around as the tape rolls out.
Both Artie Wilson and Floyd Dixon step up to
the R 'n' R and R 'n' B plate respectively with two fantastic dancefloor
fillers – "That's My Baby" and "Dance The Thing". But good
as they truly are – they’re small beer to a wild Rockabilly winner called
"Red Hot Rockin' Blues" by Jesse James – a tune so foottappingly good
its liable to restore eyesight to the blind. But it's hardly surprising that
the plodding Blues of Van Robinson on "You You You" was unreleased –
heavy on the guitar for sure but all over the place despite his incendiary
playing.
We get all rebel yell on the frantic Rockabilly
of "South's Gonna Rise Again" while B.B. King is back to being a
misery-guts on "Worry". It's a little shocking to hear the lead-in
vocals of Hadda Brooks on "The Thrill Is Gone" as she mumbles to the
boys in the band at the beginning of Take 1 (gorgeous audio and a Soulful
rendering by her). B.B. King follows with a tasty R&B shuffler as he pleads
"can you forgive me..." on "The Fool". We now get a classy
and beautiful Vocal Group smoocher "Everybody Needs To Know" by The
Senders with Carlton Beck handling Lead Vocals. This is apparently Take 1 and
despite a dip or two in the tapes towards the end of the song - lovers of the
genre will absolutely have to own this previously unreleased version (cream of
the crop for me).
Disc 2 opens with a biggie from B.B. King –
both parts of his Joe Turner cover version of "Sweet Sixteen" from
January 1960 (6:14 minutes in full length). It rose to No. 2 on the US R&B
charts and returned him to Hitsville after a near two-year absence
("You've Been An Angel" on Kent 315 in March 1958). The entire compilation's
title comes from a witty and beautifully recorded R&B shuffler called
"Unlock The Lock" by Jimmy Nelson where he assures his lady love that
even though he’s been with the boys – Jimmy is free of sin (I'm not so sure
dear). Two soppy turkeys turn up in Hadda Brooks attempting a string-laden
cover of La Vern Baker's "Tomorrow Night" which is disappointingly
awful while the hissy and even bizarre Charlie Owens/Ink Spots take on
"Diane" (also ruined by strings) isn't much better. Far better is a
crystal clear Take 4 of "You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now" by B.B.
King (sweet work from the band on this one) while his bopping "Bad Case Of
Love" is a fun brass-driven dancer (and kept Kent on the American charts).
Again Vocal Group collectors have cause to celebrate and will want
"Dreamin'" by Tony Allen sounding not unlike The Five Keys or The
"5" Royales on a very good day. Other R&B Dancers include
"Love You Baby" with a rare early showing for Bobby "Blue"
Bland as Lead Vocalist, the infectious "Doing The Twist" by Joe
Houston and a cocky "Playboy" by Billy Ray sounding like Clarence
"Frogman" Henry fancying himself as something of a player with the
opposite sex.
So there you have it - it’s not all genius by
any means (I thought Disc 2 dipped a bit) – but as ever with Kent Records the
good stuff is great and worth owning.
"...Everybody likes to rock...everybody
likes to roll...everybody likes to bop...satisfy their souls..." – Floyd
Dixon tells his Orchestra on the infectious "Dance The Thing". On the
strength of this then...roll on Volume 2...
This review and 155 more like it are available to read in my SOUNDS GOOD Music Books Series. Check out the BLUES, VOCAL GROUPS, R 'n' B and R' n' R Version on Amazon as a Kindle read...
